What to do?

[oldestof11]

Ok I have very conflicting feelings here. Do I do a 87 GMC 1500 Burb with a Cummins or do I try and save money for another 1st gen or 3rd gen? Either way I go I see advantages and dis-advantages.

The Burb would have a coolness factor, family type vehicle, get some very decent mpg's. The cons are time to do it, money (as always), and towing would be next to nothing. Also 2wd pulling might make it VERY exciting and 1/4 times would be a little better.

To get a 1st gen would have a coolness factor (of course), towing, the ability to pull at the fairs (not saying 2wd can't do it). The cons are money (dang it! there is that issue again) and finding the right one for the right price.

Or I could get a 03-04 3rd gen QC LB 6spd but have to wait awhile longer. A LOT longer! The mpgs are decent and I really like the extra's it comes with.

What say you?

Jon

PS I might be getting a house in the next couple of months for about $30k that needs some work BUT would be a VERY good investment as it is on a acre. So that means trucks are outta the picture for the next year.

[PToombs]

I'd like to see a 3rd gen that gets mileage comparable with a 1st gen!

[oldestof11]

I said decent, not comparable Ya, 1st gens are the king of MPG's. Heck foot to the floor and 4.10s the WORST I saw was 12 mpgs towing around 10k worth of trailer and shingles doing 70 mph. I am grinning at that thought!

[peobryant]

I'm sure you can find a 1st gen for fairly cheap. Especially if you don't have to have one right away, you can search the internet for some that you might be interested in. I looked for a 1st gen for about 2 and a half years before I found I found mine, but there is no better feeling than driving one down the road and seeing all the people lookin' at ya

[cummins king]

go on ebay you can find losts of trucks that are in any budget, and just go down and look at it,
heck i almost bough a 93 dually that was in mit shape from texas for 3500, with 160000miles on it, ya that cheap tobad i dint have the time to go and see it ( you have to have a dealers liciese's to get it that cheap though)

[SChandler]

The Sub would be cool but would require new axles in addition to the motor swap. It would probably cost twice as much as a good 1st gen to make the swap. I find 3rd gens to be ugly and the ride of choice for people with more money than talent, who only want things that are easy in life. I am a little jealous of the ease with which a 3rd gen can make power , but I like being an underdog so 1st gen only for me.

[CumminsPride]

Ouch!! Harsh words sir. I've owned them all and they are all a cummins and they're all fun. But the 3rd gen is the caddi of all of them!

Wade

[oldestof11]

Well, here is what is going on.

I am looking for either a 2wd 3/4 or 1 ton 1st Gen. They seem to be cheap right now (I am looking at one for $2k!). OR

I will do the Sub after I find a tranny. The Sub is 2wd so the rear needs to be changed and that will come from my wreck.

And once either of these happens, it gets a pump massage, injectors, injectro line upgrade to .120, a big singe or a ?/H1C stage III with a 21CM exhaust, 4.10 LS rear (I have ) 35" or 33" tires (need to do a level or lift), tranny shift kit, and then hook 'er to the sled and give it a go!

There you guys go, chew on that!

[SChandler]

Ouch!! Harsh words sir. I've owned them all and they are all a cummins and they're all fun. But the 3rd gen is the caddi of all of them!

Wade

Yeah, I know, I'm just jealous cause I can't afford one. Oh well. Probably shouldn't have made the "more money than talent crack" since I don't have either. Sometimes I get annoyed though with the diesel magazine builds that encompass the latest box and shiny exhaust and they rave likes it's the greatest truck ever. I'd like to see those guys remove an exhaust pipe off of a truck that wasn't driven off the dealers lot and into the workshop. Anyway, back to the topic.
Oldestof11, you're going to want a locker or a spool if you're sled pulling with 2wd. That limited slip rear will be overcome by the resistance of the sled and you'll be spinning one tire only. The Sub swap would be cool, but I'd rather have 4wd if I was going to all the effort to turn it into a sled puller.

[oldestof11]

SChandler, and others....

I am gonna do the Burb swap I found a 727 and rear from a truck, including the converter, flexplate, and lines for $600, less than 2 hours from here.

Now this swap, once completed is going to do some pioneering in 2wd pulling. So far there are literally a handful of guys doing it, some with VERY good results. The one I am thinking of is in FL and he has been gracious enough to give me some insite on what to do. This guy has been in the top 5 consistently, even winning against 4x4's.

Now when the pulling season comes along, the 4.10's are going in and they will be turning some type of MT 33" or 35" tires. But during the off-season the 3.07's are going to be swapped out. I know, a pain but that is what I get. This will be also on a budget so the lockers are a couple of years away.

Until then....

Jon

[GO OVRIT]

If its only for pulling season, might as well try a "Lincoln locker". I do it all the time in mud bogg trucks.

[SChandler]

So you've got 2 rear ends, right? As GO OVRIT said, Lincoln lock the sled pull 4.10 rear and leave the 3.07 rear alone or with the LSD. Or are you talking about swapping gear sets in one rear end every 6 months for sled season? If so, you're crazy. But I suppose you'll get pretty quick at it after a couple of times. Good luck with the 2wd sled pulling.

[oldestof11]

Naw, I will have a Lincoln Locker in the 4.10s. You brought up a good point. My bro (who is helping me) says go for it.

You can't change gears between a 3.07 rear and 3.55/4.10's, can you? I thought they had different housings?

Maybe one of these days I will find a D80 with LS 4.10s and a OD tranny. But since this is a "budget" project, I have to go with the cheapest I can find.

[RumbleFish]

You can't change gears between a 3.07 rear and 3.55/4.10's, can you?

Correct, the 3.07's are in a D71 housing.

[SChandler]

I don't think that its a different housing, just a different carrier. But I could be wrong. On Comp Diesel someone posted info for a Dana 61 claiming that's the rear end used in the D250 3.07/727 auto combination. I thought the Dana 70 was the only rear used behind the diesels but I don't have any hard information on it. So, it's two different axles then?

Edit: Rumblefish answered my questions before I got done posting.