Hey everybody, just thought i'd introduce myself since i am new to this board. My name is Will and I am 23 and am looking to purchase a Duramax Diesel truck in a few months so i thought i would get on here to learn some things about these awesome trucks. The main purpose of me getting this truck would be to tow some of my toys that i have and to do a little offroading. I have always been a car guy but i have also always loved the way lifted trucks look. Ideally i would like a Black, 04+ Duramax diesel, 4X4 and crew cab is a must, and i havn't really decided on short or long bed yet. I will be using this truck for towing an enclosed trailer and to do a little offroading in the sand dunes when i am transporting the quads for fun in the sand. I race a 1994 Toyota Supra that is a single turbo 1000hp project and a 2000 Chevy Camaro SS. Both of these cars were once my daily drivers but they have obviously come to a point where i no longer want to daily drive them or put too many more miles on them. Always loved Chevy cars and trucks so it would make sense to get the best diesel out there haha. Looking forward to learning many new things from all of you guys, thanks!!:)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v673/bigsticksupra/camarobogarts.jpg?t=1227601443

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v673/bigsticksupra/5.jpg

Welcome here Will! Nice Camaro.

Welcome here Will! Nice Camaro.

Welcome and X2 on the Camaro.

Welcome to DP its a great place to do your research.

Welcome, We have alot in common, color black and lifted trucks and fast cars. Im 22. Good to see some people my age building cars.

Here is the other chevy i have been working on for 6 years.

1971 nova SS
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w296/1971novaSS/100_0773-1.jpg

welcome and nice rides

Thanks guys, i already feel so welcomed here!

Nice rides chevyguy-2008! will you be painting the nova black? haha


Is there a newbie section or FAQ here about these trucks? I did some searching around and found that Cognito was one of the best lift kits out there? What is the cost usually to put a Dana 60 on the front of these trucks? What would you think my towing capacity will be if i lift the truck 10 inches and get a drop down hitch that is rated for 10k still? Thanks

Well… good questions all. The front axle mods you talking about is roughly 6K + any rear mods you do to bring the truck back in line. If you are willing to let me rant on; I’ll try my best to inform and educate. Just a quick note that I tow big and I use my truck for some moderately 4-wheeling (Note to self; diesels are heavy and don’t like deep mud or really soft sand). I’m also in California and when towing I’m well over 21,000 pounds GCVWR and I have a moderate 4” lift with more than $14,000.00 in hard parts to make it all possible. I’ve given every mod a great deal of thought and finished the truck before I first hooked it to the trailer. If you are planning to add a full ten inches of lift you really need to think carefully about how to counteract the serious forces involved and to try and re-balance your rig as much as possible, so you don’t end up killing yourself, or some innocent family of five heading to the hills in their minivan. What I’m trying to say is this ain’t no toy-ota; a CCSB Duramax diesel weighs in at roughly 8,000 pounds with no passagner or cargo, so make sure you don't cut any corners and if you take the time to do it right you will have a reliable and safe towing machine capable of pulling 8-10K with out breaking a sweat.

Things to think about:
1. The trucks towing capacity is based on it’s weight, size of motor, gear ratios, and a whole list of other factors to include the ever so important brakes.
 Changing gears; larger tires will increase your gear ratios making it harder to get the truck rolling, especially you at higher elevations.
 Brake upgrades; larger tires will effectively diminish the ability of your truck to stop quickly and will increase the chances of break fade.
 The diesels trucks weigh as much as double what a stock gas powered 1500; raising a diesel will raise the center of gravity on the beast. This negatively impacts the handling of the truck which increasing your chances of rollover and reduces your trucks overall performance. Greater control is needed when hauling; a wise man once told me if you go big you want to go low, but we know that’s not as cool as going big. So if you want to break the rules keep in mind, the more control you have over your load the better… that’s why you seldom see lifted trucks pulling really heavy loads (exceeding 12,000 pounds).
 Something else to think about when lifting trucks is the rear spring wrap, it’s already bad for off-road work on a stocker and raising the truck will only make it a lot worse. You’ll need to seriously consider a good set of ladder bars to control spring wrap and prevent drive line damage if you go tall and try to go off road and/or pull heavy.

PURCHASING POWER UPGRADES SHOULD BE THE LAST THING ON YOUR LIST IF TOWING. A stock Duramax will rip the toung of your trailer if your not careful so focus on stopping power first. It takes good/big brakes to stop a lifted truck with or without a load. This is even amplified tenfold if you’re trying to stop after a full boost run to 70/80mph.

Good luck and remember that diesels are not for the faint of wallet, and judging by the looks of your cars I think you’ll be OK.

Ive got alittle over 15k in my suspension and wheels on my truck with my solid axle conversion....

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/down4bmx/100_2035.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/down4bmx/100_1997.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/down4bmx/Resized_Cody200820coil20over2028729.jpg

NorCalTruck in Livermore, Ca did all my work. If you need anything suspension or performance wise. Id Call Nick or Jeff. Great Guys to deal with.

if u dont mind me asking how much did the sas cost you.

DanielCarr31 - Thanks for the info, it was really informative. i have decided that the solid front axle is probably not for me since i won't be doing any 'serious' off roading (sand dunes and towing is probably all i'll really do) vs the cost of it. i did some searching around and it looks like a decent set-up would run 10k+ installed.

down4bmx - that's a real nice truck you got there! are those pics of your truck taken in pismo? that would probably be where my truck would see 'offroad' when we go race the quads there =)


So some people (mostly ford and dodge guys) have been telling me that i will be replacing ball joints every few months if i go with large wheels (22" with 38s) with the set-up i was lookin at. Can any of you with experience tell me how long i can expect them to last? I was lookin to do a set-up like this..let me know if it's good and if theres anything you would change. Thanks

Cognito 10-12" kit at 10 (reason being is that i heard the 7-9 kit will introduce bad angles if i set it at 8-9, and realistically, i would only want 8" of lift anyway...but whatever.. i know down the road, i would probably wanna go bigger) does this kit fix the ball joint issues, if any?

Double hoops, four fox res. shocks in the front

8" Deaver leaf springs in the rear, fox shocks - Do i need additional blocks for the 10" lift up front?

Uniball upper control arm

all the steering support stuff

HD tie rods.. or is there something better?

What is the "non torsion bar drop" vs the regular one and which one is better and why?



I would like to fit 22" wheels with 38" tires. I heard toyo open country was a good tire?


Thanks for any advice and recommendations.. i have a lot to learn about these awesome trucks. just doing a little research here before i buy the truck and go crazy on it LOL!

some expensive toys your talkin about there but if you have the cash flow go for it. toyo open country is a great tire so that is a good choice there. cognito at 10 with the deaver and fox setup should ride great. pitman and idler arm upgrades as well as HD cognito tie rods is a very good idea. looks like you have a very nice plan going. make sure to post pics with the truck and mods purchases...

Welcome to the site .

You live in socal area ? Do you go to Glamis or Pismo ? There is a bunch of us sand junkies here you will see out there at the dunes if not already .

Just got back from thanksgving there .

When you get your truck we have a cool local DP truck club you might be interested in also .

Great group of guys . :thumb:

Johnny

Welcome, well is it NorCal or Socal?

gasuout - Im from Nor-Cal but me and my friends frequent pismo pretty often! Have you been to sand mountain? Here are a few pics from our last trip to Pismo about a month ago. As you can see, all my friends drive powerstrokes.. I would like to add a duramax to the group =)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v673/bigsticksupra/8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v673/bigsticksupra/3-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v673/bigsticksupra/pismo1.jpg

Very Cool

I also have alot of friends with Fords and Dodges .

Good times in the sand it looks like .

Thought about Glamis for New Years maybe ?

Johnny

I may be going to mexico in january and there is A LOT of sand out there. all my mexican friends use their quads to get from town to town. It's a lot of fun!!!

Welcome to this site. Make sure you read signatures to see if you have anything in common with the other members.