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Old 2012-03-21, 02:09 PM   #44
sperry
The Doink
 
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Real Name: Scott
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 20,335
 
Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata
Class: PDX/TT-6
 
The way out is through
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A1337STI View Post
Well its a 2 tank vehicle, with a full veg system from grease car. complete with tank heater, line heaters, purge system . start on diesel , heat up, switch to veg, a few minutes before you turn it off you switch back to diesel and set the return line to the veg tank .

but your concerns are noted and I realize i can't take that vehicle into Kspeed. =\ hmm... does make me worry about this Van ...
Frankly, a $2000 conversion diesel is a terrible idea for a tow vehicle. This is supposed to be the vehicle that's dead reliable so when shit hits the fan for the rally car, you can get it (and yourself) home. If your tow vehicle is of suspect reliability, you'll like to end up with a broken down van and having to leave it (and your stuff/spares) out in the desert somewhere and drive home in the rally car.

A diesel E-series Ford van is a *terrific* rally support vehicle. It'll tow a trailer super good, it'll hold a ton of spares securely, it'll even sleep a few people if necessary. But if you're not spending $10k minimum, you're probably getting yourself a headache. Hell, you should be looking at 2000-2003 E-350 and spending $12k-$15k really... since rally cars will come and go, but a nice tow vehicle should last you a decade without many issues. Those 7.3L motors are fantastic, but they are still diesel motors which are more complicated and require more work than a gasser to keep running reliably. Inheriting someone else's problem child sucks. When it comes to diesels, you sorta get what you pay for.

If you really need to save some money, perhaps consider the V10 gas motor in an E-350. Should be a few grand cheaper than the diesel, and work just as well for towing... you'll just get about half the mileage when towing vs. the diesel. But 97 octane is quite a bit cheaper than diesel these days.
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