Dodge Possible Future Project

[TRD270]

Gregs new little awesome project has me thinking on a future project i've had in mind. I've basically wanted to create what Greg is already starting to create, although on a different platform. My original plans were to build up a 2005+ Taco but as Steve has recently found out they are a bit pricey and don't ever seen to lose to much value.

But as I previously stated Gregs new little project had me thinking more in the full-size area, more room, more capacity and much cheaper.

Anyway getting to the point, I've always been slightly partial to Dodges and since I lack the fabricating skills of Greg and many other RME'ers I have to think more along the lines of already having a solid axle. The platform i've been thinking of is late 90's to 02 Dodge 2500, if you look around long enough you can pick one up for under 6k or even a lot less.

The 2500 come with a Dana 60 front and rear and in some cases the 70 in the rear, a reasonable 5.9L 360 which has a lot of potential power to be brought out, or even the V10. I've kind of ruled out the cummins even though I love them, they are extremely heavy, and that also means I would have to carry two different types of fuel.

I poked around a but on the forum but didn't see a whole lot of builds on full size Dodges. Just curious on peoples thoughts of the Dodge platform, if the Dodge axles are worth being the platform to start out with or if anyone has a similar Dodge project.

Also if you would even consider the V10 or just stick with either the 318 or 360.

Just curious let me know what you think

 

[Badger]

Stay far away from the V10.....

 

[Rot Box]

I had an 01 2500 with a Cummins and I absolutely loved it off road. It was not a rock crawler and it was scary in slippery mud, but for a camping and exploring rig it was more than great. The Cummins had a ton of power and would get 20mpg just putting around on dirt roads. Theres a few full size Dodge builds on http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/28-Domestic-Full-Size-and-Other that are worth checking out.

Axles in the 2500-3500's are typically the D60 front and 70 rear with the D80 (well 70/80 hybrid) offered in some. I'd take the Cummins over all those engines combined and then some. They weigh a lot but so does the rest of the truck. I've never heard anything bad about the V10 other than it is a gas hog, and the injectors are prone to getting sediment buildup. A friend has a bone stock 96 2500 with a 360 and it is too underpowered for that big ol' truck imo.

Both of the rear axles are bomb proof and the front axle is fine for the most part. Fronts are 30 spline (32 towards the end of that body style) and come with unit bearings which are both frowned upon by some because they are expensive to replace and wear quickly when big tires are added. Trac bars are an issue as well but they are easy to replace. Imo if you're running a 33" or smaller tire without a suspension lift they are just fine. Taper bearing hubs and selectable lockouts are an upgrade if you are willing to spend some money.

My recommendation is: Buy a high GVW 2500 or 3500 to get the best axles and transmissions, don't lift it more than 2" and don't run huge tires unless you want to spend a lot of money upgrading the front suspension and axle components. Its surprising what they are capable of with a good set of 33" (255/85) tires

 

[Bart]

Stay far away from the V10.....

Why? With the exception of mileage, I love mine. Motor runs like a top, same suspension, axles, t-case, and tranny as a Cummins. I would much rather have the V10 over the 5.9 or 5.2 because I do use it for towing and the mileage difference is not that great.

 

[thenag]

I will have to dig up some pictures when I get home, we used to wheel with a guy that a v10 2500 extra cab, short bed I think.

He eliminated the unit bearings and maybe the CAD. it was lifted 37's rock sliders custom bumper big ass winch it was sweet.

Last I saw he was building up an early bronco with a propane powered 302...

Pretty much anything can be built into a hell of a wheeling rig, do your research, learn the weak points, fix them.

Also since you are going to buy a vehicle learn what the cutoff is for different axles, some of the dodges had d44's up front, to many times you hear of someone selling a d60 that is really a d50, so you need to know what you are getting, take your time build it your way, build it right the first time (as much as possible)

nathan

 

[Greg]

I'm not a fan of Dodges build quality, especially the Rams. The only thing good about a Dodge Ram is the Cummins that was offered, IMO. I think you're on the right track with starting with a solid axle truck though.

I'm not a Ford fan, but the other truck I was considering was a '95-96 Ford F250. I was thinking hard about finding a truck with a 460 and dealing with the mileage... 11 MPG no matter what, loaded & towing or not! The F250's had the lame TTB front axle, but bolting a F350 under it is silly simple, using the F350 springs & steering.

 

[TRD270]

I'm not a fan of Dodges build quality, especially the Rams. The only thing good about a Dodge Ram is the Cummins that was offered, IMO. I think you're on the right track with starting with a solid axle truck though.

I'm not a Ford fan, but the other truck I was considering was a '95-96 Ford F250. I was thinking hard about finding a truck with a 460 and dealing with the mileage... 11 MPG no matter what, loaded & towing or not! The F250's had the lame TTB front axle, but bolting a F350 under it is silly simple, using the F350 springs & steering.

I actually like the interiors of the Fords better, seem to be as you said of better quality. However seemed like all of the big 3 the mid 90's were not a great time for a quality product. I've never driven a ford with a 460, but the 351 in the 94 150 I had was gutless as hell. I know the 360 is probably in the same boat, so i'm actually leaning more towards Rot Box's suggestion of going with the cummins.

But with the cost of diesel going through the roof again, and the initial cost of the truck being so much higher. A ford with a 460 is intriguing, I know the gas prices are supposed to sky rocket as well, but you can buy a lot of gas with the price difference of a 96 ford 460 and a equal year cummins

 

[Greg]

Not to mention the expense of maintaining a diesel... oil changes are one thing, but if you have a part that needs replaced, it'll probably cost 2-3x more for the Cummins than a comparable part for the common, domestic gas engines. Yes, they get better mileage and make great power, but if you don't need a diesel, you don't need a diesel.

I've had friends that towed with their 360 powered Rams and they were pretty sad, I bet the Ford 460 would probably get better mileage than a Dodge 360 while towing, yet have way more torque.

 

[Badger]

I used to work for a company that made me drive the V10 and it was a total piece. It got crappy gas mileage and I just don't remember the motor having all that much power to it for what it was. Granted this was early in the V10 life so things could have changed. I also used to drive a V10 Ford when they first came out and was not really happy with that motor either.

 

[LT.]

Okay, I will vote for the Dodge. My reasons are that the small block engines will last forever. They have no real power and the drive train will also live forever because of that. The interiors were less than desirable but, for an off road rig who really cares? The axles are as bullet proof as any from the factory and the trannys are not too bad. The transfer cases can be replaced with any thing from the after market and are not horrible in stock form anyways. Good crawl ratios, fairly robust, and plentiful. The rear suspension is common leaf springs and the front is a common enough four link with a pan hard bar. All in all a very system to work on and get good flex out of it anyways. There are two folks that I am friends/related to who wheel second get Dodges. Turbosniper and Sprueitt both use them with different styles and they both work well. The V-10 is a heavy sucker and it will use the same springs as the Cummins equipped trucks. The V-8's are not all that powerful but, with good gearing you really won't need too much.

LT.

 

[Wicked Monkey]

i hear a lot of people complain about mechanical and body issues on the newer dodges. My friend in New York loves the cummins in the dodges and only buys them for the Cummins and swaps them in a 1 ton chevy. He claims to get 20+ mpg with it and its turbo. Personally i like the older dodges better. 70's or older. The older power wagons are cool! I could dig that!

Here's a few pics of my NY friends truck with the cummins.

Here's a few of an older beast Dodge. Lots of ideas here! This guy is a member of Steelsoldiers.com

 

[TRD270]

Well i'm not really looking for a hardcore wheeler, I'm looking for a light wheeler for more expedition style trips, something that will house an inbed pop up camper, to tow my primary wheeler, and if I hold onto it throw the dirtbike in the bed.

I love the older style dodges as well, however for the same reasons as greg I want something newer as this will double as my daily driver (which won't get a ton of miles since I have a company car for work), the creature comforts for the longer drives, thats also capable of towing either flat tow or perhaps a trailer in the future as well as a camper similar to this

http://www.fourwh.com/grandby.htm

 

[Wicked Monkey]

Ok cool! I see where yoir getting at! Something simple and useable for many purposes!

 

['03_RUBI]

I have a 2000 Cummins and love it. I have put 85,000 miles on it in a little over 5 years, it now has almost 170,000 miles on it. I put a transmission in it around 100k, it started slipping but I was pretty hard on it when I first bought it. The only time it has ever let me down was when the injection pump went out driving home from work one night, $1000 part but easy to change. Before I bought my TJ I considered buying a new truck and building it up but I like the truck to much to start cutting it up to build a crawler out of it.

 

[TRD270]

I've had 3 CTD's, though 2 of the 3 were 2 wheel drive. I love them, they drive great, plenty of power for what I tow and decent mileage. This project will be later, probably mid summer for purchase, as I will have to sell my car first. But right now i'm kind of leaning to a 94-97 F350 with a 460, or a pre 98 CTD. I guess it will all come down to how good of a deal I can get, as gas and diesel prices continue to rise the amount of rigs will probably increase and the prices decrease.

 

[Rot Box]

If you're considering a 460 in an OBS Ford I'd highly recommend looking into a turbocharged IDI. I won't write a novel (like I usually do) on why I think they are the best diesel pickups ever made... But for the record I really think they are and I recommend them to anyone

 

[Hickey]

I just really want a 2006 Tundra 4 door on 35's. My CTD just feels huge and heavy offroad. Wheelin it just seems like a chore.

 

[Bart]

I have had GMs with 454s and Fords with 460s and I think my current V10 pulls every bit as well, and actually gets better mileage than the 460, without a load. You cannot compare the anemic Ford V10 to the Dodge V10. Not even close.

I used to have a 30' Cruiser (about 12,000lbs, that I pulled with a bunch of different vehicles. The Dodge V10 was the best gas puller by far, but didn't come close to the performance my Ford 7.3 or the Cummins.

 

[thenag]

One other thing I remembered about they guy in Arz I used wheel with, with the v10 dodge.

He had a big winch on his front bumper, it was an after market winch bumper and he winched the bumper off the frame.

Chrysler is known for thin frames, I guess that is true of Dodge trucks too. So if you go that route look into adding some metal to spread the load up front.

The biggest problem with ford is that they change stuff about every year. I put a 460 from a 97 f350 into my bronco. the 97 460 used different push rods than the 96, seriously, ford knew they were discontinuing the 460 after 97 why did they bother updating.

That being said if you are looking at a 460 try to get about 94-97, they did update the power the last few years. I have a friend that seems to collect fords of that era. he has a 96 with a 351 and a 96 with a 460, both with autos and he swears the 351 has more power and gets better mileage. The history of both vehicles is not really known so the 460 could be pretty close to dead. If you are going ford, and not going to tow I would say get 351, there are more aftermarket parts for a 351 as well.

As for me I have a ford butt, I am not comfortable in any seat for long trips but fords... (the xj seats are alright...)

nathan

 

[TRD270]

Well the decision came, it didn't go with the thoughts of this thread very well.

But I pulled the trigger on a 2006 Access Cab Tacoma 4.0 TRD Off-Road I found for a decent price

I elected to go with the Taco over the full-size for a couple reasons, one I was trying to talk myself into more truck than I need, it's just me the ole' lady and the dog, don't need a big old truck for us. Two this will double as my DD, full-size rigs are a pita to drive around town, park etc etc. 3rd and probably one of the bigger factors gas prices are already on the rise again, and set to go much much higher, my 351 Ford F150 got 14 mpg no matter how I drove it when empty, and ever worse when loaded. First tank in the Tacoma with a mix of highway, canyon, surface streets, and light load (5 tires thanks to steve.) I got 22mpg, I figure with camping gear not towing I should be able to average around this number.


Not sure there is a need for another Tacoma build thread, but early plans are some bumpers (probably All-pro), sliders, winch and some good skid plates

Later plans include mild OME lift, locker for the front though I haven't confirmed if ARB makes one yet, 33's and a RTT or Off-Road Camper, or Expedition style trailer with RTT. This part of the build is still under consideration