GMC 4 stroke V-6 diesels

[K D Redd]

Anyone know anything about the 351 and 478 CID V-6 GMC diesels from the 60's.
I have found a 351 I may try to bring back. I am pretty sure it is stuck. I have checked the local auto parts store. No rings or head gasket are available. I can have the head gaskets made from copper on a NC punch machine. Does anyone of any other place for parts?

Kent

[Douglas]

I think you are refering to the GM Toroflow engines.


They were derived from a series of large truck gas engines.
I recall my dad had some in a fleet of school busses and spent a lot of time working on them ( not as good as the 71 series in highway coaches )....

I haven't seen or heard of one still running in a very long time, but that might be because the kinds of equipment they were in had a short service life....

[ronm]

I have one of the few remaining running Toro-Flows. DH-478, sitting back by my barn, in a 67 ford F-250-my old service truck. The truck has 370,000 mi., about 90% of that w/the Toro in it...I put it in when I was poor, but wanted a Diesel pickup, this was 1974. There were no Diesel pickups then, for you youngsters who don't remember back that far...I bought the engine for $250, it had a rod through the pan...ran it for over 20 years, had to rebuild the engine once, when a cylinder cavitated out. This is an unsleeved engine, so one hole now has a sleeve in it...Not that bad an engine, if treated right. They were indeed derived from the 305-351-478 gas V6's, there was also a 637 V8, but not as many as the V6's. Noisy as Hell, but not like a Detroit. The original problem w/them was the RPM, they had them turning 3200 The factory set them back to 2800, & they held together a lot better. Not all got turned back, of course, mine would turn 3200, but I never had to wind it that tight in the pickup. It got about 20 mpg hwy, running empty.Lugging was another downfall, they put them in too big of trucks, & the lower end was not strong enough. I still have a few parts, but not for a 351, only 478's. I don't know of any Toro's running around here any ore, my cousin had one in a water truck, but I don't think he runs it any more. I could go on about Toro-Flows forever, if you have any questions, ask, I might be able to help..
Ron in CO...
PS-parts are indeed hard to find, when I redid mine back in the 80's, it was hard to find some stuff...that's why I quit mine, it was running fine, but another truck came up, & I was sweating ever finding parts if the Toro bit the big one...

[Ernie D]

You might try here
http://www.6066gmcguy.org/Diesel.htm
There are links at the bottom of the page to more GMC stuff
Hope this helps
Ernie

[Douglas]

The gas versions were low compression engines if I remember right. I had a cousin with one in a dump truck on the farm that started and ran realy well but burned fuel like it was going out of style.

I also recall there was a 702 V12 in the family dreived from 351 V6. I never saw this engine.....

The weakness in the bottom end combined with the way school bus drivers ( this includes my wife ) treat accelerator as an on/off switch probably explains the short service life of the Toros I have known.

Doug

[ronm]

Originally Posted by Douglas

I also recall there was a 702 V12 in the family dreived from 351 V6. I never saw this engine.....


Doug

Doug, look at the link Ernie posted below, click on "engines" at the top, then "twin six". Also "V12 myths"... Hasn't been too many years ago, 702's were still being used on irrigation wells in Texas & Oklahoma, running on natural gas.
PS- I think gas at more than 25c/gal. was what doomed the things...
Ron in CO...

[ronm]

Speak of the Devil...
http://www.aumannauctions.com/auctio...id=926&pic=195
Aumann Auctions Inc. - Featured Photos

[dieselfreakcjw]

I have a feeling you guys might like this. Visit this page http://www.kingofobsolete.ca/V-12_GMC_KoO_WEBSITE.htm

This guy is mounting a GMC V12 in a TD-18 International Crawler......No offense but those canadians crack me up....i suppose i shouldnt be talking as i would probably do the same thing if i had V12 and a TD-18 just lying around ....I would like to hear one of them suckers run!

[ronm]

Yeah, I've seen that-KoO is definitely a unique person...

[K D Redd]

I do not think he should have given the V12 emblems away. I would have mounted them on the TD-18.

Kent

[FarmallBob]

Originally Posted by ronm

I have one of the few remaining running Toro-Flows. DH-478, sitting back by my barn, in a 67 ford F-250-my old service truck.

Ron - I too have a DH-478 sitting on a skid at the back of the barn! I picked it up from my employer for $50(!) in the mid-70's, intending use it to replace a tired 401 V6 in an equally tired farm truck. However the truck developed a serious frame issue and was scrapped before it's gas motor gave out.

Incidentally the Toro ran good when I last fired it about 10 years ago. Uncertain however whether it is still serviceable today.

----

Last Toroflow I saw in service was about 25 years ago in a New Idea UniSystem sweet corn harvester . Apparently the Toro was a factory option for the stock 401 gas V6 in that machine.

...FB

[oldtool53]

Hi,

I worked on some of these back in the early seventies at a (now closed) GMC truck dealership. They would hold up pretty well if the RPM was kept down. In later years I worked at a fuel injection shop and did a few pump installations on the Toro-Flows. The used an American Bosch model PSJ injection pump that most folks would get timed wrong when they installed it.
Check with Clevite. They did have some parts a while back.

Mark

[ronm]

Originally Posted by FarmallBob

Ron - I too have a DH-478 sitting on a skid at the back of the barn!



----



...FB

Hang on to 'er, Bob-you never know when they might come back... I actually have 3 of them, only one is complete & running. there was an artesian water hauler here who ran T-flows for years, he had a fleet of GMC's, one of my engines came out of his last truck.

[Pacrat]

Back in 1971 I bought a tilt cab GMC beer truck with a D478. Installed a drag axle and grain bed. Hauled milo seed to dealers with it. Another guy had a simular truck with a 305 gas engine. Our power was about equal. Only thing I could go on about half the fuel. It was getting around 12mpg. I have a 1966 Chevrolet C60 with a DH478 with a long bed for hay. Haven't hauled any hay for several years so it is just setting.
I know a guy who has a GMC conventional with the v/12 for $2000. I drove it some for his father hauling tractors. It got 3 MPG loaded or empty. Had a lot of power for the time.

[jimsride]

is any of theese users still around here i am looking for theese motors and yes there are still some running i have access to two if them one is in a 3/4 ton tuck and has been for years still running strong has close to 300k on it and the other is in a corn picker so please help me out if you have them and want to get rid of them let me know and if you just have parts let me know thank you

[ronm]

jimsride-look at your PM...

[Butch B]

I worked on them for several years at Colorado Kenworth GMC the problems were they were over applied, oil pump/tach drives would strip out, head gaskets were a big problem until they came out with the last generation grafite gaskets and delivery valves in the injection pump. they were a good engine if not over applied ans a bunch made it into pickups. I can not imagine that soft parts would be all that difficult to get but hard parts probably impossible I enjoyed them be sure to cover the intake tubes with the air cleaner off as they catch nut, washers and so on very well.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by jimsride

is any of theese users still around here i am looking for theese motors and yes there are still some running.

My friend has a 1944 vintage bus (A Flxible? Guess what he has is kinda rare), it has one of these 478 diesels in it, he was asking $7,000 for the bus, the engine has been totally rebuilt, less than 500 miles, located in SoCal Desert area.

That was about a year ago, but the bus is still there.

Dave

[Thumper]

I posted above, I hope I didn't violate the classified rule, just wanted to pass on the info.

Sorry,
Dave

[Black Smoke Bus Man]

Hey I dont Know if I am posting in the correct place. I own a 1973 fish bowl bus 6v71 diesel engine detroit. Used to run great. Tried to fire in up, but it has no power and it just pours out black smoke. Someone know about my motor?