Your ‘05 Duramax does the towing with a lot more confidence than the ‘72 though, 1ton suspension or not. Getting the load moving was never a big problem for most trucks/engines, it’s the control and braking that has vastly improved, as well as the more refined ride.
True, it does that.
Don't under estimate my '72. I built it to do what I wanted it to do, and that was to pull my 5th wheel. I put 4 wheel disc brakes on it as well as changed the vacuum assist to a newer and more efficient after market unit. The rotors were thicker and larger than stock to handle the heat when stopping my trailer. I made one mistake of replacing the 1/4 inch brake lines with 3/16 brake lines. That put more pressure to the disc which meant the tires would lock up quicker. What it didn't have was an anti lock system on the brakes. I just can't get used to the anti lock brakes. The '72 also didn't have a very well insulated cab so the A/C would not keep it as cool inside as I wanted on hot summer days.
I did change the suspension. I tightened it up and tuned it to get better handling out of it and take a lot of the body roll out of it in the corners. I installed weight jacks on the front and back so I could adjust ride height on the road. It handled more like a late model stock car than an old truck.
It pulled the trailer quite well. And with a seat out of a '93 F-350 in it, it was comfortable to ride in. (seats are one thing Ford got right in their trucks) I also changed the steering wheel with a wheel from a 81 Camaro. Those just seemed to fit my hand well.
Thinking of that old truck is putting the want to back in me. I have a 70 Chevy pickup on the property that needs a total restoration. I am thinking of building a twin turbo charged straight 6 in it. Gonna have to get to work collecting brake parts again.
But again what you say about confidence has some truth in it. The 2005 Duramax had everything I wanted right off the show room floor. All I did to it was add an after market 3 micron fuel filter system on it, replace the exhaust with a turbo back 4 inch system with a muffler and replace the intake system with a 2001 GM gas truck system that I modified to get a bigger and smoother air flow into the engine.
The 2004.5 and the 2005 Duramax had a built in flaw in the cooling system. When the fan clutched kicked in, it would throw hot air into the box holding the air filter which would fool the engine into thinking it was over heating, which in turn would make the driver think the engine is over heating. I sealed the intake from being able to draw any air from under the hood, stopping that problem. It gets all its air from the front of the truck.
In case you haven't figured it out, I like tinkering with vehicles to make them just a little better....
