Just picked up a cheap 1980 d-50, I already love it. I see the the 83-86 d-50's had a diesel engine, any chance I could drop a diesel into my D-50?

 

Anything is possible, how much money do you want to spend? FYI, it's cheaper to just go get a diesel truck.

 

most diesel models have a heavier fron taxle for starters. then the brakes are bigger, and trans.

wanna swap now???

 

Basically I was just curious about the possibilities of a a 4d55 or 4d56 going in my truck. You know fuel econony and what not and how long I have it.

 

If they made a diesel engine for the d 50 pick/up it would be a basic swap over from gas yes on the bigger trucks they put in a bigger frontend but only on 4x4 I would say go for it if you can find all the parts to do the swap it isn't that hard to swap over anyway been there done that have the swapped over truck to prove that it's Easy

 

I was the superintendent of a coal company
that had one of those Mitsubishi
'forklift' 6 cyl diesel engine Dodge pickups
as a parts truck.

It was durable but very slow.

After about 7 years of EXTREMELY hard use
it was sold in the middle 1980s
but I saw it on the road about the year 1997

Not many of those diesel pickups were sold
but the forklift junkyards have plenty of those engines now

About the same year we bought that Mitsu diesel Dodge
we also bought a Ford 5 ton dump truck
with the Catepillar 3208 diesel engine.
That engine ran on and on, despite the same extremely hard use,
and would be my vote for a full size pickup conversion