TowRig.com - Diesel Discussion and Tow Tech

anyone here have an older tow rig? like from the 70s? I can't afford a crazy $50,000 turbo desiel tow rig... so the current plan is to buy a '75 3/4 ton chebby with a 454, th400, ff14b and 4.10s. Yes, I know mileage will suck... but its cheap enough that once I buy it I'll still have enough $ to actually get a trailer to put my K5 on. ;) anyway, who's running an old gas burning chebby? Tired of hearing that the "only" way to tow is with a $50k desiel truck....

j

I agree I've got a 88 Chevy crew cab dually 454,th400.4:10,9mpg. I have less than 8k invested and it will pull a house down. The difference in mileage doesn't make up for a $500+ payment. I would recomend something a little newer like 80's or 90's it will not take as much to get it up to speed.
good luck,
eldogg
Queen City Speed
burnout

yeah, my locality has emissions testing and poopoo on anything less than 25 years old... I don't want to pay the fees or suffer the lame inspections so I'd rather get something older. That will allow me some flexibility if I ever need to build (or rebuild) the 454.

These guys that have a "house payment" for their tow rigs are freakin' nuts if you ask me. At most I'll prolly only ever offroad once per month (work gets in the way doesn't it?) and I can't justify $500+ / mo so I can say I have a cool turbo desiel. Just too much money. If I made $100k a year I'd own a brand new Cummins... until then...

j

Man if you're just towing a K5 then you'll be just fine with an old gasser. I've pulled several things with my '68 c20 350/sm465. Never pulled a K5 on a trailer but I have flat towed a Class C motor home and it did fine. I also took a Buick Century to the scrapyard, but the trailer it was on was heavy enough to make up for the weight of a K5 plus some. It handled everything fine, except for the leaky carb. So, if I can pull with a '68 POS with a bumper hitch then a mid 70's BBC with a real receiver hitch will be perfectly fine. waytogo

I have a TBI 350 '89 Suburban. At 4000+ ft. elevation it leaves a little to be desired, but it does the job OK with the 6000 lb load (K30 YJ and trailer) over the 8000 ft. passes and steep grades (it really struggles at altitude and on some of the grades). I've just started modding the Sub to see if I can get a little better pulling power. Looking at a chip.

I can't afford a crazy $50,000 turbo desiel tow rig...Tired of hearing that the "only" way to tow is with a $50k desiel truck

These guys that have a "house payment" for their tow rigs are freakin' nuts if you ask me. At most I'll prolly only ever offroad once per month (work gets in the way doesn't it?) and I can't justify $500+ / mo so I can say I have a cool turbo desiel

Dude, whats your deal? Every post you have made hear at TRC has had a bad attitude towards any newer diesel trucks. Why? No one told you it was the ONLY way to go. You may not like diesels or newer trucks but a lot more folks do. Some of us don't want to wrench on a tow vehicle all the time, most guys already have a wheeler that they have to fix, not to mention the guys like me that turn wrenches all week long. The last thing I want to do is work on my truck.

Anyway, I'm not trying to pick a fight, just relax a little on the ragging of the new trucks. No one is looking down on you or anything just because you don't want leather and 900ft lbs. ;)

And.....I can't afford today's $45K loaded diesels either. Thats why I bought a slightly used truck a couple years old for half the price. waytogo

Regarding your topic.

We have two gas trucks we use, both duallys.

The first is a '76 C30 dually. 454/Th400. My dad used to pull our 20ft 3 axle gooseneck from Cali to Texas many times a year tipping the scales at 31K. :eek: It's been a great truck for him and has been good to me too. It's been retired to an easier ranch life these days, it hauls the fuel tank in the bed around for us. It kind of is for sale too, since we don't use it a lot.

The second truck is my dad's previous daily driver before he bought his '02 Ram Cummins dually. It's a '98 with the Vortec 454 and a rare NV4500 manual. We use it around the ranch too, the reason why the '76 is roughly for sale.
http://coloradok5.com/photos/data/540/6991IM000059.JPG

http://coloradok5.com/photos/data/540/6991red_dually.JPG

Dude, whats your deal? Every post you have made hear at TRC has had a bad attitude towards any newer diesel trucks.

There's a big difference between a "bad attitude" and a "I can't justify that kind of cost" attitude. Doesn't matter to me what others spend their money on. For myself, in my current situation, it doesn't make sense to spend twice as much on a tow rig as I've spent (over an 8 year period) on the rig being towed. That seems backwards somehow... doesn't it? Besides, with a $500/mo tow rig payment, where am I supposed to get the money for steel to build my trailer? or (gasp) desiel to actually go in the tank? I'd have a very spendy lawn ornament. If you're daddy fat stacks and can afford that, good for you.

No one told you it was the ONLY way to go.

go on, tell me what other people have told me. rotfl I've met plenty of "TD is the ONLY way to tow!" types in my time... online and in person. Not many of them here on towrig.com, but that doesn't mean I've never been told such a thing.

You may not like diesels or newer trucks but a lot more folks do.

Again, I didn't say I don't like desiels... just that I don't want to $pend $40-50k on a truck.

Some of us don't want to wrench on a tow vehicle all the time

who says that just because a rig has an older body/frame that it must be unreliable and therefore require frequent work? At least old rigs don't have every part of their rig operated/controlled by a computer which can go belly up leaving one stranded. A brand new rig would have a warranty sure... but if thats the basis for what is best to buy/run I guess I should sell my 1-ton'd K5 and buy a 2006 Canyon to wheel instead. ;)

anyway, glad to see you are still around rjf. :)

j

There's a big difference between a "bad attitude" and a "I can't justify that kind of cost" attitude. Doesn't matter to me what others spend their money on. For myself, in my current situation, it doesn't make sense to spend twice as much on a tow rig as I've spent (over an 8 year period) on the rig being towed. That seems backwards somehow... doesn't it? Besides, with a $500/mo tow rig payment, where am I supposed to get the money for steel to build my trailer? or (gasp) desiel to actually go in the tank? I'd have a very spendy lawn ornament. If you're daddy fat stacks and can afford that, good for you. I have found that you go out of your way to prove you have not interest in buying a newer pickup, more than necessary. I would agree if all you did with said tow vehicle was pulling the K5 on the weekends and a little car was the commuter. For someone that DD's the towrig, having more money in the tow rig would almost seem insisted, especially if they want a truck with a little luxury.



go on, tell me what other people have told me. rotfl I've met plenty of "TD is the ONLY way to tow!" types in my time... online and in person. Not many of them here on towrig.com, but that doesn't mean I've never been told such a thing.
Many people have told you that an older big block, or even a small block, gas truck will do just fine. I remember your first thread in the general discussion. Many times when someone says "TD's are the only way to go"...it doesn't mean it's the only possible way to go. It means it's nice pulling hills at 50mph+ where a big block gasser would be doing 35mph on the same hill. Thats been my experience with those type of comments. I don't think anyone means a gas truck won't physically do it, because that would be stupid. My dad used to be 31K gross hauling steel to Texas with the above pictured '76 C30 with a carbed 454 that todays 6.0 Vortec small block would laugh at. Sure, his 2002 Ram Cummins H.O. would get the same 31K load up the hills faster and use less fuel but the 'ol '76 did just fine.


Again, I didn't say I don't like desiels... just that I don't want to $pend $40-50k on a truck. And that folks that spend that much are nuts..... rotfl



who says that just because a rig has an older body/frame that it must be unreliable and therefore require frequent work? At least old rigs don't have every part of their rig operated/controlled by a computer which can go belly up leaving one stranded. A brand new rig would have a warranty sure... but if thats the basis for what is best to buy/run I guess I should sell my 1-ton'd K5 and buy a 2006 Canyon to wheel instead. ;)

Wrenching on the wheeler is part of the sport, generally wrenching on the tow rig in NOT. ;) Lets not kid, generally an older truck will require a lot more upkeep than a newer truck,in almost every situation. Our C30 has a few problems that pop up here and there and it doesn't see very many miles at all. Back when my K5 was stock and I DD'd it, it never gave me nearly as many problem free miles as my Dodge Ram has. Lets face it, you'll wind up turning a few wrenches every once and a while on old iron weather you like it or not. Just look at Greg72 with his trip across the country. His mint condition 1st gen burb with low miles had a few problems on the trip, and it's in excellent shape.

Now take a guy like you Jek....turning a wrench on the tow pickup is probably not a problem at all. You have the mechanical ability and probably enjoy it.

I don't mind wrenching myself, and am fairly darned good at it too, but after turning wrenches all week for my job, and working on the K5....all I want to do is get in the Ram, relax in the leather bucket, keep the heat or A/C going, get good mileage, and have a fairly problem free trip. Not to mention something you forget, cutting the cost of a daily driven car and replacing it with the tow rig. A LOT of guys are prefering that route these days.

Now, if I had one of those fancy office jobs and drove a Cavalier to work all week, then I couldn't hardly wait to get my hands dirty and "maintance up" the older tow rig and K5.... waytogo

anyway, glad to see you are still around rjf. :)

j I am of course, I spend most of my time here. I've lost a lot of interest in the K5 stuff unfortunately, and have been into the pickups and snowmobiles/atvs more.

I just recently picked up this 1987 with a TBI 350 for $5000. The hyd dump bed is only 4 yrs old and it has a 9' plow with it. It is set up with 4.10 gearing. Like mentioned the milage isn't the best but it would pull a house down if needed. I recently pulled a heep cherokee home on a trailer and it pulled great. My wife is getting into showing horses and we needed something to pull a 4 horse trailer with. Same boat as above....we couldn't see spending $500/month on a tow rig that was gonna sit in the driveway most of the time.

Kevin

http://n2zpy.catskill.net/GMC/Brown87GMCsmall.jpg

Thats a great looking K30 Kevin, and a steal for so much truck at $5K!

I have had to put a little sweat and tears into it recently. I was told it had a broken front leaf (came with a replacement) and a driveshaft vibration that wasn't fixed by 3 new UJs and a new carrier bearing. Turns out they had the shaft phased wrong waytogo I was having trouble getting it to start. It would take 3 cranking cycles before it would start and then felt like it was eating coolant (hesitation with throttle). I ended up doing the intake gaskets and that solved the trouble. I am now dealing with it overheating when I have the plow on. I think that the fan clutch is bad so I am just gonna fix it so it won't slip nad then do electric fans this summer. All in all I think it will be a greeat truck for us!

Kevin

Here's a pic of my older Chevy.

454 TBI w/ SM465
Dana 60 front/Dana 70 rear
It's a Silverado, so it has power windows, locks, etc.

It's a nice truck. I bought it with only 60K miles on it. It will never ride like a new truck and the fit and finish isn't that great compared to a new truck. And, if I want some real power, I'll need something else under the hood. I'd also like an overdrive. I'm getting less than 10 mpg now. Other than that, it's a sweet rig.

OOOHHHH that is EXCACTLY what I would have if I didnt drive my truck more than 100mi a day for work. If I only needed an ocasional towrig I would have bought that exact same truck. Got any more pics for me to drool over??

[quote=ARAMP1]Here's a pic of my older Chevy. [quote]
waytogo Great looking truck! I still haven't picked up my tongue yet!

Thanks. It really was a good find. I've been looking for a Crew Cab, 4wd, Dually Chevy in that body style for over 6 years. I've looked at a few trucks that weren't even runners before I stumbled upon this one. My wife has been listening to me looking for this truck since I've known her. I was actually cleaning out some old magazines last week and I found an auto & truck trader with a trucks circled that I had called on in 1999!! Anyway, here are some more pics. Thanks again.

Thanks. It really was a good find. I've been looking for a Crew Cab, 4wd, Dually Chevy in that body style for over 6 years. I've looked at a few trucks that weren't even runners before I stumbled upon this one. My wife has been listening to me looking for this truck since I've known her. I was actually cleaning out some old magazines last week and I found an auto & truck trader with a trucks circled that I had called on in 1999!! Anyway, here are some more pics. Thanks again.

That's a good deal! What a beast.
This here was for sale over on eBay, it looks like a good runner too.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-Cheyenne-Super-K30-Big-Block-4x4-Rare-Find_W0QQitemZ4615208294QQcategoryZ39410QQssPageNa meZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm here in the south, but I found my 96 3500 Crew cab Dually a year ago at my local credit union. It was a repo. It would not stay running, after talking to several diesel people we determined it needed an injector pump. It has high miles on it but I figured even if I had to put an engine in it I could come out. I paid $1800 for it. I had the Inj. pump put in then I put the exhaust on and the reprogramed computer. Had the A/C fixed and still came out with less that 5K in it. :-) I'm very happy with it.

I had a '93 Ford F350 SRW 4X4 with the Banks Sidewinder turbo, ZF5 spd. I have owned 3 Ford diesels prior to this one and never had any major problems with any. The other 3 were auto transmisions. I now have a 2005 Dodge 3500 SRW 4X4 with the auto trans., no problems yet. But I do miss my Fords!:doah:

I need a new/old rig... my motor took a crap on me today.

GOTTA have quad cab. Everything else is negotiable.

I agree I can't justify the payment of a new truck. The wife has a newer (99) Tahoe so thats a decent payment there. She's happy so I get to buy more Blazer partswaytogo I just picked up a V3500 of the 89 vintage. My payment is $97 and insurance is $44. Can't really beat that for what it is. I don't know how it tows yet, but I'll prolly only be towing 3-4 hours a handful of times a year.

Hey Amramp wanna trade interiors;) I have maroon

We used to use a 1976 Chevy Impala, with a 350, 2bbl to tow our folding trailer. We put some MOOG Load Leveler springs in the rear, slapped on some new Goodyears 225/75-15s and hauled that Coleman Destiny Royale, all over the Midwest and the Canadian, Prairie Provinces and B.C.

Four people in my family and the Impala never even broke a sweat. Going through the Rockies the THM 350, hardly ever downshifted .

The Impala had a buld date of 1975 (December) and we used it to pull the trailer from 1993 to 1997.

It was old, but mechanically in very good shape. In 1994 we went from Manitoba to Vancouver Island and back. It ran like a top.

So yes, if the vehicle is safe and in good shape, frame is not rusted, etc., you should be able to tow.

Make sure brakes, cooling system, tranny fluid, axle gear oil, engine oil, etc., are fresh.

Cool!! got any pics??

I agree I can't justify the payment of a new truck. The wife has a newer (99) Tahoe so thats a decent payment there. She's happy so I get to buy more Blazer partswaytogo I just picked up a V3500 of the 89 vintage. My payment is $97 and insurance is $44. Can't really beat that for what it is. I don't know how it tows yet, but I'll prolly only be towing 3-4 hours a handful of times a year.

Hey Amramp wanna trade interiors;) I have maroon

Actually, I'm in the process of changing everything over to black interior. :)

Looks like you're living in a nice neighborhood. I live in one that is probably similar. It's funny to see the neighbors with their BMWs and such and my big, old, monster parked in the drive. (it's too big to fit in the garage).

Actually, I'm in the process of changing everything over to black interior. :)

Looks like you're living in a nice neighborhood. I live in one that is probably similar. It's funny to see the neighbors with their BMWs and such and my big, old, monster parked in the drive. (it's too big to fit in the garage).

Yeah I live in housing on the base. Most of the people on my street have newer cars. I have the k5 and the crew cab parked in the street:) The CC doesn't fit in the garage either but only because of the marker lights, and obviously the length, but the k5 fits...barelywaytogo

I am thinkin either blue or grey interior.

Figured I would post up mine. It is an 84 k25. It has a 400 sm465 and needs some work. It is in the garage now getting some paint and interior mods. I'll keep you posted and show it all one color one day.

Looks great whats been done to the jeep on the back?

:) Lots!. The only thing Jeep is the body:) It has a TBI Chevrolet small block, A SM465 trans, 205 t-case. The front axle is a dana 44 with Detroit Locker, Yukon axle shafts and Longfield 300m axle joints. It is suspended with 7 leaf waggy springs With a BTF shackle reversal. The wheelbase has been streched to 105" by a four-link and coilover shocks. The rear axle is a GM 14 bolt with welded spiders. The tires are 36" TSL's. The exterior 3/16 steel rocker and corner gaurds I hand fabbed and the interoir has an aluminum flat dash and the cage and other tube work was done by me.

Not bad for a rig that started out as Junkyard tub and frame that I traded a TH350/203 combo for:) .

Got The GMC in the garage:doah: . The more I take off the more I want(need) to fix. What started out as just some paint and interior work is now a gutted cab... Burnt wiring and such kept cropping up:eek:

Maybe it will be driveable for wheelin season.

Nice jeepwaytogo

Anybody still looking for a older (82/84) chevy 4-door tow rig?? :confused: I am contemplating selling my project. Still runs and drives (needs matched gears) Having a family leaves me with the choice of either playing or wrenching:eek: SO If anybody wants to finish this to have a great tow rig let me know. When the snow melts off it I can get some pics.