TonyB

So, my brother has the bug for diesel, given he bought a boat, is towing it with his Dakota, and has come to the realization that while the Dak will tow the boat, a diesel will handle the weight better and with better economy overall.

He is looking to sell his Dak & buy an early 98 Dually. An ideal situation would be a straight up trade...talking to a few dealers has revealed this is not likely to happen. So, the next best is to sell the dak, then buy the '98.

Criteria:
3500 Dually
12V
QC - Yes, we know it's the suicide door version
5sp Manual
Sport mirrors - hates the 'western' style mirrors
Clean paint, minimal dings / fade
Color is not critical
No '53' block - want this truck/motor to last as long as possible
2 wheel drive: 4x4 not needed


Why an early '98?
* QC to haul the kids
* 12V for the mech injection - ease of maintenance / reliability
* Cost
* Manual for the reliability & ease of service if/when

Anything else we should be aware of?

When the time comes, we're not afraid to travel to pick it up.

Know of any trucks out there?

TIA

Tony

1320

Good luck with that. I only looked in 5 states, for 4 months. Ended up only going 1400 miles, which took two planes and rental car and 24 hrs.....luckily it only took 22 hrs to get home.

AFAIK Ive only seen one other early 98 in my area and that was a board member on here, but were only a metro area of 1 million 1 1/2 million people.

dc10freighter

From what I understand the 53 block isn't a factor with the 12 Valve.

crucescrawler

Yep, a 98 12v with the quad cab is pretty rare....Exactly why not a 53 block?

DZLPWR

I got what you want cept its 3/4T and has 4x4. Sorry no trades either

TonyB

Most of the '53' blocks are known to leak...coolant....http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

Tony

AllPlay

Good luck. I watched my truck since the day the orginal owner bought. Hell I drove it the day he did buy it and put my dibs on it. I owned a 01 and a 03 and still waited for the 98 12v short bed quad cab 5 speed 4x4 I have now.

Cheers

dieselfuelonly

Thats mainly for 24vs though, I don't think there are any reported problems with 53 blocks cracking on 12vs.

Hammer

53 blocks are NOT a issue on the 12v motor at all.

Good luck finding one,especially a 5spd.
I know of one super clean 3500 out here for sale now but its a 97 Ext Cab with the "waterfall Paint".Its loaded with all but leather,power locks,mirrors,windows and seat,automatic and has 3.54 rears with posi.There are NO 98's in the area in a dually fo sale and haven't been for a while.IF you do find one you will pay a premium price for one and it will not be a bargain.....Andy

wcbcruzer

What's the "suicide version" of the QC? I'd still check on the 53 block. I personally wouldn't buy one. But that's just me. Sounds like you pretty much got it all down. Might as well check out the 95-97's as well. The newer interior is nice but not THAT much nicer...

dieselfuelonly

I'd just as soon take a '97 extended cab instead of a '98QC, but its up to you.

I thought all the QC doors were the "suicide doors" that opened backwards.

TonyB

From the link....The '53' block may have been used on a 12 and may not be an issue for the 12V. However, if we can avoid it, we will.

Tony

cheese4420

I searched for months and found that exact truck but with the 24v out of Gilbert. I found mine on craigslist. Three days after I bought mine I saw a really nice '93 dually for sale but $8900 but I haven't seen it in a while. The best place I found for diesels in Phoenix has been craigslist but be careful because there are a few guys that buy trucks at auction and then jack up the price and try to re-sell them. I paid for a title-checker (like carfax but not carfax) for a 30 day subscription for around $12.00 or so. That's how I found out this one truck was an auction truck. There's nothing wrong with an auction truck, but I’m not down with some guy charging me $5500 extra just for finding it.

I found a 2500, 4x4 12v, ext cab, long bed with 135k on it. The guy wanted something like 15,500 for it. I told him I was looking to pay around 10k for it. He gave me some bs line about “being out of touch with the market” and “good luck to my unreasonable expectations”. Well, needless to say, I got a 98.5 dually quad for $8500. NOW who’s out of touch with the market? I thought I got a smoking deal but they are out there. I once saw a gen 1 with 89k on it for $3500. It was practically mint and they were selling it due to family death. The truck was gone by the time I saw it but the deals are out there.

What I’ve found is that trucks that are a little older, 12v engines, typically have higher miles on them and dealers don’t like too many trucks with over 100k on them. The “general” public perception is that anything over 100k is shot but we know different. So you’re pretty much left to private owners or go to the auction yourself. Try southwest auto auction, I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s got tons of trucks.

Craigslist has some 1st gens and some 24v’s but not gen 2 with 12v. Good luck.

Hammer

I know where one is also...
Its under the hood of my December 1997 built 1998 12v Quad Cab.
It has over 165,000 miles on it and has never been a problem.The only thing I ever had crack was the cylinder head in between #5 and #6 exhaust ports.

Again..
They are not a issue and if you have ever seen the block bare you would understand.While they are a "53" block they are not the same casting as the 24v motors which have thinner walls at the pan rail and are weaker.

Do me a favor,when you find that 12v dually quad cab stick with a "53" block which you are scared of and won't but it,drop me a PM with the dealers name and number,I'll give it a home towing mine to shows......Andy

Blast Chamber

If you can compromise on the 5-speed requirement you'll have a much better chance of success. The 47re isn't great, but you can always get a Goerand upgrade that will handle anything you throw at it.

I wanted an automatic and still had to drive 8 hours to find a nice '98 2wd (rust free). I think you'll have better odds of finding a 2wd in the north since nobody wants them up here and they tend to sit on the lots; mine was on a lot for over a year. Down south clean trucks are gone in a matter of days. The trick is to find one up north without any rust (an older owner who winters in the south or out west).

Here's one in Indy.....

http://penskehondaindy.com/Preowned-...oryId=20201061