(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Detroit diesel would you own one these days

J

JOCCO

Well-known Member
Well say you found an irrigation pump, log skidder, truck or what ever and it had one in it would you buy it and use it or run away?? Yes I still have some and can and still work on them and yes if I wanted the item it would not bother me at all
 
I was wowed by the one I saw in an F-5. They sound cool, remind me of when I was a kid (I lived near an industrial park). I figured what ever their problems, it would not be taxed too hard in a small truck, like a pick up or even a Ford C550 or C50 so the issues should be manageable. Seemed like it might be fun.

If you could put some other diesel in any of the frames I mentioned, what would you use? I have to go 1972 or older truck to avoid smog checks. Would a Cat 3044 or 3204 fit? Not 2 strokes, I know.
 
I'd like to see any other brand be more neglected, or missused for 50 years or better, and still roar to life every morning, year after year.
 
I have a friend who used to drive a truck with a DD. He loves them. He owns three. Dozer, forklift, and gen set.
While I might enjoy the sound from a distance, I wouldn't have one.
 
Had one in a Ford L800. Could always tell where I parked by the puddle of oil on the pavement. I installed a bus battery and it would start at -20 with just a whiff of ether.
 
I have a 353T in a 1977 ford f250, another 353T in a 1972 K10 Chevy, 453T in a C60, 453N in F600 4wheel drive, and a 471 in a Dynahoe. It's about 100 miles as the crow flies to Aurora. I'll run out and stert em all up, let me know if you can heer them.
 
We have a Silver 92 in a 1977 cab over Pete. Worked just fine for hauling water and hay around the farm. I wouldn't want one for over the highway hauling but for on farm use they work just fine. They are tough engines.
 
I'd have one. I did an engine swap on one that was getting a little tired in a log skidder once. I believe it was a Clark skidder, a real nice skidder. It had a Silver 3 cylinder turboed and supercharged, and it just seemed to fit and work very well in it. Put a reman in it. As I have said before, I did 8 Detroit swaps at the dealer I worked at, in cranes. Govt paid 75% of the bill if you would swap your old Detroit powered cranes over to emissionized 6.7 Cummins engines. Every major piece of those Detroit engines had to be damaged so it couldn't be resold. I had one that had been setting outside in subzero temps for a week. I put a bungee cord to the throttle in wide open, sprayed an entire can of ether into the intake, and touched the starter. It started immediately obviously, went wide open as soon as it touched off, and ran like it had just been shut off a few minutes before. I let it run that way for about an hour. It was 5? F out when I started it. I can't remember now, but it seems I had also drained the coolant. I then had to cut the crank, punch a hole through the block, and torch holes in the head. I hated to do it, but the govt had a guy that had to document it. I I'd 8 engines, 4 cyls, straight 6s, V6s, and V8s.
 
I worked at a quarry for two seasons after selling the dairy cows. Worked on a Cedar Rapids crusher with a 16 cyl V-8....Could put out about 1000 hp. Roared even with the earmuffs and plugs. It was two v-8s with a common crank and pan. Surprisingly started with ether on frozen mornings.
 
The only Detroit I was involved with was in a stretched semi tractor turned into a straight truck. Yes, it was tough. The gauges didn't work and it seized up from low water and oil on I15 in Idaho. Next morning it fired right up and ran 1200 miles through the mountains and across the plains from Idaho back to Iowa. We added water every 300 miles and the oil looked like a chocolate milkshake by the time we were home but it ran strong. It never ran again after it got home though. The truck had an air starter that sounded like a giant air wrench. and air assist power steering. One quiet morning I was walking around the front of that truck when someone hit the air starter. I about flew out of my shoes. LOL
 
Had a customer at the old job that just loved diesels- he drove the early 80's GM diesel powered cars long after they were old. He had a late-60's F-250 farm pickup that he dropped a DD V-6 into, salvaged from an old Pepsi delivery truck. Boy, was that thing fun to run around the parking lot!
 
Just member Detroit also built a 50 & 60 series after they had to quite the 2 cycles. they were 4 cycles and had the best fuel mileage out there for a while. Cat was very good to till the dam EPA ran them out of the truck end
 
A friend of mine has an 80's model Chevy ton truck with a two cylinder Detroit with a blower.It was installed probably 30 years ago.
 
jocco,

Have one at work..16v92. Twin turbo, twin charger, low hours, what a screaming machine for a diesel, and may I mention, I do not like noise.

They have their purpose, but have been all but eradicated from use due to emissions compliance. Versatile and have their niche, but dead to the USA for the said reason.

D.
 
I'd have one for the novelty. I love their sound. But, they have NO resale value in the real world anymore and I feel, pricey to rebuild.
 
(quoted from post at 16:20:22 10/26/16) A friend of mine has an 80's model Chevy ton truck with a two cylinder Detroit with a blower.It was installed probably 30 years ago.
Click to expand...

Probably not the earliest detroit pickup conversion, but Leo Stohl bought a brand new 1966 gm 4wheel drive with a V6 gasser in it, purchased a brand new 353 from Mcdonnell Quigly (spelling?) in Tonawanda NY, recieved credit for the industrial flywheel housing in lew of the automotive one. Bolted it to the original crossmember ( just had to ream the bushings for 9/16 bolts).
Drove it for about a year , then traded on a brand new Detroit powered. Kenwoth that he put to work hauling big green machines out of Euclid Ohio.
Anyone heard or seen anything of that pickup?
 
I would pass on any two stroke Detroit Diesel. Even with a muffler they are too noisy to operate for very long or run near livestock. You could hear those things a mile away over a hill.
 
I have a 6-71 in a Ford L9000 rollback that is used often , nice truck and good dependable engine. I also have one, in one of my Northwest cranes.
Their are still a few contractors and loggers, that I work with that have Detroit's.
 
use one just about everyday 6v53 in my massey ferguson 66 wheel loader it is tired but gets the job done.two mufflers and still can hear it 2 miles away
 
A Detroit is like a dog it marks it's territory wherever it's parked. Oh and if it aint leaking its out of oil.
 
One of my neighbors runs a screaming jimmy straight truck. He can sure outrun me if I am in the truck with the 3208 in it. You can always follow him, though. Follow the huge clouds of black smoke every 200 yards. It must have a 10 speed in it.
 
I have one in my excavator,6v53n,runs good. I put some dump truck mufflers on it and it really quieted it down, STILL LOUD THOUGH!
 
I am running 8.2 in 83 F800. Had couple bad injectors that filled up pan. Has over 200 thou on it. rolled set of bearings in it. Everybody told me they was no good from get go but there shure was a lot of them put in trucks and stationary units. These are V8 4 stroke engines.
 
Not GM but these might come close in the neglect stakes.

Southern Cross was a locally produced Oz brand of small industrial diesels. This particular series came in 1, 2, 3 and 4 cylinders. Sawmills used the bigger ones.

An old sawmiller's description - "They ran for years surrounded by sawdust and neglect".

And they didn't even have an air cleaner.
 
A Detroit is one of my all time favorite engines so yes I would own one..In fact I own two..
11w9i8k.jpg
 
since I have the attention of Detroit Diesel people, I have some shell sets. Part number 8924357 Gr. 1.6100 Shell set standard OEM Anyone have an interest, I would like to have them gone. gobble
 
Blaw-Knox asphalt pavers used to use the Screaming Jimmies. I was tickled to death when they started using JD engines. 10-12 hours in close proximity to one of them was irritating. Not saying they weren't good engines - I don't remember one ever breaking down.
 
in a tractor yes,,.in a truck? haleno!! ,,. my fingers would get sore slammin the door on em , so I was mad enuf to drive like it needs to be drove ,,..
 
I guess I'm amused by all internal combustion engines. I'm a Moline fan, enjoy the sound of a low rpm, big inch motor that lugs through the hard spots in a field, or heavy windrows on the square baler and never gives up. I also enjoy the sound of a 2 stroke Detroit that loves to scream, revs higher and higher sounding happier all the time. I'll own one some day, if for nothing else but to make me happier after a rough day. Cummins, Cat, great dependable motors. Just common, not the same appeal to me
 
Have had a 4-53 in a 1900 oliver since 77. FWA with 23.1x26 rice tires on the rear. Awesome mud machine. Was our main power for many years, and the neighbors got used to the roar of the Detroit. As the years went by we moved on to a white 105, then a couple of 2+2's and used olly less and less. last couple of years have been real wet, and have had to use him more but the neighborhood has changed. did some late fall plowing last fall on clear crisp days when sound really carries. Took the newer neighbors awhile to find out what was making all that noise. Loud- yes leaky -yes. I think it leaks fluids you have never put in it. But beneath many of these graying temples lurks the heart and soul of a little boy whose mind wanders back to sandbox days of years ago, Back when if your buddies tractor went "varoom varoom" it was powerful, but if yours went "VAROOMMM VAROOMMM" It was more powerful. Driving a Detroit powered oliver satisfies that longing.
 
I have a 4-71 in a homemade 4wd tractor that was built in 1961. The engine came out of a 50's GMC truck, I think. Still trying to breath life back into it after it has been sitting for 40 plus years. A friend of mine told that the Detroit engine is the most efficient way to turn diesel fuel into noise. There is something about the scream of a two cycle that stirs up a primal feeling, as long as I don't have to listen to it all day long.
 
When you see and hear a US Army Hemmet driving around the power plant is and epa exempt 8V92. Learned to work on them at Detroit Tank/Automotive Command for the USAF. Also learned on 8V71's in vehicle maintenance course for the USAF at Port Hueneme, CA. Love the scream of a 2 cylinder Detroit.

Leonard
 
(reply to 8lpost at 05:36:29 10/27/16)
Click to expand...
Your attitudd goes a long way towards the service you will receive in return from your detroit. Much like your significant other.
If you go at it first thing in the morning with " man you are an old , overweight, outdated noisy leaking pos" you probably won't be too happy or feel too rewarded at the end of the day.
But, armed with straight weight oil ( Never put 15/40 in a detroit) fresh filters, an aluminum valve cover, a tube of Yamabond #4, the latest high pressure "Silver Series " injectors, and take some time and learn how to square up the rack so all cylinders do their share of the work, and you will one happy camper.
A little zinc additive is like a big box of chocolate.
Later engines ran the air box drains right back into the oil pan, this keeps it from " Marking its territory"
 
When I was at Engineman A school at Great Lakes in 68 one of the instructors told ob being at GM and one of the instructors there told them of GM playing at ocean racing for a while with 6-71 modified to run to 3500 rpm. Don't know anything else about that, that's all I remember him telling us.
 
Been around a bunch of them. In Euclid crawlers 6-71, 8v-71, 12v71. Trucks and earth moving rigs. We still run a '73 GMC 9500 with a 6-71, 22' bed and hoist and a '84 GMC Astro Aero single axle tractor with a 6v92 silver. Had a '53 GMC 950 tractor with a 6-71 and a '52 550 farm truck with a 4-71. I had 2-'94 Freightliner single axle tractors with the 50 series 4 cyl. A Farmall M with a 3-71. Run a few Allis Chalmers crawlers with 2, 3 and 6 cyl Detroits
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Question about "purchace protection" when you buy on line?
Replies
1
Views
321
BarnyardEngineering
BarnyardEngineering
B
4-51 Detroit Diesel
Replies
16
Views
681
buickanddeere
B
T
Rent a corn head?
Replies
8
Views
463
EFV
E
R
Buyer/Sellers - How to You Advertise on FB Marketplace??
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
Papaw8
P
K
Ford 800/900 Hydraulic Remote - Auxiliary Port
Replies
8
Views
615
KJMClark
K
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top