Opinions on picking up heavily modded LLY as daily driver

[djriv11]

Hey guys, looking for some knowledgable opinion. I drive a '15 2500HD 6.0 gasser, which I absolutely love. But, I also love the earlier generation trucks and am always "looking" for low mileage, older Duramax. Proved to be a hard task but recently I came across a very, very clean 05 LLY with just under 90k and just an absolute beast.. I have hoped to find an LBZ but I think the LLY will suffice just fine. Here's where I get a little nervous; this will be my first diesel. I have some experience doing some minor wrenching (have an old muscle car, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc), but no experience with diesels. I do have some good resources as my uncle is a professional diesel mechanic but for heavy duty farm equipment. I also am the kind of guy that will invest time and do my due diligence to make sure I do things right.

 

The list of upgrades is below. As you can see, it's very heavily modded for high performance. I know that on a gas truck, I'd be nervous that longevity has been seriously compromised with some of these. Is it as big of a factor on the Duramax? This would be my daily driver. I don't put on many miles,maybe 12-14k per year. It won't have to work as hard as it's made for, but will pull enclosed trailers up to 23' loaded with toys throughout the year. And I certainly like to get on the gas pedal when I can and the roads are open. absolutely love this truck, HP in any shape or form, and going fast. I'm just nervous how it will hold up with these mods, what kind of added or more frequent maintenance would be required to keep it A1, etc.

 

All comments and opinions are welcome and appreciated. keep in mind that I know it's way more power than I need to haul toys around with. I have a passion for Motorsports, even though I am not very skilled mechanically, and willing to pay for it as a hobby!

 

 

Suspension

ProComp 6" lift kit ProComp steering stabilizer kit with Rancho RS9000 adjustable shock Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks Custom steel 1.5" drag bars fully adjustable with HD Heim joints Kryptonite pitman and idler arms and support kits Kryptonite tie rods and end links Wrangler Duratrac tires Rockstar wheels

Engine

EFI live custom tuning with DPS5 switch Custom built air intake PPE block plate PPE Race fuel return valve PPE oversized CP3 fittings BD Performance Exhaust Manifolds Comp Cams head studs Banks Power gauge pod with Banks Six Gun Tuner (turbo boost and EGT) Custom Turbo from Eddin's House of Diesel in Austin, TX MBRP turbo back 4" exhaust with 5" tip and muffler delete pipe Air Dog 2 Lift Pump 165 GPH.

Driveline

Built transmission by Merchant Automotive (owners and builders of "Nasty Girl" the world's first 1000HP Duramax capable of holding 900 HP and 1400 ft/lbs Auburn gears in both diffs 4.56 ratio High capacity deep sump transmission pan.

[Silverado4x4]

You don't say what he wants for the truck but anything modded that heavy is going to be a money pit and for what you need it is way overkill. Why is he getting rid of it? Is he tired of fixing things? I would stay away from it unless you want a toy to throw money at and I wouldn't want it as a daily driver.

[djriv11]

$35k is list price, says well over $70 into it. The guy owns a commercial vehicle sales/repair company and this was his personal truck. On to next project with newer generation Dmax is reason for selling. I Couldn't agree more that it's overkill. But to me, driving is fun, it's a hobby and passion. I don't want my truck to be just capable enough to handle the workload I throw at it, I want to have a blast driving it (or even just looking at it in the driveway)

[kstruckcountry]

It could be a good pickup, but I'd lowball him and see what he says...

 

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[djriv11]

We've already talked about a deal with trading in my 15 for his plus cash that I'm honestly pretty happy with. My concerns aren't so much about the price, but about how this older modded Dmax would hold up for me, what kind of additional maintenance would be required due to all the extra power these mods are creating, do any of them mean high risk to blowing the engine, etc.

 

Thanks for your guys input so far!

[djriv11]

Also any feedback on the specific mods would be great to hear. From talking with him, it sounds like everything was done right and by professionals, with no expense spared. What do you guys think?

[SurFire]

Never buy someone else's project. There is a reason he is selling it. Also think about how much fun you would have and how hard you would drive it; now look at the ODO and imagine it being driven like that for how many ever miles.

 

If this is something you desire, than build it up yourself. You will never have to wonder if something was done right or not, since you had done it yourself. And if something is messed up, you only have yourself to blame and will not have to hold on to feelings of resentment.

[Silverado4x4]

Modding comes at a price keep that in mind and as I said before there money pits. Vehicles like that are a "keep close to home" vehicles and not meant to take on a long trip. That truck has to really suck the Diesel down and is going to be a really high cost to maintain and is going to empty your pockets if something breaks. The owner doesn't care if something breaks or the cost to maintain as it seems he has the money to play.

 

With him saying he has over 70 grand in it should give you an idea the money he spent in mods so when something breaks those performance parts HAVE to go back in and someone with the experience to do the work.

[KARNUT]

We had a few highly modified diesels in the early mid 2000,s , four total. One called the banana which was featured in some magazines for running in the 10s at tracks in Texas in the mid 2000s. Outside of the cost to do the mods and upgrades to handle the HP and TQ there were no added problems with any of the four trucks. All were daily driven work trucks some pulled loads and were kept 3 to 8 years. Each was sold for over market value with all the mods and service records included. The yellow ( banana) dodge was sold for more than new, the only one that was raced, and was a daily driver too. Modded diesel around here that are documented and clean go for more than stock.

 

 

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[djriv11]

Modding comes at a price keep that in mind and as I said before there money pits. Vehicles like that are a "keep close to home" vehicles and not meant to take on a long trip. That truck has to really suck the Diesel down and is going to be a really high cost to maintain and is going to empty your pockets if something breaks. The owner doesn't care if something breaks or the cost to maintain as it seems he has the money to play.

 

With him saying he has over 70 grand in it should give you an idea the money he spent in mods so when something breaks those performance parts HAVE to go back in and someone with the experience to do the work.

 

The "keep close to home" and "really high cost to maintain" comments are very valuable to me so thank you. Reliability is huge because head up to northern Michigan to enjoy the outdoors very frequently and all year long, so very often it would be far from home. In regards to the maintenance costs, that's definitely something I was trying to better understand with this post - Are mods to a diesel like this pretty much "set and done", or do they require constant maintenance, upkeep, tuning, repairs etc to keep it reliable? And based on your comments it sound like that would be a major concern.

[kstruckcountry]

If it's put together well reliability shouldn't be much of a worry. I trust one that's been upgraded properly more than bone stock.

[Formulabruce]

The "keep close to home" and "really high cost to maintain" comments are very valuable to me so thank you. Reliability is huge because head up to northern Michigan to enjoy the outdoors very frequently and all year long, so very often it would be far from home. In regards to the maintenance costs, that's definitely something I was trying to better understand with this post - Are mods to a diesel like this pretty much "set and done", or do they require constant maintenance, upkeep, tuning, repairs etc to keep it reliable? And based on your comments it sound like that would be a major concern.

This has NOT been mentioned.. Aside from the "stance", and the "fun to drive" view, have you considered taking it on a 30 mile test drive, with or without the owner? You may find it rides very rough, and that could get old, and fast.. Many lifted trucks, with a much higher CG, end up being sold for the horrid ride after the owner gets to age 50. The Wrangler tires will not last long on pavement, and are Huge $$ This truck seems to be a show truck build. Anyone that plays off road knows that 3/4 ton trucks are not the best because the suspension doesnt 'give" .3/4 ton 4X4 are best towing and off road at worksites, not hunting camp. How about a picture of this beast? As this truck get older, the companys that made the mods may re tool for newer trucks and getting parts may be an issue.

If you use it as a daily driver,( 20K a year) expect to spend 4K a year on alignements, tires, and driveline parts ( u joints etc) Fuel economy will be same as a gaser...

The GOOD: When you are sick of the ride, you get in your Firebird... in the summer anyways!

[djriv11]

If it's put together well reliability shouldn't be much of a worry. I trust one that's been upgraded properly more than bone stock.

This is definitely what I was hoping to hear... I'd like to think that's the case on this one, judging by everything upgraded on it. Also supposedly has all the paperwork and documentation...

 

This has NOT been mentioned.. Aside from the "stance", and the "fun to drive" view, have you considered taking it on a 30 mile test drive, with or without the owner? You may find it rides very rough, and that could get old, and fast.. Many lifted trucks, with a much higher CG, end up being sold for the horrid ride after the owner gets to age 50. The Wrangler tires will not last long on pavement, and are Huge $$ This truck seems to be a show truck build. Anyone that plays off road knows that 3/4 ton trucks are not the best because the suspension doesnt 'give" .3/4 ton 4X4 are best towing and off road at worksites, not hunting camp. How about a picture of this beast? As this truck get older, the companys that made the mods may re tool for newer trucks and getting parts may be an issue.

If you use it as a daily driver,( 20K a year) expect to spend 4K a year on alignements, tires, and driveline parts ( u joints etc) Fuel economy will be same as a gaser...

The GOOD: When you are sick of the ride, you get in your Firebird... in the summer anyways!

Very true on the Firebird, ha! Fortunately I've got another 20 til I hit 50. Definitely plan to test drive but it is about 300 miles from home so I am trying to make sure nothing else is a deal breaker before making the trip. $4k/year on maintenance would be a deal breaker for me! is that actually realistic? It looks like the suspension left was done right so hoping it holds tight. I don't mind spending $1500 on new rubber every few years. I will try to upload a pic but doing this from cell phone so let's see if I can figure it out...

[patriot]

Modded diesel=RUN AWAY. Money pit.

 

...a diesel ENGINE is an expensive repair when it gives up due to overboost/abuse.

[kstruckcountry]

The only thing I don't like on it is the lift and ugly wheels. Even with the lift, the front end isn't going to cost THAT much to maintain. I'd test drive it extensively. If it was me, I'd prefer one that wasn't lifted.

 

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