1977 Chevrolet Corvette
6.5L Diesel
May 2002
By Buzz Bradley

I live in Cranbrook, British Columbia Canada and drive a diesel GMC Jimmy, a Chevy diesel conversion van and a 1977 Chevrolet Corvette powered by a 6.5L diesel. Some may wonder why I did this - install a 6.5 in a Corvette. To put it simply - fuel economy. Not many cars can handle the weight, is streamlined, won't rust, yet retains its value, and is a sporty - fun car to drive. The Chevrolet Corvette offers all these things. The engine and transmission were installed without any chassis or body modifications.

To reduce the diesel rattle, we re-calibrated the injectors to a lower fuel injection pressure. This reduced some of the diesel rattle, so once above idle, very little noise is heard from inside the vehicle, and there is very little smoke on full-throttle. Due to the low ground clearance of the Corvette, I needed to reduce the height of the oil pan. The ground clearance is only about 4-