black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

Any one know if I would be able to tow my TA behind a regular cab 92 s-10 if I did a sbc swap or ls1 swap. I am thinking on running a turbo 400 or 350 behind. I know anything is possible with enough money, but just wanted to know if I should even pursue this?

jay_lt4

iTrader: (4)

probly if you get rid of the 7.5/7.625 rear end,, put in a for ford 8.8 or a 9"

black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

I was going to do that as well. I am getting the s-10 for 400 and it still runs. Pretty much everything will be gone thru and replaced- just looking for a cool little project for my nephew and me to work on.

drptop70ss

iTrader: (21)

I wouldnt tow a car trailer and car with an S10, its not the power to get moving that is the issue, it is stopping..and having the weight of the tow vehicle be more than what is being towed so the trailer doesnt push you off the road. I towed for years with a 1/2 ton pickup and just moved up to a 1 ton, much safer and less stressfull to tow with the 1 ton. No way would I tow with the S10.

Rodder

iTrader: (2)

with the engine/trans swap, I'd say your towing capacity would be slightly less than stock. Towing capactiy has a lot more to do with wheel base, weight, brakes, and suspension than power.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (17)

Yeah...you arent going to want to tow a car behind an S10.... For towing a vehicle, ide say a 1/2 ton truck would be minimum. But a 3/4 to 1ton will make it cake.

When I picked up my donor z28, I used my buddies newer F-350, and a double axle trailer not specifically for car hauling. It was like the car wasnt even back there...so nice. Then...I towed just the trailer back to the rental place with my jeep cherokee. What a nightmare. haha.

J.

black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

ok sounds good guys, and thanks for the quick responses. we may just build it anyhow and it can be his first ride. I have about 5-6k set aside for this project. Does that seem ok or will I get nickeled and dimed to death.

Kamin

bingo

power/engine has little to do with actual towing capacity.

its the rest of the truck that plays a big portion in how much you can safely move, maneuver and stop.

Shawn MacAnanny

iTrader: (12)

I have a 3/4ton durmax diesel 4x4 quad cab longbed 7700lbs and tow 14klb daily and have towed over 22k with it. As long as you have good trailer brakes and helper springs it wont matter that much. I wouldnt tow more than the weight of your truck though so say 6k should be fine with a car and car trailer. I had my tensioner pulley break twice while towing a trailer over 14k lost power steering and brakes and used only trailer brakes to slow the rig down. Toungue weight is really going to determine the stability of your load on a lightweight chasis. It's not the ideal tow rig by any means but it will work. Just watch out at high speeds and for lot of freeway bumps. I definately would not tow an enclosed car trailer. Mine 28' at 10klb loaded will sway my truck at 75mph.

Kamin

its going to be a deathtrap at freeway speeds and a 6k load. its unsafe for everyone around him.

black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

I think that my search will continue for a nice 99+ regular cab stepside bed for a DD then.

Thanks guys for the help.

Shawn MacAnanny

iTrader: (12)

I dont think it would be as big an issue as everyone is making it. The brakes wont matter as you will have trailer brakes. on a 6klb trailer you will probably have dual 4klb axels so brakes for 8,000lbs. A nice set of helper springs and you would be fine. If you have the option to get a bigger truck then by all means do so. Your s10 is probably factory rated for 3500-4000lbs towing. my 2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara is rated to tow 3500lbs and its practically a mini van. You're only talking about towing 2k more. I've towed 10k more than what my truck is rated, you just have to smart about loading your trailer and double check everything.

LSXS10

iTrader: (37)

Man i have built a handfull of v-8 s-10s but i would only tow with an x-cab simple reason beein wheelbase and a bit more# we have used x-cabs to pull cars and it has never been a problem not to mention a 5.3/4l60 combo with a 3.42 in an s-10 will get about 24+ mpg..but i STRONGLY reccomend a good set of tb's then stopping doesnt seem to be a problem..Im lookin for a body as we speak, im tired of driving a 14mpg full size truck everyday...

dogger

iTrader: (1)

v8 doesn't matter because it's what the truck was rated at when it was manufatored by the vin. This was taken from my gm factory manual
Vehicle Axle Ratio Max trailer Wt.
2 Wheel drive 3.73 2,000lbs
2.2l engine 4.10 2,000lbs

2 wheel drive 3.08 5,000lbs
4.3l Auto Trans 3.42 6,000lbs

2 wheel drive 3.08 4,000lbs
4.3l Manual

4 wheel drive 3.08 4,500lbs
4.3l auto trans. 3.42 5,500lbs
3.73 5,500lbs

4wheel drive 3.08 3,500lbs
4.3l manual trans. 3.42 4,000lbs
3.73 4,500lbs
This should help you a little to figure out what you can haul legally. your car weighs in about 3,600 to 3,700 from the factory. and assuming you get a light wt. trailer you could fall in well below the 5,000 make for a 4.3. most aluminum trailer's are 1k to 1,200 or so but you can get somew lighter wt. steel trailers in that neigborhood as well.32

'JustDreamin'

I wouldn't recommend towing above GM's recommendations (which is in the 5 to 6,000 lb range). And it doesn't have anything to do with engine choice.

LIABILITY is a big deal these days.

Say you swap motors, brakes, trans, steering gear, box the frame, whatever, and make the S10 a perfect tow vehicle. Tows 8000 lbs perfectly. You do it daily (in this example) so you're familiar with the vehicles quirks and habits and are comfortable behind the wheel.

And then you have a wreck. Lets say its not your fault. But the other folks have extensive injuries. Their insurance companies and LAWYERS are going to come after you for operating a vehicle that was outside of its rated limits. Your insurance company MAY cover you, but after they learn that you were operating a highly modified vehicle outside of its rated limits (and that's a legal rating ie GCVWR), they're likely to not cover you. Meaning you're in big financial trouble.

Reason? Well, they'll argue that if you were operating a vehicle within its rated limts that you would have been able to stop or otherwise avoid the accident or at least lessen the injuries sustained.

Is it possible that they'll cover you in the event of an accident? Yes. But what chances are you willing to take with your life, freedom, and financial assets?

Not trying to use scare tactics, but I've seen it happen firsthand. And the only thing that covered the buddy in question was the fact that the accident in question was completely the other person's fault (racing on the wrong side of the road) and that they were deceased so couldn't argue.

'JustDreamin'

Dave_62

iTrader: (10)

Well, I speak from experience here. Don't do it. My TPI 350 powered x-cab S-15 would get my loaded double-axle car trailer moving just fine. When the trailer weighs more than the tow vehicle, you learn about physics in a hurry though. The trailer will manhandle the truck. Luckily, I didn't hurt anybody or anything. I definately won't do it again. Just my .02.

formula17

iTrader: (4)

I install trailer hitches and rent and sell trailers for a living. NOBODY should be towing that kind of weight with that small of a vehicle. Like mostly everyone said that disagreed with the idea, more things come into play then the engine. Had a guy want to tow a 30 ft boat with his cadillac car and fought me on the idea based on the fact he had a class 3 hitch and a v8. Its one thing if you hurt injure or kill yourself, but their are other people on the road besides yourself. I've said this to customers before when they ask me if they are "ok" to tow something I say no way on. "If I found out that you hauled a trailer with no electric brakes on the tow vehicle because you wanted to save money, or you towed with a vehicle that had no business towing that kind of weight and you caused harm to MY family, I would hunt you down and make you pay for your cheepness and lack of judgement." Might seem harsh, but people need to think of other people sometimes.

Andy1

A number of years ago I was returning from Las Vegas to LA. There's a very long down hill section of highway with a median. Traffic slowed as we came upon what looked to be a 20+ foot long ski boat sitting in the median. About 50 yards further down in the median was a Ford Bronco II (that's right, the little one!) with the boat trailer wrapped around it. Apparently it stayed upright; the four people in the Bronco standing there in bewilderment. Some people just don't get it!

Rating are for the chassis', not how much or how little HP they have.

Andy1

silver-mod-o

iTrader: (15)

I drug a 1/2 ton truck with a 305/700R4/8.8 S10 we built... The trailer had brakes and everything, and we put helper bags on the truck when we loaded it... it towed better than my 1/2 ton... It was on a tandem axle car hauler too that probably weighed 1000-1200 by itself...