So slow that it's only managed to accumulate 24,000 miles in 38 years.
It's SO brown the wood grain decal blends right in....
We had one just like that, minus the woodgrain and rust. It was astonishingly good at doing what big American wagons do.
[edit] Just realized that's a diesel. Ours was gas. So that's a big difference. [/edit]
weren't these basically the diesel motors that buried GM's chances of selling diesels for more than a decade because of how dreadfully terrible they were?
In light of that, the low mileage is not surprising. More time broke than running. 
In reply to xflowgolf:
I was thinking the same thing. Something about basically converting a gas engine to diesel instead of starting over with internals built to handle the compression and an ineffective or nonexistent fuel/water separator. I think...
Whatever it was, I've heard bad things.
I has a boss who had one of these and had no issues. He did maintain it very well and didn't treat it like most people do their cars but still expect them to run without problems. He sold it to our maintinence mechanic who was also this way. I wouldn't be surprised if it was still running.
Worst.....diesel......ever!!!
Not a great engine. GM basically took the Oldsmobile 350 gas engine, and converted it to a diesel. They were hell on head gaskets and heads. The bottom end holds up fine. A friend's father had one that he put almost 400K on. It ate a set of heads every 100K and occasionally needed gaskets in the meantime. IIRC, the heads were stupid expensive. It did get pretty good fuel economy though. I want to say 23+ mpg was possible.
The good news is a 350 Olds engine will drop right in, assuming there is one to be found.
This is the engine that kept diesel cars from ever taking off in the US. You can build a really stout gas Olds 350 out of the diesel block and crank though.
I've never owned one but I worked on them when they were new. You know all of the negative stereotypes about diesels? Those cars are the reason for them and they lived up to every one. I did have one customer who loved his...after I put a 307 Olds motor in it.
Toyman01 wrote: The good news is a 350 Olds engine will drop right in, assuming there is one to be found.
Ta-Daaaahhhhhhh
Yeah, ours had the 307. It was no monster, but it went well enough.
914Driver wrote:Toyman01 wrote: The good news is a 350 Olds engine will drop right in, assuming there is one to be found.Ta-Daaaahhhhhhh
The Olds gas 350 is a beast. Not necessarily the most hp in the world, but there is a reason GM chose that as a starting point. What is almost strong enough to be a diesel, makes a hell of agas engine. I loved the one I had in a Delta 88.
914Driver wrote:Toyman01 wrote: The good news is a 350 Olds engine will drop right in, assuming there is one to be found.Ta-Daaaahhhhhhh
Nice. But that is a Buick engine. But it would fit.
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