long distance towing questions with 1978 c30 3+3 dually

[dieseldawg142]

Originally Posted by DieselSJ

What the ?? My CC Dually gets 10-11 empty and I can pull 9 towing if I keep it 60-65.

weight= around 16k with the camper, quads and boat....
gears= driving 4:56's down the freeway with a 1:1 ratio in the trans, like driving your car around in 1st or 2nd, and with the weight.....
aerodynamics= with 39" tires, everything is hanging in the wind like a barn door, and the gears and the weight...
terrain= live in the mountains, 10-20 km hills are pretty common around here, with the aerodynamics, and the gears and weight....
= p poor fuel mileage...

[Clrussell]

It's honestly all about smiles per gallon in a square body isn't it? I know I didn't buy mine for mileage reasons.

[Alex V.]

The 6.0 is rated at no more than 10% more torque than a carbureted 454, and the horsepower (which is more like 25% more) is a less pertinent number because, besides, one of the 6.0's giant leaps ahead of the big block is the overdrive transmissions they all came with and that they don't "wind out so bad they wear out" "like the 454" - and horsepower is made up high where we don't want the engine to be very much. The second thing the 6.0 supposedly has over the 454 is fuel mileage, and - if you can get your 454 in tune and drive it like a normal person while not pushing 37's and everything you can bolt on or haul in said truck - that seems to be about 15% (maybe 20% in rarer cases) difference empty, narrowing as payload increases.

Do not hear me say the 6.0 isn't a good engine - it is, better durability and power density than the 454. But Chevrolet kept the 454 and a lot of people kept buying them in heavy duty trucks for over 10 years after Dodge and Ford had turbo diesels as their big engine option. And my numbers aren't even the Vortec 454 which puts out 290/410 and was smoother, even more durable, and a little less thirsty - pretty big numbers for a stock 20 year old gas truck.

Point is, the 6.0 is better - mildly reduced cost of operation and just as much power and easier ways to tap more. But there's nowhere near enough room between it and the ol' big block to say the 454 is an weak, obsolete junker. Myself, I far prefer the 454. The RPM range it can log 250,000+ miles in is the same range it pulls hardest in, where every 6.0 I've driven feels like it's halfway to highway RPM before it starts to moving. I also, with no mind on classic-ness or "older is better" think the C/K design is much, much more what a truck should be, ergonomically and mechanically (mainly suspension and electronics here) than the GMT800 design. But I acknowledge that's a difference in PREFERENCE and the LS is just engineered to use more speed to do what it does and is more a product of the current era where people wanted a car with a bed, 4x4, and 10,000 lbs. + towing capacity.

Sorry for the thread-jack.

[catch2otwo]

something to consider is OPs situation. He hasnt owned the truck for years like some of us have. That means, who knows what the maintenance was, quality of work, etc. He's moving from missisippi to oregon, thats a long drive, loaded down, through plenty of elevation change. I don't know if I'd trust a 40yr old craigslist special. But then again he says hes ok with engine replacement along the way haha.

Id throw a few bucks more into it and buy a newer truck with better tech. A well kept, well maintained square will cost damn near a 2000 era hd with the prices the way they are.

The real question is, did OP ever make it? or is he still stranded half way?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by catch2otwo

something to consider is OPs situation. He hasnt owned the truck for years like some of us have. That means, who knows what the maintenance was, quality of work, etc. He's moving from missisippi to oregon, thats a long drive, loaded down, through plenty of elevation change. I don't know if I'd trust a 40yr old craigslist special. But then again he says hes ok with engine replacement along the way haha.

Id throw a few bucks more into it and buy a newer truck with better tech. A well kept, well maintained square will cost damn near a 2000 era hd with the prices the way they are.

The real question is, did OP ever make it? or is he still stranded half way?

Well, he's owned it @ least 3yrs now so (if he bought it).....

[GRADYS Performance]

454 will out pull the new 6.0 motor any day at max load. The MPG depends a Lot on the Load with either combination. Take Fuel to make power. Add a 4L80E and you have the best of both worlds.

[Corts60]

I think this thread got a little off topic and I'm guessing he moved years ago so...irrelevant.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Corts60

I think this thread got a little off topic and I'm guessing he moved years ago so...irrelevant.

And the legends say that he is still broke down somewhere between Mississippi and Oregon ...