Im looking to convert my Volvo 740 to a V8 was looking for a 305/350 not looking for any real power.

so got the idea why not go diesel.
i have been thinking about the 6.2 but i might be a little overkill in size for the little volvo so what else? came to think of the olds 350 5.7 diesel

are they the same size as a normal chevy 305/350?
what year and model should i look for? D, DX ?

The DX has the roller lifters which greatly reduced wear.If you can find a DX,i'd go that route,but a D block is also just as good.You've probably heard lots of horror stories about the 5.7 olds diesel but they are not as bad as some people make them out to be.

They are about the same size as a 305/350 chevy engine.

The DX has the roller lifters which greatly reduced wear.If you can find a DX,i'd go that route,but a D block is also just as good.You've probably heard lots of horror stories about the 5.7 olds diesel but they are not as bad as some people make them out to be.

They are about the same size as a 305/350 chevy engine.

Thanks Dieselolds
i know they have a gotten a bad rep but so does the 6.2s
they are only as bad as the person behind the wheel

The engines are not that bad but I was expecting to see at least one crack in my 6.2 after removing the oil pan when preparing to install the DSG stud girdle,but I was really suprised to see none.The 660 blocks were known for cracks in that area but i'm real glad no cracks were found.

Crankshaft breakage seemed to be the problem with the 5.7 and 6.2/6.5 but i've read that there are some great castings and some not so good,so the crankshaft breaking in a low mileage engine would have to point to a quality control issue.

the 5.7 was a converted olds/pontiac 350 gas block. probably why they had all the head bolt/gasket issues, more compression was too much stress.

the 5.7 was a converted olds/pontiac 350 gas block. probably why they had all the head bolt/gasket issues, more compression was too much stress.

The internals were strong enough for diesel useage but each cylinder only had 4 head bolts around it.There simply was not enough clamping load.4 head bolts as we know is not enough to do an adequate job.The GM head bolts were useless but ARP fasteners do a much better job.

The 6.0 powerstroke too only has 4 bolts per cylinder which explains why they have problems with head gaskets.

Was they converted gas engine or was the bottom end just designed like a gasser?
can they be converted to gas use again some state this?

They are similar to the oldsmobile 307,350,403 in many ways externally such has having the same valve covers,oil pan,oil filler tube and exhaust manifolds,etc.

But internally the differences are quite noticeable.Everything is built to a much heavier scale.Some oldsmobile gasoline blocks have "windowed" mains which meant you could look right through the block in the main bearing cap locations.But the diesel block is solid all the way through.The crankshaft,connecting rods,main bearing caps,etc are built to a much heavier scale.

They can be converted back to gasoline but you cannot convert a oldsmobile 350 or 403 gasoline block to diesel.The diesel block has a special built in casting for the injection pump to be mounted upon.It's integral and built into the block.Olds gasoline engines do not have this built in casting why is why they cannot be converted to diesel from scratch.

The one story about these engines that needs to die, but never will, is that they are a converted gas motor. They arn't .Though the Olds diesel shares many design similarities with the 350 ci gasoline engine, they are completely different engines. They do not use the same block, and the internals are completely different. Because they share the same bore & stroke, it was assumed that they were the same platform

The one story about these engines that needs to die, but never will, is that they are a converted gas motor. They arn't .Though the Olds diesel shares many design similarities with the 350 ci gasoline engine, they are completely different engines. They do not use the same block, and the internals are completely different. Because they share the same bore & stroke, it was assumed that they were the same platform

X-2 :ditto: It bugs the heck out of me everytime I see someone say that..... :mad::rolleyes:

I have allways thought that the 350 diesel was based on but never was a gas engine.
but when i try to seach for info i almost all the time find stuff its a gas engine with diesel heads

It would have been a much better engine if the head bolt per cylinder count was increased to 5 or 6 instead of 4,introduced the water separator from the very beginning,and if a forged crankshaft was used but of course that would have made things much more expensive but GM would have been better off in the long run if they had equipped the 5.7 diesel with those features.It would have saved them alot of headaches and would have prevented customer complaints.

I have allways thought that the 350 diesel was based on but never was a gas engine.
but when i try to seach for info i almost all the time find stuff its a gas engine with diesel heads
X2. always what i was "told". my first car was an '81 grand prix with a 5.7 (repowered with a 350 chevy after a broken head bolt) so i will always have a soft spot in my heart for these babies.