I am considering alternatives for towing things to my big dodge. I think one of these would be very adequate to tow with and am wondering what mileage I might be able to get with one just driving and towing a travel trailer.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Tom:

When I would tow my 1-ton utility, I would get about 13mpg with my '87 C-20 Sportsvan (350 TBI, 400 Hydro) so I would expect you to get BETTER than me...

__________________

M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

2.93 is a little low for towing. I would feel more comfortable with a 3.73 rear end.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

What kind of weight are we talking about? 2.93 does seem a little tall.

heck yes

Eagleco-94 used to use his wifes caprice wagon to tow everything. the LT1 is a tow monster, that and a 6 speed and its a beasty! Only thing different in that wagon was it had a different rear end for drag racing. IIRC 4.10 or something(or thats in his impala)


Tom... you're going to need a 6 speed, full exhaust with headers, exhaust cut outs, full lowered suspension, wide tires on all 4 corners and it will handle like its on rails.


I liked that wagon. It had the third row and could haul 4x8 sheets of plywood, or two sets of tires, a w123 interior, and euro bumpers and still have room!


I'll let James know you're interested in that type of wagon and maybe he can chime in and guide you what to look for and such.

a '92? NO!!! DO NOT DO IT!

Why? The L05 Motor is rated at 205hp and 300lb/ft of tq.
In 1994 The B-bodies got the LT1 motor which is rated at 260hp and 330lb/ft of torque...for about the SAME if not better mileage rating.

The '94-'96 B-bodies also have a passenger air bag and ABS. 2.93's are the gear ratio that comes in the wagons normally and my wife's wagon towed JUST FINE with them. We started off with 4.10's with the 6-speed but we grenaded the rear end while drag racing. $250 later I had a complete 2.93 rear end with a working posi and one afternoon later it was in the car and rolling.

I also converted my '96 SS to a 6-speed and it's running 4.56's. That car is for street use and drag racing. The gears shouldn't be that much of an issue for towing, but I'd consider something more like 3.42's if you're going to swap gears. 3.73's will be a bit much for a tow car, especially since you're not using the car for performance the rest of the time.

LMK how soon you're looking to get one as I just got back about an hour ago with a friend who just picked up a '94 Impala SS for a steal. Don't be worried about an LT1 car with 100k miles on it either. They have reverse flow cooling which helps them last to 200k or more.

You should see mileage around 20mpg or so and have no issues at all. If you are considering a B-body and want to do a 6-speed conversion I still have the conversion kit out of my wife's wagon for sale on the Impala SS forum right now. It really wakes the car up and is a blast to drive. This is what you could have had before I parted it out:

__________________
-James

'85 280GE...sold
'96 Impala SS ~ 6-speed 396
'14 Cadillac Vagon. . . . . . . . . . "Life without knowledge is death in disguise." - Hans-Peter Geerdes

See? NOw thas what I am saying!

I am interested in the six conversion kit. I'll pm you.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

see, told you lol

thanks James


The Beast!

My tt is around 4200....maybe 5000 loaded for bear.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

2.93 doesnt seem too bad when you consider how small the drive tires are. Lots of 3/4 ton trucks come with 3.73 gears but have much larger tires. I dont have a conversion chart but my guess is if you do the math they would work out the same.

I thought the LT1s went into the 92 Vettes only since Firebirds were L98 up to 92 and the Vettes usually got the faster motors? How did Tom get a 92 with an LT1 engine?

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Someone could have swapped it in or Tom just got things mixed up

He probably got it mixed up. LO3 motors are WAY WAY different from LT1s. ECM is a totally different animal. You will not get away with just dropping that motor in.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Well, I am not up on my gm part and motor numbers, but according to the advertisements these cars have an LT-1 motor.

I really don't care what the numbers on the motor are. I am sure it will have plenty of power for my needs. I just am looking for fuel economy numbers.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Just not in 92 I don't think.

IMO the motor is significant because of the power curve. When I had an 01 GMC Yukon XL with the 5.3 Vortec motor, it was fine for towing at lower altitudes. When we got higher, the air got thinner and the power dropped. At which time we were doing 2nd gear at 5000 RPM. Part of the problem was that the motor was basically an LS1 motor that made power higher up but the lower end wasn't as good. If it were an L98 motor, it probably would have been better.

In a truck motor you want usable power. As far as usable power goes the Vortec 350 blows the new 5.3 off the chart. Look at the toque curves and you'll know what I mean.

The 350 had 300 ft. lbs from 1800 rpm up to 3700 rpm with a peak of 325.
The 5.3 has 300 ft. lbs from 2500 to 3500 with a peak at 3500 rpms.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow