OD, no it is not my assertion that a moderately tuned 6.2 turbo is doomed to an early demise, as there are a substantial quantity of these units running the roads today and providing good service. The point I was trying to make was, GM did not design this engine to be turbo'd. And based on some SS member's posts, they are striving for as much boost as possible and as much fuel to burn as necessary to produce maximum horsepower. It's sorta like trying to pump 10 gallons of water per minute with a 5 gallon pump.
I can still remember the disappointment I had in 1985 when I first drove my new K30 civi with the brand new Banks turbo. The unit was installed and tuned by one of the best diesel shops around, and it still didn't produce the power I had envisioned. Maybe my expectations were too high. If I remember correctly, by the time I bought the turbo kit from Banks and paid the diesel shop for installing it, I had invested approximately $3,000. And I can remember thinking the next day that I had wasted the money. Indeed, the turbo provided additional power to tow on long inclines, however in my opinion, the return did not justify the investment. For not-much-more than the cost of purchasing and installing a new turbo on a 6.2, you could almost pick up a low-mile later-model 6.5 with turbo.
During the 10 years I ran that 1985 K30 civi, I took it easy with no hard off-roading. I serviced the engine according to GM recommendations, however after the first 2 or 3 years the engine began using a lot of oil (no it was not leaving through the turbo). An old GM Master Mechanic explained to me then the same thing I am trying to explain now.
There is a 4" knock-out in your radiator frame which is there to accept a fresh air duct. You can modify your air cleaner to accept the 4" hose by obtaining the correct transition piece from a junk yard. I found one already fabricated by jdeoliveira74 on this site and bought his. I haven't got it installed yet because I am in the middle of rebuilding my IP. I will post photos when I git er done.
Because the NDT tread provides extremely low rolling resistance, my truck rolls along at highway speeds with surprising power. I expect the power to increase a little when I get the headers and low-restrictive mufflers on. Yes I have the factory 4.56 ratio, however the 44" tall NDT tires offset the low gearing. On a 2-day road test last year (my truck has been in the shop since June 2010), I actually rolled several miles on a slight decline with my foot off the pedal. So to answer your question, yes I am extremely comfortable with my build theory.
As soon as I get my IP back on and get her back on the road I will post some follow-up data.
Hope this helps.
