1940 3 1/2 to 8 ton 2 stroke Diesel

I was tuning a 318 in a Astro, COE. The shop I was in, you could not tilt the cab up much because of the low ceiling. I was laying on top of the blower with the governor torn apart, setting the gap on the governor spring when it took off. Got up to about 3500rpm before I could get the air shut off with my shirt, with me in it.

Saw one take off one time with a broken air shut off, cut the fuel to it, it ran on the oil in the pan until it grenaded. I would guess about 6000rpm, sounded like a big electric motor, until it blew, then it sounded like a paint can half full of rocks.

 

The 8V-71 Jimmy's were V-8's and commonly rated at a maximum of 318-HP. The in-line 6's, or 6-71's were generally rated at a maximun of 238-HP.

The whole Detroit (GMC) diesel engine family was designated by the number of cylinders, and the cubic-inches per cylinder. (6-71 means 6-cylinders, 71 cubic-inches per cylinder...or 426 cubic inches) (8V-71 means 8-cylinders, in a Vee, and 71 cubic inches per cylinder...or 568 cubic inches.) They also made a smaller series with 53-cubic-inches per cylinder (4-53 ; 6V-53) and a larger series with 92-cubic-inches per cylinder. (8V-92; 12V-92; 16V-92)

The blowers for these engines were a roots, positive displacement type of blower, and the output of the blower was exactly the same per revolution of the blower as the displacement of the engine when driven by by 1 to 1 drive gears. Of course, they are both under-driven and over-driven on hot rod engines.

JG

 

Back in the late sixties I worked at a Chevy dealer in the parts department. I remember seeing in the Chevy parts books listings for parts for 1/2 and 3/4 ton pickups with 3-53 engines. If I remember correctly these were early sixties models. Maybe 60 to 65 ?
They must have been extremely rare as I've never actually seen one.
Has anyone here actually seen one, or know someone who had one?
This would, I think, probably be the first factory use of a diesel in a pickup truck.

 

We have detroits in a lot of things here. Have a 2-71 setup as a portable generator. The neighboring campers love it when that thing runs all night. A 3-71 on a generator and water pump. A 4-71 in a Lima Crane. 2 more 4-71's setup for generators and water pumps. a 6-71 that I don't know what it was for. Still has the blower on it too . A 4-53 for a water boost pump. And an 8V-71 in our semi truck(GMC General) We had practically straight pipes on that thing for a year or two and you could hear it leave town with a load of grain 5 miles away.

A couple of 4-71's we have are setup with 4 exhaust valves according to my dad who has rebuilt them a couple times. One of them isn't a mile from my house that pumps water for our irrigations. Runs about 1800RPM with a straight pipe all night long. I open my window in my room and it puts me to sleep.

A few tips. If you want to run a good long time with a detriot. Always check the oil, drive only when pissed, and roll the windows down and listen to her scream.

 

First lets remember that the Americans set the first diesel record over 300 mph http://theroddoctor2.tripod.com/lsrvehicle.htm it still counts as the first, even if it was only by a day.

I added a bunch of Bonneville Diesel pictures to my flickr site if anybody is interested, there are a bunch of build pictures, plus pictures of the Phoenix about an hour before it set the last record http://www.flickr.com/photos/boletivore/sets/72157619528883234/

 

Great motors!

They not only made the ,4,6, 8, 12, and 16v71 series, they also produced the v92 series

First number - number of cylinders
V - cylinder arangement
71 and 92 - Cubic inches per cylinder

 

Used to haul grain and steel with a Crackerbox GMC. One night my
sleeping bag bounced out of the sleeper and landed on the doghouse.
Thought the engine died it was so quiet. After thet always ran with a
cargo pad over thge dog house.
They said a 671 was like a teenage girl. Squeel loud in town but out
in the country, wouldn't do anything.
Crackerbox was a fun truck to drive as you sat above and in front of
left front wheel.

 

The biggest reason for the run aways is the fuel rack hanging wide open. The governor can't push it back and away it goes. GM saw this during testing and added the air box cut-off. See signature

 

Actually, there was a 2-71 as well.
My ex-brother in-law had one in his fishing boat.
My dad made a career out of working on those engines and I worked for a DDA dealership for a short time.
I still have all the shop manuals for 71 and 53 series Detroits (Dad retired just when the 92's were coming on line, but he never got the manuals for them).
They were replaced by the 11 and 12 litre 4-stroke engines.

 

Detroit made the 2 -stroke in several different series.
51, 53, 71, 92, 110 and 149.
Anything bigger was called "Electro-Motive".
The design orginated from a Cleaveland engine from the 1920's.
The DDA version was originally marketed until the moniker "Gray Marine".


6narow

 

You also haven't lived until you've spent an 8 hour work day in an enclosed room with two 3-53's running at 3300 rpm the whole time.

...or rather...

YOU ALSO HAVEN'T LIVED UNTIL YOU'VE SPENT AN 8 HOUR WORKDAY IN AN ENCLOSED ROOM WITH TWO 3-53'S RUNNING AT 3300 RPM THE WHOLE TIME!!!


6narow

 

Where was this at?
my dad was in Alaska in the early 60's.

...also, weren't you a movie star in the 1970's?


6narow

 

I installed a 3-53 in a Gamma goat in the army first start it ran away used my tool tray over the air intake to shut it off , the repaired the governor . I have heard 318 referred to both a 8-71 and a 6-53. I was a kid and remember a friend of my dad had a wrecker with a 12-71 in it in the 70's . nothing sounded like that. I used to have a picture of it hanging on my bedroom wall . I had to take it down it leaked oil on the carpet .........

 

That's it, come here and wipe off my keyboard!!! That is so true, ran a 6x6 CCC concrete mixer with a 6v71 and exhaust about 2 feet from my right ear. After a 10-12 hour day, everything was caps!!!-MIKE

 

had a 6v92 in a school bus ,dual pipes and jake brake what a bus one of the kids called it a hot rod bus ,man it was way cool and my bus route is very hilly area it was great fun up and down those hills ,by brother has a 63 kenworth with a 671 i6 5in one gear box 4 in the other ,flat out in every gear cool

 

Dude, a Gamma Goat? Yer datin' yerself!
But yes, that's long been a source of confusion with DDA.
Usually, the statement "318" is followed by the query, "71 or 53?".
Thus, it's more typical to simply call them by their respective names; 8v-71 or 6v-53 (btw, no inline versions of those engines were ever produced).
With the 71, that's a horsepower rating.
With the 53, its the engine's total displacement.



6narow

 

I love trucks, almost as much as Hot Rods! I have a thing for the Odd or exotic mechanical stuff. And I the Sound of a Screaming Jimmy, cant stretch sensitive skin, you aint never gonna feel love for anything diesel!!!

I always wanted to build a OT IH Loadstar road tractor with butterfly hood and shoehorn in a 8v71 and a 13speed Road Ranger box.

To the OP; over here to be a truck it has to over 3.5tons total weight. And after WW2 most truck startes at 3T load capacity. And 8T total weight with 6T 2axled trailer and at least 15% overweight was the way to make money i the fiftys, and sleep 4hours. And load by hand ;-)

There is a reason why the Sound of the Black Mack In Convoy has the Sound of a DD 8V71, instead of the Stock cummins!
DD 2 stroke is so awsome!!!

The is an english commer diesel that rocks my boat too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commer_TS3

It's so odd I wants one! Opposit pistons, roots blower and bad ass Sound, try youtube: commer knocker!

 

Just noticed a little discussion about HP ratings.
With the 6-71, the old two valve WWII engines were rated at 165 HP.
The 4 valve heads came online in the 50's as did needle injectors, and 'tweener "marine"
injector capacity's.
The books I have rate a "modern" (70's) 6-71 at 228 HP.
...of course, there were other ratings, depending on how the engine was setup. These ratings are for a "standard" non-turbo'd engine.
Lastly, if you ever want to teach someone how to build an engine, have them teardown and build a 6-71.
Simplest internal combustion engine ever made.
A 5-year old could build one (heck, I built one!).
There are 8 different configuartions for any one (inline) engine. 4 left hand, 4 right hand.
Pick one and build it (or check the tag on the block and build it according to that).


6narow

 

Runaway GMC Diesel awakened after 30 years parked...advance to 2:10 when they get it fired up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M1o2rpO_JY

 

Better to have that happen, than THIS

...ouch.



6nrow