Because I have no friends and I hate my life so I take it out on everyone else.

 

Well, I think I might have to agree with you on that.

I am a professional A-hole. In fact, in the circle of close friends not only is that my nickname, it is also my job title. If a nasty phone call has to be made, I am the guy they get to make the call.

For the last 2 years, I have done my best to quit cussing as my 4 year old picked up a new word. Before that personal promise to myself, I was even more of an A-hole.

 

I can't believe the v6 trucks don't come with a 14 bolt axle in the first place. I mean all this low RPM power must be KILLER on 10 bolt axles.

Now if only GM would realize this and start putting 4.3s in the 2500/3500 HD's






Oh ya, I hope you got the leaf springs to handle the load you plan on hauling. If not, you're an idiot.

 

Not to get in this pissing match, but if the 4.3 is a better tow motor, why don't 3/4 and 1 tons come with them? why do they come with a "shitty" ls motor? Why can i put thousands of mile on my truck pulling 9k lbs of trailer? Or haul 1500lbs worth of motorcycle cross country on several occasions? I believe you are exaggerating some things here. Granted the ls motors don't make peak torque down low, doesn't mean they don't have power though. I have used our shop truck, which is a 2500hd with a 6.0 to tow many many heavy trailers, some exceeding 10k and even 14k on rare occasion. The only time i have to run that thing hard is the big hill in chatanooga tn, and i challenge any 350 you can show me in a truck to not struggle with that hill with such a load. I have driven the same route with an 8.1 powered avalanche and a duramax, not easy work for either. Good luck with the 350 torque monster though!

 

Ive towed my tractors numerous times with my '89 with a 4.3 and also with my 2000 with its 4.8 and I would rather have the 4.8 allllll day long over the 4.3, unless you never plan on going over 30. Once you hit a hill going 55 or so, its like throwing out the boat anchor.

The 10 bolt is plenty strong enough for what it was designed for, not hauling way over the trucks payload. My father tows with his 03 1/2 ton all the time in the summer hauling cattle, our camper and our farm tractors without any problems. Then again he isnt trying to pull a D7 dozer with it.


If the OP is worried about towing so much, he needs to get a bigger truck, not a bigger rear axle.

 

Lovin this thread! Guess I can say a lil bit too. I agree with the last 3 posts.
Plain and simple: if you think you need a 14 bolt behind a v6 you are terribly wrong and might wanna think about upgrading your brakes and suspension because you're trying to pull way too much weight. That 10 bolt will handle anything that petty lil v6 can dish out. I still got mine pulling 4200# off the starting line to 60ft in 1.62. If he were to EVER have trouble with humming or rearend slack simply install an eaton or other heavy duty posi with a set of aftermarket gears and call it done! Much cheaper, much easier! As for the engines I really like wt the other guy said, "Why dont they put a 4.3 in the HD instead of that weak *** 6.0?" lol. It's all good fellas, to each their own.

 

Yes, trade trucks.





The only 6 banger than belongs in 3/4+ ton trucks was the Ford 300" I-6.

 

Like I said, I don't necessarily agree with everything the OP is doing but I am not going to dog him. I will gladly put my old 350 truck up against anything you want. I have pulled more then my fair share of loads over Mt. Eagle. And yes, 3 years ago I drug about 12,000 lbs over Mt. Eagle with the cruise set on 70 MPH. It came out of over drive dropped to 3rd and hummed right over the hill like a big dog.

The best pulling truck I have had thus far was a 94 suburban with 1 ton suspension and a 454. That is why I really want to stick 454 in my truck. Nothing like pulling a heavy load and smoking your back tires at the same time. The burb had 36 inch military otz on it and would happily smoke them under a load. Was a good truck.

I never said I wanted to pull with a 4.3L, however, given my options, I would rather have an OLD 350 then a new LS anyday of the week. And I can back that up with tried and true pulling identical loads with all sorts of trucks. I am not just shooting my mouth off about something I know nothing about.

4.3L do make more TQ at low RPM then a LS motor, read a dyno chart stock motor for stock motor. I am not saying look at peak tq and don't even begin to compare HP. If you do the research 4.3L's were available in 3/4 ton variants as late as 99. Even some 3/4 ton Vans were available with 4.3L's until 2003. I can take you directly to a 1 ton 1995 chevy van that is factory stock with a 4.3L. They were dropped from heavy trucks when the new body style changed over in 01. When I was selling chevys, we had a few customers get upset about not being able to get their little 4.3L w/t any more, so they must have done their job quite well.

You guys are also way over stretching anything I said. I never said anything about an LS motor being a bad motor. They are great motors, but I don't like were they make their power. I don't like having to run a motor that cotton picking hard to pull a load. Just driving from town to my house pulling a load, I had to keep my yukon at 5,500 RPM for more then 10 minutes straight. The old brown truck will climb up the same hill at the same speed, but only at 3,500 RPM. The yukon had 4.11's on 31's, the truck had 3.42's on 32's. On the new 35 inch tires, the truck is starting to struggle.

There was never an issue mentioned of HP of a 4.3L destroying a 10 BOLT. I said weight, and weight alone has destroyed many many 10 bolt axles around here. Your guys are stuck in your mentality of it will hold up to the HP just fine, that has nothing to do with it. It is the same reason guys with lifted 4x4 upgrade their axles all the time. It is the weight on the components that were never designed for the amount of weight they are being put under.

I no longer pull a trailer with my diesel. It is geared so high that it whimps out on the slightest inclines. If I get it out on the interstate on flat ground, it does great, but around town in this very hilly area, it absolutely will not cut it. Just getting that out before anyone brings that up.

As for me building a tq monster, if I don't find a 454 by spring, I have a 350 4 bolt main short block bored .030 over. It has about 25,000 miles on it, but has been sitting for a few years. Going to freshen it up, thinking about maybe some old school double hump heads, or possibly the worked marine heads off my malibu. Also have an edelbrock performer TBI intake and complete roller cam assembly from 310 HP gm crate motor waiting for me. The cam was chosen for it's low tq range, and it works well with the stock computer. May not be the greatest setup, but I traded for block, cam and intake. I will have no more then $500 in the change over. The cam is used, but used for less then 6 months and only entered in 4 truck pulls. He pulled his 383 stroker and converted to a 454 last month.