okay...I towed to rubicon for memorial day....and it was a sweet experience compared to driving my rig. (widows, a/c or heater, WINDOWS, :D)

so here's the dilema. I have an 86 1 ton SRW 4x4 chevy 454 th400 205 14 bolt 3.73 33" tires (the front 60 was swapped for a 10 bolt to save weight ;) and to use the 60 in Rocksluts rig) The muther f-er still weight 5987 # (weighed it today for registration reasons)

well it drives great and tows well enough I guess but on big weekends I get passed by the high roller wheelers :( damn CTD rams and PSD fords all flying by me :( getting great mileage as I get about 5-8mpg. (5 cause it's running extra fat...I need to lean it out a bit still)

I get down to around 45 mph in the steep parts of hwy 50 and I can barely do the speed limit on ice house going up. (I want to speed like the cool guys :D)

So my easiest option I am thinking is the cheap weiand supercharger. It'll go on pretty damn easy and should help me out quite a bit. mileage could be a tiny bit better. I could also add the 4.10 gears but then hwy rpms will suck.

Other options.

-6.5 turbo diesel swap...not sure if it's even worth it. thoughts please? Direct swap for the most part. (compared to other stuff I do) I can do it easy enough.

-If I run into a Cummins turbo diesel and 2wd trans and say f-ck the front end cause I don't use 4x4 in it anyways. (or is the 205 a bolt up on their newer trans too?) I'm not scared to swap one in if I get one is all I'm saying.

-sell my truck soon and buy a later 90's ram @ 13-15k :eek: :( I like my truck though. It's sweet for a chevy. P/W, a/c PDL, black interior, factory 5 speaker sound :D Sweet ass bench seat. girls like chevy trucks :D



The last option is sell the truck. I will if need be but I just want some input....if you are gonna say "quit whinning I wish I had a tow rig" go ahead :D I'll feel better :D

Silly... I can't believe you are actually worried about it.

You said you like the truck. The truck does what you want it to just fine. As long as it gets up to the wheeling spots reliably, who cares how fast it is. You know that when you get there, you are gonna drive circles around those fools that past you on the highway!:D

The supercharger option would definately help with the towing. The milage would be as bad or slightly worse especially if you are already running rich. But you would be able to tow all the hills without loosing too much speed.

The Cummins would be a cool swap. I saw one last year in a 1/2 ton at the Indy Fall Jamboree with a divorced transfer case. They fit, but the lenght is a little long. This option would also tow like a Son Of a Bitch and be only a little more $$$ than the supercharger.

Buying a used Dodge with a Cummins would be ok if you could live with the other Ram quirks.. It's too bad that a decent engine like that is wrapped around a Dodge.

Loose that q-junk and get an efi setup. That will help your MPG, make it run better and it will be a lot cheaper than a new truck. It sounds like a solid truck, and you like it so you might as well keep it.

Hey Phil. I have a 6.2 sitting around here. It only has a slight knock :flipoff2: :D :flipoff2: :D

I think that I have your 4.10's for the 14 bolt sitting in my garage. Matt worked out some trade to my Roommate to get them for you. Anyway, next time you are down here..lemme know.

502 crate motor

:)

Ron

Go for the 4.10s. My 2wd will pull 50 at 50+ towing, with a cabover camper in the bed.

thanks for all the info. I forgot to mention the mill has 170k on it :eek: but it doesn't smoke or knock so I guess it'll be good. It runs perfect w/ the q-jet (my master tech buddy rebuilt it) he just needs to lean it out.

Hey curtis....if I see that 6.2 again in the short span of life I have left it will be too soon :D

I might come get those 4.10's soon scout dude :D thanks

Silly, i used to have a 454 suburban that weighed 6k, so i know exactly where you are coming from. I just signed off on a 99 PSD xtd cab 6 speed, hehe. I got it for around 17k with 84k miles on it. Don't know if that helps you any, but it may make you a little jealous...

BTW are you gonna get rockwells or what??

thanks I feel better :flipoff2: :D

I'm just going to run 60's and 42's. I got a front lined up and I have 2 rears sitting on my shop rack. so I'll just be putting 9" ends on the rear 60 arb them f/r I think and 6.17's.

I'm just worried that the truck will stop on the hill w/ a rig weighing another 1k lbs.

Originally posted by evilfij
502 crate motor

:)

Ron

Heck yeah

Yeah I decided against building it for my Scout. I'll just keeps some of it as spare parts.

I did buy a brand new 350 from Abba (just has to be put together) so that'll go in near he end of summer. My ORD comes in Tues or Wed so I will pick up the TJ front coils from Pro Comp and all the mounting hardware for $200 tomorrow and get that shit all layed out and ready to put in. Thinking of going back about 13 inches to sit at 112" overall. Should be cool :D :D :D

Oh hey. Rember to ring me up when you want help out there.

Originally posted by Sillyneck
thanks I feel better :flipoff2: :D

I'm just going to run 60's and 42's. I got a front lined up and I have 2 rears sitting on my shop rack. so I'll just be putting 9" ends on the rear 60 arb them f/r I think and 6.17's.

I'm just worried that the truck will stop on the hill w/ a rig weighing another 1k lbs. dude you are gay, my piece of crap exhaust leaking turd f250 kept up with you fine through this hills, and that cruiser is freaking HEAVY!!!! liek i told u at teh bar, keep it and tow the piss out of it. jiMMy

Originally posted by The Jerk
dude you are gay, my piece of crap exhaust leaking turd f250 kept up with you fine through this hills, and that cruiser is freaking HEAVY!!!! liek i told u at teh bar, keep it and tow the piss out of it. jiMMy

I wouldn't care at all as long I could tow faster than YOU :D get better mileage than YOU :D and do it w/ a heavier rig than you :D

that's the real problem :D if I was just GONE the whole time and you couldn't keep up I wouldn't care :D i have to be faster ;)

if it makes you feel any better the brand new 6 speed 3500 cummins dodge that we towed Rob Bryce's Blazer/mogster down to TTC with ........ averaged out at 8.9 mpg:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
el super succko fuel mileage!!...... of course we weighed in at over 22,000 lbs combined.......;) .......

my V10 pullin 2 rig's on a 32ft trailer over the steepest narrowest pas in WA still got better than 8 and that was @ 60-65 until the corners were to sharp for thsoe speeds :D


Get a V10 :D

I hear ya - 86 GMC 1 ton dually 4X4 with a 454 and a Lance camper, towing a 1900 lb trailer with a 3800 lb Jeep - I get 6 - 8 MPG all day. I'm looking at getting an EFI setup. Which one's smog legal? By the way, keep the 4X4 - it's gotten me out of a couple jams.

Originally posted by DSI
Get a V10 :D


I like mine, and it pulld this around for 2 days without a problem - and that Dodge is NOT light :p

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/toyota/images/dodge/dodge-01.jpg

Originally posted by DSI
my V10 pullin 2 rig's on a 32ft trailer over the steepest narrowest pas in WA still got better than 8 and that was @ 60-65 until the corners were to sharp for thsoe speeds :D


Get a V10 :D

Hmm... try that fawkin hill out of vantage on I90. That is the steepest grade that I know of over a "long" distance in WA state. Blewitt Pass might be close, not as steep, but most definatly longer when going south.

My towing experience, a 1/2 ton 4x4, trailer and my jeep come in at 13,600lbs or so with no camping equipment, etc. I have no problems accelerating, holding speeds, etc. with that 5.9L Magnum. I am running 3.92 gears and 30.5" tires though. Level ground I pull 11mpg. that grade coming out of vantage I think I got 2mpg, but I was WOT and doing 55mph (3200rpm) passing the diesels and V10's. :flipoff2:

I say.. keep your truck. gear lower and see how it goes. Also, hows the exhuast on the thing?

Steep hill? try I84 out of Pendleton goin east. :D Cabbage hill ain't no fun, even without a trailer.

I forget what the grade is coming out of vantage. RV's normally pull 35mph up I90 in that section and are very content with that. LOL

get a flatbed smoker and be done with it..:flipoff2:

Mike-

Phil - don't waste your time or money on the 6.5 diesel. It is not worth the trouble. Plus, DMV might have something to say about that, dunno what the law is regarding swapping TO a diesel.

I would - switch to the 4.10's, get a nice TBI or TPI setup and run that bee-atch!! If you decide to rebuild the 454 (not a bad idea with 170K), throw an RV cam in it and punch it out about .030". It'll run like a raped ape and still give decent mileage (for a big block). Plus you'll be able to race it during the week. :D

Oh yea, quit bitching, some of us are still driving our junk to the trail. :flipoff2:

I running a Gearvendors (http://www.gearvendors.com) Overdrive in my '85 Chevy. Tows better AND gets better mileage. You might consider one of those.

Originally posted by Sillyneck
bolt 3.73 33" tires (the front 60 was swapped for a 10 bolt to save weighat

ge as I get about 5-8mpg. (5 cause it's running extra fat...I need to lean it out a bit still)

be a tiny bit better. I could also add the 4.10 gears but then hwy rpms wi l suck.


First, if it's running too rich, you're wasting power. :)

Cheapest/easiest solution to *TRY*..
is to take off the 33s and move down in size.. 235/85-16s are cheap and easy to come by, rated for the load, and an inch or two shorter than 33s.

That'll get you back some gearing - about the same as changing the gears out to 4.10s, but a LOT easier (air-gun + floor jack = fast tire change - quicker than two R&P installs!)

And, of course, if you don't like the power with the 235/85s, worry about 4.10s and 235s.. if there's no improvement with the 235s, bolt the 33s back on and you're not out a lot of $$$ (especially if you find some tires to borrow..)

On the highway RPM.. my 1T runs 4.30 gears and 235/85-16s. Sure, it winds 3000rpm at 60mph.. so what. A little 345-cid 'Binder motor pulls 13,000lbs without complaint.

Crank up the stereo and forget about the RPM. The Chevy motor should be built to wind faster than my dump-truck 'mill (redlines at 3800rpm)

I get 8-10mpg wound out like this.

With the lower gears, the motor isn't working as hard to move everything, so mileage can actually go UP when you gear DOWN.

now we're getting somewhere :D

I had 235's on it before and it did a bit better but the 33's look cool :D It's gotta look good. and the cool to works better ratio isn't that good to change back.

the front axle already has 4.10's so I only need to change out the rear. (don't ask questions ;))

I think the first upgrade is going to be a tach. so I can see what's really going on. and why when I kick it down to 2nd gear on the hills it actually does worse. Once it kicks back to 3rd it pull again. I think it has some issues that a supercharger would fix :D

or a big bottle of nitrous :D

hmm.... well.. my V8 when towing. Seems to do best between 3,000 and 4700 rpms. (4700 being 2nd gear at 70mph pulling a grade)

Maybe you aren't winding that thing up as much as you need to be?

Maybe.. just time for that rebuild like someone else mentioned. :evil:

Originally posted by Sillyneck

I had 235's on it before and it did a bit better but the 33's look cool :D It's gotta look good. and the cool to works better ratio isn't that good to change back.


You could also go for some lo-profile tires and some bling-bling wheels. :D

I think the first upgrade is going to be a tach. so I can see what's really going on. and why when I kick it down to 2nd gear on the hills it actually does worse. Once it kicks back to 3rd it pull again. I think it has some issues that a supercharger would fix :D

or a big bottle of nitrous :D

Supercharger or Nitrous sure wouldn't hurt.. :D

Lean the carb back out. It'll make more UMPH.. I tried jetting mine up and found myself going slower up the hills - too rich - so I leaned it back out, much better.

Do you have some fuel delivery problems, perhaps? Can't get enough fuel into the 454 to feed it at 4000rpm in 2nd gear?

Seems to me the "won't pull in 2nd, but pulls in 3rd" is something I had with the 392 in my Travelall when the ThermoPuke was running too rich.. it was rich in 3rd at 2500rpm, and WAY rich in 2nd at 3500rpm.. so once I down shift it just kept dropping until it got to an air/fuel mixture it could actually burn.. but with the secondaries open at 3500rpm it was flooding.

Leaned it out, and much better!

Plus the "I just changed the oil before we left" stopped smelling like gas by the time I got home... and that lifter tick went away, too (hydraulic lifters).

Get the tach installed and don't be afraid to spin it. :D :D

yea it's probably just too rich. I bet I can smoke jiMMy (main goal here) once it's leaned out :D

ha ha, i was in 2nd at 3000 rpms on your bumper at about 3/4 throttle, funny how your goal is to smoke me, h ehe, jiMMy

I will send your exhaust leaking turd bucket tampon red interior/exterior POS to a long awaited grave!!!!! :D

shit...that truck/trailer/load combo sounds downright cute....try making time with my lemon - a 1985 Ford 27' Class C.....that 460's gonna get a punch and cam this fall to make 'er fly...plus some Thorley's to let 'er breathe. (get's 7.5 mpg right now, 18k# loaded up, and holds adequate on the hills. Plus, it sleeps 6, has AC, onboard generator, big bathroom, fridge, freezer...heh heh)

IMO, get a tranny temp gauge the same time you order that tach. I rely on both equally, since a smoked tranny won't go fast either. I also have a double cooler on mine, both ~22k rated.

Exhaust...just installed a 30" long ~9" diameter Dynomax Super Turbo, 3" ins and outs, tho I'm still stuck with stock manifolds and y-pipe, that free flow sure made a difference. I haven't hauled with it yet, but sans trailer it rocks. Outta free up some fly time fully loaded as well. Muffler was a mere $80 from Summit and 3" custom pipes were another $100.

Oh, and my buddy has a 502 he doesn't need.....shipping from 54915.

Originally posted by AIRZUKI
if it makes you feel any better the brand new 6 speed 3500 cummins dodge that we towed Rob Bryce's Blazer/mogster down to TTC with ........ averaged out at 8.9 mpg:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
el super succko fuel mileage!!...... of course we weighed in at over 22,000 lbs combined.......;) .......

If it was brand new, thats why it got such crappy maileage, after they break in they get better mileage.

If you want to research the cummins swap go to Turbo Diesel Registry (http://www.turbodieselregistry.com)

and then go to the dicussion groups and the Conversion Forum. Theres some pretty good info there about conversions. The cummins conversion would be a great option. You would have tons of power and the mileage and a Chevy with a cummins diesel as a conversation piece....

I get about 17mpg in the city right now and about 14 when towing...

kerryp

Since nobody's said it yet, and if you really like the truck as is can you say RAM JET502 That'll fix the lagging problems- and you'll have a hot rod!

What happened to your ford?

Mine 250 has a 460 and 4:56 gears with a O/D tranny, it pulls those hills!
gear the rear end down and find a 700r4

502 :D

700r4 :puke:
th400 :D

gears :D

blah blah

back to work

Originally posted by welndmn
What happened to your ford?

Mine 250 has a 460 and 4:56 gears with a O/D tranny, it pulls those hills!
gear the rear end down and find a 700r4


what size tires?

Originally posted by tsm1mt



The Chevy motor should be built to wind faster than my dump-truck 'mill (redlines at 3800rpm)


I second this, wrap it till the valves float, then back off 500 rpm. God I love combine motors.