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| | | | Joined: Feb 2016 Posts: 114 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Feb 2016 Posts: 114 | I got a '59 apache 3800 that I intend on turning into a daily worker. The engine in it is the 235 straight six, mated with a sm420, and with an overhaul, will receive a ranger torque splitter. I found a pair of v6 305 GMC engines I can probably get for cheap. I am wondering just how comparable are they in; power to weight, power overall, reliability, ease of repair, availability of parts, and availability for upgrades? | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,851 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,851 | Invest in some oil company stock- - - - -those things can pull like a locomotive, but they've never seen a gas station they were able to pass up! Parts are scarce and expensive, and forget about doing any modifications- - - -hotrod parts don't exist. I've got the 305's big brother, the 401, in a 1961 American LaFrance fire truck on a GMC pug-nose truck.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2016 Posts: 114 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Feb 2016 Posts: 114 | So it is a bad idea for a truck... what about a tractor? Or is the engine to much of an outlier to be useful? | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,851 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,851 | The newest engines of that series are close to 50 years old, and they were not produced in very large quantities. I can think of several better choices for repowering your truck, and tractors need a totally different kind of engine- - - -one with a governor, lots of torque, and the ability to lug down when the going gets tough. The GMC V6 has enough torque, but I'm not sure how difficult it would be to find a governor that would work with it. It's also extremely heavy for the amount of power it produces. Good for restoring an original V6 truck, not so much so as a swap choice.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2016 Posts: 114 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Feb 2016 Posts: 114 | Well, the engines are in a pair of New Idea combines, so I think governors come standard. The weight doesn't bother me much, as it would power a backhoe: the more, the merrier. The parts is really my main problem, though some forums have stated that Autozone carries parts for these. The truck idea only comes on the tail of my Viking, which will have an OD installed, by way of shifting the engine forward. I can't do that with the Apache, unless I get a shorter block. What size engine would you recommend for a 1 ton truck? I expect to carry lots of tools, but pull a trailer irregularly. | | |
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