4.8 V8 with a Manual

[supersporter40]

Hey Guys,

I came upon this thread while scouring for the same truck myself but in a 4x4.

I had found a 2wd and was going to forward to you but it is in Ontario, very nice though..... it may have sold as I cannot find the ad.
cars.com has been locating most of the manuals I find State side, there's a pile more of them down there than up here in Alberta.

I found an 8.1 with the 6 speed manual up here for $3600 CAD and after reading about the semi weak 5 speed slush box I am tempted to get that beast and use the tranny. Don't need that big motor as I already have an 02 2500HD with that configuration and it is awesome!

I will keep a watch out for you if you don't mind returning the favor. Seems most of the ads that say manual are actually autos being mislabelled.

Here's my 02:

[darcane]

I find that too. Most are labeled Manual but show an auto shift lever on the column and the VIN reports an auto. Also, many report manually adjusted mirros, seats, etc and come up with false hits in my searches.

I had been tipped off to a truck in Minneapolis that I wasn't interested in because it was 4wd. The craigslist ad has expired, but it may still be available there.

I've come up with so few trucks with a manual that I will probably just buy one with an auto. They either have too many miles or are too far away.

Mike

[supersporter40]

Hey Mike,

I am in the same boat, along with finding some threads where they only use a 4.8 in front of them because they can't take more power.... that raises a red flag for me too. Wifey and I looked at autos last night and much to my delight there are some real nice ones around. The prices haven't jumped yet up here so maybe we will find something sooner than later.

I'll keep an eye out for you just the same.

Cheers,
Noel

[Mister laugh]

Originally Posted by supersporter40

Hey Guys,

I came upon this thread while scouring for the same truck myself but in a 4x4.

I had found a 2wd and was going to forward to you but it is in Ontario, very nice though..... it may have sold as I cannot find the ad.
cars.com has been locating most of the manuals I find State side, there's a pile more of them down there than up here in Alberta.

I found an 8.1 with the 6 speed manual up here for $3600 CAD and after reading about the semi weak 5 speed slush box I am tempted to get that beast and use the tranny. Don't need that big motor as I already have an 02 2500HD with that configuration and it is awesome!

I will keep a watch out for you if you don't mind returning the favor. Seems most of the ads that say manual are actually autos being mislabelled.

Here's my 02:

What are the chances you want to send me the add for the 8.1 6spd if you pass?

[deyomatic]

You know what...the more I drive my personal truck ('05 Sierra, 4.3 with 3.73 gears) the more I think that the 4.8 would probably be fine if it had lower gears. My work truck with 4.8 has 3.23 gears and, IMO, Tires that are way too tall.

[supersporter40]

Originally Posted by Mister laugh

What are the chances you want to send me the add for the 8.1 6spd if you pass?

Hey Mister!

The truck is a white crew cab dually with no box and looks rough, really rough. I believe it is in Edmonton on the auto trader, that or buysell.com

There is a red extended cab in Calgary for sale right now with the 8.1 and 6 speed. It is on the kijiji ads. Believe it is an 01 or 02 Chevrolet if that interests you. 9 grand if I recall......

[darcane]

Well, I gave up on the manual.

I ended up buying an '03 ext cab long bed W/T with a 4.8 and an auto. 100k miles. Traded a $3000 car plus $3800 for it. I think I got a pretty good deal.

[Palf70Step]

Nice, but I guess I just don't see many long bed extended cabs, because that boy looks LOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGG.

[darcane]

Yep, it is long. Very long. Hopefully it won't look quite so huge once the rack and canopy are gone.

I would have preferred a short bed, but the price was right and the guy was very willing to trade as he was hurting for cash (he was in construction...). Most similar trucks locally were priced at $8000 or more from private parties. And I got some greif at the DOL cause they thought it was worth almost $10k.

One nice thing about the long bed though. The extended range with the larger tank should be nice on long trips.

[supersporter40]

I broke down and gave up on a manual too. If all goes well this one will be ours early next week.


Glad you found something Darcane, hope it serves you well!

[darcane]

That's a good looking rig. I hope you're getting a good deal on it.

So, my truck's been great so far. I got rid of the ladder rack and mostly, I've just been driving it. I'm getting about 17mpg (half city, half hwy) which isn't too bad I suppose. I'm sure I'd do better with a manual.

[supersporter40]

It isn't near the deal you got for sure but it is the nicest truck I've found for the price, and that is after scouring the two major online sources Canuck wide. Prices have shot up 2-3 grand it seems. Bargains still out there but you sure have to look hard.

I wish it had a manual too. Ideally I will win the lotto, and fit a zf-6 truck tranny in it. Just because.

[Pyrotechnic]

There's a guy on another truck board that put a ZF6 into an Avalanche with a 5.3. He says the throws on the shifter are short, it shifts quickly, and it is fun to drive. The 4 middle ratios are close like a car 4 speed and of course you have the granny and overdrive gear. Gotta love German engineering.

[supersporter40]

Originally Posted by Pyrotechnic

There's a guy on another truck board that put a ZF6 into an Avalanche with a 5.3. He says the throws on the shifter are short, it shifts quickly, and it is fun to drive. The 4 middle ratios are close like a car 4 speed and of course you have the granny and overdrive gear. Gotta love German engineering.

Pyro, would you mind passing along which forum that guy was posting on, I'd sure like to see what he did and what it cost. PM is fine if you don't want to post it here.

Found rebuilt trannys on ebay for 1900 or so but that is the easiest part of the job, spending the money.

Middle four are close for sure, skip shifting gives it the feel of the late 70's four speeds although I rarely do that.

Thanks for adding that tidbit!

Also, just got notice from the dealer, payment arrived for the 01 Sierra. She is officially ours, should get here in a couple weeks I hope.