Posted by Ken Dunnington on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 6:04PM :
In Reply to: Re: Diesel Conversion posted by Michael Fanoni on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 1:53PM :
Mike, you're likely to not find another engine type out there with such great differences in opinion about them. They are nearly one of the "love em or hate em" engine types.
DD 2-strokes make power differently than 4-strokes. If you drive it like a 4-stroke you will be disappointed. But if driven the way they need to be driven, they make fine power and lots of sweet noise.
There's an old saying about driving a Detroit powered truck: First thing to do is to slam your hand in the door when you get in. Then drive it accordingly.
Detroit's do not go well with lower rpm lugging. They beg to be driven hard and have the rpm kept up in the higher part of the power band vs 4-stroke diesels.
Oh, and the standard specs for 4-valve 4-53 are 140 HP(2800 rpm) for NA, 175HP(2500 rpm) for turbo, 185HP(2500 rpm) for bypass turbo("silver") but you'll not likely find one of those.
Seriously, check out DetroitDiesel at Yahoo groups for info from DD enthusiasts. I just happen to be group owner...
Ken