Lots of money to burn, nutjob ideas...

[k72516]

I want your feedback, comments, opinions, flames, whatever you wanna dish out. I'm just starting to break down. I don't care about gas anymore. I've bounced back and forth between getting an S10 and bagging it, or a Monte Carlo, or a lifted truck. I just don't care, I've always wanted the lifted truck but my dad has always told me "oh you'll regret it, gas guzzler, blah blah blah..." I just don't care!!! I want a lifted truck!!! Screw gas!!!

But growing up with this mentality has just messed up my brain so I've been thinking of all these nutjob ideas. Things like building up a carbed aluminum engine, or just using an LT1/LS1 block instead and going for the EFI, and tossing the bed in the dumpster and making a nice *light* wooden flatbed, and using the lightest wheel/tire combination I can find (yea I know it'll be heavy regardless but every pound counts), and ditching the A/C and all that junk, serpentine belts if that helps any, a nice set of headers and exhaust, just anything and everything... But even with all that I doubt it'd be anywhere near 15MPG so what's the point. I just wanna bite the bullet and do it no matter what, I only get to be young, stupid, and reckless with my money once... maybe twice later in life when I go nuts and have some weird mid life crisis.

And another thing about the truck is I want it LIFTED... and Massachusetts is a real pain about it which has held me back some also... I'm just glad I don't live in Maine.

[blaserman]

My son lives in S.Hadley. My 86 Blazer only gets 10mpg,but I drive it every night to work and on weekends. So I work a couple hours extra a week just for the gas. I cannot see having my truck parked all the time. I say GO FOR IT.

[k72516]

Does he got a big truck?? Maybe I can just live vicariously through him. But really, I think I am. There's a nice longbed I got my eye on... I'm so tempted... just building it would be worth it to me, even if it did just sit in the driveway all the time.

[blaserman]

He has a 80 c10 with a 454 in it and drives every day to boston/logan airport. He is a Air Marshal. So you figure he goes through a tank of gas every other day if he keeps his foot out of it.

[ZmOz]

I'm planning on putting a 5.3L into my '79. The Suburbans can get amazingly good mileage with them...I expect the same in my truck. Even a lifted truck with a 5.3L and reasonable gearing should get at least 15 on the highway. There's aluminum 5.3s too...

[shilo]

I got a 83 1 ton 4x4 with a 454 and 44" tires. It gets about 5 mpg. It never gets driven partly because of the mpg and the fact that it is just too damn big. stick with a short bed and 35"s and a healthy smallblock with an overdrive and get an easy 12. Or buy a new diesel and get 18- 20.

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

I say go for it. Lifted trucks Kick Azz!!! Gearing and tranny and engine combo are main factors too which to think about for getting somewhat decent gas mileage.
-Later

[slingin mud]

OK you say you want a monte carlo and ya want a big truck .Well get a 88 or 89 monte and put it on a short bed 4x4 frame . you can have the best of both worlds there

[k72516]

Originally Posted by slingin mud

OK you say you want a monte carlo and ya want a big truck .Well get a 88 or 89 monte and put it on a short bed 4x4 frame . you can have the best of both worlds there

I've thought about stuff like that... you see, El Camino wheelbase 117"... Short Bed Chevy wheelbase 117"... eh eh?

But I just don't care, I'm gonna call in on an '86 longbed 4x4, most likely has the 350, auto trans, *no* rust on cab and frame from what I could see, bed has rust above wheel wells, and has L-82 badges on the grill whatever that means. Guy wants $3,500.00, but money talks and I'm not dropping that much, so I'm gonna go out there with maybe $1,500.00-$2,000.00 and see what goes down, it's been there for a while so you never know.

[86swb]

What is a good gearing for better milage anyway? I am not sure what mine is and do not really know how to check. Someone told me you had to count the teeth or something like that.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by 86swb

What is a good gearing for better milage anyway? I am not sure what mine is and do not really know how to check. Someone told me you had to count the teeth or something like that.

My gearing is listed in the glove compartment on the option sticker. Most of the later trucks like yours and mine, the 2WD ones at least, came with 2.73 or 3.08 gears. The lower the number the better the gas mileage, typically, but performance suffers as well.

I have 3.08 gears, assuming no one has changed them. With an old truck, you never know what has been swapped out...

Slonaker

[86swb]

I am not looking for performance as much as I am looking for better fuel mileage. What kind of mileage do you get with the 3.08 Gears? Do you have stock Carberation?

[screwballl]

my 91 burb with 454 is my daily driver and i am sure the mileage sucks... i havent checked the mileage since i got it yet but i probably will next time i fill up...

[1FaastC10]

i've got an LT1 sitting in the garage that will go into a C10 some day.

lightening the bed is a BAD idea. lighten the other end of the truck, that's where its heaviest.

[k72516]

Originally Posted by 1FaastC10

lightening the bed is a BAD idea. lighten the other end of the truck, that's where its heaviest.

That's just because of the traction issue right? I figured with a big fuel cell over the axle, spare tire, relatively beefy flatbed, and a beefy bumper it would still be lightened a lot, but not a lot... I'd try and meet in the middle somewhere, ya know?

I also wanna do a lift off one piece fiberglass frontend... if not for saving weight, just because it'd be nice and easy to work on the engine. So there's to lightening the front end... Also have looked into aluminum heads if a whole aluminum engine isn't possible, that's another 70lbs. I've even researched aluminum drivelines, muhahaha.
http://www.usbody.com/Pages_Trucks/73-Chevy.htm <<<Half way down the page

[1FaastC10]

i've heard some very bad things about US Body's fit and finish, especially on a piece like that that isnt intended for a street driven truck. there's lots you can do to lighten the front end. outer bumper brackets removed, heater removed, aluminum engine parts, manual steering box, maybe even trimming out some of the unneeded metal in the core support and inner fenders.

as for the aluminum driveshaft, lighter rotating mass is good no matter where it is in the drivetrain.

[k72516]

Hmmm, do you recommend any other companies for fiberglass?

[1FaastC10]

www.advantagefiberglass.net

or Harwood, in that order. the Advantage pieces i've seen have always been top notch in fit and finish. the products i've seen from Harwood are pretty decent, fiberglass quality is great, but the fit is very similar to that of a Taiwan hood. everything else i've bought/dealt with (never owned one personally, used to buy them for the bodyshop all the time when i worked at the dealership) have been marginal quiality and fitment always required bodywork. these include hoods from Cervini's, Unlimited Products, and US Body Source.

[k72516]

=/ They don't have one piece frontends though... but that's deffinetely good info to know. Thanks.