Love my SIX FIVE!

Discussion in 'GM Diesel 6.5' started by ColoradoCowboy, Jan 6, 2008.

  1. ColoradoCowboy

    ColoradoCowboy Member

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    This site has kind of died down, so I figured I would put something new on it. I figured I would also put in a plug for Steve and the boys at the Colorado Springs AAMCO. They beat my usual shops price on my tranny rebuild, plus covered my tow, and had it done the next day! waytogo I got a compliment from Steve (the owner of the AAMCO) when he stated that my truck felt more solid than the Fords and Dodges he has had in the shop. With probably over 100,000 6.5s on the road, this should be one of the strongest sites on Tow Rig, let's try to keep it going!
     
  2. 1999GMC

    1999GMC Well-Known Member

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    Yeah. It has died down. I check it every once in a while but no much has been going on. How many miles were on your trans.?
     
  3. ColoradoCowboy

    ColoradoCowboy Member

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    It had just under 150K. It had a tuff life. But now that it is fixed, I can move on with the other mods I have planned. First will be the 3" down pipe and cross over pipe from SS Diesel. Then I think I want the Waterboy water injection system from ATS, but I may intercool it instead, I don't know. Then it will be the exhaust brake from BD. I have others planned, but they are later on the list.


    :cool:
     
  4. Woods

    Woods Well-Known Member

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    I had a 92 6.5 with plenty mods. Put over 300K on it, had a 5 speed. It towed ok, made the mistake of towing a tractor with my neighbors dodge cummins. Now I have an 01 dodge in the driveway.
     
  5. ColoradoCowboy

    ColoradoCowboy Member

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    As I explained on another thread, you're not comparing apples to apples. If you want to be fair, you should compare your 01 Dodge to an 01 Duramax. If you compared, say, 1997 trucks, you would find that the 6.5 pulls as well as the Fords and Dodges. In fact while every manufacturer has their strong sides, power and performance almost always lands in Chevy's corner. Plus I have a truck that will pull more than a one ton can safely handle, and I don't have a monthly payment waytogo Don't get me wrong, I love the new trucks, but a properly running 6.5 with a few updates is every bit as usefull as any of the modern trucks. Power, Reliability, no Payment... That's why I love my 6.5.

    I'm with Fred THOMPSON 08!
     
  6. silver12v

    silver12v Active Member

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    I disagree, the 6.5 never in my lifetime could outpull any ford or dodge in the 90's that i ever saw. don't get me wrong, i think the 6.5 trucks are good trucks i love them on the farm, but they don't pull with the other two
     
  7. ColoradoCowboy

    ColoradoCowboy Member

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    O.K., to keep from retyping this I'll just copy and paste it from the other thread:

    Let's compare apples to apples here. Back in the 90's the 6.5 was very competitive with the Powerstroke and Cummins. I have friends with 90's Fords and Dodges, and I have no problems keeping up with, or even out pulling them at times. We haul hay out of Grand County, Colorado, over Berthoud Pass (11,000+ Feet.) Pulling within a couple hundred pounds of each other I usually pull the hill faster. To be fair, the Ford is faster out of the switchbacks, and the cummins runs cooler. I read all the time about people who traded their trucks in on a newer truck, and then say how much more power the Cummins or Powerstrike has. If you had a '90s Cummins or PS you would find the same when you got the newer truck also. On that note, the '01 Duramax ate everything else for lunch - and still continues to do so.

    Besides, if the 6.5 was not at least comparable, why would the greatest most powerful military in the world continue to use it? I am not saying the Cummins or Powerstroke were bad engines, but none is heads over heels better than the other. Most of it comes down to brand loyalty. I like Chevy better. I also like International, so would lean towards the Ford next. I am not a fan of the Dodge, or really even the Cummins. If I had my choice, I would be driving a Cat powered Bowtie. :cool:

    Go Fred!
    [​IMG]
     
  8. 1999GMC

    1999GMC Well-Known Member

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    I know it will. A few mods and they will pull pretty good. My father in-law has a 01 Dodge and was staying with us for a whille and wanted to hook up my trailer and pull it with his cummins, because around town my truck I know will smoke it. It was kind of a dog. My buddy has a 1996 F350 and pulling the same hills I was pulling about 5MPH faster than his Powerstroke. My trailer is a 25 foot toyhauler and his is a 26 foot. I thought when we would go camping I was going to get smoked pulling trailers on the hills. But these trucks aren't any faster than me. My intercooler helped a lot on hot days. And with the new injectors it pulls even better. My buddy's F350 is straight piped with the 3" downpipe and that's it. No other perf. mods. I know once he really mods. his it will pull from me, but I don't need to climb the hills over 60MPH anyway. I have a K&N, exhaust, custom intercooler, and new injectors, and my truck tows 9000 lbs. easy. $1100 dollars for the mods. I mentioned and it pulls really good.
     
  9. Woods

    Woods Well-Known Member

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    I towed the same trailer that my 92 chevy was pulling with a stock 92 dodge cummins. The 92 dodge pulled better stock than my modded 6.5. I hear ya on the no payment deal. I bought my 01 dodge from a guy who needed the money bad, got it for almost 10K less than book and I knew the history (babied). The only thing he towed was his harley on a small trailer. Had my 92 chevy been an extened cab, I would have dropped in a 12V cummins in and still have it, but I needed more room. I sold the truck with over 300K miles it for $2500.
     
  10. ColoradoCowboy

    ColoradoCowboy Member

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    I can't argue with what your saying about the 92's, I've never driven anything diesel in a 92 model year. I had a 91 Ford F350 with the 7.3, my 97 6.5, and for work I drove brand new 96 and 97 Dodge 3500s. I do know that the 94 and newer, but mostly the 97 and newer 6.5s drive totally different than the 92 and 93s. I still stick by my earlier posts, and would pull hay or firewood, or anything else with my truck. Putting the 6.5 aside, the best pulling pick-ups are still Chevys. In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, it was the 7.4 (454ci.) Now the 8.1 out pulls everything, as long as you can afford to feed it. Side note on gas rigs, I recently had the opportunity to drive a Ford V10. I really was not impressed with it or the eight miles to the gallon it got.

    Fred '08 - Friends of Fred Thompson
     
  11. Woods

    Woods Well-Known Member

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    Never drove one of the newer 6.5's. I would rather have the cummins in a chevy than a dodge. One thing nice about my dodge, sits much higher and I have gone places I wouldn't dare in a stock height chevy. Don't get me wrong, I like GM, I have three more GM products sitting in my driveway!

    I have driven my buddies Ford V10, not bad, not impressed. You really have to be light on the throttle on take off or your going to burn plenty of gas.
     
  12. ColoradoCowboy

    ColoradoCowboy Member

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    The Dodge and Fords may sit higher, but if you check into it, Chevy almost always has higher ground clearence. The 80s Chevy commercials come to mind, where the trucks were driven over tree stumps. On the newer trucks, that is the only plus side to IFS on a one ton truck. It sits lower which is better for towing, but still has excellent ground clearence.


    Fred '08 - Friends of Fred Thompson
     

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