>I can't believe you got rid of your marine 350 gas truck. What was the real reason you got rid of it? I'm surprised you didnt get a 502 setup. I am going to upgrade to a 502 when there is a higher torque transfer and trans available. I still can't stand diesel. You sound sold on it.
ms

What happened is I had my 95 in for service, the heater core was leaking. My warranty was due to run out in march of 98. I only had 21000 miles on my truck and it was still worth some money. I found that a lot of dealers were and probably still are holding new 1996 trucks. I wanted the extra fuel capacity but determined that adding the extra tank was a really big pain in the butt. I obtained the parts list and exploded views and while it was possible it involved at least 100 parts including fastners etc. and probably 4000 or more in parts cost. I like going to the mountains so I was also going to install a Whipple. A Whipple costs 5000 just for the unit. If you have it installed it will cost about 1700. Since they don't make the gas truck anymore I felt that the best way to go was to get a new 96 Tdiesel. I got my fuel tank, better milage, more warranty, all the suspension improvements, the A/C improvements and I like the diesel. Here's an excerpt of a note I wrote another friend about my experience with the diesel:

As much as I hate to admit it I found that the turbo diesel really is a better engine for the Hummer than the gas. I never had a diesel before so it's a new experience. The diesel just moves the truck around effortlessly. While it's still not a drag racer it had sufficient power to manuever through traffic and merge onto the highway in an agressive manner. I can cruise on the highway at 65 to 75 and the motor doesn't seem like it's working hard at all. I found myself passing cars and trucks quite often. I got 13.5 mpg at 65 with the a/c off. With the A/C on going 70 I got 12. I may do better once the engine has a little more mileage on it.

Off the road the engine just puts out torque at low rpm. I found myself driving down sections of trails in low lock in 3rd and 4th gear. The engine just idles along at 1000 to 1500 rpm and the truck will climb over most obstacles with a little pressure on the throttle. Climbing hills in low was a little different because I'm used to the revving of a gas engine, not the easy going loafing sound of the turbo diesel. The main comment that I can make regarding the gas engine is that it has significiantly more engine braking than the diesel. When going down a steep incline in Low Low the gas truck held back considerably more than the diesel. I find myself using the brakes more then I did with the gas truck. When you're going down the highway at 65 and take your foot off the gas at an exit, the gas truck decelarates quickly without using your brakes. The diesel truck just keeps gliding requiring a downshift or use of the brakes. Off road fuel usage is very minimal compared to the gas engine. I would go out for a whole day in the gas truck and easily use 18 to 20 gallons. The diesel uses half or less.

The diesel doesn't blow any smoke and doesn't have any tell tail diesel fuel oil smell. I found that many gas stations have diesel because it's very popular with RV's and pickup trucks. In fact you can find diesel in almost any small town because the farmers all use it.

Don't get me wrong, the ultimate powerplant for a Hummer is the 502. I just felt that the 502 conversion was more money then I could justfy. Because the 502 conversion is such a major modification I also felt that if I ever wanted to sell it or trade it on a newer truck I wouldn't get my money out of it. Trading my 95 in for the new 96 was less money then the 502 and I got a warranty to boot.