The good, the bad, the interesting

[treegump]

Any owners know of any good resources about the motor - etc? I don't have one, but I'm quite interested in obtaining one if/when I can afford it.

 

[red]

simple and very reliable 12 valve motor with not much that can go wrong with it. biggest issue is to make sure that the killer dowel pin is either secured or removed, its one of the guide pins thats underneath the timing cover on the front of the engine.

that era pump wont make as much power as the p7100 series injection pump but is still capable of making in the 400hp area.

if it has the manual transmission, the getrag 5 speed, make sure to overfill the trans. design flaw starves one of the bearings for oil if you dont, biggest issue with them.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

What information are you hunting for? Cumminalong is pretty much the most knowledgeable cummins guy here. I was on the phone with him a few days ago about a pinion flange and he steered me in the right direction. He's a supporting vendor here so either start a thread in his forum or give him a call(Dog House Diesel).

The first gen dodges use a rotary style pump and like said about, max out at around 400hp. Its the later years...94 to 98.5 that you want to look for. They come with the infamous Bosch P7100 that is known for being capable of flowing an unheard of amount of fuel. The Cummins motors seem to be good to about 700 or so HP before you need to start considering the internals on the engine(they are literally that overbuilt). The only thing that would have made these blocks better was if they where sleeved instead of a throw away block. But that's a personal preference.

 

[treegump]

Oh...I'm constantly changing my mind as far as my next "dream" truck. I love the older truck body styles, and am still interested in going with an older diesel that is "easier" to work on. I have the belief that the fewer the electronics, the better. And, I think I can get the power that I want, with the ease, with the 1st gen cummins. After talking with a friend's friend, who is doing a restoration and complete rebuild of a 97 D2500, I may be changing my mind to something with an intercooler - so that'd put me back in the 94-98.5 range.

I used to have an 01 D2500 - which I put ~$5k in the front trying to fix erratic/loose steering, but I think that now that I have a little more experience working on stuff, that I'll take my chances, and if I have to completely rebuild the front end, so be it - as long as its with a truck I want. Also, a body is attached to the frame via body mounts (among many complications such as steering linkage, throttle linkage, etc) but who says I couldn't just remove the body and replace it with something I like a little better, assuming I have the time and resources...right?

Other options that I've considered. I have considered with sticking with the 6.5 - but I'd want a K3500 w/ 150k or fewer miles. That way I could build the motor with "Feed the Beast", ATT turbo, & the rest of the buildings to make it dependable and awesome. Another option would be to get a 97ish powerstroke - intercooler & programmable. I think it'll really depend on where I'm at, what's available, and finances.

To the point: I'm looking for a combination of power, simplicity, dependability, w/ preferably solid front axle, 1 ton 4x4. I want to haul whatever I want, pull whatever I want, and do both in heavy traffic w/ ease of mind (as far as my truck goes.) Like I said...I'm changing my mind alot, but I'd like to have a truck that I can keep/drive forever, haha. (and I drive vehicles hard! - just ask anyone that has seen me drive)

 

[BigBlueChevy]

GMC Brigadier. 6-71 Detroit, Fuller 10 speed, Tandem Axle, 10 Yard steel dump body.

Based on what your telling me I'd say your smallest engine would be a 5.9 Cummins from the late 80's to 98.5(yes both rotary and P-pump style). After that, any good mechanical injection diesel. Like a DTA360 or, my personal favorite, the infamous DT466. A nice manual transmission to compliment it, a minimum of 5 gears, and maybe a 2 speed rear. Maybe a fabco transfer case... going into a drivers drop or center drop F700 4x4 front axle... PTO with two ports for driveshafts... One for hydraulics, with quick connects at the front and rear, and the other powering a generator head... say 6K? And a winch of course Something like 16000 or so bare minimum... hydraulic powered


What... your the one that asked for an indestructible truck lol

 

[treegump]

GMC Brigadier. 6-71 Detroit, Fuller 10 speed, Tandem Axle, 10 Yard steel dump body.

Based on what your telling me I'd say your smallest engine would be a 5.9 Cummins from the late 80's to 98.5(yes both rotary and P-pump style). After that, any good mechanical injection diesel. Like a DTA360 or, my personal favorite, the infamous DT466. A nice manual transmission to compliment it, a minimum of 5 gears, and maybe a 2 speed rear. Maybe a fabco transfer case... going into a drivers drop or center drop F700 4x4 front axle... PTO with two ports for driveshafts... One for hydraulics, with quick connects at the front and rear, and the other powering a generator head... say 6K? And a winch of course Something like 16000 or so bare minimum... hydraulic powered


What... your the one that asked for an indestructible truck lol

I like where you're heads at...though I don't know what half of that means (I only know what i've worked on unfortunately...those are the only things that stick with me...), and if I did want to go through all that trouble, I'd just go to a military scrap yard and by a deuce and a half for under $5k, haha.

 

[great white]

8.3 ain't exactly small:

Sure it's a ford, but heck, it "fits".....