2000 Chevy 3500 for $2,000... need advice

[JhnBrackett]

Howdy Y'all,

Of course there is something wrong w/ the vehicle for that price, but here's the situation. 200k miles on the truck. Owner just rebuilt the tranny & transfer case, brakes, AC. It's a long bed, reg cab. The engine came apart while he was driving home, put a hole in the oil pan. I'm looking for a reliable tow rig (2500lb car & trailer). So I know this is more than adequate.

What do y'all think about the deal? I'd have no problem swapping out the 6.5L engine. Cheapest I've found one for is $3,500 on Car-parts.com. KBB is still over $9,500. So it should maintain the value for a while once it's fixed.

Thanks

[graysonp]

Is it the Duramax or a gasser?

Either way, I'd jump on it. If nothing else, you could part it out and probably triple your money.

It's hard to find any late model work truck for $2k.

EDIT: I wasn't paying attention. Since you're in the Diesel tech forum, I guess it is a diesel....

[JhnBrackett]

It is the 6.5L, either way, that should have been clarified in the post.

[graysonp]

It is the 6.5L, either way, that should have been clarified in the post.

In that case, I would drop a Duramax in there, or an old 24 valve Cummins. I wouldn't put a 6.5 back in there, if it was me.

[JhnBrackett]

Is it a plug & go install? Or do I have to do a bunch of swapping of wiring & parts? Way to knew to the full size diesel scene to know about any of those options.

[graysonp]

Is it a plug & go install? Or do I have to do a bunch of swapping of wiring & parts? Way to knew to the full size diesel scene to know about any of those options.

It's not plug and go, but it's relatively straight-forward if you've done an engine swap before. You'll swap out wiring and some parts. I'm not sure how the motors mount up, but there are tips and instructions on either swap on the internet.

The reason I suggested it is because you can get a Cummins installed for about $4500-5k including everything. They're a whole lot nicer than the 6.5 and it won't cost a whole lot more.

A Duramax swap would probably be easier (and cost less in parts), but I've never seen a used Duramax for under $5k. The Allison transmission is also fairly expensive.

Of course, it may not be a good idea since you've got a recently rebuilt tranny, transfer case, etc. If you needed a transmission, it would be even better to do a swap.

[JhnBrackett]

I'd honestly prefer plug & go. I don't have the time to waste for the extra power potential. This diesel would be more than enough for my purposes & still hold it's value really well. Plus, if the engine is that much less desirable... should be cheaper!

[oldred95]

The non electronic 12 valve is what you'd want. The hardest part would be making your stock gauges functional. Unless I'm mistaken it only requires a positive cable to the starter and a keyed wire to the fuel solenoid to make it run. Doesn't get any simpler then that.

[JhnBrackett]

Not familiar with 'non electronic 12 valve'. You'll have to clarify which diesel that is. Sounds like the Cummins as a 12V rather than a 24V off hand.

[graysonp]

Not familiar with 'non electronic 12 valve'. You'll have to clarify which diesel that is. Sounds like the Cummins as a 12V rather than a 24V off hand.

That's what he's talking about. The 12 valve will take less work to get running than the 24 valve.

Sorry if I've hijacked the thread. It might turn into a thread trying to convince you to throw a Cummins or a Duramax in there... :aniteef:

Either way, I wouldn't pass on the $2k truck. Anything more than a rolling chassis is worth that.

[vegaman04]

Its a tow rig, not high performance or for wheelin. I would stick the 6.5l back in and call it a day. The other motors are nice but you dont have the time for all the tweakin and other crap that comes along with it.

[DarkCharisma]

I'd jump on it and just throw a rebuilt 6.5 in there, turn the key, and drive it. If you're not looking to make a diesel powerhouse, there's no reason to deal with the headache of dropping a Duramax or Cummins in there.

[JhnBrackett]

Anybody got a good source for diesel engines in the north east? Cheapest I've found with 100k is $3500 a few states over. I'm in NH.

[isenegger]

i would consider maybe swapping in a 454/4L80E combo. they can be picked up fairly cheap with wiring, ecu and get gas gauges in a junkyard all over. that would have good power to tow with. just my 2 cents

[jfman]

This whole thread is like a blind man helping a guy who lost his glasses cross the street lol !

[JhnBrackett]

Excellent description of how most of this has felt. I think the idea of swapping in an engine that isn't going to just drop in is a bad idea. Additionally, it's got a freshly rebuilt transmission & transfer case. With all the engine swap options people have mentioned. The cost would easily exceed the current KBB of the truck. Might as well buy another truck with those engines! Harness swapping & splicing, changing shaft in transfer case, new engine & tranny mounts, new computer, etc... Come on guys, do people really swap in stuff like that just for the heck of it? It's a 2000 w/ a rebuilt transmission & transfer case, bad 6.5L motor. Everything I've read points to the motor being just fine with a set of aftermarket glow plugs & relocation of the supposed WMD's(overheating module in the engine bay). Might still be issues with the IP, but unsure about that.

.... guess that's just the Engineer in me talking.

[Eric Guidry]

Log on to the Diesel Place website forum and locate the 6.5 section and have any of your questions answered without all the BS.

[chrisk1500]

Call Peninsular Diesel and talk to Matt. The last thing you want to do with a 6.5 is go cheap. You get what you pay for. Get his AMG cast 6.5 and enjoy your horsepower.

A lot of guys get hung up in the 'Oh man, if it can't make 500 HP it isn't worth having' mentality.

I prefer this philosophy - my truck is 75% of a Duramax for 25% of the cost of a Duramax.

BTW - I raced a 2006 or 2007 1/2 ton 5.3 at our local strip and beat it by .6 seconds - the 6.5 (when modded carefully) can hold its own.

[wireman_67]

I agree with Chris. I too have a 6.5 and with a few mods would put it up against a 454 for towing any day of the week. Also I would not go cheap with it. These motors can be a pain if you try to cut corners. Maint. is cheap on them also. 6.5 injectors all 8 for under $450. Dmax injectors $400+ each.

[beater truck]

since the truck is in such great condition, have you thought about a GM crate engine? See if the 6.5 is availble as a short block, that way you would have a completely new drive train, the truck is kept 100% OE so you will always have a good resale value.

[D_Theater]

The only issue with getting a GM crate motor is not knowing which block was used to build the motor. Navistar began casting 6.5 blocks from 2001 and on. These are highly desirable due to the increased nickel content, said to add ~25% strength over previous blocks. There are several ways to identify these blocks, but the most easily identifiable way is by looking in the valley of the engine for the "Double D" logo. At the GM diesel sites, you still hear, from time to time, of people getting new crate motors with older blocks.

'97 - '98 are considered to have the weakest blocks because of the oil sprayed piston cooling passages. '99 - 2000 were marginally better.

As said before, check with Peninsular for a drop-in replacement. A new engine with the Navistar block and 18:1 compression would give you great durability, like it should have been done from the start. Protect your investment with a Fluidamper, then happy motoring.

And for the record, a newer GM crate motor would probably have a compression ratio of 20.2:1. Older 6.5's were 21.3:1.