wright a cheque ? LOL if you could simply do that then why oh why keep on driving the obsolete 6.5 ?
I drive relics, obsolete technology seem to work well for me. . . But i do like to keep at least 1 some what late model unit in stock. . .
Mike
The thing is, Mikey, we fix these "obsolete 6.5's" because we can.
Parts are cheap, the mechanics and electronics aren't that complicated if you take the time to learn that they are different from other diesels (and VERY different from gassers), and the trucks themselves are cheap because too many others aren't smart enough to understand them. These trucks are very accessible for the average mechanically-inclined individual to work on, if they are willing to learn; around here are some of the best expert minds you can find on these trucks, both male and female - you just need to be open to learning from them. If you can't make your truck run reliably, it ain't the truck's fault.
We pull big loads with them because we can.
Slim, TD, Leo, Oregon, Me, and many other guys have pulled BIG weight with these trucks very reliably. They cannot do that in their stock form, and yelling at them doesn't seem to help that, but if you're willing to learn to make the logical modifications, they will pull hard, cool, and get decent mileage while doing so - but they can't pull outside their envelope, and it's the driver's responsibility to recognize what that is. If you can't make your truck pull, it ain't the truck's fault.
We race them because we can.
Lots of guys on here run their trucks on dynos, at the track (like ChrisK1500 has), and love to share their adventures and dyno/track slips. Most of us are quite proud of what our trucks will do, mostly because so many other people just aren't capable of making them do it. Your average guy looks at these trucks in stock form and doesn't think they will ever amount to much, but we look at them through the lens of possibility, and try to see just how much we can do. Changing not too many things turns these rigs into serious contenders... they aren't up to strapping on a modded-out Dmax of Cummins, but we knew that going in... and they didn't cost $50,000 to buy and modify, either. Bill Heath took a basically stock truck to over 150 mph. If your truck won't race, it ain't the truck's fault.
This site isn't about whether the trucks are as reliable, strong, or fast as a new Duramax. If that's what you're after, go buy one... most of us can afford to do that, if we want, which is what ChrisK was pointing out.
This site is about US, and how we handle our struggles with these trucks; it's a strong community of good friends that help each other out, learn from each other (both successes and failures), and share what we know. We're trying to make these old trucks better, stronger, and faster
because we can.
You're welcome to be part of that community, but don't take shots at us, 'cause we don't need that, and don't down the trucks, because it ain't their fault they're not what you want them to be.
Jim
