I detailed on the side last summer! Used my W/T and my Sierra to go to jobs. The only downside is my fleet was never clean. So I’m going to scale it back this year, or not do it all. It was a lot of hard work but very rewarding.
Performance advice?
- Thread starter KamenRider_1500
- Start date
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KamenRider_1500
OBS Enthusiast
It’s my first time starting a business by myself. My dad fully supports the idea so there’s a lot of things I need to list, my only worry is I’m going to buy a water tank to put on the truck and I’m not sure that the trucks small engine is gonna handle the weight. Hopefully it does. But hopefully I make some cash and get the Chevy truck looking nice soon.
When I was in work-study in college, they sent my supervisor, another work-study, and myself to the GM plant in the school's 1968 C3500 stake truck with a 350, towing a 5,000 lb trailer. We loaded up 10,000 lbs of damaged body panels they were donating to the school. At a total weight just under 20k the truck was struggling, slowing to 40 mph uphill. We pulled over and found two spark plugs hanging and a third loose. One end had burned off on the exhaust. We reconnected the other two and had no trouble towing after that, excepting that the carrier bearing was whup-whupping all the way.
TL;DR is your 305 will be just fine so long as you take it low and slow.
TL;DR is your 305 will be just fine so long as you take it low and slow.
I washed and detailed 18wheelers for awhile, i built a HUGE hot water pressure tandem axle washer trailer, 600 gal of water, diesel fire burner on a large washer and a smaller washer for light duty jobs. Two hose reels, tool box etc. I was always too busy with work to use it to its fullest.
www.powerwash.com check them out, don’t limit yourself to vehicles. Try gas stations, driveways etc.
www.powerwash.com check them out, don’t limit yourself to vehicles. Try gas stations, driveways etc.
L31MaxExpress
I'm Awesome
I towed often in my old 83 G20 van that had a 305/700r4 and 3.08s. Biggest thing it moved and strap towed for about 10-15 miles was a BUS. I had a buddy that had a ~76 International Loadstar 66 passenger bus with a 345 converted into a kind of day RV. Ordinarily we both would have had a trailer, I had a 3rd gen F-car that I drag raced at the time, but I was playing around with the van at the 1/8 mile track, it dominated at as bracket racer. As dumb as this may sound, his bus stalled out 10-15 miles from civilization. We could not get fuel to the carb to get it going. I hooked on to the bus with a 50 ft tow strap to my receiver hitch tube. I was not expecting the 305 to nearly seamlessly move the van while dragging the bus, car trailer and his 76 Firebird drag car 10-15 miles down the road to the nearest truck stop. At which point we were able to add fuel only to discover the mechanical pump on the 345 had croaked. Try finding a fuel pump for a IH V8 in the middle of nowhere Texas. Ended up installing an electric as a temporary measure to get it home. At some points that little 305 was moving that land train along at 40-45 mph uphill and I was seemingly barely on the throttle even getting rolling from a stop. A good running 305 will get more weight rolling than the truck can steer or stop.
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My 1996 Silverado ecsb. 5.7 vortec 205k miles. Basically stock. Mpfi upgrade, hi flow dual exhaust no connector pipe. It ran 0-60 in 8.2. 1/8 in 10.59 @70mph and 1/4 in 16.41 @83mph.
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sneakingfart
OBS Enthusiast
Yea, these things aren't fast. My Suburban can't get out of its own way at highway speeds, lol. They can be upgraded to make decent power, I know GM makes a 373 ci (or something like that) crate motor that makes about 400 hp, and even with that, these heavy trucks aren't that fast. And the way the 4L60E trans is set up on them is another limiting factor. My truck exists as my daily driver, and to transport my 1 year old twins, wife, and in laws if we need to all go somewhere together, or for longer road trips where the wife can sit in the 3rd row and entertain the kids. I have a smaller SUV that can happily cruise 130 mph all day if I really wanted to, and if I want to go over 160 mph, I have something for that too. But basic mods such as intakes, exhausts, air filters, etc, add negligible if any benefit.
L31MaxExpress
I'm Awesome
The 99 2wd Suburban I messed with ran 9.20s @ 76 mph in the 1/8. With 350 hp a L31 is no slouch as it still makes great torque. Passing on the highway was not a problem at all, it would go. Used the GM 201/208 @ 0.050 LT1 cam I had laying around, 1.6 roller rockers, long tube headers, volant air intake and tuned it. S10 converter and stock 3.42 rear end. 0-40 mph was nearly instant.
