Thanks for the great comment. Spot on. 😂

They’re awesome! Come join us

@@TheWolfeFam Yes they are. I came very close to buy one to live in after my divorce. But unfortunately deal could not be done. Looking for another one though...

@@FBPreppingLike an old TV commercial, "Why is divorce so expensive? Because it's worth it!" By Master Card!

Turbo diesel.?. Did I see spark plug wires?

The 455 was a great engine that works well in this Motorhome, but I was only getting 6-8 mpg with it

Danger! Danger! (As if Beevis was saying it)! Lol

Thank you!

Duramax wouldn’t fit anyways. The crank is too deep to allow the drivetrain to fit. The 6.5 performs really well.

Ha! Manny is a character!

Thanks! Have fun with your GMC. Maybe we’ll cross paths at a rally sometime.

New rack?

@@TheWolfeFam the drive on pit rack.. It was in one scene before you were back in driveway... thought it was in the shop.on rack in early scene .

The white rv is becoming a trailer. It will probably outlast all others.

Manny’s operators are standing by. :)

Call a doctor Mannys fingers are crushed

Maybe? I think the later Cortez motorhomes had the same drivetrain.

Running great. Just got back from a 4300 mile, 15 day trip.

I think it’s only a difference of about 50-100 pounds?

Cummins won’t fit because the crankshaft sits too low. It would blow up the transmission anyways…. We kept the couch inside because we were staying in it while we were doing this.

A little crazy, a little quirky. They’re pretty cool rigs though.

@@TheWolfeFam I'd buy one if I had someone to share in the travel experience.

Now you need all new flooring Also.

I just don’t have time to edit the video…. The coach is running fantastic! It traveled the Rockies this summer from Mexico to Canada and back. I’ll do some sort of live video and show the progress and answer questions.

12-16 mpg…. Otherwise, the performance isn’t much different. It’s a much simpler setup and has been very reliable

Thanx for the fast response. Glad y’all are ok. Wow that mpg is fantastic!

We used the th425 that it came with, and a 6.5td setup for a H1 Hummer

Since it only has a 3 speed transmission, I thought the torque curve of the diesel would give it more power up the hills without downshifting. Also, it gets double the fuel efficiency... The Olds was GREAT, but it only got around 8 mpg.

Travcos are really cool. Yea, that’s a pretty straightforward setup on a p300 truck chassis. The GMC is front wheel drive and the frame sits only about 10” off the ground. It’s a fantastic ride, but swapping an engine is a little more labor intensive.

No adapter. It bolts into the same place. I don’t remember there being any engine mount adapter either, but I’d have to look. Manny fabricated all the parts needed. It all fits like a glove

It’s about the same size as the 455. It looks a little smaller because it doesn’t have the air cleaner or a carb sitting on top. I think it weighs about 50 pounds more.

It sounds like engineers in one or the other (both?) manufactures had the same idea for this swap (nice of them). ;-)

I'm curious what the mpg difference will be between the two (or three / 408?) engines?

T'airn'KA I get at least 10mpg and as much as about 16/17. It really depends how you drive it. My friends have GMCs with 403s and 455s. We’ll do some comparisons soon.

I was just poking fun at him. That’s something he told me (probably after I had smashed my own finger or something).

@@TheWolfeFam Hey, if you're not smashing your fingers, you're not having fun!

Small world!!

@@TheWolfeFam yeah I was watching your video randomly and I had to rewind it when I seen the sizzlers. The tan sound wall in the background, I'm on the other side lol. Are you from SJ?

Mr Cee No, we’re from the Phoenix, Arizona area. I made five trips to San Jose to get this install done though.

@@TheWolfeFam sweet. Good luck with the journey bro and God bless!

That’s something Manny made. You can see us setting it up in the first video. Yea, my friends are nuts.

For this application?

Patience is a virtue. Lol

They’re out there, and many need a good home! :)

Yes, the whole front part of the frame can be unbolted with the complete driveline on it. You’d need a lift or have to lift the front end really high to get the engine out. It’s a lot of work either way.

@@TheWolfeFam I would've rented a forklift.

evilcnil Manny has one. He has a lift (bay), but still prefers to bring engines through the top.

That would still be the first upgrade I would make if I got another one (with gas).

Santina Murphy. There might be a lot of sediment in the tanks.

You can google the specs, but last I checked it was lesser HP, but similar torque compared to the Olds 455 it came with.

We put in a 6.5TD. It’s one of the very few engines that will fit because of the front wheel drive setup. Thank you

@@TheWolfeFam engine swaps are tricky for so many reasons.

It’s running. It’s been all over the country

They’re fun, but maintaining any vehicle that’s nearly 50 years old is a lot of work

Please tell him that is followers want to see more of him.

He’ll never fully quit. He loves this stuff.

Was it worth it? That’s a hard question to answer…. however, it turned out great. It’s a very simple mechanical setup. It’s really reliable. We took it on a 15 day, 4300 mile trip through 7 national parks and 7 states and it ran like a champ. I never once reached for a tool. As for mileage, it depends…. Cool dense air up the PCH and you could cruise at 16+. Me, trying to follow my friends GMC at 75 will get around 11. I’d like to put an intercooler on it.

To add onto your question on whether it was worth it… yeah, it was. I learned something new , had fun doing it, and made some lifelong friends.

@@stevenwagner4448 she’s been cruising the western half of the U.S. now for years. Very reliable, fairly efficient (for its size and age), and it’s been a comfortable ride

Runs like a champ. It’s probably got around 15k on it since the conversion. It drove like a Cadillac last summer on a 4300 mile tour that took us through 9 states and 9 national parks in 15 days

@@TheWolfeFam what's the fuel mileage like

@@txpate2009 Well, it’s still only a 3-speed, so it really depends how you drive it, and where…. She does best in that cool dense air on the coast. In general, it will do around 12 at 65-75mph and 16 if it’s kept around 55mph.

Won’t fit. The GMC is front wheel drive. The 6.5’s crankshaft isn’t as deep as the other engines, which allows us to cut a hole through the oil pan to put the axle through. A Powerstroke or Cummins would shred the transmission anyways.

@@TheWolfeFam Ok. I wonder if (with heavy modification of course) there would be a way to get a 6.6 front wheel drive version in there though. I understand your reasoning. Great video, thx!

StriveFor Selflessness Manny put a 3.9 Cummins in his, but he had to cut part of the engine block off to fit the final drive beside it. Another guy put a solid axle on his, but it requires a body lift, and all sorts of other modifications. This swap generally keeps everything stock and didn’t require any adapters. It’s not a very powerful engine, but it seems to be adequate for the 11k pounds it’s pushing around. It’s comparable to the stock 455, but gets nearly double the fuel efficiency.

@@TheWolfeFam Makes sense, thanks for the info!

@@TheWolfeFam double? Wow, what kind of mileage does it get now?

I’ll bet Manny even cracked a smile when he watched it. Lol. 😂

Not sure… maybe anything is possible? Will it bolt up to the th425 transmission and clear the final drive? Would that engine have enough power to move this old girl with only 3 gears?

Good question. I’ll do a wrap up and take video of the final product and let you know the cost specifics. High level on the diesel conversion: it’s only $1500 for the conversion kit, and the cost of an engine that’s equipped with a rear turbo like a Hummer or van configuration. Manny has produced only about 10 of these kits at less than it would cost someone to fab these parts themselves. Check out a couple of the Facebook pages and ask one of the local owners for a tour. Everyone in the community is really helpful and would love to see someone keep another coach on the road.

Oh and thanks for the compliment. Appreciate that!

I am interested in doing this as well, please tag me when the kit is ready

Where are you located? The home I want to do is in Texas

Thomas L. Davis It’s ready now. Just contact Manny. mannystransmission.com

I’ve probably put more than 15k miles on it since. We’re actually in it now! Runs like a champ!

OR DURAMAX. They are used in FWD applications in many types of class 4 and 5 delivery trucks in Europe.

Won’t fit. The Cummins block has a skirt on it and won’t allow the final drive to sit close enough to the engine. Same can be said for most all GM engines. There’s a handful that don’t have a deep crankshaft that will allow the axle to go under the oil pan. In this case, we had to go through the oil pan.

Edward Jonez I’m not familiar with what transmission they use. We don’t know of any other transmission that would work in this application. A few have extended the cockpit back to allow for a transfer case and they put in a solid axle, but that requires a body lift and a ton of modifications. The transfer case they used came from another type of fwd Motorhome though.

@@TheWolfeFam Make it rear wheel drive!!! Bam

Lewis Bradford If I had the time and money, I’d put a Cummins under the rear bed. It would practically idle up the mountains! Hehe

Won’t fit. The block skirts out and is in the way of the transmission and final drive.

It’s a AM General 6.5 td.

Duramax won’t fit because it won’t clear the final drive/axles.

@@TheWolfeFam Okay. So what would fit?

Jason Carpp for a diesel, the 6.5 is about the only option I know of that you can install with minimal modifications (the final drive axle has to go through the oil pan).

@@TheWolfeFam Have you taken the Motorhome for a drive since the installation? You should do a video on driving the now Diesel powered Motorhome. :)

Hey James! We’re in the Phoenix metro area. I’ve got tons of content, just no time to produce it!! How are you?

@TheWolfeFam Doing well, had some health stuff to handle so got a real job about a year and a half ago. Now I'm earning enough money to finish a project like this. We should get together the next time I'm in Phoenix. Is there anyone doing the diesel swaps anymore?

@@WanderlustEstateGive me a shout when you’re around. I’d love to meet up with you. Manny still has a few diesel conversion kits. It’s a lot of work though!!

Not much fits into a front wheel drive configuration

We would just need about $100k to get started. Any donations?? Just kidding

It’s definitely not a torque monster…. It has about the same stats as the Olds 455, just a better torque curve at a lower rpm

@@TheWolfeFam Any thoughts on selling the GMC ?

@@darrengordon8221 no, it’s become like another member of the family. Lol

If you’re looking for one, there are several good ones available right now

There’s no alternative…

It’s a newer block but it’s set up like a 93-94’

I think it would be called an Optimizer, if you want to google it. They’re produced by AM General.

Thank you if by chance I'm looking for a 23ft gmc thank you again

Peter. Hatch they’re out there. I’d suggest joining some Facebook groups

@@TheWolfeFam thank you

Good advice

Sorry, hit send before I was done. The Olds engine that it had needed to be rebuilt, and the price of a diesel was comparable. I thought the torque curve of the diesel would compliment the transmission that has only three speeds. At the stock hummer configuration, it’s probably not quite as strong as the 455, but it gets roughly double the gas mileage.

@@TheWolfeFam hey..thanks for the reply..like you i was thinking about the economy of the whole swap vs the rebuild then actual use..with headers,dual exhaust,HEI ignition and a well tuned rochester gas mileage would be very close on level ground..the difference would be in the hills..with the olds they wouldn't offer much of a challenge at the expense of fuel :/..i know i'm late to the party but a lock up torque converter would really help the kerosene burner you have now :)

ferrelx I’ll have to ask Manny, but I know we put in a torque converter that he had specially made.

You can do it. Baby steps. One bolt at a time.

You would be better off with a 6bt Cummins for the bounder Ford used the Cummins engines and Alison transmission in f500 and up medium and heavy dudy trucks so converting your Ford motor home chaisie would not be to difficult

No, the new final drive is 2:73

I still lost a little top end though

I was stopped at 92 mph with my 6.5 diesel and the 2.7 final

@@TheWolfeFam I agree. to bad our coaches GMC/Cortez transmission didn't have a overdrive. With the diesel I bet you can cruise uphill at 65 mph all day long at least :) Thats a big plus, maybe even get 15 mph or better also.

@@TheWolfeFam 4T80E swap?

Luckily her toes are still intact

Just needed a wiggle.

Well, ultimately it wasn’t a fair test because the new hatch is made of a piece of aluminum, versus the old being plywood with insulation. However, with a dog bed over the hatch as my temporary insulation, it was the same. Listening to its from the outside is a whole different story...

Thanks for the comment. I’ll do some sort of Q&A and include this.

Short answer, yes. Long answer, the later engines built by AM General fixed all of the General Motors problems. It’s a light duty engine though and doesn’t compare to a Cummins, Powerstroke, or a Duramax. On the plus side of things, it does what it’s designed for; run 2500 rpm all day and sip fuel. The marine industry loves them. It seems to be matched well for an application like this one.

Loved the video can't wait to see more,isn't there a 4 or 5 speed transaxle out there that could work in the rv,thanks

No, you can get 400,000 miles out of them with certain mods. At the end of their life, they made 440lb of torque which was comparable for sure. Also, because they've been put in many military vehicles, they have been built(main architecture) for 35 years. Many parts and aftermarket support. Sounds freaking badass too

Nicholas Burch Yea, it sounds cool. There’s a distinctive sound to the H1 Hummers, and it sounds just like one now.