I tend to agree with this. I’ve had both driving experiences with different 3B’s in apparently good condition. . I think your 3B in non-turbo form was one of the doggies. My 3B troopy was slow uphill, but nothing like what you’ve described for yours. Mine would easily pull an 8% grade in 3rd at 40-45mph. That’s steeper than you’ll find on any Interstate hiway. A 5-6% grade was easy in 4th at 50-55mph. Not lightning speed, of course, but it always got me where I was going. The 3BII that was in the troopy
@umpqua has maybe even drove a little stronger.
My $.02: if the 3B offered above is in a car you can drive, try it out. It might surprise you. It’ll never be a 1HD-FTE, but it might be good enough. All normal due diligence applies: get a compression test, maybe pull the pan and inspect, check service records, etc. if it checks out, drop it in. It should get you through your trip and it’s a
super easy swap—you’re on the road in a weekend.
Later, if you decide you can’t stand the slow lane anymore, you can always sell it and buy something else. A good running 3B will always be a good swap into somebody’s 40, and, as you’ve seen, it’s not too difficult to pull.
Just some bored thoughts at work this morning.