Slunnie replied:

Les, as far as I know chev conversions are now next to impossible to insure. TCIS has now pulled the pin on these who I would have thought to be the most accepting of all insurance companies. I don't know much about this conversion, though I think Nick Mannell from Mannell Motors in Sydney did have this same set up on his previous Patrol.

Valdon replied:

Hi Les, I have an 80 Series with this conversion. The offroad performance is very good. Fuel consumption is around 15l/100km and it is using the same gearing as a standard Diesel. It pulls about 2100rpm at 100kmph. Brunswick Diesel did the conversion for the previous owner and seem very helpfull they responded to any calls or e-mails I have made very quickly. Overall I am happy with the conversion. Insurance has not been a problem as long as you full explain that it uses the same engine mounts, has less HorsePower than most big Pertrols and weighs about the same as the standard motors. More of an issue with insurance has been suspension/tire modifications from my experience. Also it helps to say it is a 6.5 l Diesel, not a Chev V8 Diesel when talking to the insurance companies as Chev and V8 always make them nervous. I believe the insurance question really comes down to your driving record, value to the company concerned and you approach. As with all things you catch more flies with honey.
Hope that helps
Cheers
Valdon

member-skippyking replied:

Les, we have an F250 that had the 300 cubic inch 6 and went over to the Brunswick Diesels fitted 6.5l diesel. Before the V8 100km/hr was working it pretty hard and fuel disappeared pretty quickly. Our use is to pull a boomspray around the farm mostly and the 6 used about 2 tanks of fuel a day doing this heavy work. With the V8 80-90km/hr makes it work, so road speed is down but fuel economy is far better, as we only use one tank of fuel per day when spraying. For the $11 000, the 6 was on the way out, we feel money well spent. I can't remember what size the tank is but it is between 50 and 60 litres. It is rarely on the road so can't comment on fuel useage at highway speeds. Grant

CLIVEB replied:

JUST WONDERING WHY YOU DO NOT INSTALL THE NISSAN 4.2 LITRE ENGINE WITH TURBO. THE PERFORMANCE WOULD PROBABLY BE AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER ie 350 NM TORQUE AND NO INSURANCE PROBLEMS. I BELIEVE LOW KMS ENGINE CAN BE BOUGHT FOR AROUND$6000 DEPENDING ON AGE. REGARDS

CLIVEB replied:

Les, the reason I suggested the 4.2 nissan is because I am going along the same road.
I have an efi petrol and have researched this problem over a long period.
The only problem I have is the electronics on my model,Marks are very good and have solutions to this, but the chev option in diesel is costly and I believe noisy. Having previously owned a nissan turbo diesel I can vouche for its performance .
Linquipe in townsville also cary out chev conversions but they also sell and install traded in nissan turbos ie 2000 engine low ks $8000 as a recent quote.
they advise motor bolts straight in with the radiator requiring changes to inlet and outlet pipes only.
My vehicle is an auto,but in the manual the conversion should be straight forward (I have the engine/auto management system to contend with) .
I believe linquipe will either install for you or send down the engines.I think this is the correct number 07 4774 8060-good luck and let us know if your conversion is a success.

Benna replied:

Also look at the cummins diesel, they use them in the dodge rams. They are 6L 6cyl. Being a 6 they have heaps more torque at low revs. Look up on the U.S forums about f250Vs Dodge e.c.t. The cummins also gets better reviews.