Bourbon & Beyond: a tow pig journey

I won this at auction today for $1,159 all in.

"Hey, that looks pretty good" you're thinking, well take a look at this:

It's got 226k on the Odometer, with a 5.3 Under the hood.

That's it for now, I'll get a closer look when it gets delivered.

Cost break down:

Nice! Armada replacement, or flip?

In reply to bbbbRASS :

Replacement.  Hoping the stick axle outback, as well as the extra wheelbase length leads to a more comfortable towing experience.  I'll just need to keep the transmission from having too many neutrals 😉 

You're a door and a 4l80e away from a great truck! 

Damn, that's almost a 50/50 purchase/fee breakdown there...

Does that transport and shipping fee actually get the vehicle to your compound, or is that just something that you pay them to allow you to transport it yourself or have a driver get it?

In reply to wae :

Yep, you really have to know your fee structure when bidding on the auctions !

That $82 Transport & Shipping Fee is to have the truck dropped off in my driveway.  (towing)  It's actually a pretty good deal; just a check box during the process when I pay.

Also, this one has a clear title.  (not salvage or rebuilt)

Byrneon27 said:

You're a door and a 4l80e away from a great truck! 

Is the 4L80e a direct replacement?  I have a lead on a door (red in color) for $150 at a local junk yard.

In reply to Indy - Guy :

unfortunately not, it's longer by several inches as compared to the 4L60e.

IIRC the output shaft has a different spline count as well, but there are readily available replacement input shafts for your transfer case to work with the 4L80. My understanding is the wiring differences are pretty trivial though

EDIT: assuming 4x4. if your rig is 2x4, you'll need a different driveshaft that is shorter/correct splines on the yoke

Indy - Guy said:

In reply to wae :

Yep, you really have to know your fee structure when bidding on the auctions !

That $82 Transport & Shipping Fee is to have the truck dropped off in my driveway.  (towing)  It's actually a pretty good deal; just a check box during the process when I pay.

Also, this one has a clear title.  (not salvage or rebuilt)

Actually, yeah, that seems pretty cheap for that.  For that price, it's not worth your time to go get it!

The 60e isn't that bad if you change the fluid and don't beat the hell out of it. 232k on the 4L65e in my 03' Yukon Denali, I don't drag race the truck but it has gone between WI and SC pulling an overloaded trailer a couple times without issue. There's just something quite charismatic about the GMT800 'burbs.  Post a picture of the RPO code sticker in the glovebox once it lands at Indy-Guy-landia.

Looks to be a good buy!  Is the pillar between the front the back door pushed in?  It's hard to tell from the pics if it's moved or that's just sheet metal damage in front and back doors.

My 4L60E never gave me any trouble, I added the camaro/corvette servo and a cooler.  Towed a travel trailer for ten years with it up to 190k miles, lift to shift is your friend.  3/4 throttle to accelerate, then ease up, let it shift then get back in it.  WOT while towing and shifting will kill them.

I have almost 260K on the one in my K1500 and it's been good to me. I did have to replace the TCC valve but that was a $10 part that I did myself. If it drives fine when you get your hands on it, i'd slap a big trans cooler on it and send it

In reply to RacetruckRon :

My 4l65e was also rock solid in my Silverado.  Surprisingly so.  Towed a good amount of hard miles with it and no problems at all.  Heck, I didn't even service it in the 60k miles I owned it and I know the guy before me didn't either.  

Even if you don't touch the engine calibration, it's worth a retune for transmission durability. Stock, they have veeeery slow shift time targets in some conditions - like nearly 3/4 second. the 4L60 in my old tahoe and in my Silverado both responded very well to quicker shift times and making the shift torque reduction more aggressive to cut a bit more power, then adjusting shift pressure commands so the pressure adjust didn't start doing weird things trying to hit the commanded shift times. I also ended up tuning out the TCC slip feature that allows for ~50 rpm of clutch slip at all times up to about 70-75 mph. they do this to reduce bucking from driveline lash as you get on or off the throttle, and it does a good job at that, it's just another source of heat. I wouldn't bother with the 4L80e swap unless you've got some really specific need for it.

Thanks for the input guys.

The Bourbon got delivered while I was away at work today....

The lower rocker is pushed in more than I expected:

It's going to need a little more cleaning work then I thought.

Engine started right up, a little clatter at first but once the oil was circulating, it sounds good 👍.  It's a throttle cable intake, not drive by wire.

 Disappointed with the two flat  front tires.

I got out the air compressor and couldn't get either of the beads to reseat, just heard air hissing from both......

Well..... It wasn't the beads:

First, passenger side:

The I snapped this picture of the driver's side:

I was berkeleying livid.  These are obviously both punctured from the huge fork lifts they use to move the vehicles around in the yard.

So I immediately called and for about 25 minutes got the run around of excuses.  I'm heading up there Monday to talk to the manager in person.  And see if I can get some resolution.

Cool find!  

With some internet sluthing I found all the original listing photos.  I don't want to be Debbie Downer but I think your gonna need some B-pillar tree and chain "adjustment."  This specific photo implies to me that the b-pillar moved enough to open the rear door somewhat.  

Note: every vehicle in this photo came from IAAI auction:

People like to bag on the 4l60 but what people said before is true. Further if one does go boom it can be rebuilt for a much better cost than one of these new 6 or 8 speeds. 

Super sucks about the busted tires!  But, save your breathe.  Here is what they will send you from their Ts & Cs (terms and conditions)

This salvage business (and the car business) is a slimey game and a duopoly with just IAA and CoPart running the game.  

My cliff notes:  Your fault, you trusted us, and we even told you that we couldn't be trusted.  

Question

What if my vehicle has additional damage?

Answer

According to IAA Auction Rules, under the section Disclaimers, Representations, and Warranties: Paragraphs 4: “IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUYER TO ASCERTAIN, CONFIRM, RESEARCH, INSPECT, AND/OR INVESTIGATE ANY VEHICLE FOR SALE PRIOR TO PLACING A BID. BUYER EXPRESSLY AGREES NOT TO BASE A BID OR OTHERWISE RELY ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED BY IAA. THIS INFORMATION INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, THE YEAR, MAKE, MODEL, VIN, MILEAGE, ODOMETER DISCLOSURE, TITLE, AIRBAGS, VEHICLE’S CONDITION, ACTUAL CASH VALUE, ESTIMATED REPAIR COST, DAMAGE TYPE, IMAGES, SALE DOCUMENT, WHETHER THE VEHICLE HAS A CATALYTIC CONVERTER, KEYS, OR VIN PLATES, AND WHETHER OR NOT A CAR STARTS OR RUNS. BUYER UNDERSTANDS THAT IAA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MILEAGE OR ODOMETER DISCREPANCIES.”

Paragraphs 9: “A GENERAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE LOCATION OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, SUCH AS “FRONT END DAMAGE” OR “REAR END DAMAGE,” IS NOT INTENDED TO BE INCLUSIVE OR EXHAUSTIVE OF ALL OF THE DAMAGE THE VEHICLE HAS SUFFERED.”

In reply to John Welsh :

Regarding B-Pillar.

I'm hoping this crinkle in the rear door is the source of the rear gap:

But if not, yep, a chain around the pillar and a good yank from the Armada will get it back in place.

Edit: both fronts flat meant I wasn't able to take it for a test drive, so I'll be getting new tires along with a new door ASAP.

I have a set of avalanche wheels and tires you can have. I have 7 and 6 of the tires hold air. 3 tires are pretty good even!
 

Hopefully the pillar isn't tweaked! Looks pretty clean minus all the body damage! 

Cheap, used tires would be great while you are still in the "evaluation" phase before you get into the "investment" phase.  

garaithon said:

I have a set of avalanche wheels and tires you can have. I have 7 and 6 of the tires hold air. 3 tires are pretty good even!
 

Hopefully the pillar isn't tweaked! Looks pretty clean minus all the body damage! 

Deal !  Thanks   Very much appreciated!