Rick 12v CTD

Ok guys, so long story short. Bought a 91.5 w250 SE auto back in spring 2008. First thing I had to do was replace the cab and fix some wiring. All in all a fairly big job considering my resources at the time. Anyway, I found this forum and CF. modded my truck a bit and fell in love with the cummins. By 2011 the truck was rusting out again and falling apart, but the motor was going strong. Trans went on me 2000kms away from home, in Calgary in February. I ended up buying a 2003 ford ppump cummins truck and an 18ft equipment trailer to get it home. Bought both for really good prices at the time. The old dodge has been sitting in the back 40 ever since; for the last 4 years to be exact. Trans is toast and the motor has made several attempts to be put in the ford but she just doesn't want to work for me in the ford. I like the ford. The trans is nice to deal with running off the standalone controller. The truck is solid, steers like a new truck, has nice new shoes on it. Even looks decent to the eye. And it's not even rusted out. It blocks the wind noise a lot better than the dodge. Has more space inside it, it is better in every regard if I'm being totally honest.

But I'll be... truth is guys I just miss rolling down the road in the ol dodge... I don't know what it is. I miss it and can't shake the desire to want to sell the ford and get behind the wheel of one of these old girls again.

Literally the only thing holding me back is cost. To sell my truck with a used cummins (keeping my motor of course, way too much money tied up in it) and find an old dodge in even remotely close condition I'd still lose money. How does that even make sense? Cummins conversion in a truck 10 years newer and for all intents and purposes is in great shape (completely rebuilt front end with all moog, rebuilt rear diff, new brakes, new tires and rims with 2 sets of other tires etc etc) isn't worth as much as a semi good condition first generation dodge cummins that will probably need all that stuff replaced in the next 2 years.

this predicament makes me a little sad inside. These old dodges shouldn't be fetching so much money.

My first love




Post cab swap

thrashingcows

I understand totally. There is something about these old Dodges with their 12V cummins motors that leaches into your blood....and if your a Mopar guy that doesn't help either.

Regardless if another make is running a cummins motor....it's just not the same.

It's the bare bones simplicity, and reliability, of these old work horses that have driven up their prices in the last few years. People are getting sick of spending thousands of dollars every few months to keep the later Gen cummins trucks on the road. So now it's become a classic economic lesson of supply and demand.

I'd try and get the old girl back on the road, while continuing to drive the Fummins.

patdaly

Amen.............. There is a certain ambiance if you will.

That being said, I would keep the conversion for my daily driver.

The Dodge doesn't look remotely as bad as some I have brought back, and they weren't worth as much as what your 91 would be even remotely nice.

Around here, non-running wrecks are bringing 3K..... and all I need are things like the wiring and throttle linkage stuff.....

Angry Johnny

Admitting you have a problem is the first step...

Rick 12v CTD

oh that's not what the old dodge looks like now, that's what it looked like in 2009 after the cab swap.

I've considered restoring what I have but I'm honestly not sure it's worth the trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if the frame was rusted out at this point.It has no front clip (that was all sent to the scrap yard) and the box and cab both need to be replaced now. beyond that it needs 4 new tires and 4 new shocks and 4 new leafs. Probably needs new brake lines and brakes, calipers, the whole deal. The steering box was sold, the front axle seals leak, so do the rears. it needs a full front end rebuild including king pins. the list goes on. oh and it needs a motor and a transmission.

And that's stuff I KNOW it needs without even looking at it. I'd do it all if I knew the frame was good still. Maybe it is, I don't know. truthfully, I don't have the money to buy or fix what I have unless I sold the Ford.

And funny enough, I'm a ford guy. I don't like dodge or chev much. I do like the look of all of the big 3's in the 80s body style though and I LOVE the look of the 70s ford pickups.

ofelas

I feel your pain. What made it easier is that I have a few old Mopars.

I bit the bullet a couple of years back & its now my daily driver.

u2slow

Re-cummins the Dodge, or get another Dodge 1stgen. Bodies can be patched. It doesn't have to be perfect to enjoy it. I'm rather fond of the 2wd for DD use.... thats the reason for my RC 2wd cummins project.

1972RedNeck

It sounds like you need an old highboy with a Cummins in it.

Rick 12v CTD

Now we're talking... Finding a good one is the hard part up here.

That's true. If I put the dodge back on the road. I don't think I could do it without doing a pretty major overhaul. I'd want to do it how I want it to be as a finished product. I wouldn't want to go half way and not do a complete resto. then in 5 years you gotta redo a bunch of stuff all over again. I live in rust country.

do you have a build thread online or anything like that? I love looking through what other people have done to their trucks through a restoration.

u2slow

I'm in pacific northwest rust country. Its wet for all but 3 months/year out here and surrounded by salt chuck.

My projects *have to* go on the road before they're resto/overhauled.... or I never get to drive them (...dissected too many trucks in the past that never made it back together ) I find it easier to keep the project momentum going - and costs down - when your get to experience the improvements within a few hours or days.

Rick 12v CTD

I'm from Mission, BC. It's where I spent just shy of half my life now. It's not quite the same as the northwest but here is 10x worse than it ever was there. Vehicles are exposed to salt conditions for 6 months of the year and they use so much salt the roads are constantly stained white the whole winter. On wet, snowy days everything gets in every nook and cranny of a vehicle. On dry days after it snows, the salt is like a dust in the air similar to a dirt road. It's pretty bad to be honest. And the amount of sand they use is equally absurd. The sand causes paint to chip along the front of vehicles and along rocker panels. If you actually pay attention to vehicles here, even newer ones they all almost look sand blasted along the rockers from the sand.

My projects thus far have mostly been that kind of work though. Fix it and enjoy it, fix the next thing and enjoy it. you're right it does keep you going but to be quite honest, I'm sick of the rust. It turns an otherwise nice vehicle into a POS in no time.

If I were to fix my first gen, it will be done once and it will be done right and it will go into storage in the winter so it doesn't get destroyed from the salt and sand.

1972RedNeck

Hot dip galvanize?

MARF75

I wondered this same thing, clueless on the cost though.

u2slow

ahhh ok I get the impression from some easterners they think its all peachy out west - which its not. I haven't been to Thunder Bay, but experienced Cape Breton through winter, coincidentally, with a rusty D250