Hi again.
I'm bringing this topic back because it makes no sense to repost the same topic when the old one was just fine! I just tend to let backburner questions sit awhile then check back up on them later.
So to bring this topic up to 2015 (and to honestly respond to every followup that was made before, albeit in more general terms) I wanted to share the following.
Yes I still want to research how to make a vehicle last 40 years and a million miles in my [censored] climate. Even if this seems excessive, the point of the post was to try and stir answers a little beyond the norm, like not just doubling a normal life or whatever.
On the rust angle I already have a 1987 dodge caravan that's now 28 years old but looks no worse than maybe ten years old (except some faded paint) just garaging it all the time and having washed the salt off when used in winter. On the mileage angle i've put almost a million miles on vehicles I had in the last two decades (trucks specifically i had, 76 suburban rear axle finally went out at 400k and was too rusty to want to fix any more, 77 chevy 1/2 ton had an oil pump failure around 280k, both original engines/transmissions) so a million over four doesn't seem unreasonable. I know it could get in an accident or get squashed by a tree, but the last two didnt, and this is more about understanding SYSTEMS than betting the farm on a single vehicle - i'm trying to get a better handle on what will really stretch the lifespan out.
I'd like to see different suggestions on ways to solve the problem and then pick the combination of solutions that works best for me. I wont repeat my original first post, i'll mostly focus on what I was hoping to do with specific followup comments now.
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The plan is to get a 3/4 ton 4wd chevy suburban in nice condition either 1977-1991 generation or 1992-1999 generation. Then frame off "restore" it doing whatever is on the list to do rebuilding and rustproofing the chassis either powdercoating everything I can or replacing with bits of stainless steel or even possibly titanium use (like the exhaust) if it literally lasts the life of the vehicle. Swap in Cummins 6bt mechanical P-pump 12 valve turbodiesel and NV4500 transmission hoping these are strong enough to go the distance, axle upgrades to a Dana 60 or Dana 70.
Specific smaller mods though i'm wanting to make a list of other things I should know about which I haven't mentioned so far. It's a given to have a prelubrication pump, bypass filtration, used oil analysis, i'd like to have a total engine preheater so first starts are as warm as if it was already running but am not quite sure how to do that. (will a block heater warm it all that much or just take the edge off the cold?) Concerning the chassis rustproofing i'm wondering WHERE I can use things like stainless or titanium without creating anode issues. (if thats what its called)
ELJEFINO suggested getting a 'modular' vehicle easier to repair like a saturn s-series, I already have one with 250k on it and no plan of getting rid of it before 400k or another 5-8 years at my current driving rate. But I need the truck for heavier duty stuff. Though out of curiosity are there any other 'highly modular' cars, I mean moreso than unibody construction seems to have everything on subframes nowadays?
GMAN2304 i've been doing 30-50k/year for two decades and depending how things work out expect the higher range of that to continue for at least another ten years, probably twenty. Retirement wont slow me down either. :^) I've probably done some 650-750k since I was 18. I'm just doing it inefficiently so far having worn out several vehicles in that time while paying more on maintenance than I think I could have with this. If I spend 30% more for twice the life it's worth it.
INDYLAN mentioned a 1st gen honda insight for being aluminum, which is interesting! Even if i'm less looking for a compact. My current strategy IS "make 2 cars last 20 years" for around town driving so far but i'm always curious about alternatives there too - didn't know they were aluminum. Maybe one needs a VW diesel swap, hmm... I know there are fiberglass cars too like the Fiero but i'm actually less concerned about the body itself (which AFAIK should be protectable with undercoating and regular washing) and more about the little nooks and crannies, places with dissimilar metals stuck together, rubber parts that wear out in hard to get to places, etc..
Can anyone suggest BETTER solutions for all those little parts, like running stainless steel braided brake lines everywhere, what are the most rust proof bolts (maybe there's the place for titanium if theyre made?), suspension bushings that dont go squishy, wiring that doesn't get brittle jackets 25 years in... seals, gaskets, washers, connectors, it's the LITTLE things that i'd like to modify/rebuild and do once and hope to almost not have to do again. It seems with old or neglected vehicles it's the little pieces that will eat you alive in bills! I don't plan to neglect it, but i'd like to prevent it.
01RANGERXL told me to stick with a simple version of a common vehicle - thats one reason I love my chevy trucks! I had a 76 suburban that lasted 400k until the rear axle died and I deemed it too rusty to bother with anymore (could see the highway through the floor
) and a 77 that lasted 280k til an oil pump died, original engines and auto transmissions. Since the market on these trucks has pretty well bottomed out (but not turned 'collector' like earlier ones) thats why i'm looking at this now - this would be the time to not only get a nice condition model but also salt away some replacement/for future parts if i'm going to in storage for instance. I don't need to go no AC and no power steering, there are some parts I expect will need periodic service and that's okay. What i hate more than anything is crawling around under a car with a bad back trying to track down a wiring short, or figure out where there's a brake line kink, or finding ever new rusty bolt holes and such. I'm aware not all that is fixed by my planning, I just mean thats what i'd like to see if I could minimize at least from rust or mechanical wear - the kind of work that you will start getting rapidly more of after about 20-25 years with a vehicle. I dont want to do another frame-off is what I mean.
ARTIFICIALIST points out my problem - "electrical glitches, climate control repairs, replacing suspension part multiple times, entire brake system"
one of the few i'll quote exactly:
Originally Posted By: linksep
To set arbitrary numbers like 40 years/1M miles for a DD in MN it's clear you haven't done the math. You'll spend more on car-washes than it would cost to replace the vehicle. That's before we factor in all the other tings you mention like cryo-treating and re-engineering...
I HAVE done the math. At least on some of it. If cryo parts last 3x as long that's less expensive than two transmission replacements/rebuilds. Washing a car at home doesn't cost much. Re-engineering that was being considered anyways is not an extra cost - whether I drive it 20 years or 40 I want a 6bt and nv4500 ANYWAYS. Powder coating a frame at home isn't massively more expensive than painting. A titanium exhaust i'm buying once instead of 4-6 times over the life of the vehicle... well thats more discretionary. But most alternatives are not even twice the cost, and definately worth reduced hassle later.
Some other comments here (like "move") or griping about fuel costs have been a bit silly too - I assumed this was the place to brainstorm extended life vehicles so can we mostly focus on that? I just want to see if there's something else new I haven't heard of but should know about yet. I'll ask the mpg questions on Ecomodder and the life-advice questions on some other board. For how decent the family vehicles I currently have in the driveway are doing for all being 16-28 years old (and all put together a million miles between them) so nothing i'm asking is that far out of line. I just know it could be better with foreplanning.