Towing with a Ford gasser, never again. Bought the truck for the engine, period. Now camping anywhere is a awesome, can't wait to go.

 

Whole Family Drives dodges. Dad bought the 93' new and then we got he 91', I live on a farm so diesel is everywhere.

 

about $12,500 lol





I really wanted a newer truck then I had in the past. I knew I wanted a 2500 for work purposes, The 2nd gen dodges have always been my favorite body style of any truck.
My list of what I wanted when I was looking was
98-02 Dodge ram, 2500, long box, quad cab, 4x4, I wanted blue or green, wanted power windows and stuf like that.

I wasn't sure what engine I wanted, but I found the one I got and loved it, and I could afford it. Plus I knew it would get better mileage then one similar with a gas engine and it would hold its value a little better.

 

The sound...The smoke...The torque... the sound of the turbo spoolin'...What more can we ask for? Ever since I popped out of mom, I was addicted to Anything with a diesel engine... Semi's, construction equipment, farm tractors, etc. My grandfather worked for Mack Boring and built diesels out of buckets of parts. I've always wanted, wanted ,wanted and never purchased until recently!!
I will never drive another gasser again unless it's the family van with the kiddies! But even then....I quite sure I will find a way to cramm a 4BT under the hood...LOL

 

well my dad bought his 95 back in 2000 i think and it got my interest then and i think i typed cummins into google and found cummins forum and looked at how easy it was to get power from these motors and eventually when i learned enough i persuaded my dad to modify his truck, it started with me takin his silencer ring out, then he ordered an intake, and exhaust, then had someone put a 10 plate from tst in it, cuase he didn't trust me to, and he had the same guy do an egt and boost gauge, and a sb con 0 clutch and now i convinced him to get injectors since his have 206k on them and they leak pretty good now, so he's doing ddp stage 2's and he's gonna have to do a turbo shortly after that, cause he uses his truck everyday for towing so, hes gonna have a 400hp maybe more tow truck which is sweet, and when i turned 18 i decided to save up a down payment and buy a cummins of my own, and i bought my truck because i do landscaping not that i tow anything heavy, but with a gas job i would get much worse fuel economy than i do, and i have a few mods done to my truck and it should crank out somewhere near 350rwhp but i unfortuantely bought an auto and it slips pretty good right now.

 

i got into diesels, just because i loved the thought of it because how my dad always talked about them and how much my brother wanted one when he bought his toyo taco, so i bought mine off of my grandfather who was in too bad of condition to drive it and my dad wanted it in the family and he already had 3 car payments, so i got it and have put hours of sweat and blood into it and love it, and now even though im selling my 1st gen in trade of a 2nd gen 12 valve, i am very happy with how quickly my dad said he wanted the old 1st gen becasue of the amazing power it had now. and of course the new truck will slide right on down the same slope, probably just quicker cause i know what im doing now.

 

Growing up, my dad was a firefighter so I was around the trucks all the time, and it was unbelievable how big those detroits were! Thats probably what started my interest. Then my dad bought an 01 7.3 Excursion almost new, and I loved the sound of it... Until I heard a 12 valve. My Dad liked the look of the first gens, and the reliabilty of the Cummins, so thats what he started lookng for as my twin brothers' first truck. I inherited my Mom's tiny little tacoma pickup. Then as it always goes with twins, competition was iminent. He straight piped his truck and I fell in love with it. Screw the puny little 4 banger, I wanted a Cummins! Finally found one that looked good, and my dad knew the guy selling it, so we picked it up. Haven't looked back since. My brother wasn't too smart, he sold his for a Ford gasser, but to each his own. I can still blow his doors off! Since then my Dad's had a VW Golf TDI, and now a 2008 6.7L. I had to give up my title as most powerful vehicle in the family, but gladly.

 

I grew up on the farm and my dad had done a late 70's dodge diesel engine swap into an 80's Ford. It was the most gutless truck ever created, but got decent mileage. I have also always loved I6 diesels from growing up driving tractors and going to the pulls. Bought my old chevy with a 6.5T transplant. I had always wanted one, but it was the first diesel I owned.....and it was a turd.....all the known problems of the early 6.5T's. However, I did like the diesel and that I could get better than 8mpg in a 4x4, 1T, crew cab. The 6.5T bit the dust and I decided to do a cummins.

 

I got into diesels because I like to have a big truck to be able to haul or pull whatever I want. Diesels, although are not cheap to operate, still offer the best fuel economy for heavy trucks. Its just a plus the sound of the 5.9 winding out with a 4 inch pipe

 

I've grown up around tractors. But i used to think a big block was the baddest thing out there my dad had a 94 F250 With a 460 man it was fast I thought it couldn't be beat pulling till we went camping with some friends and a 95 3500 With a few mods blew us away. He had a 35' Fifth wheel we had a 24' bumper pull. He just left us on a hill. After that my dad bought a 99 7.3 but a banks kit on it. That really got me into it. My first truck was a 95 Nissan 4 four banger Slower than dirt. so after a little saving and at the ripe old age of 18.5 I bought my 3500 Was going to buy a 7.3 but my dad was on his 3rd transmission of 4 and i loved the way the 24 valve sounded so i bought it. After the 4th trans in the ford my dad pulled the banks power pack. and sold the ford for an 05 3500 6 speed he has 125000ish miles on it and says its the best truck hes ever had.The guy with the 95 sold it and bought an 01 after hearing my 98.5 with a 4" I dont know where id be without diesel. I guess id be driving a big block getting 8 miles a gallon.... Its a really sad thought when you think about it. Oh and btw my dad now has 4 diesel trucks all 7.3s except his 05 Wonder witch one never quits hmmm....

Chris

 

Mileage, longevity, torque for towing, cheaper than gas(at the time!). Specific to Cummins: straight 6, over a hundred fewer parts than V-8's, bombable.

 

In the early 70's when the chev crew cab dually reigned supreme we pulled an over loaded goose all the time. We had and extra "built" motor sitting on a stand. The first diesel we had was a 72 with a 3 cylinder perkins in it. It sucked. Some friends had a 6.2 Chev. it sucked. I had a 88 460 ford worst thing I've ever owned.

In 97 I went to the Ford dealer to buy a new truck 4 door 4x 5 speed. They wanted too much for their truck and didn't want to give me anything for mine.

Same day my buddy and I went to the Dodge dealer to have a laugh at the Dodges. I had to put fuel in because I test drove it so far and I felt bad.

I ordered my 97 that day. Even with the problems I've had with it it's the best truck I've ever owned.

 

I had a 13 second 2003 Ford Lightning that got beat by an ext cab short bed cummins powered dodge one weekend...3 months later i bought my dodge!

And now, when it comes to hauling and working a pick-up...I look at these guys with a 2500-3500 series truck with a gasser in it and wonder how they can even stand to get in such a gutless truck everyday and pull a load. I'm tainted by the power of a diesel now and I'll never go back in anything that is used for hauling any sizable loads.

 

the sound of a turned up 6.9 diesel at idle. gotta love the crack. it was an 86 ford flatbed dually 6.9l diesel 4spd. put a set of 16'' alchoas and a set of 3 1/2'' stacks. striaght piped it and turned the pump all the way up. it roalled my coal than a frieght train. me and my brother ragged that truck to no end, hook chains to anything that would pull and burnt up more michillens than you can shake a stick at, now my best friend owns it and were fixing it up.

 

Was pulling my ~7k lb boat with an E-150 van w/4.6l (barely). Decided I needed something with mileage, durability, and the ability to tow the boat with ease...and I've always been a Dodge fan! Now I don't think I'll ever go back, and starting to look at a VW for the wife.