G'day. Newb with 87 model issues/questions.

[Dazza]

G'day guys. Quick intro, I'm an Aussie now living in SoCal and last year I bought an 87 3/4 ton C20 that had been sitting out in the desert in Indio for about 5 years. Long story short, the last owner had her neighbor fit a low mileage 305TBi engine from a Malibu into the truck then left it sitting. I bought it cheap, cleaned out the fuel tanks, fitted new pumps and a few other small parts and got it up and running and re-registered. I have been using it for a year now with no issues apart from truly poor gas economy. Anytime I go anywhere (even just a couple of suburbs away) it costs me a minimum of $10. This thing gets around 10MPG at best. It has 265/75-15 tires on it and what I am guessing is the original 3 speed auto box in it. What can I do to get this thing to run further for less? Can I fit a 4 speed box in it? Run bigger tires? I don't have a fortune invested in it so I don't mind spending more on it as its a great old truck, as long as the money is going to yield results. Any advice from you guys will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Daz.

[Layne]

What trans do you have? A 700r4 would be better if you don't already have one. Two of Four wheel drive? What rear gear do you have?

[Dazza]

What trans do you have? A 700r4 would be better if you don't already have one. Two of Four wheel drive? What rear gear do you have?

Ok, trans? Not sure. Where do I look to get the info and same for the rear end? Its a 8 bolt wheel stud pattern diff and the vehicle is a 2WD, sorry should have mentioned that already.

[choptop]

Being a 3/4 ton I'd be willing to bet its a th400 n it with at least 3:73 gears maybe even 4:11 or 4:56. My 3/4 tons all came w 4:10s. The 400 trans is parasitic, but very stout. Prob with it is you've got a 305 in it. A 700r4 would definately help, but do you just use it as a driver or to you pull/haul much with it?

[Dazza]

Being a 3/4 ton I'd be willing to bet its a th400 n it with at least 3:73 gears maybe even 4:11 or 4:56. My 3/4 tons all came w 4:10s. The 400 trans is parasitic, but very stout. Prob with it is you've got a 305 in it. A 700r4 would definately help, but do you just use it as a driver or to you pull/haul much with it?

I never pull anything with it. Sometimes I might put my 500lb motorcycle in the back if it needs to go anywhere for service etc, and once in a great while I might haul some furniture or trash but mostly it's a daily driven vehicle.  The 305 seemed to be a tad underpowered for it, but maybe with some better gearing it wouldn't be so noticeable? I would like to keep it as it owes me under a $1000 in total, and having a pickup is handy at times but if its gonna be a huge pain in the neck to make it better then I will just leave it as is and buy myself something else to use as my daily driver.

[topp]

From your original post you mentioned "just a couple of suburbs away.  Are you driving Highway or stop light to stop light?

If stop light to stop light, your mileage is not going to jump very much, even with a 4 speed tranny like the 700r4.  That one's real benefit is overdrive at highway speeds....

[choptop]

Lol, there is 20-30 miles between suburbs out here.

[topp]

Lol, there is 20-30 miles between suburbs out here.

Here too...

But in some places (lke where I lived in pa) suburb after suburb within 2 miles, you'd hit 5 townships...Stop light after stop light....

[Dazza]

From your original post you mentioned "just a couple of suburbs away.  Are you driving Highway or stop light to stop light?

If stop light to stop light, your mileage is not going to jump very much, even with a 4 speed tranny like the 700r4.  That one's real benefit is overdrive at highway speeds....

I use the freeways as much as I can, stop light to stop light drives me insane. Ah well, maybe it's time to put it up for sale. All the mexican gardeners who live out this way keep asking me if I will sell it to them so I won't have any shortage of buyers.