Hi, my name is Daniel and just registered here. I am hoping to become a H1 owner any day now. Here is the scoop:

My friend is selling me his 1995 H1 gasser but the engine is passing water through it, so I would need to put a new/rebuilt engine in it. I really dont like gassers anyway and was thinking of putting in a diesel. I am new to these H1s and slowly learning as I read more and more about them. Is it possible to put in a DURAMAX 6.6 diesel engine in this h1? If so, what other modifications will I need? Tranny? Harnesses? Please help me, I really dont think I can pass up this deal.

Just in case you are wondering, he is selling it to me for $15k because he has way too much money and really dont care for this truck anymore since he has 2other H1 trucks. So $15K is pretty good even though it needs fixing, no? Thanx for your help guys.

 

Ok, just found out that the D-MAX idea is somewhat expensive.
I found a 6.5 Detroit turbo diesel engine for $3k but I need to go and see it in person still. If its good then I think thats a good deal, but what are the expected modifications to swap out the gasser and put this turbo diesel in?
I will concider keeping the "gasser" as long as its known to be a good engine. How much MPG should I see with a gasser? What mods can I do to the gasser? How high maintenance are these trucks? (this is a wagon style, btw.) Please, any info is gladly taken and greatly appreciated. thanx for taking your time to help me.

 

The Dmax/Allison conversion runs 25-30K. If you have 15K in the truck that is still not a lot of money to have in the truck for what it would be. The 6.5 TD is a good motor and gives you better mileage and water fording capability. The 5.7 L gas engine is bullet proof but isn't very economical to drive in an H1. You could add a pcm, turbo, etc to increase performance. If you decide you don't want the hassle let me know, I would be interested in the bare truck myself.