2005 Chevy 2500HD Tow Rig

Might as well make a thread of this. Traded in the Explorer for something smaller that my soon to be ex-wife wanted. So I needed a tow rig to pull my rally car. I have been checking out a number of sites FB Marketplace, Kijiji, Autotrader, GovDeals, etc. Anything local was either stupid priced or the standard - "rockers and cab corners need to be replaced", ie. rusted piece of junk.

About 2 weeks ago, this one popped up on GovDeals, only about 1 1/2 hours from my place. $500 min. bid. Nice thing is its a 2500HD, so the 6.0L LS and the 4L80E transmission, which is supposed to be pretty reliable and all the other items in the 2500HD, like upgraded brakes, stronger frame, etc. It's also the base model work truck, so very few options to break and need fixing. Downside to that is, no AC. Factory tow rating - 10,600 lbs. and it's already equipped with a hitch and brake controller.  It's rusty in numerous areas, but mostly surface rust from scratches. It has 330k kms or about 200K miles. It was owned by the City of Sudbury.

The upside is that not that many people get bidding on stuff up in Northern Ontario, but over the last couple of weeks, I have seen a number of 1/2 ton vans in Sudbury going for $1500-$2000. However trucks tend to go for more, but this one is 2wd, which in our area of the world isn't popular. Min. bid was $500, so I threw a bid of $555 on it. It sat there for the whole run of the auction until the last day. The auction ended at 2:05 pm and someone outbid me just before 10 am. I checked around noon and noticed I was no longer the high bid. I threw a number of slightly higher bids in until my bid at $620 showed as the high bid. I logged back on around 2pm and the expected last-minute bidders hadn't shown up. I kept refreshing the page as the time counted down and sure enough just slightly after 2pm, it shows me as the high bid at $620 CAD. With the auction fees and taxes, it comes to just slightly over $745 CAD.

So as it sits now, I have paid online and I have to still go get it. I plan to do that this week. Here are some pictures, it isn't pretty but it doesn't need to be!

Here is the video walkaround:

Wow, that's an awesome score! That's like my ideal drivetrain donor for my truck.

Plans at this point are:

1. Get it home.
2. Get it plated and insured.
3. Clean-up some of the rust, including some of the DIY roll-on bedliner
4. Get haulin!

That's an amazing deal on a pretty decent truck. I just helped my buddy do the knock sensors on his 6.0 2500HD, which was a long day but not a terrible job by any means.

That's a whole lot of towpig for the price of a rusty Taurus.

Have you gotten it yet?

ssswitch said:

Have you gotten it yet?

Going to pick it up on Tuesday . I have a ride arranged to Sudbury .

Strike going on at work is making getting time off difficult.

My only knowledge of these is that my boss had the exact same truck. He traded it in after 6 months of frustration dealing with a gremlim no start condition.  Randomly, the truck would not start, the dash would not even light up. new starters etc did not fix it.  If he pressed on teh fuse panel in the engine bay hard, then tried to start it it would work. 

New relays did not change the issue.  Something was gone UNDER the fuse tray.  

Good luck to you.  Even if that happens, for what you paid for it, you could rip her heart out and make a few grand. 

I have an 06 2500HD with a few more options but still the 6.0L. 4x4, vinyl floor, extended cab, A/C. 

I love it. I have had a random no start with it but only in the really cold (I'm in Saskatchewan, so the -30*C cold) and we think its the starter solenoid starting to go bad, I am hoping to rectify that soon. Would be fine if plugged in and no wind hitting it. 

The most expensive fix I have had to do in my 7 years of ownership (aside from basic maintenance/upgrades) was replacing the front driveshaft, which you won't need to worry about. I have about 240,000kms on mine now and its been reliable and it gets used like a truck. 

Maintenance wise, some is cheap, some is expensive. Plugs and oil changes are cheap and easy, I can actually crawl underneath without a jack to change the oil, no lift kit just taller than stock tires. Brakes and shocks are not so cheap as they are the same parts as a diesel. Just as a forewarning.

Looking forward to seeing how this goes!

It's home and has a few issues, but still a good buy.

1. CEL was on - scanner said minor evap leak. I am thinking gas cap. I cleared the code.
2. Rear window leaks air and whistles on the highway.
3. Fluid leak of some sort near LF wheel. Concerned that it may be brakes.
4. RF bed mount is broken. The stud has snapped off. Hoping that I can drill it out and replace with a bolt.  
5. I think the LR brake is sticking.

Engine and transmission seem really good. It is thirsty! Behaviour in parking lots make me believe that it has a posi.

Worst case the 6.0/4L80E is worth what you paid for the whole truck. 

Look in the glove box for a sticker with a bunch of codes on it, "G80" indicates some sort of limited slip axle. I'm not sure if a 2500 uses the same system as the 1500, which acts like a open diff until you get some wheelspin, at which point it engages a stiff clutch pack. 

NGTD said:

It's home and has a few issues, but still a good buy.

1. CEL was on - scanner said minor evap leak. I am thinking gas cap. I cleared the code.
2. Rear window leaks air and whistles on the highway.
3. Fluid leak of some sort near LF wheel. Concerned that it may be brakes.
4. RF bed mount is broken. The stud has snapped off. Hoping that I can drill it out and replace with a bolt.  
5. I think the LR brake is sticking.

Engine and transmission seem really good. It is thirsty! Behaviour in parking lots make me believe that it has a posi.

3. could be power steering fluid.  The lines for the hydroboost are notorious for leaking.  Cheap and fairly easy to replace.

I have the 2002 version of that truck. Yes its thirsty. But you can work it like a rented mule and it keeps asking for more. Good truck. The fact that its a 2wd should make pretty much any repairs easier because the 4wd parts take up a ton space up front.

Plus one on the power steering leak, mine currently leaks in the exact same area.

good lord that bed is rusty.

Truck has gone to storage for now. A co-worker lets me use a place that he uses. With my upcoming divorce, house for sale, etc. I just have too much on my mind right now.

Hopefully can get the house sold and everything settled, then I can get to work on this. 

Went to visit this thing last week. It's stuck in the snow and ice, but took the key and it fired right up! It's been sitting all winter. Must have a good battery.

Downside right now is

1) Wife and I are separating

2) Selling the house (more importantly the garage).

3) Walked into a meeting with my boss on Jan. 30 and found him sitting there with the Director of HR. You can well imagine how that discussion went. After 15 years - out the door.

Sounds like a rough time - hang in there!

Wow, you"ve got yourself quite the makin's for a good Country and Western song there.  Ha. 

To make it the perfect Country and Western song you only need to add mama, or trains,  or prison, or getting drunk.”  You've already incorporated trucks. 

Keep your spirits up and come back to GRM often for a dose of something good. 

https://youtu.be/vAOVRkSCWmg

John Welsh said:

Wow, you"ve got yourself quite the makin's for a good Country and Western song there.  Ha. 

To make it the perfect Country and Western song you only need to add mama, or trains,  or prison, or getting drunk.”  You've already incorporated trucks. 

 

Keep your spirits up and come back to GRM often for a dose of something good. 

 

https://youtu.be/vAOVRkSCWmg

Thanks - last few weeks have been really rough. Just need to get the severance package worked out so I can move on with my life.

Need a drivetrain donor? - let me know. Needs too much work in my opinion to get back on the road and I can't DIY it due to move.

Truck is in North Bay, ON - 3 1/2 hours north of Toronto.

What does it need to get back on the road?

I sent you a PM earlier today - asking a bunch of questions this thread has answered (I'm glad I posted in it last October so it was in my active topics!).

tempting