Help me whip my tow rig into shape

[Root Moose]

Raw material: 1990 Chev Scottsdale 1500 2wd with ~222,000 km. 305, TBI, 700R4. 5 bolt wheels, 10 bolt rear axle (open).

I'm pretty happy with the truck with the towing I have done so far, mostly LJ-80s on a 16' landscaping trailer.

Things I've noticed: temp gauge sits at around 1/3 when not towing and doing highway speeds. When towing it goes up to the 1/2 mark and seems to not want to go higher when towing at highway speeds or through the hills around here.

It is a slow towing machine (305 := duh!) but it gets the job done.

Things I'd like to do with it: get a lttile more height out of it - seems to be pretty low when going through farmers fields and such with the trailer. I've got a set of 31s kicking around doing nothing...

I'd like to get a little more grunt out of the engine without breaking the bank as well. Maybe an exhaust and a RV cam of some flavour would work well?

Whadda you guys think? As much as I'd like a newer 3/4 or 1 ton truck this is what I have and I can only afford/justify spending a couple hundred bucks at a time on the truck.

T!

r@m

[smurfsdad]

Regear

[DRM]

Seriously - save your couple hundred for a few months and put that cash with your current truck and TRADE IT IN on a good, older, used 3/4 or 1 ton that is up to the task you are asking it to do.


Really - don;t waste a DIME trying to make your current truck into a towing vehicle - it is WASTED MONEY if you do.

[Jaffer]

Originally posted by DRM
Seriously - save your couple hundred for a few months and put that cash with your current truck and TRADE IT IN on a good, older, used 3/4 or 1 ton that is up to the task you are asking it to do.
Really - don;t waste a DIME trying to make your current truck into a towing vehicle - it is WASTED MONEY if you do.

That's good advice.
Even if you get it souped up ... ya won't be able to stop!