found a very clean one for a good deal...it will be a dd/tow rig for about 10k...it is an auto...i have heard some stories about theese trucks...should i avoid this...this is about the only cummins i will be able to buy due to the price and the money i have now...so any thoughts on this truck...ih and its not for sale i just talked my buddies dad into selling it..
No overdrive means 3.07 gears. Great daily driver. It will tow OK, but not great. Now, that can be upgraded, with a converter and vb upgrade. no lock up converter, so towing you will want to watch your trans temp. Otherwise, great truck, jump on it. I would.
so deffintiley get a trans temp guage??he tows with it right now...he tows a horse trailer 5th wheel that total w/a horse weighs about 6k..i will be towing about 9 to 10k...so you think this will work out good???i dont reallt need a whole lot of speed he says it runs about 65 loaded and about 70 unloaded...no speeding keeps me out of trouble..
Valve Body upgrade, shift kit. If it works leave it be. But when a rebuild is in order, do it right the first time. BTW - I have a 90 dually sitting at home waiting to be restored. The Auto will get tended to soon enough.
I know you really want this truck man, from what you've said over on CK5. if it's really that clean and you like it very much, then go for it. I said plenty about it over on CK5. Just remember, those early 89-91 trucks are really rough drivetrain wise. Dodge hadn't really figured out, along with not really having the technology there yet, what they needed to have behind these trucks. As you might find out, a 3spd gas engine trans converted to work with the Cummins is far from a good choice. Then, with Dodge trying to compensate for no OD with 3.07 gears....it just makes them that much worse. Fuel mileage still isn't as high compared to a 1992 with a 518 OD trans and 3.55 gears. Dodge also didn't intercool that engine those first couple of years, big mistake. These little engines really need intercooling, and is a must if you bump up the power. Even the Getrag 5spd manual trans found in those early trucks isn't that great of a box, they were barely strong enough and the syncros were overly sensitive to driver input. I've even been told that if you have the habit of leaving your hand on the shifter can cause premature syncro failure over time. Bottom line, you ARE going to have trouble with the 3.07 gearing and trying to pull 9-10K. Just wait, when you come to a stop going uphill and try to take back off again. Even with my 3.55's and 10-14K, I really have to lay into the throttle to get moving and I've got twice the power as a stock '89.
its cool man i passed on it...i bought a dokota to drive everyday...im just gonna keep using my ford w/ the 460 until i can save up enough to get a newer dodge...
That was probably a smart move. Yeah, it was a Cummins Dodge, but severly handicapped with Dodge not having the drivetrain figured out in those years.