slatemd

Hello good Cummins people!

Well, after being on the site heavy for the past few days, I have been bitten by the 1st Gen bug again! I have a friend who has a 93 dually dump with an 8' plow and 82-K (not 182 or 282-K) on the clock. It has a 2-year old getraeg 5-speed installed with about 10-K on it and 4:10 rears.

The front rain gutter over the driver's side windshild has a decent size rot hole through the top roof skin only with minor dripping into the cab but hardly any rust on the quarters/fenders/floor pans. They were going to swap out the entire roof but life is getting in the way for them right now. The frame is clean with minor surface rust.

It is a single cab (bummer) that is in nice shape. Suspension is good and some front end work was done to it (ball joints and steering gear brackets.) Tires are very good and it has a strong PTO (not electric dump.) It also has an after market Tach on the dash pad.
The rear end was rebuilt about 4-k miles ago.
It is red and they installed additional back up flood lights hooked into the reverse lights, double yellow strobes on the top flange of the dump bed, and a severe towing hitch/grille masher!

He wants $7,500 for it. Is that a good/fair/poor price for this truck?

I know the owners very well and when they break Mopars, they fix their Mopars the right way. They did not abuse this truck. It is just a tad too small for their business yard and shop. They have been using it to haul small loads of scrap metal this year.

I think now would be a good time to tell you that they have SEVERAL WING CARS as well as many 60's muscle cars. This family is a mopar family with over 30 mopars as show cars/ daily drivers/ and work trucks.

The only draw back (for me) is that it is a single cab and it is a little tight for me because I am 6'3" @ 260 lbs with long legs so the seat cannot go back far enough fo my leg comfort. But hey, its a work truck right?

Please give me your two cents worth on this subject.

Oh, what's a girl to do?

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Thanks

bill-d-c

We really need pictures (inside, outside, underneath, engine comp., etc) to give an honest estimate of the true value of the truck. It seems a tad high to me, however the miles are very low (assuming the odo works). Guys on this site can tell you more than I can though.
Bill

slatemd

Thanks Bill. The odo works. It has 82 on the clock. Pics would be a problem because when I visit this week, it will be do or die.

bill-d-c

In that case if you like it, it's what you want, and you can afford it...then buy it. There will probably be some that tell you to buy it, some will say don't, all that matters is that you're OK with the purchase. The good thing is, no matter what problems you have with it (you'll have some I can almost guarantee it), there will be someone on this forum that can help with advice on how to fix it, if you don't already know how yourself. Good luck!
Bill

Buddy Stewert

Is the Cab falling of the mount.
Over all rust.??
What good is a truck if it is a 10 min form sagmo.

Crossy's son

With a Dumb bed and a plow that truck is WORTH putting a roof skin, or welding in rockers or do whatever you gotta do to make it look semi decent. I've seen Dually dumb 1st gens sell on ebay for alot of money.

NJTman

What he said...


I bought my 93 with plow for $4k. Granted it was a 250 vs a 350 dump, but the plow alone was worth $1500.. so I really paid $2500 for the truck. You need to do an inspection of the frame for the key rotting points of all our trucks. ..... which is pretty much anywhere in the frame where stuff collects (such as behind the fuel tank). You can pull up the carpet / mat to see the cab condition, as well as while you're looking around, but drivers side floors go really quick.

Since your buddy used it as a Plow Truck, it's most likely got these issues to some degree.

If you really got the bug, there's a guy in W. Milford NJ that has an all original 20 K mile W250 (so he says) which has been garage kept since new and not driven. You can find it on CL by searching North Jersey ads for Dodge truck. He want's 18500 for it, but if it's the real deal, you can't buy them new any longer.

or you could get this rancharger, although it's slightly used..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unwuj...eature=related


T.

Trebor

The bigger question is can you do a roof clip or a cab change and paint? If not then get an estimate from some place local to you that can. Be prepared for sticker shock from the body shop. Then take that amount and add it to the price of the truck and ask yourself if it's worth that to you?

slatemd

Thank you all.

Here is what I was thinking. Take some 3-M windshield sealant and fill up the rot as a temporary repair, smooth is out with turpentine, and then brush on a little oil paint to blend it in for now (or just paint the entire roof with RustOleum. Don’t laugh, I have done that in the past and it looked and worked pretty good.)

I know doing a roof clip would be every bit of $1,500 to $2,500 depending on circumstances, but I have no desire to restore this truck to brand new as of now. As far as rot/rust underneath, there is none that I saw several months ago when I drove it and looked at it (just mild surface rust.) This truck has been personally used by the owners on their property/shop so I know it was not beat to death.

I guess I will have to drive the 5-hours into the heart of Pennsylvania in order to go through this truck really well. I will definitely check all of the mounts and areas where rusting is prone to happen on these trucks.

The 8' plow setup is $5,000 (new) here in NY installed. NJTMAN: $1,500 for a plow setup? I could only wish!!! I went with Max to several shops to price out a new plow setup because I was curious last month. All but one said that they would have to try to find a plow frame because they are next to impossible to find. One company said they would have to fabricate a new plow frame. Welcome to lower New York!

The interesting thing about this dump/plow truck is that the owners (my friends) had not thought about selling it until I approached them with the possibility of selling it to me. They love it as a backup/utility truck, but they would consider selling it only to me.

As far as $7,500 is concerned, it is a lot of money (I get it.) I believe that there is value here, but I just don’t know. I would not even register this truck for I would use it down at my house for the winter, then, I would trailer it to my farm upstate for the site work/compound building project I am starting in the springtime. By the end of the fall, it would either be back down at my house (under a carport) or tucked into one of the garages I’m building upstate for the winter season (it will be on jack stands with the batteries disconnected, and all fluids checked and topped off if need be.)

What are the key areas/spots/things I should examine closely when I go out to Pa. next week?

Thanks

Doc

NJTman

Great idea, wish I thought of it !

Doc,

You're assuming that I meant a "NEW" plow, and with that you'd be right. A used plow, during the off season, is worth $1500 to $2k. Mine needed lots of work, including almost $2k in parts (blade, springs, hoses, rebuild kit for pump I installed, bolts, pins, ETC) to make it 100% reliable.... which mine now is. Although, It functioned.. and plowed snow well (before all the new parts) but I wanted "super reliable" due to a couple commercial accts I have.

You can't buy the western setup for our trucks, unless you can get the truck bracket either used or made up. Been there, done that. This is why I bought a whole truck, and kept the plow after selling the truck. Meyer, and other smaller brands still manufacture the truck side bracket. Personally, from my experience, Western Unimount is an awesome unit.... and I'm glad I found one.

A W250 will do everything ... and more... you ask, although the dump body would be really cool to have. Parking, fitting in tight spaces, such as garages, and other can be difficult with the dually, but if landscaping is your thing.... it's the way to go. For me, a plow truck is the 250 reg cab, as it was most maneuverable..... especially in the rich folks driveways..

Nice time of year for that 5 hour drive. Just don't wait till it snows.

Key spots: Spring mounts loosening @ the front of the front springs behind bumper, Frame behind cab IOW, behind fuel tank, frame behind exhaust up near motor and the down bend, Cab mounts, cab floors, ..... U-joints (all including axle) hanger bracket, and any other maintenance items that weren't addressed int the previous work..

and for you especially..... where they welded the mounts for the dump body (on the frame)


Take your digital camera and photograph the undercarriage from every angle, and post them up here.....

You might also want to ask them why a truck with only 82K on it needed a rebuilt dana 80 ????? I though those axles were indestructible. I guess I was wrong.


T.

slatemd

NJT:
I thought about how tight this truck would be to plow snow. I plowed for one season professionally and vowed NEVER to do it again! It was BLOOD MONEY! This truck would be okay for my property here downstate but absolutely great up in the mountains…. No worries there!

I would rather just take care of my property and snuggle with my beagle during a blizzard (if he allows me to) then to be out dealing with all the imbeciles.

On a different note: I hear what some of you are saying about the cost of this truck. It may or not be too expensive, however, if you have any money in the bank, what are you earning? One percent would be the best-case scenario that I have been reading as of late.

I believe that our Government is purposely devaluating our currency in order to give us a new currency (shove down our throats is more like it) and they will automatically change the old currency for their new currency (that you have in the bank) at their desired rate of exchange.

Translation….we are screwed either way! For the past year, I have been purchasing tangible assets in the form of farm equipment, tractors, machines, materials I am going to need, and vehicles that would retain their worth no matter what currency would be in play in the future.

I am very fearful of the banks (as well as the Government) today and would not doubt seeing more bank closures. A sure sign to watch for is a “bank holiday” coming out of nowhere. If this happens then it is going to be too late to take your money out.


In peace, I prepare for war.
I hope war never comes but…………..