Gotta chime in here because diesel is topic close to my heart. I own the International 7.3 NA in the lard bus, the slant six, and the craptastic Benz diesel, and have a small amount of experience with the 6.2 GM diesel and the 80s VW diesel. In short:
1. International 6.9 & 7.3 IDI (indirect diesel injection, means a prechamber). Installed in 79-93 Ford pickups and a billion school bus and heavy truck apps. NOT to be confused with the Powerstroke, or the 444TE. This engine is truly a fine piece, and Ford owners got lucky that such a meaty beast got installed in their trucks. Roller rockers, 21:1 compression, exhaust valve rotators, oil squirters, beef galore. Weight approaches 1000lbs - that should tell you something. I put 80k on mine without a single hitch engine wise. HP was 195 stock, up to 300hp with an aftermarket turbo. But you'll see 20+mpg in a 1 ton truck. A very simple, durable engine with almost no weak points. The injectors are low pressure at around 1500psi and so it burns anything without flinching including water and dead flies. I run mine on chicken grease, but she'll burn motor oil, transmission fluid, kerosine, whatever. Keep in mind that this engine is NOT a Powerstroke/444TE. The powerstroke is a much more modern design, runs 26,000psi of fuel pressure, and the combustion chamber is actually IN the piston not the head. The powerstroke also runs multiple injection squirts per combustion stroke, and also run a tiny little squirt on another stroke to minimize noise. Highly computer controlled, as opposed to the IDI which has but 1 wire to operate it.
2. Slant six would be a good choice to convert to diesel, but it still wouldn't be worth it. The Cummins weighs well over 1000lbs, about three times more than the /6, so even if you did it you probably wouldn't be able to mount it in a regular car without massive mods. At nearly tripple the compression ratio, I doubt the block would hold together. Chamber temps would go up maybe 500 degrees as well, possibly blowing the head gasket, warping the head, not to mention overloading the cooling system. Head bolts would be overstressed as well. As fun as it is to think about, put a slant six diesel conversion out of your mind.
If you want get your feet wet in the wacky world of diesel, the Cummins is the way to go. There's also the Cummins 4BT, which is the same engine less two cylinders and came in bread trucks and step vans. The VW is pretty good, and the Benz is garbage but it's fun to learn on. And dirt cheap too - ebay is always littered with sub $500 Benz's that people buy and give up on.
What this country needs is what Europe already has: 1 liter diesels in tiny little cars that get 50mpg. But to do that, you need to design the engine and car together, and for reasons I don't undestand we can't seem to do that.
Kip On Truckin'
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