oh joy...........

Grit
I'm not landscaping like I was. I'm doing marine sales and deliveries around Puget sound. So I don't haul tow etc like I did. I commute 25 miles from Brier to Ballard daily. Do a few maintence jobs on Friday Saturday hauling 500 lb at best, more like 300. Unless I put the mid more in the bed. That's 350.
I don't tow daily. If I do it's less than 6000 lbs, as my tbo15 is 2800-2900 lbs. My redehaul Is 2700.
I rarely loaded my 2500 muck over a ton. Cut the registration from 10k to 8k.
If I was doing what I was, pulling a 10-12k trailer daily, with 1-2 tons in the bed ....maybe what, a colorado ranger equal..... ??
Not worried about what I'm looking pulling what I pull. Heck, I'm even looking at 6.5' short bed dual cab trucks. No std 8' beds....oh wait, 6.5 I'd std, and 8' a "long" box....BS! My 14' bed on ihc is a mid size bed in the real big scheme if things...
Need to go load a ton of batteries in the pos 250 transit van I drive now. Head to Bremerton.
City driving is way harder on a rig than freeway miles. My rigs did all local on roads under 40 mph for the most part. My dnax when sold it, hr meter divided by miles was less than 25mph. 200,000 mikes in 9 yrs.

Marty

And fwiw, my 2016 Silverado 1500, 5.3 doesn’t like getting big loads moving.
It has what feels like TQ converter shudder off the line when hooked up to 10klbs +.
Idk if it was a bad converter as the trans went out at about 60k miles. And I haven’t had cause to pull real heavy since getting the trans replaced.
Another reason to not mess with small trucks if you’re doing big truck jobs.
You’re very concerned with empty mileage AND max towing ability at the same time.
They make trucks for that. They’re called diesels. 18 mpg just driving around and more than enough power to pull a half ton and the trailer behind it at the same time.
But cheap, fast or good....pick 2.

^I’m not talking about 30-40 year old vehicles. I’m talking about now.
Like you said, a new V6 half ton Silverado likely has more actual power to the ground, off the line, than a 80s big block.
This is not newsworthy, it’s just a product of 70s-80s vehicles being a low point in automotive history. Fortunately for those that want or need more power, it’s now ancient history.
So why try to reduce down the offerings to a lowest common denominator like you’re in sophomore algebra? You work your truck(s) hard by your own admission. Why not get something that isn’t going to be maxxed out when you’re towing?
Budget wise, I can understand not wanting to drop $40-60k on a pickup if it’s not economically feasible, but imo, you’re following the same logic as past experiences, when there are so many more, better, options out there vs in 2000 or 1990 or earlier.

Grit dog wrote:

blt2ski wrote:
BUT, if you're doing freeway miles, no problems. Doing city driving pulling local grades in the 15-25+% relm. Then the tall first year of the th400 and 4l80 get heated up really fast and quick. Whether you have an external cooler or not. That's the issue I have towing when I tow. If it's not geared over all low enough, Ive stalled many a truck out, even a 12k loaded 454, 4.10 th400 geared rig.

Marty

You actually should buy more powerful trucks rather than having to calculate whether x truck will pull x weight up x grade before you leave the yard.

So a 454 back in the 80s was not the most powerfull truck in a GM pickup? if not what was? I learned the hardway, having a powerful 235/385 truck, with incorrect trans gears, rear gears, does not make a good towing rig at times. Hence why the TH400 is not a good trans, has the tallest first gear of ANY 25/35 series auto. Hence why my smaller engines with manuals could pull steeper grades vs the higher HP torque ones with autos. TOday the autos allow one to have overall low gearing better than my 88 and 89 454 rigs. I've even stalled out my 05 dmax on a short grade up on the pine lake plateau. Glad in that case I had 4lo to work with. That is the only time I pulled stalling it!
so in the end, it does help to understand what a rig with a given gear set, motor will actually do, vs trusting manufacture warranty ratings. My 6.5TD with a nv4500 would not overheat, vs those with 4L80E;s. I pulled local freeway grades faster, yet had a 2000 lb lower gcwr......all because GM did not want to worry about warranty on the clutch, not that they gave it a warranty..... Then again, the TH400 and 4l80 use up 40-45hp, vs NV at around 25HP, Allison in the area of 60 hp from flywheel to output shaft. A Big powerful motor is nice, IF you have the correct gearing behind it. If not, you're screwed! Especially at low speeds.

Marty

blt2ski wrote:
BUT, if you're doing freeway miles, no problems. Doing city driving pulling local grades in the 15-25+% relm. Then the tall first year of the th400 and 4l80 get heated up really fast and quick. Whether you have an external cooler or not. That's the issue I have towing when I tow. If it's not geared over all low enough, Ive stalled many a truck out, even a 12k loaded 454, 4.10 th400 geared rig.

Marty

You actually should buy more powerful trucks rather than having to calculate whether x truck will pull x weight up x grade before you leave the yard.

Ford truck guy,
I hear what your saying. About $2-2.5g minimum for rebuilt motor, Don's and I doing the work. On a rig worth about that much.
Marty

Grit
Not interested in a 292 I6. Altho a good motor at the time with a muncie 4 dpd behind it.
The 2.7 eco and GM 4.3 out out more HP and almost the same torque as the 454 back in that time frame. Have 6 gears vs 3 or 4. Over all lower take ratio, and taller final drive, better mileage to boot.
My feeling is why get 18 mpg with 350-400hp, vs 22-24 with 300, that will do what I need it to do.
If I wanted what I have all around, a 6.0/6.6 gas GM or equal would work with me driving 12-15k miles a year.
I don't need current rig repaired tomorrow. In the next few weeks would be good to have it repaired, or s 2014 or newer rig. Not paying $40+g for a new new one. I've seen a few rwd 4.3 rigs in mid to upper twenties.

Marty

Marty look for a 01.5-02 RAM 2500 Cummins 6 speed.

BUT, if you're doing freeway miles, no problems. Doing city driving pulling local grades in the 15-25+% relm. Then the tall first year of the th400 and 4l80 get heated up really fast and quick. Whether you have an external cooler or not. That's the issue I have towing when I tow. If it's not geared over all low enough, Ive stalled many a truck out, even a 12k loaded 454, 4.10 th400 geared rig.

Marty

Grit dog wrote:
The big question is do you dump $2500 and your time on a truck that is worth about the same after you get it running again, comb the want ads or junk yards for a used engine of unknown condition, but cheaper, or resign yourself to the unfortunate failure and remove on.

A 20+ year old bare bones, beat up , rode hard, 2wd pickup ain’t really worth putting a lot of $ into IMO.

Agree with Grit..

It may be worth something to you, but probably not that same amount to others...

I use this expression at work every week - " can't toss GOOD money towards BAD stuff" or OLD stuff.. just not worth it