Name that diesel!

[DKayser]

OK, who knows their history AND their diesels? I just found a 1981 Chevy Chevette with a diesel. Car is a roach, but seems to run ok. It might be a neat swap motor for my 1918 Dodge Brothers touring car. I can get it cheap, but want to know if it`s gonna hold up& if I can get parts for it. All info is helpful, so TIA. DK.

 

[MUDDY]

isuzu if i member rite



cant wait to see u car

 

[parcher]

A friend of mine is a retired engineer from Texaco. When they evaluated the Chevette diesel on the chassis dyno the engine did not enough power to get the rollers going, they had to kick the rollers over woth their feet. Good fuel economy NO POWER!

 

[strick]

Kick start the rollers with their feet! Damn what a hoot! Ha! A Chevette. What a POS crap car!

 

[HoleshotHolset]

A friend of mine had a rust-free diesel 'Vette back in like 1992... . it was a very low mileage car that some old guy owned... .



The ONLY way we could get it to do a burnout was by doing this:



Sit the lightest guy in the group in the drivers seat.

Put the 3 biggest guys in the group on the back bumper.

Have the little guy in the drivers seat shift to 1st gear and floor it (automatic)... with the service brakes on.

Then have the 3 guys in the back lift the car up long enough to get the RPM up in the little diesel... and drop it.



You'd get a chirp out of it and that was about it... .



Another buddy of mine in HS had a diesel F*rd Escort... it got INSANE mileage, but didn't have enough power to even get out of it's own way.



I still remember those cars as if I were riding in them yesterday... AND I still love diesels... despite how crappy those cars were.



Matt

 

[GFoley]

Ford also put a diesel 5spd in the Tempo.

As others have stated, mileage was terrific.

 

[DKayser]

WOW!

Whoa! If it is that anemic, maybe it ain`t a swap candidate after all. Must be the same motor, she said it would do 40mpg on the road. Maybe she meant 40 MPH! Thanx for input & info. Have to rethink it now. :--)

 

[Peter Campbell]

Just go and get yourself a diesl jetta GLS- get the winter package- the heated seats and heated window washer resevior. And of course 5 speed. Honest 45 "routine" driving- 52 MPG at 75 MPH 794 miles between fillups on a 14 gallon tank. (exit 1 in NY/NJ on 84 to pittsburgh and back). 80K mile change the timing belt (PITA) job.

 

[lil red cummins]

then there was my dads 1980 chevy caprice classic wagon with the diesel - rated at 100 HP. it would hit 70 - eventually. in summer you had to turn off the air to get over the hills on the PA turnpike. i did learn a lot though. learned how to replace injectors, replace glow plugs, and how to rebuild a roosa-master (now stanadyne) injector pump. all before the car hit 40,000 miles. bought a 55 gal drum of 30 weight oil because it got changed every 3000 miles and it was special back then (for me).

:{

jim

 

[Torque King Jay]

Hey LiL Red we had one of those early 80s Impala that was diesel. What a pig. It couldn't spin the tires going up a hill around a corner in wet leaves. It definately wasn't fast but it always ran good. We we're fortunate enough to have one of the ones that was able to keep the crank inside the block. We also had a mid 80s VW Rabbit diesel. Even less power but it got great mileage.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I had an 81' diesel Toyota pickup, non turbo, real slug. Only redeeming value was I bought it at 37K, sold it over 100K with no work other than transmission syncro's. Even a slug has some torque I guess. Fuel mileage 36-40, top speed maybe 80-85.

 

[lil red cummins]

never had any problems with the bottom end of the engine. didn't even realize they had problems back then. besides the problems with the items mentioned above, i had continuous problems with the vacuum valve tied to the injector pump. it controlled the vacuum modulator on the trans and was constantly having problems.



the biggest problem for dad was filling up at a big rig pump in a suit and tie, then stepping in it and smelling like diesel when he was visiting customers.



it sure was gutless wasnt it? we used to tease him that my wifes 74 duster with the slant 6 had more power!



jim

 

[bmoeller]

Re: WOW!

Originally posted by DKayser

Whoa! If it is that anemic, maybe it ain`t a swap candidate after all. Must be the same motor, she said it would do 40mpg on the road. Maybe she meant 40 MPH! Thanx for input & info. Have to rethink it now. :--)

\



Would a Cummins 4BT fit in it?

 

[DKayser]

Dunno?

I dunno. What `s the dimensions & more important, the weight? The Chevette had 1 really nice quality, DIRT CHEAP! It was a $250 car or so. DK. :--)

 

[Sageair]

Biggest difference between those old GM diesels and gonorhea was that you could get rid of gonorhea.