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Cost to build tow Rig..

sreidmx

sreidmx

Fortify Offroad
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Lets be honest here, say a guy wanted to build a proper tow pig. K30 crew, std bed conversion, maybee 12v or GenV or VI BBC or LS something.. I know that moves the numbers around but for the sake of conversation..
This would tow a max of 10-12k so bascially a camper on the rear, (might have to keep longbed) and a k5 on a trailer would be the heaviest I can think of and other than that a 4 horse trailer and 4 ladies.

I was thinking, full interior from a wreked tahoe or burb, including the AC and Heat, stereo, If I can get one of the floor evaporators for the rear seats that might be nice.
It would need to be 4x4 so D60/14bolt for sure, auto is a must so if I could run a 4l80/241hd or normal 241..

Any ballpark numbers? Can it be done for 10-15k??
 
sreidmx said:
Lets be honest here, say a guy wanted to build a proper tow pig. K30 crew, std bed conversion, maybee 12v or GenV or VI BBC or LS something.. I know that moves the numbers around but for the sake of conversation..
This would tow a max of 10-12k so bascially a camper on the rear, (might have to keep longbed) and a k5 on a trailer would be the heaviest I can think of and other than that a 4 horse trailer and 4 ladies.

I was thinking, full interior from a wreked tahoe or burb, including the AC and Heat, stereo, If I can get one of the floor evaporators for the rear seats that might be nice.
It would need to be 4x4 so D60/14bolt for sure, auto is a must so if I could run a 4l80/241hd or normal 241..

Any ballpark numbers? Can it be done for 10-15k??
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I think if youre crafty with Craigslist its totally do able for 10k if you do most of it yourself. Cummins ftw!

The biggest cost is time. Working bugs out takes time and nothing is worse then having your tow pig let you down on the side of the road.

Similarly ive been thinking about building a dd. Something old as hell but new guts.

I hope you do it lol.
 
Weird cause I have been planning a build for a looong time

I think pulling the whole interior out of something newer might lead to some compromises in how its done.

Course I'm not very good at fiberglass work.

With my plan once its all said and done I was planning on around 10 grand. If I needed a motor I would say closer to 15k

My build plans ( the major bits) 6.5 with a 4l80 ( got em cheap), stock seats reupholstered, vintage air AC/ heat, all new carpet, upholstered dash pad, lots of sound deadining.

Links and bags out back with a radius arm coil spring setup in the front.

Eventually a custom flatbed modded fenders to fit 37s with 2" of lift

15k with a motor is doable. But you can't get to crazy with custom stuff
 
Sounds like your plan is similar to mine as well. I am ~$5700 into my rig with purchase of vehicle and parts acquired and everything right now. I am doing an 8.1/NV4500 combo in mine. Have everything for the tranny swap and a bunch of misc parts/stuff to clean up the interior to be really nice, now just to find the motor/harness (which I have a warm lead on one for a pretty good price) and then there is always ~$800 worth or misc crap you have to get when doing a motor swap outside of just cost of motor and reworked harness/ecm flash. After I am completely done (meaning painting it lift/tires and all that crap) I am figuring I will be right around $12,000 into the whole thing.

So I would say, absolutely yes you can do it. And a heck of a lot cooler than buying a used diesel truck that needs a lot of work and has a ton of miles. Here is my thread I have started on mine too in case you want some other ideas:

https://ck5.com/forums/threads/1989-crew-cab-tow-rig-build.323756/
 
Sure can! Just gotta have a buddy selling his sweet rig! I paid for mine, but it's everything I want. Plus, I saw it being built. Can it be done for your price range? Absolutely. Pick your platform, engine, and tranny. Be selective and search craigslist for your items, you'll find someone selling want you need for a deal.
 
blazinzuk said:
It's almost painful to post this but my build thread is here.

We are soon going to make a car payment to this build

https://ck5.com/forums/threads/1986-crew-cab-dually-buildup-thread-headliner-repair.270322/
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That's a good start! I like where your going with that.

I have the 92 but not sure it's big enough to suit us on long trips so the crew makes that better.. Still thinking this over.. I have the opportunity to buy a 00 f350 that's one owner who's a good buddy for pretty cheap.. Not sure if I'm going ford or not..
 
sreidmx said:
That's a good start! I like where your going with that.

I have the 92 but not sure it's big enough to suit us on long trips so the crew makes that better.. Still thinking this over.. I have the opportunity to buy a 00 f350 that's one owner who's a good buddy for pretty cheap.. Not sure if I'm going ford or not..
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Couldn't imagine life without at leaSt a double cab. It's sooo nice not having your stuff exposed to the outside weather...

4x4 ftw. Don't be the guy who gets stuck because you have a 2wd tow rig...oh wait that was me. Lol. I bought my truck before I was into wheeling so 4wd never made sense but now that I tow it's a must have.

Fords are cooo.

7.3 would be the only thing I'd buy if I had to roll ford.
 
That's what it is 7.3 it's got 240k on it, lifted 4 inch with 35s and nice wheels. It's a extra cab long bed 4x4 and has been pretty trouble free and maintained well. 13k for it..
 
Stomis said:
You can forget about using an LS to pull 15k around.

Pissin in the wind...
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Exactly. Theyre screamers not bill goat ball snatchers.

8.1 or diesel.

13K is a decent price. I'm still waiting for the dodges to come down a bit more before I snag one. A friend of mine got a 7.3 with 245k on it for 10k...he's already put 50k on it with no problems. Even if there was a problem it's not like you spent 30k for a truck...
 
Everything in my brain says you would be better off with a newer truck.

Less wind noise. Better hvac. Safer. More powerful. It's already done.

Except for the fact of the matter at some point that used truck is gonna need some money. As most here we don't have alot of extra cash. I wanna be stoked when I put money into my tow rig.

It will likely take years to get mine where I want it. I doubt it will be as comfy asca modern truck. But I think I can get it to where I am good with it. Enough power. Comfortable enough. I can find stuff wrong with any truck

And let's face it. Towing a square with a square :saweet:
 
wetoolowdingbangow said:
13K is a decent price. I'm still waiting for the dodges to come down a bit more before I snag one. A friend of mine got a 7.3 with 245k on it for 10k...he's already put 50k on it with no problems. Even if there was a problem it's not like you spent 30k for a truck...
Click to expand...

Except you are going to start spending thousands to repair those diesels. Are diesels good for towing? Absolutely, but the cost of maint really kills it for me.

blazinzuk said:
And let's face it. Towing a square with a square :saweet:
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly!!!!

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...tt&th=1511b2d87276704f&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw

Way cooler than a newer dodge/ford/gm diesel truck you see on the road everyday :crewcab:
 
Yeah thats a good point. I think if you get one with good history and make sure its dialed itll run for a long time without issues. Theres always what ifs with anything. I will say when I hear about insane diesel fixes...its usually got 8 cylinders...
 
Well I've been filling my brain for the last few days with powerstroke knowledge and I feel like I'm fairly well prepped if something comes my way. Im a damn handy mechanic and can usually make stuff work and make it last for a really really long time with care and maintenance. From my research the 7.3 seems to be hard to beat in regards to how simple it is, overbuilt for the chassis it's in, the trans is the weak link but supposedly not as bad as dodge. So it's only a roundy square.. But I think it might be a worthwhile bet to take a more serious look at this furd.. Simple is good and simple is effective. And I'm a simple guy. I don't at this point want to sacrifice more time away from my son, he's a priority and building a truck takes time, and I'm already building one.. Two might be too much.
 
It all depends on how someone goes at a build. $10k? A good paint job costs $5K on it's own...

I have a super clean '81 K30 crew that I plan to short bed, Dmax/Allison, full restore inside and out. I am budgeting $30K for that project.
 
sreidmx said:
Well I've been filling my brain for the last few days with powerstroke knowledge and I feel like I'm fairly well prepped if something comes my way. Im a damn handy mechanic and can usually make stuff work and make it last for a really really long time with care and maintenance. From my research the 7.3 seems to be hard to beat in regards to how simple it is, overbuilt for the chassis it's in, the trans is the weak link but supposedly not as bad as dodge. So it's only a roundy square.. But I think it might be a worthwhile bet to take a more serious look at this furd.. Simple is good and simple is effective. And I'm a simple guy. I don't at this point want to sacrifice more time away from my son, he's a priority and building a truck takes time, and I'm already building one.. Two might be too much.
Click to expand...

What year are you looking at again? The 7.3 that is in the SD body style is considerably better than the OBS 7.3. OBS 7.3's have a non waste gated non intercooled turbo and the results are a smokey laggy bottom end when compared to the SD 7.3. Injectors are also different between the eras too. Trannies are not that big of a problem behind the 7.3, most of the E40D/4R100's held up pretty good. So did the Dodges actually, it's when people were doing a simple little mod or 2 to the Cummins and practically doubling the torque is where the bad rap came on those early Dodge's trans issues.

If you are looking at an OBS Ford and want a newer "old" truck, that is probably your best bet. Both of mine have that classic feel to them similar to a square body GM, but with much more modern HVAC, electronic drive train,etc. A Dodge of that same era, feels much more like a new era truck of today's standards, not classic at all.
 
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