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- Off-Road Adventures, Gearhead Dept.
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- Compton, CA 90220
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Diesel Towing Tranny
I’m going to buy a 4x4 diesel pickup to tow a 7-8,000 pound trailer for farm use. I want one ’95 or newer and probably a 3/4-ton but definitely not a dually. I’ve heard of people having problems with the transmissions not being up to the torque of the diesel motors. Are there any years or trannies I should stay away from? I could go either automatic or manual and will be getting either a Ford or a Dodge.
- Nicholas Powel
- Tenino, Washington
Not sure what your upper year range is, Nicholas, but neither the Ford (E4OD/4R100) or Dodge (47RH/47RE) automatics of the mid to late ’90s are noted for being super tough. They can be beefed up internally, but that’s extra bucks. If used within limits, they can hold up so-so to ok... but I know what most farmers do! According to reputation, the manual 5-speed ZF in the Ford is OK but not super-tough. The NV-4500HD in the Dodge is probably the better of the two manual trannies and has a good reputation for strength and reliability.
Willys Cogs
I am building a ’53 Willys pickup that will run a Ford 408ci stroker, NP435, Dana 300 transfer case and 1-ton axles. I would like to get a solid opinion on 1-ton axles and have spent the last 2-weekends hitting almost every junkyard in Denver. I’m leaning towards a Dana 70 or a Sterling 10.25, though the most common axle I’ve seen is the Dana 61. I will definitely get a full-floating axle but can you provide any helpful information so I can make the most inexpensive choice, preferably from one of the “u-pull-it” yards.
- Dave Wilson
- Around Denver, Colorado
You didn’t mention what tire size you were planning. Because you’re in Colorado, and I know very well what Colorado ‘wheeling is like, I don’t imagine you’ll go bigger than about 38 inches. First off, because your Willys is such a narrow rig, some of the fullsize axles are gonna make your truck kinda frog-like in appearance. FYI, for you and everyone else, don’t automatically count out a Dana 61. It’s almost always the best bet costwise... if it’s eccentricities fit your needs! It’s every bit as strong as the Dana 60 but it has an odd pinion offset that makes low gears (lower than 4.10) a bit harder to find and fit. Lockers are few, but include the Detroit Locker. Others may be fitted by mixing and matching ring gears and pinion break dimensions. A good gear shop can clue you in to all the permutations. Between the Sterling and the D70, it’s a toss up. Buy whatever is the best deal. The Dana has a better selection of lockers available but I think the Sterling is a tad stronger and may be a little cheaper. Avoid the Dana 70U (found mostly in Dodges). Up front, I’d go Dana 60. Period. Ford high or GM low pinion are both OK. You’ll probably pay twice as much for a front D60 as you will for just about any rear. You could also go with a Dana 44 front (8-lug) and beef it up with alloy shafts and a set of Ox super u-joints.
“Lite” Diesel Fuel
I own an ’01 Excursion with a Banks Monster Exhaust and a Superchips Tuner. I normally drive in the “Safe Tow” mode. My mileage overall is up 1-3 mpg, however I have seen less and more. Less being 13 and more being nearly 19. There’s nothing wrong with the truck and I think it’s the fuel quality. It seems to vary significantly from season to season. I’ve been told to buy diesel at truck stops because they will always (wink, wink) get the better fuel. In my experience this is true. I get better mileage from truck stops than from local gas stations.
- Fred Knopp
- Aledo, Texas
There a lot of truth in what you say, Fred. A true “premium” #2 diesel fuel with a higher cetane usually offers better mileage than a standard #2 fuel and certainly better than #1 or blended winter fuel. Because there are no Federal mandated cetane rating standards for “premium” diesel, as there is for premium gasoline, the name may not mean much in some places. Most diesel engines are designed for #2 fuel with a cetane rating between 40 and 45. A lot of the available fuel is below 40 cetane. You can improve the cetane rating with fuel additives like Stanadyne Performance Formula and most users (myself included) have seen power and mileage gains from this. However, the cost of the additive doesn’t usually pay for itself in mileage gains. As to truck stops having better fuel, that’s often true. But it has more to do with the brand of the fuel and where it’s been refined than the fact that it came from a truck stop. Nationwide, I think the only thing you can count on for sure is that a truck stop won’t have stale fuel as some gas stations may.
V6 Upgrades
I’m looking for a fuel system upgrade for a GM 4.3L V6 that will produce 200 to 250hp. I presently have throttle body injection and, costwise, I’d like to stay with this injection rather than switch to the Vortec system.
Stan Labbe — Via e-mail
You didn’t mention the year of your rig. The ’88-94 LB4 TBI engines made 160-165hp stock. A bump to 200 hp is possible, but you’ll need more than just a single fuel system upgrade. It also might be hard to make 200 hp and stay emissions legal. Legal headers and exhaust will give you an honest 10-15 hp. Edelbrock’s Performer manifold for the TBI 4.3L V6 (which includes a chip) is worth another 15 hp. Hypertech also makes a chip for your rig. I haven’t seen dyno numbers for it, but it could be worth 5-10 hp. If you don’t need to worry about emissions, you could go with a large bore Throttle body and a programmable injection system These, combined with headers,should allow the engine to produce 200 hp or more. That might be a complicated and expensive proposition. You could also go with Edelbrock’s carbureted conversion, which includes their Performer manifold and a Performer 500cfm carb. Combined with headers, it cranks out a bit over 200 hp and 260 lbs-ft. If you add Edelbrock’s Performer #2112 cam and a free flow exhaust, you could easily make the 225hp mark by my estimation, and possibly more. s