towing in the mountains

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So we just picked up a 76 Chevy Silverado c20 camper special. 454 big block, turbo 400 trans and 4.10s. It has 32000 of miles on her and original paint next to no rust. We are pretty excited. I would like some opinions though. We are moving from whitecourt to Vancouver island in December. We have a 19 foot tow behind trailer which will be loaded down with some stuff. The trailer itself weighs 4400 lbs. Should I have any concerns towing thru the mountains. Other then the obvious is proper tires and so on. The route we have to take has some pretty heavy duty climbs. Any input is appreciated

[geezer#99]

Not a problem pulling some of those grades on the Coq'!!
Lots of room (3 and sometimes 4 lanes). The worst one is the climb out of Merrit. After that it's a steady climb. Make sure your brakes are up to snuff though.
Once you get to Chilliwack and get into the big parking lot from there to the ferry you'll think the hills were a breeze!!
Don't forget to bring a snowball with you!!

[Bigstevex4]

Just shift down keep rpms up eng runs cooler tourqe converters not building as much heat more oils going through cooler so on. I used to have a 73 ford servive truck with a 330 gas Eng was a heavey equipment Mechanic in colorado. learned patience would pull Vail pass at 15 mph.

[Tom]

Its a 3/4ton with a 454, 4.10's in the rear and a th400 with no overdrive. This is the stereotypical can't break it towing setup. There is nothing to upgrade.

[Oregoon]

Assuming your trailer brakes are in good shape, I'd say take her easy and enjoy the ride.

[Rubble]

It will be a easier trip with less mountains if you go out on 16 thru Jasper & down 5 to Kamloops than running out Hwy 1 thru the Rodgers.Like Geezer said,make sure your brakes are good,you can go down that hill lots of times too slow,but only once too fast...

[K5owner]

I would make sure you have a large trans cooler, your water pump, radiator and thermostat are in good order and you have fresh brakes on it. I personally like the Wagner Thermoquiet in Ceramic. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/more...078&cc=1032039

I have used these daily driving up and down the Cajon pass in California the 138 and 18 highways without an issue for several years now. No fade, no excessive dust or rotor wear.

[swissarmychainsaw]

Sounds like you picked up a real gem!

Please post some pics
!

With 32,000 original miles I would assume it has been sitting a good part of it's life, I would definitely check/service wheel bearings.
Also check the brakes; every truck of this vintage I have had needed new rubber brake lines. While you're in there make sure your parking brake works well.

Since it is easy to do I like to replace the coolant and the thermostat if the condition is unknown. If I'm towing a temperature gauge is a must!

I also like to replace the belts and hoses, at the very least I will buy them and carry them with me in case I need to install them en route.

I might be listing out the obvious stuff but change all the fluids check your gas lines and enjoy that big block. This is exactly what that truck was made to do!

[dieseldawg142]

welcome to bc!
if your coming on the "Coke" or the connector in dec, with a trailer, BRING CHAINS! driving here in dec you should'nt have any overheating probs, i would be more concerned with GOOD brakes, & some good rubber. we have some monster hills out this way, with LOTS of snow, 10% grade for 15-20 kms is not unusual. a trans cooler will save you on some of the hills. as mentioned, leave yourself lots of stopping room after chilliwack, we have many "new canadians" here in the valley who must get their licenses out of a Cracker Jack box....
oh, and be prepared for sticker shock at the ferry, pullin' a trailer, you will be looking at $150-$200-one way......yeah, welcome to bc...

[SkinnyG]

There's that one corner on Hwy 1, down near the water, that goes right under the train tracks.

The one with the skid marks into the concrete wall.

You want to slow down for that one.

[dieseldawg142]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

There's that one corner on Hwy 1, down near the water, that goes right under the train tracks.

The one with the skid marks into the concrete wall.

You want to slow down for that one.

you talking 'bout the switchbacks just out of Spences Bridge or somewhere else? careful going threw there if a semi is coming at ya, pretty narrow pulling a trailer in there-more skidmarks into the concrete....

[Oregoon]

I drive a semi over Mt. Hood six times a week (three trips), in all weather, and almost always it's pitch dark on the way over.

There's all manner of grades, snow, ice, resort traffic, RVs, etc. I've been a mountain driver since I learned to drive truck 20-plus years ago. I run Cabbage Hill a lot, White Pass, Santiam, Siskiyou, Tombstone, Cow Canyon, Satus, Snoqualmie, etc, etc, etc. If it's in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, or Northern California, I've probably taken a semi over it.

And I have to say: The advice from the posters above is spot-on.

I'd add: Be sure you're equipped for the weather--chains, shovels, gloves, blankets, food, water, etc--and be sure your rig is in shape--carry spares, jacks, hand tools and whatever else you think you want--and otherwise, remember to keep her slow down the hills.

If the weather is bad, or I'm really heavy, or towing doubles or triples, I'll stop at the top of a grade, kick my tires, tighten my chains, and give the brake system a once-over. Aside from catching mechanical things, it allows me to start out from a dead-stop, so I can control the speed, rather than diving off the top of the pass and trying to slow her down from 60 mph.

Just a tip, but it's kept me alive for over two million miles.

[SkinnyG]

Originally Posted by dieseldawg142

you talking 'bout the switchbacks just out of Spences Bridge or somewhere else? careful going threw there if a semi is coming at ya, pretty narrow pulling a trailer in there-more skidmarks into the concrete....

Yep. Had to look it up - haven't driven that road for almost 15 years.

This is the place. You will see the skid marks when you get there. (grin)

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Thanks for all the tips guys. We appreciate em all. We used to live in Smithers BC and it can get pretty hairy up there too but I dunno if its as intense as the "coke" haha.
She is a real gem I'll get some pics posted. She went through the shop the other day and they gave her a mostly clean bill other then some minor things. And we just upgraded the rubber. the people who owned it before us were pretty meticulous. Its almost all original. It does have some upgrades like a comp cam alum intake headers and a 670 avenger Holley which I was wondering on another thread if that's big enuff.it had a q-jet but the accel pump was gone. I'm going to upgrade the dist wih a brand new hei to replace the old one. The only problem that has surfaced so far is a slight ping when I give her some more juice to get moving from slower speeds and its not all the time and its slight like a pop it was doing it worse with the q-jet but still not real bad. Plugs and wires are good all new and timings good. So I'll try the new dizzy.and the pointers on the mountains are welcomed and appreciated. We are pumped about moving back to BC haha

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Some pics. It's a silly thing but my wife and I name our vehicles haha for some reason this ones been coined Mary lol

[dieseldawg142]

nice truck!
who cares what it needs, that thing is totally worth fixin'

[Rubble]

Your right,someone did look after her!! Nice truck eh!!

[Cabnchassis]

X10 on the trans cooler if it doesn't have a good one in it.

My burb is 6.2/400/sf 14/4.10s and was the only thing the original owner ever used to pull a pretty chunky travel trailer. Only thing ever failed is the shift solenoid and that quit on me after he well got his use out of it i'm sure. It's got 312K on the tranny so I'd say they last pretty well under heavy use

I used to have a th400 in my firebird too and I beat the heck out of that thing. It had a 350 one of my dads friends built, probably right in the ball park of 300 Hp or just shy of it, mild but still about 100hp more than stock. That car had never heard of traction and I had plans introduce the two when I was 16-17. It pretty much lived in front of a set(s) of smoking tires and I never got tired of scratching second and third gear in it.. It was still shifting nice and tight when I sold the car though and that's impressive considering how little care I took of that car.

Thats a nice truck you scored on there and I'm sure you'll be happy with how it gets down the road. They only problem I have with them is the engine noise can be irritating on long trips if you're used to having OD. To fix that I just crank the stereo. Good luck with your move and congrats on the new square

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Well we made it! Really thanks for all the advice guys it helped a lot. The weAther was good thru the coke, actually the worst parts of the drive was the snow thru valemount to Clearwater. The some of the drivers after chilliwack haha. And then the 1 big hill almost to the ferry combined with some of the drivers.
Before we left I ended up putting on a 770 quick fuel, as well as a new hei. And went thru the plugs and wires again. Then changed them anyways and all problems went away. She pulled like a champ, and has paid for herself 10 fold haha. It's good to be back in BC.
Thanks again guys!

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[slotard]

Glad it went well. That's an incredibly clean truck, especially for snow country. You don't see bucket seats much either.

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Just to revive and old thread. Haha its been almost 2 years and this truck continues to be tbe best truck ive ever owned(knock on wood) last august. Me and the dog co pilot drive to Kennewick Washington and hauled back a 1966 impala 4 door hard top. Handled it no problem.

[MTCK]

Sweet truck and way to work her!

[tucsonjwt]

I relocated to southern AZ from Michigan in March of 1982. I pulled a utility trailer of about 6300 lbs. empty, with some 500 lbs more of stuff. My truck was a 73 C20 camper special equipped just like yours. The mountains I climbed were not as bad as yours, but still a challenge for the old truck. I was afraid to downshift going up the hills because I was not sure that the old trans would handle the shock (I had the truck for 21 years and never touched the transmission.) I just floored the accelerator and the 400 transmission downshifted by itself. It sure made a lot of engine noise going up the mountains. Congratulations on preserving that truck as a piece of automotive history,