Should I ditch my plow truck project?

[mountainexplorer]

As of November, 2004, I was supposed to have had my '87 V3500 body swapped onto my '83 K30 frame and had the snowplow on it.

The '83 frame is still currently in my driveway with no body on it as of August 2005, and the '87 body still in the garage. Since then, I have sold the 454 motor out of the '83 frame for money reasons.

A friend recently got an '83 K30 with a 6.2 Diesel. I just came up with the idea, if I could talk him out of it, to buy the Diesel truck (probably would have to offer him $2500 to get him to sell it) and put my plow on it and use it as the plow truck. I could probably part out what I have laying around right now and get most of the money. I just hate giving up so easy without finishing.

 

[77crewcab]

I would say go for the diesel. If your friend doesn't want to sell then look for a 4BT to put in the frame you have with some simple mods it would give plenty of power for plowing. If the truck in pieces you have is a crewcab vs his reg cab (assuming that is what you are looking at you did say it was mil-surplus) then I would say keep the crew for sure but look for a diesel engine if that is what you are wanting.

 

[OffRoad]

i wouldn't buy the diesel.

1. inmo $2500 is too much to pay for a truck you're just going to plow with. a plow truck is gonna get beat, so you might as well buy a beat truck to start with. maybe $2500 is beater truck prices where you live, i don't know. it's not around here.

2. i wouldn't want to plow with a crew cab (if that's what you're building). the shorter the better in my experience.

3. i wouldn't want a diesel for your particular application. before the diesel-heads jump on me, afaik you only plow on your land and no where else. the difference in fuel costs will be small. and the gasser will be easier to start (not meant as a flame).

if i was going to build a plowtruck. i would look for a gas/auto 3/4 or 1 ton 4x4 for cheap and use that. if you only plow on your land it doesn't need to be street legal, that opens up your options. make sure to paint it orange, safety first.

 

[big_truxx]

ya know something... i did vote get diesel and sel project for more... but one thing u may wanna consider is to geta 6.2 motor to throw in yer current project. that way you niether sell nor buy another project. and is still a worthy plow rig

 

[Seventy4Blazer]

i voted to get another diesel....

a guy on the board in so cal is selling his cummins cheap....
Grant

 

[mountainexplorer]

I had, but just sold my 5.9 Cummins motor to KennyW. If I get another Cummins down the line I'd want to swap it into my '81 "little" Crew Cab.

Both trucks in question are regular cabs. I woudn't plow with a crew cab.

One reason I want to get the '83 K30 Diesel is cause it has a Dana 60 front and 14-bolt with 4.56's and 85,000 original miles. Those axles would go under my '81 Crew Cab and I'd put 4.10s back under the Diesel. I think I could get the '83 for $2000.

The '87 that I have now (body at least) was a 1-ton 4x4 TBI454 truck that I used $4500 of our logging money to buy. Last year the motor started knocking and I sold the 454 core and TBI for $975, and sold the tranny and adapter for $175. The frame was cracked so I decided if it's this far apart, I may as well swap frames.

Then I bought an '83 K30 Dually fire damaged for $1300... sold the Dually Dana 70 for $375, the rims, bed and other misc parts off it for another approximate $500, then I sold the 454 for $500. That gives me the '83 frame with 60 front and 400/205 for free, and about $3350 left into the '87. If I part out all I have left from the '87 body and '83 frame it would more than pay for the '83 Diesel.

Sorry I started rambling about the history of everything. I kind of had to think about it all myself there and remember where I was at with it all.

 

[big_truxx]

One reason I want to get the '83 K30 Diesel is cause it has a Dana 60 front and 14-bolt with 4.56's and 85,000 original miles. Those axles would go under my '81 Crew Cab and I'd put 4.10s back under the Diesel. I think I could get the '83 for $2000.

If I part out all I have left from the '87 body and '83 frame it would more than pay for the '83 Diesel.

in that case get the diesel at all costs!!!! plow baby plow!!!!

 

[diesel4me]

my 2.5 cents..

Sounds like a lot of work and money..why buy a 2000 dollar truck,only to strip the axles,put others back in,when its already equipped with a Dana 60,and 4.56 gears and the diesel,AND an SM465??--that sounds like a dream truck to me!--I'd buy it,put the plow on it,and sell off the parts from the abandoned plow truck project,especially if you can get enough to more than pay off the cost of the diesel truck..you wont regret having a diesel for plowing--I love mine,its much more ploworthy than my 400 small block was..

But thats just me--I'm getting older,no longer interested in taking trucks apart and rebuilding them like I did in past years..I do only what I have too to keep mine running now--I dont go looking for more work!..must be getting lazy (or smarter??) in my old age.. ...maybe if I were in my 20's still,I'd give a different answer..but I think a running diesel is a better deal than a truck that needs everything,- including the frame fixed and reassembled..

 

[mountainexplorer]

I wouldn't strip the Diesel.

All I'd do is put the 4.56 axles under my truck that has 35's and put the 4.10's under the diesel that has 9.50-16.5 (about 27-28" tall) tires.