This is something you don’t expect to see: a 1982 Chevrolet Caprice Diesel sedan. Now, that’s not because they didn’t exist in diesel form; they did, but with a powerplant that was known to have mechanical faults. The seller’s has remedied that sour reputation from the Oldsmobile-sourced 350 diesel (literally blamed for the “death of diesel” in North America) by swapping in the factory’s much-improved 6.2L diesel offering found in C/K-series pickups and the Suburban. The Caprice is said to return 25 miles per gallon on the highway and be a great runner. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,500.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jack M. for the find. The Caprice used to make a reliable appearance on American roads. In sedan and wagon form, it was part of landscape in the suburbs and cities, at least until the rise of the SUV chipped away at the use of large sedans and estate bodies by families. The availability of a diesel powerplant in a vehicle primarily used as a daily driver still seems like a foreign concept, even today, and it’s debatable whether the issues associated with the Oldsmobile-sourced engine caused the use of diesel in passenger vehicles to fail in the U.S. The LF9 5.7L suffered from head bolt issues and the lack of a water separator, in addition to excess oil consumption.
The seller’s car has what looks like an original “Diesel” badge on the rear deck lid, so it seems like this was a diesel-powered Caprice from the start. The 6.2L engine had far fewer mechanical maladies and was generally known as a reliable performed. The seller doesn’t mention any specific repairs or upgrades made while the engine was out of the car, but does cite a rebuilt 700R4 automatic transmission. The installation in the engine bay looks quite nice and it appears he took the time to paint it before dropping it in. The open element air filter may help the engine breathe better, and it probably sounds pretty gnarly under throttle.
The body looks sharp with the two tone tan and cream paint job, but I think it’s the white letter radials and Rally wheels with the polished trim rings that truly set it off. The B-body, like so many other GM products from this era, is missing the trim pieces that sit behind the bumper and snug up against the body; from what I’ve heard, replacements are near impossible to find. The good news is that despite being located in Connecticut, the bodywork looks quite sound on this Caprice. With an asking price of $8,500, this isn’t the cheapest Caprice out there, but it might be one of the coolest.
Very clean Caprice. I have to admit, they went in a very different direction than most people, instead of a gas engine transplant, going to a 6.2 Diesel from a pickup actually makes sense, you wouldnt have a problem with lining up motor mounts or bolting it up to a GM automatic transmission. And I’m sure it has more oomph than the Olds 350 Diesel did. GM did get a lot of bugs worked out of that motor, but unfortunately they were a day late and a dollar short doing it. I often wonder if they had spent a little more time in the R&D dept with the 350 before releasing it, and if it was more reliable out of the gate, if things would have worked out differently back then. We’ll never know.
Amen to that!
Oldsmobile revised the diesel within a year and 1/2, and by 1981 with the DX block there was little to no problems, I suspect that GM didn’t know how much bad diesel fuel with water was out there, but they did have a water reservoir in the tank to collect any water, did the owners follow procedure? Many engines are revised within a year or 2, notably the original Chevy 265 in 1955. Many engines are never revised at all like all the Buick V-8 with bad lubrication a 20 year run, or the Ford 351-400 modifieds, never fixed.
Diesels would have been “regulated” out of production in the US, a lot sooner if GM would have sold them by the truckload.
I had a 1980 Olds Diesel Custom Cruiser. I’ve probably posted many times about it, but I can tell you that the car itself (and all other versions of the full size GM cars of the era) were amongst the best cars that GM made. But that engine….
The car was dangerously slow.
And after the block cracked, we had a race between my fractured Olds, and a buddy on foot. He beat me for two blocks until I finally got up a head of steam in the wagon…
Looks like a clean swap but the average price of diesel doesn’t make me want to grab it immediately.
I will say for a prior thirsty fuel Caprice that averaged 15 mpg on a good day its increased it fuel ⛽️ mileage tremendously.
Good luck with saie…
I’m with you. Years ago I bought an ‘85 Caprice for $200. Had the much-maligned 305. It turned out to be a smooth dependable cruiser that got 20 mpg around town. 🤷♂️
A much improved diesel over the 5.7? I’ll say, cleaner, quieter, more reliable, and best of all much more powerful with that turbo for good measure. The 5.7’s basic weakness started with the GM bean counters of the time. They figured a water separator wasn’t worth the cost, but the diesel fuel infrastructure back then couldn’t guarantee water-free fuel. And all it took was one drop of water in the combustion chamber and BAM!. Blown head gasket or worse a cracked block. If it was only the head gasket, mechanics of the time repaired them by replacing the gasket but reusing the old head bolts, which would then stretch to the point of breaking. Rather than replace the engine with another diesel, most of those cars were converted to gasoline.
Well said! People blame the Olds engineers for the diesels shortcomings, but it was the bean counters told by the 14th Floor to make it cheaper.
Probably most were replaced with the “Goodwrench” replacement diesel. Legally, not permitted by the EPA to change the engine without a complete recertification of the car that few did.
You are not “allowed” to swap any engine, including gas powered. Even different years of the same displacement engine, or a rebuilt block that only gives a year range as to what it will fit. Raspberries. 😤
First time I’ve ever heard of the 305 being described as “much maligned”. I had an 85 Caprice, and still have 2 Parisiennes with the 305, and they’ve more than proven themselves to be pretty much bullet proof.
I worked in the company car garage at the Saint Louis plant. 1976/1980. Upper mgt mostly stayed away from these due to their rep of failing. Glow plugs not heating up properly were a big issue.