Posted by Fat Boy on February 15, 03 at 13:28:48:
In Reply to: Two upgrade questions posted by Tony P. on February 15, 03 at 08:42:23:
: Vehicle:
: 1995 2500 6.5L non-turbo diesel (240,000miles)
: 1. I'll be needing new batteries (dual setup) in the spring and I'm considering replacing all the old battery cables, therefore, I'm thinking about converting to top-post batteries.
: Good/bad idea? If good, where can I get the new cables or is this a custom proposition?
Not just a good idea... It should be required at the first sign of battery trouble. Side-post batteries in GM vehicles are notorious for cracking and leaking acid down the cables. I'm in the middle of this process myself. Friday I ordered a set of mil-spec battery terminals from Premier Power Welder (www.premierpowerwelder.com). $22 for both pair. On Monday I will be ordering the battery cables made of 3/0 gauge welding wire from Battery Serviced of Chicago (www.batteryservice.com). They'l make any size cable with any size/type terminal you may need. I think they quoted me at $26 for two 5' 3/0 battery cables. I realize this isn't exactly what I need, but I wanted to get a rough idea of what I was looking at.
: 2. At some year past '95, Chevy switched the 6.5L to a dual thermostat setup... I'm considering upgrading my cooling system to that...
: This is a good idea, but where do I get the parts? Is this a salvage yard thing, or are the parts available aftermarket? And just as important, is this a straight bolt-on conversion or is there more to it than meets the eye?
This is the best upgrade I have done to my '94 K2500 6.5L TD. Other than a little bit of grinding on the alternator bracket, it was a direct bolt-in. It took me about five hours to complete the project, but I think I could do it again in about 3.
You can source your own parts from the dealer or a junk-yard, but the cost-savings are negligable. There are a number of companies out there that sell the kit, but I highly recommend getting the kit from Kennedy Diesel. I've dealt with John Kennedy on a number of purchases and find him to be very knowledgable and helpful. Book mark his site.
Kennedy's kit included dual Robertshaw thermostats. With this configuration it runs around 185 degrees in the dead of summer. I can still get the heat up over 210 degress, but only when pushing it hard with a big load (4K+) in tow and the A/C on. Before the upgrade, I was running 220 degrees while driving without a load with the A/C on.
Also, if you haven't done so, I STRONGLY recommend joining the Diesel Page (htt://www.thedieselpage.com). These guys know just about everything there ever was to know about GM diesels. Stick to this forum for Suburban-specific issues.
With both the Diesel Page and Kennedy, tell 'em Fat Boy sent you.
Fat Boy
'94 K2500 GMC Suburban - 6.5L TD, 4L80, 4.10s front and rear.