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Get a Diesel or Rebuild my K2500??

Kay86K5

Kay86K5

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Well, I have been going back and forth with this for a while. I have a 1996 K2500 with the 7.4 liter 454, 4l80e, 14bff with 4.10 gears. It has 180,000 miles on it but still runs pretty good. I just replaced the fuel pressure regulator, injectors, and a bunch of other misc. things (pretty sure either my steering box or the ps pump is going out too, just started puking fluid just havn't looked at it yet).







It pulls pretty well on flat, but really bogs down when towing my K5 on my 18' trailer going up hills. Right now I have been DD'ing it. I have thought about selling it and getting a diesel but after looking at prices, and how many miles are on some of these rigs I have thought about another approach. I have though about buying a cheap car to drive everyday and then doing a complete rebuild of my rig. I was going to pull the 7.4 liter and rebuild it with a new cam and maybe a little head work and a tune. Added to that do a full break upgrade and maybe even repaint the thing (maybe :laugh:). My bro did this on his 2000 burban with a 6.0 liter and loves how it tows his rig now.

I know this is kind of a long post, but I would love anyone and everyone's input on this. I was just thinking I could spend less on a rebuild then buying a diesel with 230,000+ miles on it for 12k-17k. But you can't deny the towing capabilities of these diesels. What say all of you???

Oh, and as for mileage, I get anywhere from 12-13mpg empty and just about 10mpg while towing. Has a airaid cool air intake and cat back exhaust with a magnaflow. So mileage this things actually does pretty good
 
Rebuild. buy the small car for daily driver status.

That's what I would do. If your just towing with it and the occasional pickup use its a lot cheaper and the mileage doesn't hurt near as bad.

Newer diesels are nice but it's pretty easy to talk myself out of one every time one of my buddies has an issue and it costs them a grand to fix it.
 
blazinzuk said:
Rebuild. buy the small car for daily driver status.

That's what I would do. If your just towing with it and the occasional pickup use its a lot cheaper and the mileage doesn't hurt near as bad.

Newer diesels are nice but it's pretty easy to talk myself out of one every time one of my buddies has an issue and it costs them a grand to fix it.
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That's kinda what I was thinking. I have heard a lot of people say that diesels go for a long time, but when things go wrong, they are rarely ever cheap to fix. The only other thing I am thinking is time. It probably will take a lot of time to rebuild motor and everything else. But a heck of a lot cheaper.

Anyone else have some advice?
 
Diesel conversion, anybody? :rolleyes: If you're yanking the engine anyway, it should end up cheaper than buying a newer one. But that would definitely burn up a lot of your time in the process.

Kay86K5 said:
It pulls pretty well on flat, but really bogs down when towing my K5 on my 18' trailer going up hills. Right now I have been DD'ing it. I have thought about selling it and getting a diesel but after looking at prices, and how many miles are on some of these rigs I have thought about another approach...But you can't deny the towing capabilities of these diesels. What say all of you???

Oh, and as for mileage, I get anywhere from 12-13mpg empty and just about 10mpg while towing. Has a airaid cool air intake and cat back exhaust with a magnaflow. So mileage this things actually does pretty good
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Are you looking for faster towing or better mileage? You can get a 6.2 or 6.5 cheaply if mileage is your goal. But it's hard to justify buying a whole 'nother dedicated tow rig if you only occasionally tow things. And cost-wise, it's hard to talk yourself into a diesel tow rig unless you are on the road a bunch. A little bogging down on the road isn't worth spending $17,000 to eliminate, IMO.


So I'm gonna echo Eric's words: Get a vehicle that's good at daily driving, and have fun rebuilding your rig the way you want to have it. Don't worry about buying another towing truck. You already have a pretty good one (even if it needs a bit of engine tuning). :waytogo:
 
Well . . .

I say drive it until the motor dies, then replace it with a 6.2/6.5 diesel w/ turbo (cost to run/repair lower, plenty of power to tow), you'll get longer life, better towing and better mileage.

If you need mileage now, buy a $1-2K beater DD like an old Civic or such, enjoy the miles and making your truck live longer (and prosper, of course).
 
MajMike said:
I say drive it until the motor dies, then replace it with a 6.2/6.5 diesel w/ turbo (cost to run/repair lower, plenty of power to tow), you'll get longer life, better towing and better mileage.

If you need mileage now, buy a $1-2K beater DD like an old Civic or such, enjoy the miles and making your truck live longer (and prosper, of course).
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Power-wise, a 1996 454 engine should beat the pants off of a 1982-design N/A 6.2 engine. If he's not thrilled with the towing speed of his 454, I don't think a N/A 6.2 is the right answer. But that's just my guess (based on the initial post).

A 6.2/6.5 with turbo, OTOH, might just fit the bill, if he wants to tow a bunch. :thumb:

EDIT: I re-read your post and now realize that I may have misinterpreted what you were suggesting. Oops. :doah:
 
Thanks for all the input guys. If I go the route of pulling the motor (seems more and more likely) I don't think I would swap a 6.2 or 6.5. Though that would be pretty cool, milage isn't as big of a deal for me on this tow rig. It actually does pretty well for a big block 3/4 ton and I would like to get a DD that I can just drive the crap out of. I was just more worried about bogging on long uphills (ask ktmoutfront the last time he followed me to the top of Kenosha pass :haha:). I do understand that will happen no matter what with a gas motor, even a 454. Added to that it has 180,000 miles on it which probably doesn't help. I bet if I do a new cam, a little head work and a tune, I think it would pull better.

Just like campfire said, the more I look at it, I don't think a little bogging down is with worth $17,000 in a diesel that has 230,000 miles on it.....although being able to go up passes as fast as I want would be nice:D
 
What you need to look into is Larrys 8.1 step thread. Almost completely bolt in.

Plus the engines aren't too expensive yet.

That's my plan for my burb. The 7.4 is sitting at 180k now but at some point it'll need loving and it'll get replaced
 
Why cam? Just to a stock rebuild, then you dont need to mess with any tuning....
 
Deuling said:
Why cam? Just to a stock rebuild, then you dont need to mess with any tuning....
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Trying to help with the bogging on hills. Like I said, I know it will usually always happen with a gas motor, but if I am going through the trouble of pulling the engine to rebuild, another $500-$600 for cam and tune to get some more juice out of it would be worth it to me.
 
Kay86K5 said:
Trying to help with the bogging on hills. Like I said, I know it will usually always happen with a gas motor, but if I am going through the trouble of pulling the engine to rebuild, another $500-$600 for cam and tune to get some more juice out of it would be worth it to me.
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I was just assuming the bogging was from it being tired out :dunno:
 
Smokinthehippies said:
What you need to look into is Larrys 8.1 step thread. Almost completely bolt in.

Plus the engines aren't too expensive yet.

That's my plan for my burb. The 7.4 is sitting at 180k now but at some point it'll need loving and it'll get replaced
Click to expand...

I need to look into that. Link?

8.1 would be pretty cool, other than actually loosing gas milage from my 7.4 right now. Like mentioned above, I get about 12-13 empty and 10mpg towing. I hear the 8.1's will get like 6-7mpg while towing. But if it becomes a dedicated tow rig and drive around when I feel like it or when it snows, I think I could handle it.
 
Deuling said:
I was just assuming the bogging was from it being tired out :dunno:
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I think that has some to do with it. 180,000 miles is a lot on a gas motor for sure. I am pulling the classic "why not" with it :D
 
I have pulled with quite a few 454s. Not to hard to warm them over to pull darn good. Some good heads a good cam proper gearing.

I have stayed with diesels on grades where they were sure I was gonna get left behind. Ten sleep pass in Wyoming is one. Of course speed isn't to high on that one anyway :D

I would really like to have a modern diesel but if a big block is what I end up using no biggie. As long as I get there I am good
 
campfire said:
Power-wise, a 1996 454 engine should beat the pants off of a 1982-design N/A 6.2 engine. If he's not thrilled with the towing speed of his 454, I don't think a N/A 6.2 is the right answer. But that's just my guess (based on the initial post).

A 6.2/6.5 with turbo, OTOH, might just fit the bill, if he wants to tow a bunch. :thumb:

EDIT: I re-read your post and now realize that I may have misinterpreted what you were suggesting. Oops. :doah:
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Yes, I meant with a turbo, I agree that a 6.2 na is a dog.
 
Kay86K5 said:
I need to look into that. Link?

8.1 would be pretty cool, other than actually loosing gas milage from my 7.4 right now. Like mentioned above, I get about 12-13 empty and 10mpg towing. I hear the 8.1's will get like 6-7mpg while towing. But if it becomes a dedicated tow rig and drive around when I feel like it or when it snows, I think I could handle it.
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http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=308019&highlight=L18

Larry is a dictionary of info on these things.
 
Don't upgrade it. I got 9.5mpg following you up the hills. And it was relaxing going that slow.

For an upgrade, go C-12.
 
Never had Good luck with 6.5's towing. Not to mention swapping one in correctly isnt that easy either. Then you end up with that electronically controlled injection pump that is a nightmare in itself. For the time and money spent to convert, you could go cummins or even buy a whole nother truck. The 8.1 would be the best swap in my eyes. I actually just did a diesel (6.5) to gas (5.7) conversion for a guy on a 97 3500 dually truck with a 5 speed and he is MUCH happier with it. He had spent countless dollars keeping that 6.5 going. Hard starts, injection pump issues, blah blah.

Don't get me wrong. Not all 6.5's are bad or end up with issues. I've had a few myself. I like them as a drivers truck. Good for a run around-winter-have 4wheel drive truck. Anything else, I'll pass. Just my .02
 
If you want to do an 8.1 swap I can get one for you for a decent price up here in Denver. I have a friend at a yard here locally.
 
beags86 said:
If you want to do an 8.1 swap I can get one for you for a decent price up here in Denver. I have a friend at a yard here locally.
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You are tempting me :D. I will keep that in mind for sure. Thanks :waytogo:
 
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