Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Used engine and transmission.

End of the month I'm getting a 5.4l, transmission and new tires on factory aluminum wheels for $1100

My truck has over 300k on it. This engine has 175k. My truck still runs good so I have time to go through things and then drop in truck when needed.

Times are different now. I'm not paying retail for a used truck with 200k on it or hoping I can find what I want on a stealership.

I want the old days back

Ah yes, the good ol' days. Playing mechanic every weekend.....

I've been lucky on that. Except for normal routine maintenance, haven't had to do much. Take care of something and it lasts, but at 300k, times coming.

We looked at used trucks that are newer and your looking at $25k+ for something pushing 200k on the odometer. That's stupid.

It’s ridiculous.

Years of practically free money has bit us in the azz.

Who’d a thunk it🤔

In my 'old days', which were the 70's and 80's, a new car or truck lasted about 100k. Now they'll often run triple that. They're a lot more expensive now but you get a lot more miles for the price. 30 years ago, the OP's used engine with 170 would have been nothing but scrap metal unless it got a total rebuild.

Nothing wrong with replacing the engine and transmission.

I am still running a rig from the "old days" a 87 suburban 3/4 ton 4 x 4. It has served me well for hunting and offroad use for decades.

This is the first year they put in fuel injection. Second to last year they ran a straight front axle. Has the dinosaur turbo 400. Installed a dyneer nospin aka detroit locker. It has 460,000 plus miles on it. It won the FIX IT or dump it decision.

In the SW no rust to worry about. On its third engine a roller lifter 350. Turbo 400 just had its third rebuild. As parts wear out they get replaced. It is reliable and never have to worry about the paint getting scratched up. Or body panels getting roughed up.

To date it has "bumped" into two lighter vehicles and they lost. The tires tend to fend off stuff. Scrubbed body panels on other car or even driving over the front of one! Its looks keep many people from trying to take advantage of me on the road. Never worry about it in parking lots. When the paint starts looking bad I rough it up and shoot it with around 11 cans of Rustoleum 2X paint.

I'm not paying retail prices for anything used either. I'm also for damn sure not buying anything new. Your decision to buy a good spare engine and transmission is a good one. Engines and transmissions are fairly easy to change out. My stupid brother in law just bought a new/used (2020) Ford F150 4x4 and was bragging about only paying $56,000.00 for it. Funny thing is last month he was strapped for cash and asked to borrow $600. The things stupid fu cking idiots do these days. I'd fix, rather than pay the outrageous prices they are asking for a new or used vehicle these days. He said I should trade my old Tundra in on a new ford, I told him to fu ck off. My "old" Tundra will be more reliable/dependable. Trust me on this, he's not going to be borrowing any money from me either. When his pos Ford gets stuck this winter, I may or may not pull his dumb azz out. We will see..

new car/truck prices are stupid

'01 Land Cruiser w/341K runs sooo good

Jealous as heck.
You are living my car dream.

I buy older cars, higher miles.
Change oil....occasionally,
DGAF about oil changes, the body will fall off before the engine dies.
One Subaru wagon took 3 cans of spray foam to close the holes in the
rockers. Had to use duct tape to keep it from falling out until it set.
Finally parked that car for fear of what might happen to passengers if
I had a big wreck. Like hitting a squirrel!😂😂😂😂


Be awesome to maintain a car knowing it's life span was up to me.

Good friend had a 4x4 3/4 ton suburban for his ranch hunting truck just like yours. Great ole Rig !

I’ve still got Dad’s old 92 Model 3/4 ton Chevy 2500 I use for my ranch truck. 350 engine with the manual 5 speed transmission. 380,000 miles and still going. 🤠

Talk about reliable and that is a beauty!!. Love the Toyota's. Just like my first gen Tundra. I do appreciate the older vehicles. Here's one I bought my sister back in 1994. Unlike the new trucks, this one is actually "built Ford tough"..:


It was 4 years old when I bought it for her. Try that schidt now!!! I built the front and rear bumpers for it in 1995. It has the infamous 300 six cylinder that has been absolutely bullet proof. I had to fix it last month because 2 other mechanics could not fix it. However one charged her $350 and the other charged her $750!!! Pisses me off because one said he replaced the fuel pump, but it was very apparent he had not even touched it. I told her, now that I'm back in town, don't take it to anyone. I'll fix it!!! Some of these younger "mechanics" don't know their azz from a hole in the ground. They hook their computer up to it and it tells them what is wrong. If it's too old, they aren't smart enough to troubleshoot problems.

BSA,
Wife gets her oil changed at the Chrysler garage within sight of her work.
Not much $$ more than oil and filter, and I don't have to screw with it.
Last change, she needed engine and cabin air filters, brakes and rotors the whole way around. Around $1k.

Had recently cleaned and lubes the rear calipers and brackets, intended to
replace the 90k mile pads, but they were like new. So I told her "No way!"
I'll take care of it.


Just had State Inspection Friday. Good old boys, I watch and help with
stuff.
10/32" on the rear and 8/32" on the front.
When I told them what the dealer tried, they laughed and dropped a few
F' Bombs.

Don't mind their price on the filters (almost $200) everyone knows OEM
parts are overpriced and dealer labor is crazy. It's expected.

But telling her the pads were shot was a damn lie.
And those rotors? 90k on the clock and the pads are still good?
Why would the rotors be bad? Obviously she isn't hard on brakes at all.

Basically got everything from T-case forward. Plus the tires/rims for $1100

Spare front axle, steer cylinder, etc.

I put the frame out at the street yesterday and scrappers had it gone within a half hour

Looks like a great deal to me.

I have a strong dislike for dealerships and you have to be careful about "mechanics" as well because some/most will try to take advantage of women. It gets tiring and frustrating. My neighbor lady saw me working on my sisters bronco and invited me over. Asked if I'd look at her car. After spending a few hours over at her house, and trying to leave, she asked if I'd marry her. Jokingly or course, I hope!!! She said she was getting tired of getting taken advantage of by the shops around town. She also asked why the 2 mechanics couldn't fix the bronco, and I could. I told her, because "I'm not a mechanic". ha ha..

My wife runs into the same crap. Only times she goes to shops is to have tires put on or an alignment. Tire people she just tells the them to put the friggin tires on and for alignment I usually have replaced the parts it needs.

She tells them to STFU quite a bit.

My sister took her car to Pep Boys for tires. She calls me when it's done and says "I think they put used tires on my car". Luckily she hadn't left I told her to go in there and throw a fit. She absolutely did. She also told the people in the waiting area they should go somewhere else. They were beside themselves and couldn't get new tires on her car and her out of there fast enough.
Azzhole m'effers.

I had an 85 that started out with a 700R4 trans that chit the bed so it got a 400. Mine was the same color too. I wrecked that trans by accident. I went to slap the dash that was rattling and jammed it into reverse. On I5 in central California. Doing 60 with a trailer hooked up. Drove 4 more hours to a garage and had it checked. It had a soft 2-3 shift that lasted for a couple more years and vacations. There are plenty of times I miss that old 'Burb. It rode like in was on rails in 4wd on icy roads. I also used 4 low without locking the hubs to park my trailer. I can't do that in my new truck without modifying the autolock system.

I’m an old truck guy
Have an89 k5 been driving for 17 years
It’s on second engine and tranny
I have currently 84 3/4 ton 85 on ton 2wd
And a 84 k30 That just got a mean 406
You can restore a square body cheaper than a new one for sure