cab9379

Okay Im going to ask this question I am stuck between buying an 03-07 cummins, or a 94-98 12 valve. Here is my situation I want something that I can have as a daily driver, and also something that can get about 500 hp. I do not know anything about working on engines so that is why Im kind of scared to get a 12v eventhough I love the sound and look. I also know that with just a little mods I could get the common rail there. So I guess my question is how hard are the 12valves to work on? Any suggestion are greatly appreiciated.

rich

i ve owned em all except 1st gen the 3rd gen are plug and play but their are a lot of injector issues. the 12v is great but anything you find is gonna have a lotta miles. thev12v is not that hard to work on if you have any mechanical abilities. i am gonna try and p pump a cr motor for my 07because i have had the injector issues with that motor

kawi600

All the new trucks are filled with electronics and emissions crapola. I dont think Id want to own anything newer than 95. Anything with a VP44 I would research well before buying.
The downside to the old stuff is that you cant just plug in a programmer and go, you have to work on the pump. The 12v heads dont breathe as well as the 24's do. Id imagine the mechanical setups are more reliable than the electronic ones. The old designs will run on pretty much anything that burns and resembles oil. The newest setups with common rail run very high pressures so the efficiency will be better, but theyre really picky about fuel quality.
Mileage will be an issue, but if youre really serious about building up a truck thats not a problem. If you decide to buy an old truck try to get something that hasnt been owned in the rust belt.

cab9379

Thanks for the quick response. What is the rust belt? and how hard are the 12valves to work on, I have no experience working on any engines.

rich

rust belt is anywhere it snows a lot .they put salt on the road and it eats away the metal. if you can read you can work on them you can buy manuals from cummins. they wont tell you how to increase power but will tell how to fix them