"Tow Pig" build

Joined
Dec 19, 2013
Messages
7,933
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
A good client of mine is in need of a truck to tow his Skid Steer from job to job.....As he's nearing retirement, Doesn't want to run out & buy a new truck & we all know what used trucks are going for.

His main tow rig is a 2005 F250 4x4 with a 6.0L PSD/5R110, Has 468,xxx miles & needed a TON of work before the 5R110 sh*t the bed, It's been a GREAT truck & the only major work it's ever had is Head Gaskets, ARP studs, & The EGR & EGR Cooler deleted. But would need Injectors, Glow plugs, & the FICM is on it's last leg......The interior is shot & the body is beat-up. He's been getting by with his "Back-up" truck which is a 1997 GMC 2wd C2500 7.4L/4L80E with 250,xxx miles that's just as raggedy as the Ford.

Found him a 2006 Chevy 4x4 2500HD with a 8.1L/Allison 1000 that is VERY clean & only 79,xxx miles, The problem is that the 8.1L has a connecting rod hanging out of the block & it's a Regular/Standard Cab......Probably why it wasn't worth it for the previous owner to put a engine in it.
**Not a fan of the L18 8.1L as they drink oil & have lower end problems along with Crank & Cam Sensor issues.

We decided to build a Stroked 6.0L, Stroke is now 4.00" compared to the stock 3.62", The bores just needed to be Torque Plate Honed from 4.002" to 4.005". This will end up at 6.6L or 403 ci.
*Crank is a Texas Speed & Performance (TSP) Forged Steel
*Durabond Cam Bearings & Clevite Rod & Mains.
*Rods are TSP Forged H-Beam, Bushed/Floating small end with ARP 2000 bolts.
*Pistons are Carrillo Forged with Mahle "File to Fit" rings. Compression will be @ 10:1 at +.003" piston height.
*Heads are stock "317" castings with a 5 angle valve job, Surfaced, New Valve Guides & seals, And Dual PAC valve springs.
*Custom Cam Motion grind with valve lifts in the .590" range & Duration in the 228°/230° range at .050", Intake centerline is 113° & Lobe Separation is 116°
*New OE Cam & Crank gears with a Iwis Timing Chain.
*OE LS6 Oil Pump.
*GM Performance "Bowtie" Lifters & new OE lifter guide trays.
*OE LS2 head gaskets
*OE head bolts
*New OE Damper
*Gen IV 5.3L intake with Delco/Bosch EV6 42 Ib/hr Injectors & a Gen IV 87mm Throttle Body, Might run a 90mm LS3 Throttle Body.
*Have some low mileage 6.2L truck exhaust manifolds that I'm donating to the build, Will be held down with ARP bolts & sealed with OE gaskets.
*True duals out the back with a pair Flowmaster 70 series mufflers.


I believe this will be the first Gen III small block/Allison 1000 build ever attempted?? I will have to build a hybrid harness using the 8.1L harness & a 6.0L harness.

Put in 12 hours today getting the rotating assembly together.........

N3itPOq.jpg

mfqcatb.jpg

C8xpZr6.jpg

bxUTQ87.jpg
 
Looking back in time (prior to so many things being boosted) … 400 CID on up is where ”tow torque“ happened …
Nice work, Chris …
 
That’s some “out of the box” thinking and a creative solution to your customer’s need.

Beautiful work, which, I’ve come to expect when you’re involved!
 
Can’t find any clean cabs down there in TX? I’m biased, but I would have put the money into the PSD. 😁 Going from diesel to gas after so long especially if he tows heavy will be quite the difference
 
Will be interesting how it turns out. I've only read about yesteryear's gas motors and they all seemed to be low compression. So I wonder how well a built motor will work under heavy continuous towing duty.
 
Man, that's a nice looking build!! Your client is going to have a fantastic rig when this is all done. If that's a 6 speed Allison with "manual mode" it is going to be a bulletproof setup!!

Good question! Can't ask a Turbo Diesel owner to accept stock 6.0L gasoline power levels, We discussed supercharging a stock LQ4....But the cost would exceed stroking one.

And not as reliable.
 
Nice work Cline. Seems like you are getting a lot of big jobs. Are you putting in a ton of hours every week, or do you have to turn away some jobs?
 
That’s some “out of the box” thinking and a creative solution to your customer’s need.

Beautiful work, which, I’ve come to expect when you’re involved!

My sentiments echo these. As always, looking forward to seeing this come together!
 
Back
Top