Gonzo_matt
Random Hero
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2015
- Messages
- 18
First post here..I'll try to make it count....
The story begins with me trying to not have a truck payment and needing more back seat room. I had a 09 2500HD Silverado ECSB with the 6.0. It was an ok truck, but the gas mileage sucked and I just never really l warmed up to it. I had sold a regular cab 01.5 HO CTD ram with some work done to it to get it (needed a back seat), and always missed the diesel. While I owned my Chebby, I sold my landscaping business and started a used car dealer, so I use my trucks primarily to tow, and typically have whatever cars I have for sale to drive as dailys. Someone came along who wanted the Silverado a lot, he wrote me a decent check, I paid it off and had enough jingle in my pocket to buy a beater 2000 F250 gasser on 37's to use as a tow rig. It works well enough...for now..
So after dealing with the car seat in the extended cab trucks for long enough, I decided I would hunt for a 4 door. I also have ended up in a position where towing one car at a time is not as economically sound as using a goose or wedge to haul multiples, and I am sorta selfish, so I decided to go diesel again. I never was really fond of my chevy, and I have owned a few dodges, but they don't really do it for me. I have loved all of the super duty trucks I have owned, they fit me, I like how they look, they just are what I prefer, not saying any one brand is better, but for me, it had to be a super duty. Ideally a 01-07.
I started watching the dealer sales close for a good truck, and at a good price and ended up deciding that I wasn't going to pay what they were selling for, especially to buy a truck that another dealer might be dumping because of problems.
I decided to buy a wrecked rebuilder instead. My train of thought was that the truck was probably running fine when it was wrecked, and I can do body work easy enough. So I started watching the salvage auctions like a hawk. An 03 6.0 truck came up online in Knoxville ( I am near Columbus, Ohio), and I somehow snagged it at auction for $1800. It was abandoned, missing the bed and airbags, and had 240k miles, but said it ran and drove. The cab looked great though, so I figured even if it was junk, I could part it out and still win on it.
So, we hooked the goose to my brother in law's farm truck and hit the road a few days later. We arrived in Knoxville 500 miles later and the loader operator brought my truck out. Looked pretty good, and I was satisfied with my purchase. It is a Lariat and has every option but a moon roof.
Now, I'll have to explain what the term "run and drive" means to the auction yard as compared to basically the rest of society. I have bought "run and drive" cars that smoke like chainsaws, that rattle, that knock, that really have junk engines. The batteries are always, and I mean always dead. The employees at the auction can never seem to get the hang of the "OFF" position on the key switch.
So, with that said, I did not have high hopes for the drive-ability of this truck. Plus it is an early 6.0, and we all know the horror stories.
Regardless, we drove the 500 miles home, in the rain, and snow, and freezing rain, and sleet, and fog.......it kinda sucked.
Got home, got unloaded, put a battery charger on it, let it sit for about 20 min. I looked it over a little better while the battery charged, and saw it had a 4" straight pipe, but otherwise looked stock. EGR still in place, stock airbox, etc. Coolant looks ok, had a slight hiss when we opened the degas bottle, and the oil was low but not full of coolant so I was optimistic about the head gaskets. With a jump from my other truck, it cranked three times and fired right up. It drops into high idle, the turbo sounds cool, no white smoke, heat works after a bit...
The story begins with me trying to not have a truck payment and needing more back seat room. I had a 09 2500HD Silverado ECSB with the 6.0. It was an ok truck, but the gas mileage sucked and I just never really l warmed up to it. I had sold a regular cab 01.5 HO CTD ram with some work done to it to get it (needed a back seat), and always missed the diesel. While I owned my Chebby, I sold my landscaping business and started a used car dealer, so I use my trucks primarily to tow, and typically have whatever cars I have for sale to drive as dailys. Someone came along who wanted the Silverado a lot, he wrote me a decent check, I paid it off and had enough jingle in my pocket to buy a beater 2000 F250 gasser on 37's to use as a tow rig. It works well enough...for now..
So after dealing with the car seat in the extended cab trucks for long enough, I decided I would hunt for a 4 door. I also have ended up in a position where towing one car at a time is not as economically sound as using a goose or wedge to haul multiples, and I am sorta selfish, so I decided to go diesel again. I never was really fond of my chevy, and I have owned a few dodges, but they don't really do it for me. I have loved all of the super duty trucks I have owned, they fit me, I like how they look, they just are what I prefer, not saying any one brand is better, but for me, it had to be a super duty. Ideally a 01-07.
I started watching the dealer sales close for a good truck, and at a good price and ended up deciding that I wasn't going to pay what they were selling for, especially to buy a truck that another dealer might be dumping because of problems.
I decided to buy a wrecked rebuilder instead. My train of thought was that the truck was probably running fine when it was wrecked, and I can do body work easy enough. So I started watching the salvage auctions like a hawk. An 03 6.0 truck came up online in Knoxville ( I am near Columbus, Ohio), and I somehow snagged it at auction for $1800. It was abandoned, missing the bed and airbags, and had 240k miles, but said it ran and drove. The cab looked great though, so I figured even if it was junk, I could part it out and still win on it.
So, we hooked the goose to my brother in law's farm truck and hit the road a few days later. We arrived in Knoxville 500 miles later and the loader operator brought my truck out. Looked pretty good, and I was satisfied with my purchase. It is a Lariat and has every option but a moon roof.
Now, I'll have to explain what the term "run and drive" means to the auction yard as compared to basically the rest of society. I have bought "run and drive" cars that smoke like chainsaws, that rattle, that knock, that really have junk engines. The batteries are always, and I mean always dead. The employees at the auction can never seem to get the hang of the "OFF" position on the key switch.
So, with that said, I did not have high hopes for the drive-ability of this truck. Plus it is an early 6.0, and we all know the horror stories.
Regardless, we drove the 500 miles home, in the rain, and snow, and freezing rain, and sleet, and fog.......it kinda sucked.
Got home, got unloaded, put a battery charger on it, let it sit for about 20 min. I looked it over a little better while the battery charged, and saw it had a 4" straight pipe, but otherwise looked stock. EGR still in place, stock airbox, etc. Coolant looks ok, had a slight hiss when we opened the degas bottle, and the oil was low but not full of coolant so I was optimistic about the head gaskets. With a jump from my other truck, it cranked three times and fired right up. It drops into high idle, the turbo sounds cool, no white smoke, heat works after a bit...
