Looking for advice on first truck purchase

[pulltilbroke]

I'm gonna have to disagree with ya Jnich. If you buy a wrecked or rough 1stgen Dodge all the parts are pretty much there for the swap into a 73-87 Chevy and if you can run a tape measure and weld you can build your own mounts and front crossmember. Yes, If you were to get all the conversion parts from Tennesee Diesel Conversions or Avalanche engineering it would be immensly more expensive. hen you get done with the 1stgen carcass part it out to recoup some funds.

In the Big block VS Cummins there is absolutly no comparison and I have owned both. I once had a 72 C10 with a 462 in it with a cam, intake, some headers, and good exhaust. That truck weighed 4000lbs and my lumbering old 1stgen would anialate it at everything and it weighs 6500 in street trim. All I have done to it is some pump tuning, DennyT pin, some turbo upgrades both compessor and exhaust housing and I intercooled it and it made 316/700 last time I dynoed it. The torque peaked at 2200rpm. I also get 15-22mpg depending on how i drive it and I have 370,000 on it, thats somthing a Big Block will never do.

I like a good runnin Rat motor as much as the next guy butthe 12v Cummins is KING.

Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats my opinion.


To the OP the 6.2 is a great motor if you take care of em and don't abuse them. They will give you years and lots of miles of reliable service. While I havn't owned one a few buddys have and when they got sold one had 350,000 and one had 500,000 on it with no rebuild.

If you decide to stick with the 6.2/6.5 idea get in touch with Heath Diesel, they specalize in those motors.

just my .02c

 

[dragogt]

I am still trying to figure out the Cummins swap, I know its a great motor.. but for the cost you can build a big block chevy with the same tq for 1/4th the price of a swap. That leaves a while lot of gas and beer money left over at the end of the day. I know the Cummins will get better gas mileage, but the up front cost are insane compared to other options.

Don't get me wrong, a Cummins is great..but I'll take a cammed big block V-8 any day if I am paying for it...lol

maybe a built BB vs a stock diesel. but as soon as you do anything to the diesel the difference becomes night and day...

I'm gonna have to disagree with ya Jnich. If you buy a wrecked or rough 1stgen Dodge all the parts are pretty much there for the swap into a 73-87 Chevy and if you can run a tape measure and weld you can build your own mounts and front crossmember. Yes, If you were to get all the conversion parts from Tennesee Diesel Conversions or Avalanche engineering it would be immensly more expensive. hen you get done with the 1stgen carcass part it out to recoup some funds.

In the Big block VS Cummins there is absolutly no comparison and I have owned both. I once had a 72 C10 with a 462 in it with a cam, intake, some headers, and good exhaust. That truck weighed 4000lbs and my lumbering old 1stgen would anialate it at everything and it weighs 6500 in street trim. All I have done to it is some pump tuning, DennyT pin, some turbo upgrades both compessor and exhaust housing and I intercooled it and it made 316/700 last time I dynoed it. The torque peaked at 2200rpm. I also get 15-22mpg depending on how i drive it and I have 370,000 on it, thats somthing a Big Block will never do.

I like a good runnin Rat motor as much as the next guy butthe 12v Cummins is KING.

Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats my opinion.


To the OP the 6.2 is a great motor if you take care of em and don't abuse them. They will give you years and lots of miles of reliable service. While I havn't owned one a few buddys have and when they got sold one had 350,000 and one had 500,000 on it with no rebuild.

If you decide to stick with the 6.2/6.5 idea get in touch with Heath Diesel, they specalize in those motors.

just my .02c

Agreed 110% also, Heath just had a 6.5 truck set a land speed record...

 

[Rot Box]

I have completed 2 Cummins swaps one in a crew cab OBS F350 and one in a 91 K1500 GM that we swapped a solid dana 60 and rear 14bolt into. I'll say they can really turn your vehicle into a retirement project very quickly if you don't play your cards right.

For starters you do not want to swap one into an IFS burban unless you plan to put in a solid axle--period. You won't want to put one into a pre 91 either unless you plan to swap in a D60 front and you had better not have a Cummins in front of a ten bolt rear :Wow1: GM didn't offer 5 speeds in the pre 91's and adapting the motor to the 3 speed TH400 auto is a waste--So you need a donor overdrive transmission. Once you get one you will find the output of the transfercase is on the wrong side (unless you go with a 89-93 Dodge implemented Getrag or 518 with an NP205) so you will need to figure that out and adapters cost a lot too. After that is all figured out you have to worry about all the nickle and dime stuff and tying up loose ends to make things right. I'm not saying it is a waste of time but be prepared no matter how much you think you get it figured out it usually ends up costing twice as much :snorkel: If you must I would find a 89-93 Dodge and use the engine trans (91.5-93 518 overdrive or 89-93 Getrag 5 speed manual) and t-case. The VE pump trucks rock for fuel mileage and power and they are simple to wire up.


That said I believe a 6.2 will treat you good if you find one that was cared for and take some precautions. I would choose the 6.2 over any other motor offered in the suburbans but I am very bias :coffeedrink: Get a 3/4 burb and preform a good tune up. I would even go as far to change all the glowplugs (AC Delco no Autolites!) for peace of mind. Turbochargers can be had for really cheap these days if you keep your eyes open.

 

[Rot Box]

Now you just need a solid axle swapped in: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=0&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=2790881

 

[78Bronco]

Excusion?

I would go for a 7.3L Power Stroke in an Excursion. It has pleanty of space, motor, transmission, solid axle and already assembled for you in a variety of trim levels to suit your budget. It's also less complicated to attain and enjoy in less time with the same, if not better results.

 

[Terrainist]

x2

Second the vote for the 7.3 Excursion. Unless you would rather make a career out of wrenching on something - get something that has no hard work left to do on it, and use it.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I'm gonna have to disagree with ya Jnich. If you buy a wrecked or rough 1stgen Dodge all the parts are pretty much there for the swap into a 73-87 Chevy and if you can run a tape measure and weld you can build your own mounts and front crossmember. Yes, If you were to get all the conversion parts from Tennesee Diesel Conversions or Avalanche engineering it would be immensly more expensive. hen you get done with the 1stgen carcass part it out to recoup some funds.

In the Big block VS Cummins there is absolutly no comparison and I have owned both. I once had a 72 C10 with a 462 in it with a cam, intake, some headers, and good exhaust. That truck weighed 4000lbs and my lumbering old 1stgen would anialate it at everything and it weighs 6500 in street trim. All I have done to it is some pump tuning, DennyT pin, some turbo upgrades both compessor and exhaust housing and I intercooled it and it made 316/700 last time I dynoed it. The torque peaked at 2200rpm. I also get 15-22mpg depending on how i drive it and I have 370,000 on it, thats somthing a Big Block will never do.

I like a good runnin Rat motor as much as the next guy butthe 12v Cummins is KING.

Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats my opinion.

Yeah, I guess I never thought of the "driveway swap"...lol. I am kinda new to the 4 x 4 truck world...lol.

 

[bdbecker]

Third vote for the Excursion. Of course, I'm biased because I've already decided to make that my next vehicle. The only problem will be finding a used one without a lot of miles on it in your budget range - from what I've seen on Ebay, a 7.3L with 80-150k miles usually goes for $15k+.

 

[Regcabguy]

Woulda,shoulda dept.

Years ago,there was a place here that bought Forestry Service trucks at auction. They always had '87-'89,low mileage 2500 Suburbans w/TBI 350's and manual 4-speeds. Barndoors were all I remember. Needless to say,I choked and didn't score one. After that the rest is history: IFS auto hogs is what the government bought in the Chebbies.

 

[HighRideBOV]

InLimbo,

You and I sound like we are in the same boat (except I'm +1 kid +1 dog). I started looking at the FJ60/80, but decided I really need the extra space of something like a Suburban. I used to have a Ford Excursion which I loved, but I got rid of it a couple years back.

I'm looking for a DD/BOV and think the Sub really fits the bill. I'm not planning on doing major rock crawling with this thing, but I want to be sure I can get where I'm going.

I wanted to get a diesel as well, but they have been impossible to find on the AZ craigslists so I may just suck it up and go with a gasser. I'm still debating the earlier models with carb vs later model TBIs.

Good luck with your search. Your budget is much higher than mine (<$4k for start up funds for me), but I'm sure we'll both find something eventually.

 

[InLimbo]

Thanks for the help everyone....

Still have some more questions:

Considering a 89-91 burb, how much work/cost is realistic with a Cummins 6bt swap?

For simplicity's sake, Would it be better to go with the not as great GM diesel's? (esp. if I want to keep it simple and cheap...)

I'm going into a Diesel Tech training program this fall and will be purchasing quite the tool set. It sounds like a 6.2/6.5 might be a good place to start for my own first diesel. I heard they are simple, with very little electronics. I know they aren't a Cummins 12v but it seems that there would be a vast difference in price between a GM/Cummins diesel swap. Not to mention the fabrication needed for engine mounts and parts searching....

Am I crazy to consider buying an M1009 for parts and swapping those into the burb? (with a an added turbo and whatever other mods I can get done)

We are also back to considering the 90's F350 CC 7.3L, just because its easy. Once purchased, there's not really much to worry about, let alone constantly work on. But like I said, I'll have the tools, and the time/training to swap either a GM or Cummins diesel into the burb. Am I getting in over my head? Or will the Burb be a cool choice?

Highride, good luck! We thought the same thing, those Fj's are wicked cool but too small and a 6 cyl gasser.

Last, how slow would a turbo GM diesel be with a fully loaded Burb going up and down mountain roads?

Thanks!

 

[chasespeed]

If you are considering swapping to a Cummins in the future, start with a diesel. I dont know how AZ is on Emissions, BUT, if you start with a diesel VIN'd truck, dealing with emissions in the future wont be an issue.

You wont win any races with the GM diesel to start, but, I will stand up and say, for what it is, its a good engine.

The Fords... I have had 3 7.3s.... 2 Powerstrokes, and an IDI. The IDI, and one of the powerstrokes were in OBS crew cab trucks....

I liked all of them. Never had any serious issues with any of them.

I like the crew cabs... a bit long... but, functional....

Chase

 

[dragogt]

Thanks for the help everyone....

Still have some more questions:

Considering a 89-91 burb, how much work/cost is realistic with a Cummins 6bt swap?

For simplicity's sake, Would it be better to go with the not as great GM diesel's? (esp. if I want to keep it simple and cheap...)

I'm going into a Diesel Tech training program this fall and will be purchasing quite the tool set. It sounds like a 6.2/6.5 might be a good place to start for my own first diesel. I heard they are simple, with very little electronics. I know they aren't a Cummins 12v but it seems that there would be a vast difference in price between a GM/Cummins diesel swap. Not to mention the fabrication needed for engine mounts and parts searching....

Am I crazy to consider buying an M1009 for parts and swapping those into the burb? (with a an added turbo and whatever other mods I can get done)

We are also back to considering the 90's F350 CC 7.3L, just because its easy. Once purchased, there's not really much to worry about, let alone constantly work on. But like I said, I'll have the tools, and the time/training to swap either a GM or Cummins diesel into the burb. Am I getting in over my head? Or will the Burb be a cool choice?

Highride, good luck! We thought the same thing, those Fj's are wicked cool but too small and a 6 cyl gasser.

Last, how slow would a turbo GM diesel be with a fully loaded Burb going up and down mountain roads?

Thanks!

Do some reading here if you want to know about the GM diesels.. http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=92

If you are considering swapping to a Cummins in the future, start with a diesel. I dont know how AZ is on Emissions, BUT, if you start with a diesel VIN'd truck, dealing with emissions in the future wont be an issue.

You wont win any races with the GM diesel to start, but, I will stand up and say, for what it is, its a good engine.

The Fords... I have had 3 7.3s.... 2 Powerstrokes, and an IDI. The IDI, and one of the powerstrokes were in OBS crew cab trucks....

I liked all of them. Never had any serious issues with any of them.

I like the crew cabs... a bit long... but, functional....

Chase

Agreed...

 

[RR1]

Not a diesel, but you could get a Crew Cab Chevy 1500HD/2500 with a gasser 6.0, in your price range.

Dixon Bros. has a torsion bar eliminator kit for those trucks.

http://www.dixonbrosracing.com/content/view/112/5/

 

[Wyowanderer]

80's Suburban w/ the 6.2
Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole unless I bought it new and never pulled any weight with it.