170 slant six turbo build / cheaply

I lost you. Diesels don't have any manifold vacuum, since they always run wide open throttle (i.e. no throttle plate). While in boost, it seems both a gas or diesel intake manifold would act the same. I think the only seals are between the oil-filled bearings and each manifold side. Might be other differences with a diesel though. The oil sure gets blacker and worse. The 300D engine is 3.0L vs my slant's 3.7L, but the slant can rev higher so the turbo might be slightly undersized. The inlet doesn't look small though and looks like a standard Garrett turbo.
Chrysler used a draw-thru configuration for their '84-'87 TI turbos. The center section had an additional seal to keep oil from being sucked in under vacuum conditions. The later blow-thru turbos omitted these seals (for cost reasons I presume). I like the earlier turbos, even for blow-thru as they seem to hold up better.

Using a diesel turbo in a draw-thru configuration may have oil consumption issues.

Mike