In the late 70’s my employer went through the same gas to diesel conversion exercise, with great success. International Harvester (which evolved into Navistar) took an existing gas v8 446 cubic inch gas engine and converted it to a naturally aspirated diesel. The 7.3L Diesel launched in 1982. Was not long and a turbo version was built. These engines were very successful in the medium duty truck market and launched the Diesel RV pickup truck market that exists today. Diesel Power never made an impact on the American car market, but Diesel Power is dominant in the medium duty truck market. A 225 ci diesel in a pick up truck may have offered an economy benefit, but a 446 ci diesel that launched as a new engine in 1982 in a pick up truck created a whole new market for diesels that is still successful today.
