So I bought a tow rig

[brooks294x4]

04 GMC Sierra 2500
Duramax & 6 spd manual
39k miles fully loaded
banks intercooler, southbend clutch and flywheel, 8" fabtech lift with airbags, 37's with 20's.

its a bit big for what i want it for, which is to drive and tow the blazer. i plan on dropping it down to 6" lift and 35's down the road. it came with a banks six gun tuner, a diablo tuner, and a twin turbo kit that needs a few things which is all gonna get sold. gonna put an MBRP exhaust, S&B intake, and an EFI Live tune. im not looking for big power, just reliability so i can tow what i need to.

let me know what ya think.

[ridgerunner97]

You better just go ahead and put some traction bars on it now or your gonna hate life...

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

Twins would be nice for towing

[brooks294x4]

the turbo for the twin kit was in a garage that flooded, so im not sure if its trashed or needs rebuilt. i just got the kit in a the bed with the truck. same with the diablo and six gun, the six gun was in a box and he hooked the diablo up and took it back to stock. im gonna look into traction bars too. i dont plan on beatin on it, i just hope nothin breaks til then.

[justin'sbig7]

Wow! A 6 speed. Niiiiccceee! I have an 05 with the allison, but would love to find a manual. Nice truck!

[village_idiot]

the turbo for the twin kit was in a garage that flooded, so im not sure if its trashed or needs rebuilt. i just got the kit in a the bed with the truck. same with the diablo and six gun, the six gun was in a box and he hooked the diablo up and took it back to stock. im gonna look into traction bars too. i dont plan on beatin on it, i just hope nothin breaks til then.

i know of some people...find out what size the turbos are and ill make some calls.

[97V10MN]

That is a nice looking rig as it sets, but it would look better on 35s. Where on earth did you find a Dmax with the 6 speed tho??

[ridgerunner97]

My buddy had a maroon one, they aren't that rare, I seem to see quite a few running around. There are alot in westmoreland county it seems

[Super Scout]

Let me preface this by saying I have never driven a manual Dmax, but a plumber I use for work has one and he hates the damn thing. Says 1st and reverse are way to high. I dunno, but I do know they derate the hell out of the diesels for manuals. Nice fawking truck tho !!!

[brooks294x4]

a craigslist find actually, in Midland PA. the stock clutches are junk in these things, and they have a dual mass flywheel. so stock they are not that great to drive. with the southbend setup tho, its like drivin a cummins, just pulls out when you let out. 1st and reverse too high??? ya never use 1st in these things, i can easily pull out in 3rd with 37's.

and manuals werent that uncommon from 01-05, but you had to special order it if you want it to have power options. rubber floors and manual locks/windows were standard with a manual tranny. i just got lucky i guess, patience paid off since ive been looking for a diesel for 2 years now.

[RalphDogg]

does that chevy have a body lift on it?

[97V10MN]

My buddy had a maroon one, they aren't that rare, I seem to see quite a few running around. There are alot in westmoreland county it seems

They're pretty rare around my house then, I've never seen or even heard of any one owning one around my area. All of the ones around here are backed by the Allison.

[brooks294x4]

no body lift, all suspension. previous owner had a body lift and 40's on it but said he kept gettin pulled over, go figure.

also duramax's with a stick seem more rare for the fact that cummins and powerstrokes were plentiful in them.

[highlandercj-7]

Haha I thought I saw that truck around town. I didn't know it was a 6 speed. It's a nice ride. Sans them wheels.

[brooks294x4]

hey justin'sbig7, would ya be interested in a Diablosport tuner or a Banks Six Gun?

http://www.xtremediesel.com/diablosp...mmeru7185.aspx

http://www.xtremediesel.com/bankspow...uner63717.aspx banks also has the speed loader, but i have to take the egt sensor out still.

[YZEATER]

does it say 2004 on the title? 03 was the last of the manuals.

[justin'sbig7]

I am running an edge juice with attitude and am pretty happy with it. But thanks anyhow!

There was a guy who bought some jtruck axles from me, had an 05 with the 6speed in it, i think they were available for order at least till the body style change

[Super Scout]

^Yup that guy I knew had a newer one, 05 or 06

[YZEATER]

My sister has an '06 cab and chassis with s manual. Never seen a regular truck with one after 03.

[oros35]

Is it an LB7 or LLY? Depending on which motor there are some things to look out for. Several are some easy free fixes that will keep you from being stranded on the side of the road.

I love my '05. Its the allison. When I was looking I test drove several of the manuals, didn't like them. They didn't seem to match the engine. I found the Allison to drive much better (and I'm a stick shift kind of guy, almost all my other vehicles have been standards)

Also running an Edge Juice /w Attitude and love the extra punch and tuneability. Plus MBRP exhaust, including down pipe. Huge difference from stock.

I also reccomend fabbing up some traction bars. My truck without a lift has more hop than I like, I couldn't imagine towing with that much lift and no bars.

[brooks294x4]

its an LLY motor, its gettin a 5 inch turbo back stainless exhaust in a month or so, im also gettin in touch with Fabtech later today to see how much work its gonna be to take it down to a 6 inch lift so I can run 35's. still will add traction bars in the future.

and I work at a GM dealer and I do diesel work, so i know mostly what to look for on them. seems the 04-05 trucks have had more head gasket issues than the newer models, but if it does, thats just a reason to put ARP studs on.

[oros35]

LLY's - Overheating, injector wire plug, harnes rub, water pump before 200K, and head gaskets if you overheat them and/or tune them too high. For the most part very reliable engines. I wish I had the 2006-2007 but 2005 was the newest I could afford at the time. But they have their quirks too.

There are a number of other things you can do that really help the engine breath and improve longetivity. The LLY turbo mouthpiece sucks, switch it to the LBZ mouthpiece. The PCV dumps right into the mouthpiece, when I changed my mouthpiece the old one was caked with 1/4" or better of oil/dirt. Reroute the pcv to atmosphere. EGR is easy to block if you want, I didn't.

I just struggled through the #7 injector wire plug. I did the ice pick fix and it lasted about 6 months, but eventually it quit working completely. GM wants over $200 for a new plug. I bought a new plug off Rock Auto for $20 and soldered it in, good as new!
About 2 years ago I ice picked the #2 plug and it has been fine ever since.

My truck runs hot, but I can't say I have an overheating problem. You sure do notice it though when the temps get above 220 and the fan kicks in hard. Sucks the life out of it. And my whole front end was recently replaced so it's a design problem not a problem with my truck. Happens more than I like, but when I'm towing my GCW is up around 22K lbs so I'm not easy on it.

[brooks294x4]

i have done the injector wires and head gaskets a bit, water pumps ocasionally.

i have rebuilt so many front ends on these trucks over the last 2 years (gaswell trucks) that i think i could do it in my sleep. it needs a idler arm and alignment now. mine does get up to about 210 but usually when you have head gasket issues, it will blow coolant out of the overflow.