duDe!
i tried PM'g you to chat with you directly, but you have that disabled and no email from members. consider enabling it so others can talk to you off list.
your truck has issues. but if you are going to do it out of pocket, then its gonna COST you! why pay?
1. where is the truck at? the truck has a 5yr/100k mile on the engine. might even be 36/36 bumper to bumper. why would you put in a radiator if its under warranty. does not matter if original owner or not.
2. if you truly have head studs/head gasket/EGR cooler issues, then you REALLY are better off taking it to a dealer to get it done under warranty.
3. if you got it from a dealer, which one? did they throw in a 'teaser' warranty? like 1 month, 3k miles?
4. chicago is a BIG place. be more specific.
5. mod-friendly- what mods do you KNOW you have? take them off and pull the batteries to clear codes. scrape those darned stickers off. remove ALL traces of ANY mods. you can PM me for email and send me pics to help you de-mod your truck.
there are not many mod-friendly dealers around here.
dennis
lake county