okay I think you are missing a big point here. the guy is a COLLEGE STUDENT not a doctor or lawyer.

tranny=2k+

408=5k+

diff=1k+

I highly doubt this guy has 8k burning a hole in his pocket while being a COLLEGE STUDENT. I have had my 2002 sierra since 03/02 and I just now past the 36k mark so I would say 36k the first year is not common. besides he could opt for an extended warrantee. there is nothing like the security of knowing if something breaks it will be covered and fixed free of charge. the idea of having to drop thousands on powertrain compenents scares most folks, myself included. it would be different if this was a weekend toy and not a daily driver but I am going to go out on a limb here and say he will probably use this truck as a daily driver.

 

why should he be worried. he will not be putting out enough hp to break a tranny, and heven for bid he break a diff (its awd) i broke my tranny spraying on a 150shot thru my shifts. putting out 600+ to the tranny. i have a stock 4l60e in mine for the time being and i am putting out around 450 hp at the fly. no problems at all. mine is a everyday driver and i travel all around the country in mine.

 

Different strokes for different folks - - or strokers if you have the money.

He may be a college kid, but he isn't driving the typical college kid vehicle. The typical college kid just dreams about $40k sticker prices or new SVT autos.

On the realistic side, without a power adder, his motor and transmission wont need to be serviced under warranty. For around $1000 his current SS will be a reliable 13 second daily driver yet be stealthy enough to go unnoticed at the service department.

$1000 you ask? Yes... TSP is running a $200 mail order tune special. A trailblazer converter is only $230 and looks identical to the stock SS one except its 1" narrower. How about a set of thorley headers for just over $400. Now you have $150 for misc stuff. You could find an intake or a muffler, but my choice would be to find a slightly used LS6 cam and springs. I said LS6 mainly because its cheap, stealthy, and GM designed it not to be hard on the motor.

 

More cubes always better.....

 

I definitely hear ya...

I guess I'm going with the analogy that you have to 'pay to play'. I get you point now, that the L comes with a warranty, and you don't really have to 'pay' to go fast.

I passed on the extended warranty, and I keep a chunk of change in my savings account in case anything goes drastically wrong.

I'm a person who would rather pay out of my pocket for an upgraded part, rather than have a factory motor/drivetrain part go back on my truck. If it breaks once, I don't want to have to fix it twice...

 

If it was free I would go through as many factory parts as were necessary. As Big Tex said, I don't have the $$ to go really fast. I do have the $$ to do the mods that he suggested, but then I would still have the problem that if the dealership looked they could find a reason to deny my warranty. For the moment I am just keeping my truck although that lightning is freaking tempting. I will just try to do stealth mods and ones under warranty to make mine as quick as I can. If I could hit a 13.999 I would be happy with it because I would probably be able to at least keep up with a stock L if not beat them if we were on a street(not the track).

Big Tex, and everyone else who has put in a TB converter. I know there isn't much size difference in stock and TB, but is it enough that if you look at them you will notice pretty easy, or do you have to look at them side by side to notice? I also found another GM part # thanks to zippy that will probably stall about 200 rpm lower than the TB, but is a 12" converter. I am trying to decide between the two right now.

Aaron

 

Aaron, the difference in the converter is less than an inch in diameter. They are the same color, material, and have the same markings. Upon inspection looking through the hole in the bell housing, no one would know. Being a GM part, that looks just like the GM part that the service tech expects to see there, it will never get questioned. Stick with the trailblazer converter. Its proven.

Compare an official NBA basketball to the WNBA ball. Without seeing one side by side, you wouldn't know the difference just looking. Of course, one is easier to palm than the other.

 

You know, thinking about that converter and warranty... With the very limited number of SSs sold, and the majority of those sold to elderly men who never drive them hard,... Its very likely that the dealership you take the truck to hasn't worked on a SSs 4l65E. With the uniqueness the SS has, its doubtful that the tech would even know what converter came in the truck.