There is no being frank about it: the Oldsmobile 5.7L diesel V8 was a turd from the word “go”. If the damn thing worked right, you could expect to accelerate just a tenth or two faster than the sun’s movement along the day. If any of the design failed, especially where the heads were concerned, then the show was over, period. The design was so ill thought out that Oldsmobile can actually claim a win from it: the engine and the problems it caused spurned on the first “lemon laws” to be drafted. Even thirty-something odd years afterwards, unless the LF9 has been converted to run on gasoline (at which point you now have a 350 that is overbuilt and is race-ready) you are stuck with a boat anchor.
BangShifter “Maxzillian” has taken what is arguably the most unorthodox shot at the LF9 we’ve ever seen: he intends to race the block in a vehicle, but it’s not going to be converted. See, Maxzillian races in the LeMons series, and cost is key: excepting safety equipment, $500 is the maximum investment in the car. The engine was donated from a 1978 Oldsmobile 98 that had been left in a field. After spending years as a two-door Habitrail for the local wildlife, the engine and transmission were yanked and the Olds was sent off to the scrapyard before somebody got a nasty infection.
After cleaning off twenty tons of Hanta virus off of the engine and scrubbing it clean, the LF9 was broken into and work proceeded on turning this boat anchor into…well, a better boat anchor, if we must be honest. Since LeMons is very peculiar about what can and can’t happen, the modifications have to be dirt-cheap or free. So if it was broke, it had to be torn apart and fixed with minimal or no cash input. The laundry list of what Max has done to this engine so far is impressive, from rebuilding the Stanadyne pump and starter to dishing the pistons on a homemade CNC mill and hand-forming the oversized oil pan.
Originally this warped creation was going to sit in the engine bay of a 1983 Dodge Challenger (good lord…think of the Mopar fans’s reactions!) but instead the engine is currently homeless. Once it is closer to completed, it might find a home in a Chevy S-10, but our suggestion would be to set this lump into one of those weird hatchback Olds Cutlasses and play up the 442 connection for maximum head spinning. Either way, we love this build and can’t wait to see how well it works…and how long it lasts.
I’m looking forward to this!
Dishing the pistons? I suspect we’ll see a FleaBay turbo install!
As awful as the 350 Diesel was, the Oldsmobile 3.0L V6 diesel was even worse.
‘Tis true. The V6 was in production far shorter than the 350, which really wasn’t that long, either.
The 350 had two primary issues: it was gutless as all get out, and the TTY head bolts. Reading the thread for this build, it sounds like he’s preparing for forced induction which should fix the former, and the latter is a non-issue because the engine doesn’t have to last very long compared to daily life.
The V6 Diesels are 4.3L in FWD or RWD. The 3.0L V6 is a member of the 3.0, 3.3, 3.8 & 4.1L Buick V6 engine family.
Interested to see the end result. He should drop it in the conquest tsi in the back ground.
That would be seriously entertaining!
I like people going Anti-fanboi and daring to build a GM diesel.
I miss my old 6.2L diesel. Enough that I’d buy another one if I can.
A v6 diesel would be fun in a S-10.
As long as they don’t blow the motor up I want the long block after they are done with it.
Can confirm that those motors were pure shit. Saying that they were lemons is far too diplomatic. We had one in an ’81 Cutlass when I was a kind. Gorgeous car with a luxurious interior. It spent more time in the shop than on the road. Had to have a bunch of extra keys because you had to leave it running or it wouldn’t start back up (irony of ironies was that the diesel was supposed to save on fuel cost – ha!). We finally unloaded it on some guy who converted it and ran it around town for a few years.
I bought my ’80 Chevy pickup in MI with one of those in it. The good news – the body was rust-free – in Michigan! The reason – it wouldn’t start in cold weather so no salt exposure. I followed my plan and immediately stuck a rebuilt and slightly breathed-on BBB and TH400 in it. Started every time! And plenty o’ torque.
Dan
My buddy has a 81 Seville Diesel that is mint. He had the motor rebuilt with some updated head bolts and other updates and the car runs well now. Sounds like a dumptruck though.
Bost the ever living hell out of it and see how long she lives. I think my neighbor had one in a Cadillac and it appeared to be a POS, but as a diesel guy I’ve always wanted to build one. If it ran well, it may be perfect for an early jeep.
we had a Cutlass with a 4.3L V6 diesel. three engines under warranty.