Medium Duty Trucks?

[KrebsATM02]

So, I graduated college in May and now have a decent job. I've always planned on buying a used CTD for about 15,000 when I graduated and using it as a daily driver/ tow rig....So I'm at my girlfriend's sisters horse farm and notice the owner just got a Kodiak truck. It's a 92, has a 6.6 Liter Cat, 6 speed, and has 52000 miles. They got it for a steal at 5500.

So now I'm thinking, why buy a CTD when I could have a Daily Driver that gets good gas mileage and have a medium duty truck for towing/other duties. I could get my dads F-150 for a reasonable price and that would be my DD. So I could have 2 trucks for basically what I would be spending on a CTD.

So what I really want is something that is crewcab, so I can bring more than me and my girlfriend, and a place to store stuff. I've been looking on trucktrader and truckpaper, but don't find many crew cabs....But I know of an older one in a equipment yard with a tired IH motor in it.

The guy said around a $1000 for it. I haven't seen it in a while, but i would be buying it for the cab, frame, and rear end. Then swap a different motor and tranny into it and restore the interior. Does this sound dumb to do?

What engine tranny combo's would be good? The 8.3L Cummins?? How much do these diesels go for? Trannys?

I'd like A/C, and for it to be a decent ride. I know some of these ride pretty rough.

I'd have a budget of around $8,000-10,000 for this.

Flame away....

[Fear Factory]

I guess you have to ask yourself if you want a huge project tow rig and spend a lot of time on it. Do you have all the large equipment needed to replace 1500lb. engines, transmissions etc? To get the kind of ride you want you'll probably need to install an air-ride system as well. How is the rearend geared in that IH? It may have to be regeared to give the kind of cruising ability you want without riding on the governor. The Cummins C8.3 gets my nod, and I'd like a 9 speed Fuller behind it. Just so it has overdrive to get the top speed up there. In texas it may not be an issue but I want 4wd in my tow rig and this is big $$ on a MD. If you have to venture off pavement with this rig in any kind of soft ground you may get stuck.

Getting an F150 for a daily driver seems to be defeating the purpose. DD to me means a Honda accord or VW Jetta, something that gets good mileage. If you're going to drive a truck everyday it may as well be a CTD. I've wanted a medium duty for a long time but whenever it comes time to decide, the CTD Dodge always wins. Then for a DD I have my VW Jetta Tdi. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a MD to play around with, the amount of power I could derive from a C8.3 is spine tingling. I always seem to run into issues of practicality. My CTD tows just fine and stops great, I can't ask for more out of it, plus I can drive it wherever I want to when I need a pickup.

[Hickeyjones]

those IH's ride like a tank until you get into the heavy duty 80k rating semi's. If it was me, I would look for one like that Kodiak at the horse farm.

[KrebsATM02]

i'll have to look this weekend what that truck was...Can't remember, but i think it was an IH...

I like to work on custom things as long as I have time, which I do right now. The F-150 is a 4.9 with a 5 spd so it actually gets pretty decent gas mileage. Plus I know it has been taken care of and it's immaculate.

Anyone know where I can find out information about bigger diesel engines and transmissions? TDR maybe??

[gunracer1]

my dually 4x4 cummins gets better miliage and rides better than all three of my f150s. i get between 18 and 20 now, have 900 or so pound of torque and can tow 28k down the road at 70 no sweat. i would suggest you get a nice clean 3/4 ton dodge with 355 gears and get better miliage and it will fill your towing needs, unless you carry more than three rigs. if you could find a nice clean 96 to 98 12v 5 speed truck, jump on it. mike

[Fueler]

Originally posted by gunracer1
if you could find a nice clean 96 to 98 12v 5 speed truck, jump on it. mike

key word there is IF. good luck finding one. i tried for 2 months and ended up getting a '01 HO. i drive it everyday and pull my junk on the weekends. it was the smartest move ive made yet. i get a healthy 17-20 MPG empty. i think thats pretty good. sure id love to have a monster truck with a 8.3 Cummins in it.....but where the hell would i park it???? go buy a Dodge and like it

[KrebsATM02]

Thats the problem... I don't want to spend 15000 on someones truck when i could get a new one for 25000. Life sucks, when your in college you can't wait to get out and make money, but when your working you realize how good you had it in college.

All these decisions suck!

[vb]

gunraceri i call yer bluff man. youve never carried 28k in that truck at 70. and if you did try it was a scarey ride concidering that your truck is rated for less than 12k total. it would take you miles going down hill with a strong tail wind to get to 70 with 28k
18 to 20 maybe
back on topic. i think the larger medium duties is a greaqt idea and also agree that the small car for a dd would help pay the tab for the big truck

[Fear Factory]

I can't find a 12V 5 speed either, everyone must be holding onto them. A 3500's GCWR is probably more like 20K, that is truck and trailer. 28K is pretty believeable to me, I see some pretty insane loads going around. I see tandem duallie gooseneck trailers with 4x4 backhoes on them fairly often, that has to be a lot of weight.

[CSP]

Originally posted by vb
gunraceri i call yer bluff man. youve never carried 28k in that truck at 70. and if you did try it was a scarey ride concidering that your truck is rated for less than 12k total.

Doesn't seem that unreasonable to me. I can run 80 going to Moab with 19k total weight easily. Sure it won't do it uphill, but it's no problem on the flats in deserted eastern Utah. Exhaust temps limit my speed more than weight does.

BTW, a CTD one ton has a bit (significant actually) higher rating than 12k. Maybe you're thinking of the truck only. He did say towing, not hauling in the bed.

[Fueler]

Originally posted by CSP


Doesn't seem that unreasonable to me...... Exhaust temps limit my speed more than weight does.

BINGO IN THE MAIN HALL!!!!

[gunracer1]

Originally posted by vb
gunraceri i call yer bluff man. youve never carried 28k in that truck at 70. and if you did try it was a scarey ride concidering that your truck is rated for less than 12k total. it would take you miles going down hill with a strong tail wind to get to 70 with 28k
18 to 20 maybe
back on topic. i think the larger medium duties is a greaqt idea and also agree that the small car for a dd would help pay the tab for the big truck

well i suggest you come down with some cash, and i will take you for a ride. i find i have more trouble with the engine getting hot if i try to push it over 75 with a bad wind drag, grossing around 28k. i should have said gross, not hauling. i can keep my egts in check at 70 with 20k on the trailer no problem. and i know i could haul 28k with no problems if i didn't have the wind drag. if i get off my lazy ass and put the twin turbos on it, it will run down right cool down the road loaded to the gills.

[gunracer1]

here are a few that are avalible in texas.
http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/r...=used&x=23&y=6
i put 12k for a top price. if you use 76020 zip code and a 300 miles radius you can see what is really avalible here. mike

[KrebsATM02]

Yeah, but most of those truck have over a 100,000 miles on them. I know the diesels last for 300,000 plus miles, but nothing else does. AC, steering etc... will go out the same. I want a reliable car to drive everyday....

I've driven an 88 blazer with 35's for the last 4 years and have replaced 2 auto's then finally swapped in a 465, and numerous other repairs.

I just don't want to work on my daily driver and I want it to be reliable and get decent gas mileage. My dads truck should do this for a few years....

[gunracer1]

my truck has 216k on it right now, don't be afraid of the miles. ust don't buy one that was not taken care of. my neighbors 2001 has 270k on it and he tows 95% of the time. still on the stock auto and every thing else. mike

[vb]

i still think the larger trucks are the way to go. the frames and the brakes are set up for the weight.
gunracer i still have a hard time visuallizeing this but if you say so. must be the differance in the areas that we live. i start at 5600 feet and start climbing. course the camper does set up some drag.

[Dustin Smith]

When i first started hotshotting, I used to gross 28k with regularity, and I started out in a 96 12v 3/4 ton, with only an exhaust and a K&N. I had to watch the EGTs, but I could easily make that weight, and run from OKC to Parachute or Rifle, CO. The hills would pull me down pretty good, but it would do the same to anyone else. On flat land, or mild hills, 70-75 was no problem.

[KrebsATM02]

wanna hear my new crazy idea???

$1000 for IH with the crew cab body
$6000 for 8.3 and fuller 9spd (price sound about right???)
$1200 for old 5th wheel RV
$1800 for misc. parts and steel

stretch the current IH frame, or just find an old ryder truck frame, then mount the crew cab body. Take the important shit out of the RV (fridge, stove, AC, sink, shower, generator) mount that shit behind the crew cab part. Put the bed above the cab so it won't be to long, off the top of my head without planning i'm going to say less than 10ft. Then use the axles and gooseneck/5th wheel hitch to make a trailer. I think this way I could actually classify it as an RV.

What kinda frames are 5th whell RV's built on????

Crazy idea huh??? It would take a while to build....but I've got the space and most of the tools to do it. I've got a girlfriend but she'll take another year at college to graduate, so she can't bother me. I get home from work at 6:00. I'd live alone on 45 acres with a decent size barn to work in and no one to bother me!

Oh and for the car situation, my brothers friend has an old 87 plymouth that he'd sell me for 400. AC works, from talking to him it sounds like one cv shaft is messed up, but those aren't to big of a deal. So I might have to drop a couple hundred to make it decent just to drive me around. I don't care what it looks like!!!

Also, I'd fix up the blazer. Find another Dana 60 for the front. I have a dodge dana 60 but i'm saving that for the rock buggy. Put crossover, hi steer, and a locker in the front and wheel it for another year or so before i have time/money to build a buggy.

[vb]

i like the idea!!! going the same route. guy here local does the stretch( 2k) i have a camper that i cant get any bites on and yeh im with ya