towing help

hi i have a 2001 sonama with a 4.3 under the hood i want to use it to tow my 77 monte to the strip its a 4000lb car on a 25' tandom axal trailer so close to 5000 lbs prolly wat do i need to do to get it able to tow it im thinking it has the balls with th 4.3 but im thinkin cold air intake and a Max Energy E-CON Power Programmer to get the engine ready, ill prooly have to tow in low gear so im worried bout the tranny gettin hot, wat should i do to keep it cool it already has oil cooler lines to the rad will a separate cooler help? and maybe a deep pan? im not sure any suggestions wood be great

Save your money on the cold air intake.... total waste of money. Changes the appearance but does nothing for performance.

Install the largest transmission cooler you can find. Then change the transmission fluid and filter. Don't let the transmission shift into overdrive, put shifter in "3". The best thing you can do for performance is a good tune up using AC Delco parts: plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor. Air filter & fuel filter if necessary. Check fuel pressure and leakdown: Key on, engine off, fuel pump running, pressure must be 60psi to 66psi and must remain above 55psi for 3 to 5 minutes after the pump shuts off. Make sure the brakes are good, and you shouldn't have any trouble pulling 5,000#.

ok so do i just plug the lines at the rad and run a separate one? one about the deep pan

The trans comes with either a deep or a shallow pan. You'll need to measure it. Installing a deeper pan will not accomplish anything, the add on cooler will increase cooling capacity.

There is an engine oil cooler built into the radiator. The oil cooler lines are on the driver side of the radiator. The transmission oil cooler lines are on the passenger side of the radiator. If you connect the new cooler inline with the cooler in the radiator, you will get more cooling capacity than if you bypass the radiator cooler. Unless there is a problem with the transmission cooler in the radiator, connect the new cooler in "series" with the radiator trans cooler. The new cooler should have instructions that tell you how to install it.

ok is that all i should have to do then just the cooler?

Might want to change the fluid and filter before you do any towing. The 4L60E transmission will last a long time with regular maintenance. I have one in an Astro with 352,000 miles on it. The ONLY thing I've done to the transmission is change the fluid and filter every 36,000 miles.

ok now wat about brakes? will i need electric traler brakes or will the trucks brakes be enough

If I'm not mistaken, Michigan law requires trailer brakes on any trailer 3,500# or higher. Probably a good idea too!

You also might want to consider the toungue weight of the loaded trailer. A 5k lb trailer should have 10-15% of that weight on the toungue for the trailer to tow properly (not wag behind the truck etc). This can usually be done by parking the car in a certain spot on the trailer while the trailer is on the scales with the toungue jack down (truck unhooked).

Also, keep in mind that 10-15% of 5,000lbs is 500 to 750 lbs. This could possibly overload the ratings of your rear axle (check your rear GVWR rating - and then compare with measured weights when at the scales). To help with this and to also make the trailer behave much better in general, use a weight distributing hitch setup - with some of the toungue weight transferred onto the front axle, the truck will stop and steer much better.

If you don't want to/can't do the above ideas, at least roll the Monte back on the trailer to get the GVWR of the rear axle within the limits of the truck (while on the scales). See how it tows from there.

Brakes on the trailer are a must for EVERYONES safety who happens to be on the road with you.

Good luck with your setup and have fun at the track!

I tow a 18ft trailer with a Kubota L4400 with my 1992 S10blazer and it has the power to pull it no issues, I dont have any hills so not to worried on that, but brakes yes indeed you will need them on the trailer, And as the other person posted your going to have to fiddle with the wieght of where your car sits on the trailer, your going to want at least 700lbs on the ball hitch, basicly if 2 guys can lift up on the tounge that will get you in the ball park, its best to a bit more than not enough, if your trailer is wiggling down the road then you dont have enough weight up front, and all it might take is moving the car 2 or 3 inches can make all the difference in this. Even with all this done I would try to drive faster than 60mph