My father-in-law has a 81 Caprice diesel, and being a diesel mechanic on Cat and other heavy stuff, he has redbuilt the diesel after 100k, but then after a while the wrist pins on the pistons wore out and he has parked the car under a cover for a few years.
He mentioned that someone told him only one Olds v8 motor would fit in the car for that year, and it was tough to find. I was wondering if anyone knew accurate information on this. I know those old caprices were great cars, and popular as police cars, and that I would guess nearly any small block of that era would fit.
Because of the diesel powerband, I imagine the transmission would also have to be swapped.
Any advice? He is a country mechanic w/o a lot of funds, but a hell of a shop and connections with a lot of folks for parts.