Spotting a hot-rodded 1T PU

[schmism]

also ask about its towing life. does it or can you tell if it did have a 5th wheel/GN hitch in the rear?

many heavy pullers will also include engine upgrades to deal with the large heavy loads.

Even a non-abused truck thats towed for most of its life will have lots of wear on drive train parts not associated with a truck that wasnt towing large loads most of its life.

 

[deerefan]

also ask about its towing life. does it or can you tell if it did have a 5th wheel/GN hitch in the rear?

many heavy pullers will also include engine upgrades to deal with the large heavy loads.

Even a non-abused truck thats towed for most of its life will have lots of wear on drive train parts not associated with a truck that wasnt towing large loads most of its life.

That was my main concern when I bought my 06 F250 w/ the 6.0 diesel. I find some folks try to move weight w/ a 3/4 ton better suited for a 1 ton. The first thing I did was check the fluids and the bed for a gooseneck/fifth wheel hookup. It was very, very clean, which raised a flag, so I was very thourough when looking it over. I got a carfax and a oasis report on the truck before I bought it. Fortunately, it did not have any provisions for a gooseneck or fifth wheel. We have owned it since July and have put 4k miles on it and are pleased so far.

 

[WH401]

Another thing to consider, the 94 - 98 Dodge trucks w/ the 12 valve 5.9 are probably the most desired trucks out of the entire line up. Finding a 12 valve in unmolested, low mileage (or decent at least) condition is getting harder and harder. For comparison, I've seen more 1st Gen (89' - 93') Dodge truck's with less than a 100k miles in the last month than I've seen of 94' - 98' 12 valves with less than 150k in the last year. Now I'm not saying I wouldn't buy a 94' - 98' with 150k, or even 200k, I'm just simply stating that you may be looking a while. The 98.5 - 02 truck's are even now at that cusp of becoming harder to find in pretty nice or decent conditions.

As others have said, if you go over the engine and drivetrain with a fine tooth comb you'll be able to spot things that don't look normal. Bolts that have been turned or fittings that have been touched, that wouldn't need to be during routine maintenance. That's another thing, it's best to find a truck that has a viewable maintenance history to it, but not everyone worries about that unfortunately. Some people may find it odd, but everything (and I mean everything), from every drop of fuel that goes in my trucks, to when the oil is changed, to when parts are replaced...I keep it all written in a notebook inside each truck. It makes it a great resource if I ever sell either truck.

 

[VitaBene]

That's another thing, it's best to find a truck that has a viewable maintenance history to it, but not everyone worries about that unfortunately. Some people may find it odd, but everything (and I mean everything), from every drop of fuel that goes in my trucks, to when the oil is changed, to when parts are replaced...I keep it all written in a notebook inside each truck. It makes it a great resource if I ever sell either truck.

So simple (but not what I do currently), thank you for the reminder. What a resource for you and the future owner!

At one point I owned a landscape contracting co. with a decent amount of equipment that needed maintenance. I always used logbooks there, why did I get away from it?

 

[mojoinco]

Like everything, there is usually a weak point. As I recall a couple of folks I knew that hauled equipment, trailers, boats, and hay, that period of truck had questionable brakes for the heavy loads (short life, etc). ~2001 they improved the brakes. Just a thought for preferences.

 

[Smokin Diesel]

The first thing I'd look at on a Cummins is the turbo compressor housing. If they're discolored (gold/brown), they've been cooked. If they've run enough fueling mods to turn the cold side of the turbo brown, then the cumbustion temps would have been off the scale.

A stock HX35 on a second gen Cummins is good to about 34 psi of boost. Anything over that and the charge air becomes less dense because of the heat even though boost is increasing. As in 400+ degree air coming out of the turbo. Do that long enough and the paint burns on the housing. If the compressor housing isn't silver, expect cracks in the head and funny shaped piston domes as well.

A lightly modded 2nd gen Cummins (<350hp) isn't necessarily a bad thing. They run those numbers in marine service all day long. Not having the proper support mods (airflow and fuel supply) is a different story, however.

 

[some zilch]

another thing to consider on these dodges w/cummins:
its not that the engine can't be reliable turned up for more power the exact same engines are in heavy equipment and medium duty trucks making 100 more HP than the ram pickup. the same 160HP version that is in both my '92s is the same as the 275HP version in my buddies '95ish freightliner box truck.

Anywho, its not that the engine cant handle being turned up w/in reason; its the rest of the drivetrain that isnt necessarily designed to handle the doiubled HP you can produce. dodge automatic trannies are generally considered the worst autos out there. i have had to have them rebuilt in stock CTD trucks that were not abused. also, dodges have their issues, that your gonna see in any dodge truck, but they may present themselves earlier in a truck thats been abused.

I think, in general, (and i am NOT trying to stereotype) I would not buy a truck from a younger kid. its just my gut feeling its been abused, and it seems hot rod diesels are about as popular as rice rockets these days. every kid in town here has a late model diesel they race around in. i would look for a truck with stock tires/rims, not alot of extra gauges, stock exhaust, etc. also, be sure it has the stock air filter, and air filter piping. even one that has a GN is not necessarliy bad; the trucks are built to tow.

Overall, a cummins engine is in a league of its own, when compared to its V8 powerstroke and dmax counterparts. it is a medium duty engine in a light application; not a light duty engine in a light duty application. it is built like most all other diesels; 6 inline cylinders, lots of iron, lots of weight-which means heavy duty.

There are still good, unmolested trucks out there, just have to keep your eyes open.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

BTW - IF I could find a clean 99-03 body style Dodge with the 5.9, six speed, 4x4 with extended cab and short bed, I'd never let it go.

I'LL let mine go as soon as I get it past state inspection...

 

[zzvyb6]

You are in The Peoples Republic of California, which has a strict emissions certification test that is even more stringent than the Federal (EPA) test. ANY power mods will certainly fail your vehicle. The State has test results that you will have to live by or run unlicensed. If the vehicle passes, you are ok. If not, you are NOT ok.

Its that simple.

 

[medicshawn]

I think you're going about it the wrong way. I would go into the deal talking about how you're looking for a truck to hop up. Aren't many people who can resist bragging about how cool their truck is and how much HP it has. There's no gurantees but I think that apprach will give you the best chance at getting them to tell you how they "modified" the truck.

I have a Ram 2004.5 2500 DSL Quad Cab Long Bed 4X4 6-Speed Leather with buttwarmers-Not for Sale