gm 366 threw a rod. need to replace the motor. suggestions?

[bapos]

Re: gm 366 threw a rod. need to replace the motor. suggestio

Sounds like thats what you need to jump on....

Im looking sort of at the same thing here. I need to get mine more functional more so than a stand by motor.

 

[sportyrick]

Re: gm 366 threw a rod. need to replace the motor. suggestio

OK I have been working on, rebuilding, and racing BB Chevy's for decades so here is what you are in for. The 366 (I have both a 366 and a 427 and lots of parts) has not one but 2 thermostats with HUGE 3" hose fittings on water pump, thermostat housing and radiator. The 454 is a puny car/light truck motor with 1 1/2" hoses and is not up to the task and will NOT FIT so don't buy it, it's not the same as a tall deck no matter what anyone tells you (and a lot of the parts will not interchange). Rebuild the old 366, any motor rebuilding machine shop can do it for around $1800 or so, why not get it rebuilt? Or you can buy a BRAND NEW 427 tall deck motor from Chevrolet for @ $3500 with a full 2 year guarantee. Carb to oil pan, water pump to flywheel, drop it in and don't worry about it any more, that's the direction I would go, talk to a chevy parts dealer. Ya it's more than you want to spend but it will drop in and then full speed ahead. YOu could look into a NEW short block from Chevy and some 366 heads will fit a 427 block so you might up to the larger motor. You need to check out what you have. As far as RPM's don't worry, these engines don't pull hard till about 3200 and up to 4000 or so, my drag motors would turn 8000 with truck rods and crank so you already have that covered with your parts.
My friends and I argue all the time about diesel vs gas motor. Diesels are great till you need some repairs and then hold on to your hat, it's gonna get expensive FAST. I just talked to a guy that had head gaskets put on his 6.5 ford diesel, $4300. You can buy a completely new 427 chevy motor for less than that. Not to mention diesel 14 qt. oil changes, $30 oil filters, expensive fuel filters you change more often than your oil, $400 starters, glow plugs, 3 or 4 batteries, add it up. You pay at the pump or at the shop, I'll pay at the pump with a gas motor thank you.
Give this a look:
http://www.nastyz28.com/bbcmenu.php
Sportyrick

 

[Jarlaxle]

Re: gm 366 threw a rod. need to replace the motor. suggestio

Please stop with the disinformation!

There is no "Ford 6.5 diesel"...no such animal. It does not exist. The 6.5 is a GM diesel. Ford had the 6.6 (Brazilian I-6 skoolie motor), the 6.9 (80's International V8, pickups & vans), and the 6.0 (2003-2009, awful, avoid at all costs). New Super Duty trucks have the 6.7 twin-turbo. No 6.5 to be found.

Most skoolie diesels hold 10-16 quarts of oil...they require changes about half as often as gassers (International calls for 10,000 miles, 350 hours, or 6 months for the T444E), so it's pretty much a wash. My filter runs about $15. A filter for a common 5.9 Cummins is about $8 at Wal-Mart. (Look up a same-year Dodge Ram and you'll get the right one.) Fuel filters don't need changing often...I put 68,000 miles on my first F-350 on the same filter. I changed it when I sold it...didn't really need it even then. I fully expect to see 50-75K from the filter on my Genesis.

Most MDT's (and skoolies) use two batteries, gas or diesel. (My B700, originally a 370, was built for two Group 31's...my Genesis also uses two Group 31's.) Again, it's a wash.

An electric-motor shop can rebuild any starter...again, a wash. (And I suspect I can find a DT466 starter at any big-truck junkyard by standing in the center & blindly tossing a rock in a random direction!) No glow plugs on a DT466...also no GP's on any Cummins or the Brazilian Fords. (Only the International V8's--and maybe the Detroit 8.2--uses them.)

My Genesis runs perfectly with 312,000 miles on it...never been apart. I get over 10MPG (running my front & rear A/C in 95+ degree heat) from a 28,000lb fullsized bus.

 

[JoeMonstermaker]

Re: gm 366 threw a rod. need to replace the motor. suggestio

Sportyrick is a little extra critical on diesels maybe, but that's not the issue here.
I'm glad he spoke up about the medium-duty truck version of the big-block Chevy. He's right, it's NOT NOT NOT the same as a 454 or other pickup truck or motorhome or car version. I once did the exact opposite - I swapped a medium-duty truck 427 (because I had one) into a pickup in place of the missing original 454. There were so many major differences that it ended up being nowhere near worth doing. I should have just gotten another 454.
But I tend to be a glutton for punishment and have on multiple occasions swapped Cadillac, Olds, and late model Chevy motors into old Chevy trucks.

Don't be like me. Have sense.

Replace your 366 with another, and if you want to step it up a little get a truck 427.

Seriously.