Time for a new DD/towrig?

[supersize75k5]

Buy beer and they will come


Get some help, focus on one aspect of the project, complete it, move to the next! Some of it is also learning to say no, or make a wise decision.. If your truck is dual purpose then trying to tackle and obstacle that could roll it or break something serious makes you think twice.

If you want a truck save up and pay cash.. what greg is saying is the truth and you really will be siting pretty compared to the common stiff! While saving the money also acts as a nice buffer should things go to the crapper for you.

hell even just picking up a fuel efficient car puts you in better position all together and lowers the stress if it was cheap and paid for. A early 90's honda or toyota would kick ass. When gas prices soar again you'll be sitting pretty!

I used to drive my 75 daily, rain or shine like this, thankfully you have door and heater!

 

[Xtremegmc80]

Im one of them, the jackstand club, havent even driven my truck in close to 2 years. And lost alot of motative to work on it, but still collecting parts. My gmc 80 will be dual purpose there should be update this summer tho.

 

[LOGANSTANFORTH]

Ill give you that, but alot of local wheelers use 94-02 dodges for their tow rigs and I have heard a hell of a lot more problems from their tow rigs than that of a simple gas motor. Be it an injection pump, 5th gear in the trans, head gaskets, the auto trans or a ridiculous oil leak. If you are towing a lot, pulling heavy loads or need a work horse then yes I agree they are the shiznit compared to a gasser.

that is the VP44 injection pump (actually a ailing lift pump failure causes it) and the oil leaks are from lack of maintenance, head gasket is from pushing more than 40 pounds of boost most likely......the VP44 is a electronic injection pump, not a mechanical pump, we arent talking about electronic junk......

the 5th gear is a common problem with a weekend fix......

If your daily driving it and only towing 5-7k once a month or less then I do not feel it fits the bill. The cummins is a great motor, the package its delivered in sucks but thats a trade off some can accept. The pre 94 dodges are simply ugly unless they are in pristine condition..and that does not reflect a 5k price tag.

my truck is in pristine shape with a custom western hauler bed on it, newer trans, and 136K miles for 4K......

The pre 94 cummins are known to be cheap to maintain but thats if you can do the work your self! If you can work on the small block in a 79 chevy you can tackle every aspect of the 5.3 or 6.0 gas motor.

whats so hard about working on something with no computer, and only one 12 volt wire to run (and you can change that so you dont need 12 volts)

Pretend you broke down on your wheeling trip, now call up the parts store closest to that location and see if they have a water pump or starter in stock for the cummins.. then ask about that part for a 5.3! You can change the alt, starter, water pump, injectors and more literally on the side of the road, with no special tools and the parts store will have it on the shelf! Hell you wont even need any rtv!

pretty much most parts stores stock water pumps and starters for the cummins and you can even get the kit to rebuild the starter for only 15 bucks and keep it in the truck....

"250-300 bucks to have the VE rebuilt.....if necessary its even necessary, remember most newer gas engine fuel pumps run about that....."

Find one on a sunday night when you need to drive to work on monday or when your out of town and broke down. You can drop a tank in your drive way, find the fuel pump in stock and have it repaired the same day.

i can find a place to rebuild a VE in most parts of the country, or barrow/buy one (yes barrow one, cause us diesel guys are like that)......whats nice is that VW diesel parts also fit my injection pump......

5.3 or 6.0 motors are in most junk yards by now, and can be had for complete 500-1500 bucks ready to go.. and that price is assuming you need everything and nut just a short block. The 4l60e can be found used or on the shelf with exchange very easily. not to mention the long list of vehicles the same parts interchange in between..

and you still got a sickly gas engine that barely makes 300 horsepower (no where near 400 ftlbs of torque) and gets 12 mpg stock, and what??? 9mpg towing if your lucky.......start modifying it and watch the gas mileage drop like a rock......

 

[fourwheelerjeff]

hell even just picking up a fuel efficient car puts you in better position all together and lowers the stress if it was cheap and paid for. A early 90's honda or toyota would kick ass. When gas prices soar again you'll be sitting pretty!

i totally agree with this. picking up another daily driver will save you the wear and tear on the truck and the related parts (tires come to mind). i bought a saturn once and was able to make the payments on just what i was saving not filling the truck up every other day.

My point is that it doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" proposition.... the internet makes it seem like everyone in the world except you is running 49's and Rockwells, but it just ain't so. Only about 10 years ago......35's were hardcore, and you'd never meet anyone with a D60 front axle. If a guy had a locker out back, he was serious...

People back in those "old days" still managed to have lots of fun...even without a trailer or tow rig. This recession is causing a lot of people to reconsider their expenses, and I believe the people who will be happiest going forward will be the ones who can make the most of what they have.

greg has a point here and i totally agree with it. one of my pet peeves is when someone joins up and everyone tells him to buy a 60/14, doubler, hack the body and run some 42's. not everyone wants or needs to be that extreme. i am wheeling now but spent a few years wanting the bigger better wheeler instead of enjoying what i had. now i got too much but i do enjoy it

 

[kennyw]

I built my truck to be dual purpose and it works good. But I also picked up a 45 MPG daily driver too... 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan VN750. Much more fun to ride a motorcycle to work on a nice sunny day than to drive an old rough truck anyway.

 

[NEK5]

I came pretty close to buying a bike last year....

 

[original balzer]

Ok a couple of things. My oppinion of course. A cheap econo box = good idea. Keeping the trazer streetable = good idea. Going trail only on the trazer = bad idea. get yourself a econo box and keep the trazer streetable. 2 vehicles in case either breaks down you have a spare. I really dont like trailer toys. It get to a point that you have to spend a lot of time getting ready, and you spend more money on fuel for 2 vehicles it just snow balls. Its a lot nicer to be able to jump in your truck and go wheeling or camping or whatever.

Why is the propane such a hinderance? People around here daily drive propane rigs all the time.

Greg has some good points I remember when people asking why the HELL i was putting a d60 in a k5. Then the funny part was a week after that I busted my first axle shaft, and it was IN THE D60!

The arguments over brands or gas vs diesel are kinda mute points. I mean realistically anything can get expencive depending on the part and routine maintainance is just something you deal with no matter what.

So my vote would be, daily driver yes, tow rig a big ass NO. toyota pickup s10 something simular would be a good idea. BUT dont modify it just leave it stock and continue to build your trazer without going too far to the trail only side.

 

[mr.smartass]

My dad picked up a '98 S10 with a 4 banger a couple of weeks for $1200 in fantastic shape. Not a whole lot of get up and go but it'll cruise at 75 and is pretty good on gas.

 

[broncoman6524]

The smartest choice would be to keep building the blazer.

But puy a piece of **** to DD, i'm talking mid 90's ranger, s10, little car etc. Something reliable and gets great MPG.

I hate driving my ranger, but it's ungodly reliable and gets great mileage. Looks like ****, but thats okay with me.


Plus, think about the money you save each month with filling up every 2 weeks with half the money it is to fill that k5. Over time that builds up to a nice chunk...which you can blow on whatever you're heart desires.

 

[NEK5]

As far as the propane goes, it's not out of the question. For now, I know I'm pulling it, as it will definitely be alot easier to get this thing running on regular gasoline.

As far as picking up another vehicle to DD, it's hard to justify having two vehicles on the road, especially in this state. With the extra cost of having an addition vehicle (registered to be on the road), it would be more expensive than just DD'ing the trazer. I figure it would cost me another $2k a year to keep another vehicle on the road (depending on whatcha get obviously) , which is why if I were to get a new dd/towrig, I wouldn't put the trazer on the road.

 

[NEK5]

Plus, think about the money you save each month with filling up every 2 weeks with half the money it is to fill that k5. Over time that builds up to a nice chunk...which you can blow on whatever you're heart desires.

Which unfortunately would go right to cover the insurance and registration for the additional vehicle Just wouldn't be worth the hassle, especially when I drive under 15k miles a year

 

[broncoman6524]

This is true, but it never hurts to check how much extra in insurance is.

I was actually getting a discount for having more than one vehicle.