Besides replacing it, what to do to a 1/2 ton p/up to make it a more capable tow rig?

T

TRNDRVR

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Utah
I think I am going to score a 1990 GMC Sierra SL truck. Nothing fancy. It has A/C, cruise, tilt, and an AM/FM stereo. It's a long bed with an EFI 350, and a 4 speed automatic trans.
The kicker with this truck is that it really was owned by a little old man (deceased, I know the people) and it only has 65,000 original miles on it. I have heard that for the ocasional tower, it should do fine. What can be done to it to make it a little better?
Headers? Cam? Chip? Air filter?
Any info will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan.
 
The best single thing to do is change the gears in the diff unless it's already 3.7X or better. You can also add an aux tranny cooler. Are you going to flat tow something or tow a trailer with tongue weight? If you live east of the Rockies, you might be fine as-is.
 
PaulJ said:
The best single thing to do is change the gears in the diff unless it's already 3.7X or better. You can also add an aux tranny cooler. Are you going to flat tow something or tow a trailer with tongue weight? If you live east of the Rockies, you might be fine as-is.
Click to expand...
Definitely plan on doing the trans cooler. Don't know what gears are in it. Rockies are in my back yard. Will be towing a trailer with my XJ on it.
Do you think 3/4 ton springs would fit on it for more rear end (not diff.) strength? You know, for sagging issues. :dunno:
Dan.
PS I've never owned a GM product. :confused:
 
TRNDRVR said:
PS I've never owned a GM product. :confused:
Click to expand...

you WILL be disappointed. unless you're getting a really, really good deal, it won't be worth it. you'll dump tons of money into anything built by general motors. personal opinion of course. but...

throw some gears in it
free flowing exhaust (not necessarilly loud)
free flowing air filter
tranny cooler
p s cooler (might as well)
electronic brake controller, for the trailer
if it has a 10 bolt rear end, i'm sure someone has some cheap discs you can upgrade to for the rear. it'll help "daily driving" as well as towing.
might as well look into a plow for the front of it too, since you're on the edge of the mountain down there. of couse, storing it would suck.
-grant
 
Gcb17 said:
unless you're getting a really, really good deal.........
Click to expand...
I offered $2750.00 for it. For this neck of the woods, that's about $900.00 under blue book. :dunno:
If anything, I can just resell it to somebody else.
Thanks,
Dan.
 
Unlike Gcb17, I think you'll be very happy with how flawlessly the truck will run as compared to an XJ. The engine and tranny won't be as bullet proof as the XJ, but it will definitely run a lot nicer. I've got an '89 GMC van with the same engine and tranny and I've towed a 4500 pound travel trailer with it for over 80,000 miles in the mountainous west. If you need more spring in the rear, check into overloads. I use an equalizing hitch on my van and it works great to prevent rear sagging. I tried two electronic brake controllers and was dissapointed with both. I,m now using an older controller that is tapped into the rear brake line. It is truly proportional and works great but probably won't be an option if you happen to have ABS. When going downhill the electronic controllers become overly agressive because the "accelerometer" in them is fooled by the attitude of the vehicle. My only nagging problem has been marginal cooling. I think this is aggravated by poor airflow through the radiator but it doesn't seem to be a problem with the pickups.
 
You have a pretty decent combo for towing as is, the 350 is a really popular engine and is very reliable. If this is going to be mainly a tow rig, I would highly recomend a good tranny cooler, maybe some gears, but the auto and 350 are pretty stout and can tow well. If you are going to see alot of tounge weight you will need a set of helper springs or something of the sort, because it is only a 1/2 ton truck, an electric brake controller is another thing to look at, just try to avoid the cheap ones and look for one that is adjustable and of good quality
 
Tranny cooler, and possibly a shift kit. Stay out of overdrive. Also, a load leveling hitch, and anti-sway setup. Beezil and macgyvr are both running this setup. I think you should be fine with that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top