1991 V3500 Project Heavy Hauler

[Matt Man]

Nice boat and truck of course I am jealous... how much does that boat weight? Been looking at some boats and I definitely have the itch to get one.

[MTCK]

Thanks guys appreciate the compliments.

North River says the boat is 3,000 dry, add 450 lbs of gas, plus canvas and options I suspect 3600-3800 for the boat. No clue on the trailer but maybe 1500 lbs? I will run it across the scale one of these days. The whole setup feels pretty heavy when going down the road. It's a right lane operation.

[PapaSmurf66]

Just made it through this over the last couple days. Loving your truck. Great Attention to detail. Aside from having this truck open in a tab I've got the plow truck and your K10 open.

Question: Other than the flip shackles on the rear did you do any other lift parts? springs or your ORD shackles? I got the 4" flip shackle and now wondering if I should've done the 2.5"

Thanks

[MTCK]

Merry Christmas everybody.

Sorry missed your question Papa. I’ve got the 2.5” shackle flip, ord shackles and 1” zero rate. It’s got a little rake when empty, but it’s not empty very often.
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[rodstored-72]

man!! that is a postcard just waiting to be made!!! very nice!

[MTCK]

Just sold our Yukon so big truck has achieved Daily Driver status. Comes with a spot in the garage and a little maintenance. 2700 miles since the oil change last April. Most of that time with a camper, a trailer or both. Hard to believe this motor has been in almost 5 years... new crank position sensor installed and I’ve ordered a couple “luxury items,” like a windshield without 50 cracks and an auto start. -40 tonight with windchill to -60. Brrrr.

[rodstored-72]

..." -40 tonight with windchill to -60. Brrrr." man!! that is cold... that probably is similar to like 50 or 60 here in the desert!....

may your long johns keep ya warm!

[MalibuSSwagon]

I'll remember that next time i say anything about the cold here.

[Nick_R_23]

Exactly why I don’t plan on being in Alaska in about a year!

[400/400]

There’s just something fun about driving a square daily.

I hear ya on the cold, it’s about -30 here now.

Like you, I run winter front covers on my gas rigs. Seems to help keep everything just a bit warmer.

[farmall]

Are winterfronts for these old rigs store bought these days or upholstery shop made.

[MTCK]

I do enjoy driving it daily most of the time. Auto start will help a bit. Honestly the vintage air defrosting ability is a shortcoming when it’s below zero also.

Winter front came from a local custom shop. The actually already had a template as there are quite a few old rigs running around up here. Combination of lots of surplus work trucks and the dry climate that slows rust. Think I paid $150 for this one.

[93M6Formula]

Originally Posted by farmall

Are winterfronts for these old rigs store bought these days or upholstery shop made.

They pop up on ebay from time to time, I just got one for my 82.

[MalibuSSwagon]

i thought squarebody winterfronts came with every amazon order these days.

[MTCK]

Earlier this year the wife and I decided to take the plunge and order a new gas heavy duty truck to be my daily driver and replace the 91 for family camping and boat towing duties. Unfortunately the growing family and demands were just too much for the old girl. We have two kids now, two dogs, and aforementioned boat and camper. When we load up the whole mess it's hot, noisy, slow going and not that relaxing to drive.

Six weeks after we placed our order, the manufacturer still had not accepted it. I asked the dealer point blank if I was going to have a new truck by summer and the answer was no. So I canceled the order and started looking for a used option. You all know how fun that is these days.

Enter my new daily driver: 2017 GMC 3500 crew cab long bed diesel. It burns half the fuel of the 91, is quiet, has ice cold AC, a good heater/ defroster, and back seat is about a foot and a half longer than the 91. After I bought it I was immediately reminded why I don't like diesels. I got a bad load of fuel and it took over 6 weeks and $7500 to get back on the road. So I got to enjoy my auto start in the 91 most of the spring.

I'm not sure where it goes from here for the V3500. It still needs paint, and there is a lot of surface area to paint. I may sell it, or let it sit in the tent here until I find a use. The goal of mine for these trucks is always to use them so it's a bummer when I reach their limits. We shall see.

['63GENIII]

Well, now you have 2 pretty nice rigs there Marcus. I do understand where you're coming from with the old vs new and not having jobs for both.

Cool picture of them both in the driveway though.

[Greenlee]

Nice looking truck!

[MTCK]

15 months after the initial order, our new Silverado 3500 showed up. The 2017 diesel is gone to a happy new owner. First impressions on the Silverado are excellent. It hasn't hauled the camper or boat (or both) yet, but that will happen soon. Still winter here and supposed to snow tonight. I'll get a pick of the new rig and 91 side by side.

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by MTCK

15 months after the initial order, our new Silverado 3500 showed up. The 2017 diesel is gone to a happy new owner. First impressions on the Silverado are excellent. It hasn't hauled the camper or boat (or both) yet, but that will happen soon. Still winter here and supposed to snow tonight. I'll get a pick of the new rig and 91 side by side.

Nice looking truck! Same as you and i went from a 17 LTZ diesel to a 2021 AT4 diesel. Even though they have the same engine the 10 speed tranny makes all the difference. It is always in the power while towing. I just hope that it is as durable as the 6 speed. Here in Michigan when some roads are snow covered and some are just wet it is nice to have the autotrac AWD and it was about time GM put a 4WD indicator on the dash!