Need help for a tow rig

[kendogg]

Wow an LT1? Yeah sounds like a terrible idea...

Why though? Serious question. I listed the pro's I know of. What are the cons?

[Duct_tape123]

What are the cons?

It's an LT1, there are no pros.

[kendogg]

It's an LT1, there are no pros.

I guess I just need to add you to the ignore list, troll.

[kendogg]

More investigation has yielded that lt1 heads won't bolt to my vortec block - I hadn't realized that. :-( FML. And using the lt1 bottom end presents all kinds of new problems that just aren't worth the hassle, like accessories, water pump setup, etc. Goddamnit.

[kerrige]

The Lt1 was notorious for overheating when pushed. That's not even a decent idea if towing. I will leave it at that. The 6.0 idea is a solid one. If you are on a budget keep the 80e its a proven choice. Spend the money building the motor which is your weak spot right now. You have a strong rearend, trans, and overall truck. Now you need the power to make it all go. You can fly well below your 2k budget on a really well built 6.0 if you take the time to listen to what a couple of us have been saying. A baby cam, mill the heads and strengthen the valvetrain. Bam your done with a capable and strong build. Will you tow a million lbs no you won't, but 10-12k isn't anything too crazy. Look at it this way your current motor never made more than 250hp/tq to the wheels. A 6.0 will make 300ish stock. Add a cam and some compression and you will quickly break 350 to the wheels.

[blacstar]

More investigation has yielded that lt1 heads won't bolt to my vortec block - I hadn't realized that. :-( FML. And using the lt1 bottom end presents all kinds of new problems that just aren't worth the hassle, like accessories, water pump setup, etc. Goddamnit.

do you even own a truck? replying to your own posts. show us your truck and what your are trying to tow! You are trying to revive and old truck with shitty brakes, suspension, and drivetrain. You can easily find a cummins of that year that will do the job

[kendogg]

Hi everybody. Seems most people here are after high HP, but I'm looking for some advice for a tow rig. My truck is a '97 C2500, extended cab long bed, with a 4.10 FF rear and a 4l80e. Currently has the worthless Vortec 350, but I'm looking to 'upgrade'

I'm acquiring an LQ4, and am curious about a basic build, vs going with an 8100 instead. How would an appropriate cam effect the low-end torque? By the factory graphs, an 8100 makes ~400 ft./lbs right off idle and has a very flat torque curve. Could that be at least somewhat matched with the right cam selection? Would bumping the CR by either shaving the heads, swapping the heads, or doing different pistons help, or would it possibly create too much heat? Of course, this will be custom tuned. Whats LS1truck think?? Or should I just stick to a tune-only 8100?

FWIW, this truck mostly hauls crap in the bed, and towes racecars or other trailers. Average towing load is ~7-8k or so, max would probably be 10-12k lbs. The vortec 350 is fine once up to speed, but getting off the line, even with the 4.10, just sucks. I had an '01 K1500 extended cab ona steel trailer once, and I was floored trying to get up to speed hitting an on ramp on a slight grade, and she struggled HARD, and temps started to rise.... I don't wanna have that problem again. I really wish 1st in the 4l80e was shorter, a 6l90e swap someday would fix all of these problems Thanks for your time.

do you even own a truck? replying to your own posts. show us your truck and what your are trying to tow! You are trying to revive and old truck with shitty brakes, suspension, and drivetrain. You can easily find a cummins of that year that will do the job

I covered all of that in the OP. Shitty suspension how? What's so different about an NBS underneath?? Not much. I'm sorry, I prefer the gmt400 chassis to the gmt800. I've been in and driven numerous of them. I've always felt the gmt800 felt cheaper, especially wrt dash plastics, doors, etc. I'll give you brakes, I'm sure there were brake upgrades thru the years, especially the rest discs, but I don't think thats a bit issue with a towing vehicle (rear drums I mean, not brakes in general - they're very important :-) ). Sorry, but I don't take pics of everything I try to tow. Biggest/heaviest thing I've towed so far was the same steel trailer in the pic below with an '01 extended cab Silverado 4x4, and this poor motor did NOT like it, at all. WOT getting on a downhill on ramp, WOT run back up the hill as I tried to enter the highway at well under the speed limit. Probably was 75% throttle r more the entire way home, and she started getting hot too. Does that answer your questions that have absolutely nothing to do with what I've asked for??

Want to see my truck??

[jmgak47]

My tow rig is my VHO with the LQ9 6.0L

215/223 .603/.596 115+3
ARH 1 7/8" LT's
Edge 2600
4.30's
other random bolt-ons.

Low end is the last thing it lacks and I built it with towing in mind, stump puller! Added performance, better towing then stock and no compromise in daily driving, can't beat it!

[kendogg]

My tow rig is my VHO with the LQ9 6.0L

215/223 .603/.596 115+3
ARH 1 7/8" LT's
Edge 2600
4.30's
other random bolt-ons.

Low end is the last thing it lacks and I built it with towing in mind, stump puller! Added performance, better towing then stock and no compromise in daily driving, can't beat it!

Thanks for the feedback. That seems like a slightly bigger cam than Comp recommended to me, but they're the only manufacturer thats gotten back to me so far. I didn't think even long tubes would help low-end torque. Glad you like it. Have you dyno'd it by chance?

[kendogg]

Well,t sure took a change in course. After some discussions with some friends who're more familiar with some of the older stuff than I, I bought this guy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Edelbrock-Pe...1803b7&vxp=mtr

Going to do a sequential/COP conversion to the Vortec 350, along with a lgiht overhaul. Should be able to do this for about half the price of what a 6.0 or 8.1l swap was with a mild cam. Lots of used parts going into this build, I'll be scouring the junkyards for stuff. I picked up a set of Gen III coils this morning for a song (the good ones with the heatsinks). My truck is already 0411 pcm swapped, so no worries there. Need to get the 24x crank reluctor ring kit from EFIConnection and go to town


And yes, if this still isn't enough torque - it's getting manual swapped when the 4l80e gives up Thanks for reading and putting up with me guys. Sorry I didn't end up going LS, as much as I would have liked, I have many other irons in the fire, and if I can make this reliable and better for half the price, it'll have to do. I'll update this thread with some pics and notes once it's altogether and running again.