Touring band with 6.5?

[capturedbyrobots]

This is my first post here, been reading up on 6.5's and their issues.

I have a band that tours the country, we've been touring in an old bulletproof 72 dodge camper with a 360, I love it but the mileage is killing me. 7mpg!

So I've been looking for a diesel box truck, and I'm looking at one now, a 1994 g30 van front, 6.5, and a 14ft box with duallies. 140k, tranny just replaced.
Its a one owner truck, supposedly he maintained it well. $3000

My question for you experts is whether or not this engine choice is a good platform for touring. When I'm on the road I need reliability, fixing stuff between dates really sucks. I do my own work on the 360 i have now and usually can fix the problems myself...water pump/alternator/etc....easy stuff.

Most tours are about 10k miles, only do one per year... I average about 350mi per day, sometimes more.
Basically, the gear I haul is about 1500-2000lbs. No towing, and almost all the miles are highway miles.
Powerwise, I'm used to the tired gutless 360 I have, so I'm not looking for extreme power. Just much better mileage.

So here's the big question.
Would a 6.5 deliver for me, or should I try to find a 7.3 powerstroke truck?
Thanks so much, I've been reading lots of threads and opinions are all over the place...

 

[schiker]

What is your music genre? If you get a 6.5 you will have fodder for some blues. But that is with any used vehicle especially a diesel not just the 6.5. It just depends on how the vehicle was kept up. Stock the 6.5 wouldn't be my first choice but with a few upgrades it would do fine probably even better than others.

First off get the expectation that Diesel's are cheaper to operate out of your head for light duty applications or as a daily driver. Diesel's tend to run higher on maintenance and repairs are more expensive at landmark milage. But if you can do most stuff yourself its not as expensive and the 6.5 is about the cheapest to work on after upgrades are done.

 

[tanman_2006]

Being a 94 G30 it will be a mechanically injected nonturbo engine most likely. Mechanically injected is great for reliability and mileage but the Van is a brick! You also need to find out what transmission is in the van, if it doesnt have overdrive then you will be back to ~10mpg @ 60mph.

 

[WarWagon]

Rent a van or other vehicle for touring!
Seriously wanting to go 10K miles on a 20 year old vehicle is asking too much. An improvement from 1977, but, still old and high miles.

I worked on mine, 1993, every single day just going 550 miles a day until I got most of the parts replaced. Oil changes are every 3K and should have been 2500 miles.

If you have to own something a 2005-2006 Duramax Allison would be the place to start followed by a Cummins for high mile capabilities. Oil changes on the Duramax are near 10K saving you some money over older diesels.

Run the numbers to see if the MPG gain is worth up to a $1.00 more per gal in fuel costs.

 

[RI Chevy Silveradoman]

Welcome

Welcome to the Forum! :welcome5:

You are now part of the BEST 6.2/6.5 Forum on the internet today! :cheers2:

 

[capturedbyrobots]

Well, older vehicles don't scare me. I'm very easy on my touring vehicles. I keep it at 60average. Been using the 72 dodge for 7 years, and it had less problems than my previous 89 dodge. That was a real pos. I do like the 3 speed dodge 727 with the gear vendors od.
The guy who is selling the chevy truck said it gets 18mpg freeway with his one ton cleaning machine in the back. I wonder if it has tall gearing in the rear. Said he maintains it regularly and hasn't had to do many repairs over the years.

Everything I've been reading here and elsewhere says to avoid it. Oh well. I'll keep looking.
Thx!

 

[JMJNet]

Just FYI, people don't join the forum with their truck running good.
They always comes with problem. LOL!!!

You can even go to Toyota forum and you will read problem that I have never encountered in my Toyota.

Get a Toyota if you want reliable without too much work. The 4runner is somewhat maintenance free. IMO.

Hopefully, nobody will flame me for this.

I have a reliable suburban with 6.5L TD with the problematic Electronic IP but that is after some work finding all the quirks and doing the work around.

I have not had trouble with it.

You need to find out what is in the van. As said above, if it has the mechanical IP, that is probably more reliable but you have to remember that it is still an old truck.

 

[1999gmc]

Well, I can pretty much guarantee you will save money on fuel. I was going to sell my truck and buy a red CC with an 8.1L instead of my older 6.5L. In 300 miles I save $20 in fuel over what the 8.1L would cost me. I only have 155K miles on mine, but it has been to the Grand Canyon, Yelleowstone, and all over CA. I have had very little problems with my truck in the 7 1/2 years I've owned it. A guy I go fishing with has a 1994 suburban he tows his jet boat with, 340K miles, and he still takes the thing from northern CA to L.A. If it looks like it has been maintained well, I say buy it.

 

[GM Guy]

what is your repair and upkeep budget?
vehicle purchase budget?
how much space do you need?
would a suburban or a pickup with a topper work?
is it just for transporting equipment, or will you camp out in it at times?



I personally think the box truck is a great idea.

maybe throw up some pics of the vehicle you are looking at. I assume its what they call a cutaway chassis?

a naturally aspirated GM diesel with a mechanical injection pump and what likely is a 4L80E overdrive automatic would be a gutless, yet reliable powertrain. Like you said, the motorhome has already broke you in on dealing with gutless vehicles, so I would say go for it!

IMO, half the 6.5Ls problems are caused by the factory turbo and exhaust, and too much fuel for the factory equipment. a lightly set 6.2L can have the pedal through the floor all day and it likely will not hurt itself, as most commercial trucks are de-tuned to an extent versus their non-commercial counterparts so the help doesnt blow it up.

maybe snag the VIN and run it at www.compnine.com and see what axle ratio, transmission, and the engine option code. or post the VIN here and we can go to compnine and give our expert opinions. people allways tell you the best MPG figures they got, not their worst. I got 18.5 mpg hand calculated out of my 99 1 ton dually, but what I neglect to tell is that it gets around 10 under load with a trailer. mid teens empty at normal speeds.

 

[1999gmc]

That 360 probably gets you 7-9 mpg? The 6.5L should get you 12-17mpg. I get 12.5 with nothing but around town stop and go traffic. 15-18mpg empty on highway depending on how fast I drive. 9-10mpg towing a 9000lb toyhauler. I have 4.10's with 265/75R16 tires.

 

[GM Guy]

updates?