Turning my 88 into a tow vehicle

The boat is an 18.5 SeaRay with an inboard. It's a heavy boat, heavier than than the 18, 19, and 23 I have owned. Perhaps that's due to the engine (the others were outboards) or perhaps SeaRay is just generous with the roving and resin. Towing distances will vary from 30 miles to 200 with equal frequency. All three 200 mile routes involve highway secondary roads. I don't really want to buy a new truck. They are too expensive and I would still have to put in the tranny and oil cooler. Neither GM nor Ford offers a half-ton truck with the complement of equipment I am talking about. Heck, the truck I have had the best "tow package" you could get from GM at the time. I could go three-quarter, but personal preference is to "run what I brung." New

350s run between 1100 and 1400 USD. That's a lot cheaper than a new 3/4 ton! New 700R4s run about 1200. I would consider a different model tranny the next time mine fritzes out. Any ideas about that?

thanks, Al

Well I didnt say "new" as in brand new, I have known several people that have or had half tons and done a good deal of towing, some long distances like you and almost always wished they got a 3/4 ton due to the bigger breaks, heavier rear end, and a less loaded truck in the end. I agree witht the 350 and the tranny. INHO i wouldnt try pulling a heavy boat like that often with a half ton. My father in law has a 00 Dakota and a 25' cabin cruiser that he hauls maybe 4 times a year, and thats at the extreme limits of his vehicle which comes with the heavy duty trailer package. I would haul a boat like yours with my 3/4 any day, better suited for the use. JMHO

Replies Inline.............

Sounds like a good plan.

Run a compression test. She might not be as tired as you think, and a simple re-ring and new main and rod bearings might do the trick.

Is this the aluminum one? If so, don't buy it, and buy a steel pan instead. Steel dents, aluminum shatters; hit one big chunk of something on the road and buh-bye transmission. You want a pan with a drain plug to make your frequent fluid changes (every 7-8k miles during towing season, 15k regular use) less messy.

Trans temp yes, oil temp not needed as the coolant temp will let you know hot hot she's running.

Skip this piece of garbage. Your AT already has a filter inside the pan which will do the job just fine.

So far, everything aside from oil temp and the external AT filter sounds good.

Sounds good.

Aftermarket ignition control module (like MSD 6-series) or just a nasty coil and some good plugs?

I'd leave the stock rad alone and switch to a heavy duty fan clutch first gears. Tow something in OD and it's toast. The transmission guy says he

Stock or aftermarket cam?

Good luck on the leaf spring bushings................hell, good luck getting the bolts out of the leafs . You'll know what I mean when you get there, just make sure you have a torch handy.

Doc

what ??

'long throws between gears' ?????

what the hell is this, the newest 'internet fact' ?

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get an 'RV-style' converter

it gets the HP off the crank and into the transmission at a lower RPM

That's what a couple of transmission shop guys said. Says that the have a low low, then wide ratios up through and including OD. Maybe now true?

How would I know one of these if it fell on my head? When I read up on different TCs they talk about "RPM stall speeds" and stuff like that. How about this:

that sound like what you are talking about? What the heck does "RPM stallspeed" mean anyway? It'd be great to know what I want before I need it. Thanks, Al

Sounds plausible. She has a noisy lifter, but it's been like that for 40K miles. Reckon I ought to change them while I'm at it?

Steel for sure and it does have a drain plug.

I heard that the AT filter is simply a screen to assure metal bits don't go bacj up into the tranny. That's why I was looking at a proper filter. Maybe not.

A good ICM was my thought. I already put in hi-perf wires and change plugs from time to time.

Stock. Why? Does it matter?

Scared of that statement. I expected as much. Flame Wrench at the ready.

Al

In-In-line..............he he he he

Lifters are cheap, and if you've got her ripped apart might as well.

No, it does alot more than that.

I'd recommend AC Delco Rapidfire Plugs. Kinda pricey ($3.99) but pack a good punch and last a long time for a non-platinum plug.

The camshaft grind determines what stall speed convertor will give you the best performance. More aggressive grinds require higher stall convertors.

I had to cut all 4 leaf-to-shackle bolts out on my 88' C1500 when I did them a few years back. Frikkin' bolts were vulcanized to the rubber bushings and would not come out. If you have the clearance, a sawzall between the shackle and the eye of the leaf spring will make short work of the bolt and get the leafs off the truck, but the bushings will have to be torched out. For about $200 you can get new main leafs on both sides at a spring shop which will give you a better rear for towing , and save you the hassle of torching the old bushings out of the eyes.

Doc

um, I could be wrong here, but you can get a base model GM work extend cab truck for $20K with beefed up towing capacities. Taller rear end gear, external tranny cooler and high flow air filter, hitch and wiring all factory installed. Already priced a couple to replace my V-6 truck

In laymens terms, stall speed is the RPM at which the torque converter's fluid coupling (turbine vanes and impeller) rotate at the same speed. Here are a few articles for you

"Switching to a higher stall-speed torque converter can provide the benefitof increased launch RPM and better low-speed acceleration. Once your vehicleis up and moving, though, a different converter will have little effect.Like any other performance tuning variable, converter stall-speed should beclosely matched to your vehicle and power-train requirements. Also, a torqueconverter may not necessarily deliver the advertised stall speed due todifferences in engine torque output and vehicle chassis conditions.After-market torque converters vary greatly in their quality and couplingefficiency. However, no converter should have to reach its advertised stallRPM just to back out of your driveway or accelerate in city traffic, as is acommon misconception about higher-stall-speed torque converters. In fact, aproperly designed mild after-market converter (i.e. 2500 RPM stall-speed)should not feel much different than its OEM counterpart in everydaydriving."

How a torque converter transferspower