Alternator/ Engine Replacement

This is my first time posting on this forum and I'm quite happy to find this forum.

I am replacing my old 85 amp alternator with a new 160 amp alternator to help provide power to my accessories that I am planning on installing. I need some input on the wiring part of the process. I have read somewhere that if I am upgrading my alternator from a stock alternator to a high power one, I must upgrade my power wire from an 8 gauge wire to a 4 gauge to provide proper flow of the power. Is this true or is my 8 gauge wire OK with the new alternator. I'd greatly appreciate any help I can get and any advice as I love my Jimmy. I've been off-roadin her for almost 3 years now and she holds up very nicely.

I'm also looking at replacing my engine with either a gas engine ( I have a brand new rebuilt engine waiting to be put in) or a diesel engine. Does anyone know where I may find or what kind of diesel engine I need for a 1987 GMC S-15 Jimmy? I'm considering going from a gas powered to a diesel due to the rediculous gas prices here in Canada especially Saskatchewan. I'd greatly appreciate if anyone can help me with these two subjects as it is very important to my off-roading and commercial use of my vehicle. Thank you. :biggrin:

Sincerely,
RVV-AE

Yes, upgrade the wiring to support the higher current.

Stick to the gas engine. Diesel implentation is way to complicated and requires some custom fabrication.

Thank you for informing about that. I appreciate your help. I do understand that installing a diesel would take some customization and some modifications which I'm ok with. I'm looking at getting more torque and power because I've been pulling semis with my S-15. A lot of vehicles get stuck out here in Saskatchewan and I have a tendancy to pull them out just for the heck of it.

Reasons why I want to switch to a diesel engine is as follows:
-improves gas mielage
-increase torque means increase towing and hauling capacity
-better crawling when off-roading
-easier to maintain and repair
-capability to put devices for selective performance or towing modes
-much easier to find parts and much cheaper for high quality ones than gas engine parts
-engine wear is very low hence lasts much longer than a gas engine

I hope someone will help me find a type of diesel engine I can convert my truck with. I've learned that a gas engine wears much more than a diesel engine and my research proves correct. I'm more than willing to spent time and money to save me all the trouble than continuing with a gas engine and finding it breaking down sooner. I hope you can understand.

BlazerLT, thank you for responding very quickly and I appreciate the help. I do understanding diesel can be very complex but I do have a father who worked on many types of vehicles with both diesel and gas engines and knows how to custom fit it. What we need to know is what kind of diesel engine should I be looking for to replace my 2.8L V6 gas powered engine.

In the mean time, I will be doing quite a few repairs at the same time so i'm not bored which is replacing the metal sheets that have rusted over time pretty badly. I'm replacing my front bumper (due to an accident but minimal damage was done only to the bumper with a couple of dents) and all my lights so they function better. Instead of conventional lights, I'm planning on putting LED lights to save that extra power for my accessories. I will be looking at replacing the differentials with a stronger one and probably be looking into putting a better locker on my differentials. I do not know if the E-lockers from Eaton would have a system for the S-15 (I hope they do because I've spent a heck of a lot of my time researching it for the H1 Hummers and the HMMWVs) which would prove benefinicial for my S-15.

Any advice or suggestions that anyone could give me and I'd greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
RVV-AE