95 3/4 ton

[tomcat]

i found a truck i want to get , 95 3/4 ton ext cab short bed .
4x4 350 sbc with about 180,000 on the clock.
im buying this as a DD and to tow my 05 gto to the track.

ok my choices rebuild the 350 as a 383 maybe add a better set of heads and a towing / mpg cam.

or a LQ4/LQ9 or if i can find one L92 . from a junkyard or whatever i can find .

then add a sts turbo or a custom same type, to ethier motor.
the LQ/LS would be a lot easier to tune for the boost .

i already have hp tuners for the gto.

just wondering if anyone else has built a turbo tow rig with a late model swap

 

[99z28monster]

I dont think HP works with obdII vehicles so you are SOL on using it for the 95 unless I am mistaken. Is there a reason that you want to put a turbo on a tow truck that is a gas engine? If you do go the turbo route just get a soild 5.3l and go to town. They do really well with boost and would make a good tow rig motor especially with a hair dryer hooked up. Personally I would go with the 350 being either bored to 355 or stroke it to 383 gonna be much cheaper that way and still get the job done. Save the big bucks for that goat.

 

[tomcat]

well if i go to any LQ/ LS block i will need the the computer and wiring harness to go with it . (ie hp tuners will work )

trying to adapt the turbo to the old tb (95) would be a problem the newer stuff uses a maf and is simple to get a small amount of boost through it .

as for the turbo , this will be a DD also , and i have seen gtos with rear mount turbos get 30mpg while still making 450-500 hp
so a truck with the proper gearing low twenyts should not be a problem,maybe even mid 20s mpg.

im thinking that if i do the right gear? a small turbo?
the right cam ?

the sbc requires a lot more work to get the power and mpg im looking for .
and the 6.0 will provide the torque without needing a lot of boost .

also a stockish 6.0 will make as much power as a med built 383 and get better mpg .
im not looking for top end power im looking to make400- 450ft/lbs at 2000 rpms

 

[tomcat]

well if i go to any LQ/ LS block i will need the the computer and wiring harness to go with it . (ie hp tuners will work )

trying to adapt the turbo to the old tb (95) would be a problem the newer stuff uses a maf and is simple to get a small amount of boost through it .

as for the turbo , this will be a DD also , and i have seen gtos with rear mount turbos get 30mpg while still making 450-500 hp
so a truck with the proper gearing low twenyts should not be a problem,maybe even mid 20s mpg.

im thinking that if i do the right gear? a small turbo?
the right cam ?

the sbc requires a lot more work to get the power and mpg im looking for .
and the 6.0 will provide the torque without needing a lot of boost .

also a stockish 6.0 will make as much power as a med built 383 and get better mpg .
im not looking for top end power im looking to make400- 450ft/lbs at 2000 rpms

 

[RSTahoe99]

Just going to a turbo on a stock motor isn't going to help your gas mileage that much, if any at all. I would love to see a GTO that makes 450hp-500hp and gets 30mpg w/ a turbo. I am not calling you a liar, i think the info is inaccurate is all. The most i have ever seen out of an OBS w/ a 350 is 17mpg, not to say you couldn't get 18 maaaaaaybe 19, doubtful out of a TBI, but definitely no 20+ mpg. No offense, I'm just trying to be real with you.

Depends on your plans for the truck. If you want it to be a DD and just pull the GTO, just rebuild the original motor to oem specs and keep it. That would be the cheapest and most efficient. If you upgrade the motor more than say 50 hp, you WILL be soon replacing the transmission(more money), amungst other things. Those trucks stock can pull a car and trailer, usually with no issues. I pulled a ton with my 90, 93, and 96, and all of these were 1/2 tons.

How many miles does urs have?

 

[tomcat]

well the gtos in question were 6 speed cars and running sts turbos with a tune specfic to the turbo,they were getting 24-26 mpg na and over 30 with the turbo.i personaly know both of them as good friends .

the trans is going to get a good overhaul as part of the re motor,unless i can get a low mile 4l80e or maybe even a 6l 65 /6l80.
the trans will also get a FTI torque converter built for towing .

as for pulling the gto ,im using a 96 dodge 4x4 1500 318 sc sb and the trailer beats it up .i can tow at about a max of 62mph with out it droping to 3rd gear .the truck gets 15 normal and about 10mpg towing .

when im towing the car on I95 going 60mph will get you run over .

ive pretty much decided im going to go with a turbo ,and i like the idea of a 6.0 l but some have said i could do it with the 5.3 also and still have the power (5.3 is a shorter stroke though)
i will stay with the stock size tire and maybe a 3.55 gear or maybe a 3,23 .

so no one here has done a rear mount turbo?

 

[DRAGGIN95]

6.0, and let's see some pics!

 

[99z28monster]

There is no point of a rear mount on these trucks. There is plenty of room to do a front mount turbo. The main reason the STS is so popular with the Fbod and Gto guys is the fact that the rear mount makes things so much easier because of the lack of room under the hood. There is ZERO need for a rear unless you just want to say that you have a rear mount turbo on a truck.

 

[RSTahoe99]

Well, thats cool. i can only speak from experience on the mpg issue and to me, experience beats hear-say anyday. My Dad's 2000 chev. is a 3/4 ton 6.0L w/ 4l80e. Motor and trans. are solid. When empty he got maybe 15 mpg, loaded down he gets 10 and pulling a trailer, 8. But it is his work truck too and putting around town getting 10mpg is also with approx. an extra 1500 lbs.

I had an 05 Yukon w/ the 5.3L, 3 in lift and 30 tires and got 14-15mpg, but it didn't have near the balls the 6.0L had. I personally would go with a Lq4 or 9 and the 4L80e for solid power and reliability. You could look on Craigslist for someone parting a 2000-05 3/4 ton and that should be this combo. The 6l80e, 6l85e are cool but require more transmission circuit board and a mess to set up electronically to get it right. If you really want it google PSWired, or look him up on this site: http://www.pacificp.com/forum/index.php. He has done the 5.3L swap w/ 6l80e and is one of the most knowledgable guys i know.

 

[tomcat]

thanks for the info, as it stands i will probably get a wrecked truck from a junkyard ,with all of the wiring harness and mechanacals ,then just do a one for one swap.
as for the front mount turbo ,there is a ton of fabrication to be done ,a complete manifold has to be made ,mounts oiling system. intercooler
rear mount just hangs on the y pipe .needs an upgraded oilpump/scavange pump,no intercooler if you keep the boost down .