If Diesel Isn’t An Option, What Engine Do You Choose For Your Tow Rig?

[irsa76]

A big cube BBC may not make dyno hero numbers but I'd bet that it'll pull what ever you want, where ever you want without raising a sweat day in day out.
A turbo LS/SBC can be made into a torque monster, but it's going to be working alot harder than the BBC. Personally for a tow pig I'd want something as unstressed as possible, no fun being broken down on the side of the highway while pulling a trailer with your racecar in it because your turbo SBC has cooked something.

[Beagle]

I guess that's part of my point - how much harder is it really working when they make more HP and Torque out of the box than a lazy smogged up big block. Anyway, I'll let that go as something I would personally consider and propose an alternative. I remembered this from years ago and managed to find it on Hotrod's site discussing the 496 truck mill:

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-1109-questions-and-answers-tech-ask-anything/

"With all that working against it, why would Dart suddenly introduce two brand-new performance iron-blocks, rectangle-port heads, and even a carbureted intake manifold for this miserable beast? The story is that the natural gas and oil fields in Texas prefer max- displacement, big-block Chevy engines that operate at wide-open throttle (WOT) at 1,800 rpm to twist pumps. The bigger the engine, the more power it makes, so the 8.1L motors are popular for their torque. When GM dumped the engine, Dart saw an opportunity and jumped in with two new castings...

Dart’s Jack McInnes tells me Dart built a 638ci oil-field version that makes 800 lb-ft at 1,800 rpm (!) and peaks with numbers of 566 hp at an off-idle 3,900 rpm with 854 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm using the dual-plane intake."

and as Patrick pointed out, it needs a lot of gears, just for the hell of it. Like a six speed allison. It's Chad's money, why not?

[Deaf Bob]

Kinda reminding me of the pig GMC built.. Looks like 2-V6 bolted together... Torque nbrs are big..rpm's are low.. Aftermarket rebuilt ones can be pushed to hi 2,000 rpms max They are mostly used in the cab over trucks and mainly as irrigation pumps..

My 350 with RVII cam by Blue Racer, 600 Holley, Performer Plus, headers and cherry bombs got 16 mpg empty (6300#) and 12 pulling a load or loaded.. I also gave sport cars a run for their money on the twisties or straights.

Makes me want to do basically the same with the BBC..