I'm thinking on buying a GMC witha 8.2 Detroit the price is right. I have a spare 427 Tall deck or a 3208 Cat to replace or will these engines be worth a darn for anything besides a boat anchor?
Ran a couple several years ago. Personally I didn't like them at all. Power was low and they leaked oil like no tomorrow. The trucks they were in were not abused and ran light most of the time. 3208s are what they are I much prefer the six cylinders. Gas burners have their place but they can get in your pocket quick. I guess it all boils down to how you intend to use the truck and the current condition as it sits.
Gm 8.2 I like the 427 & 3208 but not a big fan of the 8.2 " fuel pincher" engine. GM took somthing simple & made it complicated on the 8.2 4 cycle diesel.It used a funky type "free standing" piston liner that was problematic.It was attached at the base of the engine block but not at the top at the deck where it had about 1/2 inch gap between the liner & block deck.This was a problem because the liner would drop down over time & then get a compression leak.Anti-freeze blowing out the raidiator cap like crazy.On the GMC trucks that did not have the tilt hood you had to unbolt the front cab mounts & jack up the cab a few inches just to get the valve covers off.Not any fun. GM should have stuck with the 71 series two cycle on the mid range trucks.
Were not used to seeing them but free standing engine liners are very commonly used on many thousands of engines. The use on this particular engine may not have been done well. Don't know anything about the 8.2 although I think it was designed after GM sold off Detroit Diesel.
Run away from the 8.2 Detroit. They were trouble when new. There are just about no mechanics left that know how to work on them. Just a nightmare. If you are looking at the fuel saving aspect. 8.3 Cummins.