Many GAS cars won't start without heater/assistance at -40F because the battery will be too frozen to give any useful power to crank the engine.
A 617 is not going to do much of anything at those temps without a strong block heater AND battery heater.
If you are on college campus why do you need to be driving?
A portable generator powering a battery blanket and in-block block heater is your best bet....at -40F you're going to need to run it at least 1-2 hours to stand a chance is my bet.
Other options: dual larger battery setup with ability to switch to 24V for cranking bursts.
Better have: perfect compression, synthetic oil, perfect glow plugs, and recent perfect valve adjustment.
I'm also pretty sure even Winter diesel will be gel at that point without a healthy dose of additives or kerosene in the tank to prevent it.
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