Repair-It

The headlights look like they did before, FWIW.

Anyway I think I should be on the lookout for a new truck. This truck does what I need it to do but the rust concerns me. I should probably soak the rear half of the frame in something. The CRC corrosion inhibitor may not be the best choice for my Titanic metal status. That stuff is better on more clean and smooth surfaces. Could just do Fluid Film. Or maybe I can find that Amsoil product that people like.

In any event, I have decided that I would like a GMT-800 Quadrasteer truck. Quadrasteer was available on a few GMT-800 platforms including 1500 and 2500 Suburbans/Yukons. Also the 1500, 1500HD and 2500 pickups. 2002-2005 or so. The 1500HD comes with the 4L80E and 8 lug wheels. A 1500 is probably sufficient. I think 10,000 lb towing and the higher output LQ4 - 325 hp and 370 lb-ft. The regular 1500 came with the 4L65E which isn't the best but I won't put a ton of miles on it. My price range is theoretically something in the $5k range and I know it's going to have somewhere in the vicinity of 200k. I do need the axle to work though they can be repaired. I'll try to post some as I find them I guess.

Did the headlights again.

So the truck has had these Fuzion SUV tires. 245/75-16 with 111T load range. That makes it an XL class tire which is good. But when I went to window shop tires at tire rack, it told me there were TWO stock sizes. One was 245/75-16. The other was 225/75-16. I thought it would be a good idea to check the door jamb sticker just to be sure....
Whoops! Truck is supposed to have 225/75-16s, which are almost 9% shorter. Why is this interesting? Because I always felt the 3.55 gearing was too tall. Well, it turns out it is driving 9% taller than it should be. My rough calculations indicate that right now my truck drives like it has 3.26 gears. So if I switch back to 225/75s it will actually drive like it has 3.55s. This is actually exciting to me.

So I decided on these: https://www.mavis.com/tire-brands/falke ... /28824484/

Falken Wild Peak H/T 02. It's a highway tire so nothing crazy - I would have gone with a mild all terrain if the price was right. They are load range XL but given the fact that they are a bit shorter, it is 108T. My local tire shop has a cool database that they expose right in the listing which is something I have never seen before:

Mavis Discount Tire offers Wild Peak H/T 02 tires in the size 2257516. When replacing all 4 tires, the most popular vehicle was the Jeep Liberty, followed by the Dodge RAM 1500, the RAM Promaster 2500, the RAM Promaster 1500, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. 72 different vehicle models in total were fitted with this tire. The average mileage when putting on the new tires was 82,165 miles, and Summer was the most common time of year to purchase.

Anyway, the shop said it would be like $642 OTD which is quite reasonable. My Fuzions are like 11 years old and getting kinda worn so this is a good time to switch. I am very interested to see how it drives with the proper/shorter tire. Probably won't be a crazy difference but it will help I am sure.

EDIT: I did the math based on revs/mile instead of generic specs and the height difference is smaller. New Fuzion SUV 245/75-16s turn 683 revs/mile (and mine are worn). The tires I bought turn 721. So it's more like I have a 3.36 diff ratio now and will be going back to a 3.55. Not as big of a difference but this will also correct the speedo perfectly so that's something.

In other news I finally applied my Blaster Surface Shield. It's a bit messy but it was cool. I also used the hose and sprayed inside the frame. Wish I did this years ago. Would have been much easier on a lift though.