91 auto 1 ton dually reg cab or 92 250 5spd club cab! HELP!! please

JMD4993

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hey first timer here,

im in the market for a truck and i know i want a cummins. i recently realized i dont have enough money for a 24 valve in good condition. i also recently have realized that 1st gens are the way to go or atleast the 12 valve is the way to go. i would like to start making biodiesel to make my work commute really cheap and to save money.

right now i have a choice between a 91 auto 1 ton dually with 100k miles, snug top camper with bunks and storage, new front tires and front brakes, has a banks performance system in it (which i think consists of an intercooler and exhaust not positive though). this one is being sold for $4k and it needs a break master cylinder and booster which he quoted was a $600 fix with parts and labor. im gonna try to get ahold of the last owner of the truck and find out its history more. heres the craigslist link for it and let me know what you think. heres the CL link for the 1 ton http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/2766800274.html

i looked at the 1 ton in person today looks ok. i like old classic trucks. made in america. i dont wanna deal computers either. i just would like to know what to check on the truck to make sure its good to go. thanks

the other option is a 92 3/4 ton 5 spd club cab and camper shell with a banks turbo and exhaust, K&N air inlet, gear vendor over drive and more. dont know the miles just yet. this one is selling for $6000 but i dont wanna spend more than 5 even 4 maybe. i cant seem to find the craigslist ad for this anymore hopefully its not gone.

the only thing i have a problem with is that i would like a 5 spd
1. because i like driving manuals
2. i hear that a manual cummins is the way to go for towing especially.

i need help deciding. i would also like as much hidden tips about the 1st gens as you guys can throw my way. im gonna be using this for towing later on like farm work. but for now i want mpg mpg mpg. thanks alot.
 

towcat

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welcome;Sweet
I'm a bad person because I own at least two makes at one time and sometimes three. my cummins trucks have a tendency to find new homes very quickly so they don't stay mime for long. I do like the fords due to how plentiful the parts are. unfortunately ford doesn't have burb-o-matics, so there will be at least one in my fleet due to their versatility for the family.;Sweet centurion broncos don't count due to their rarity.
If I was in your shoes, I'd look at the ZF5 trucks only. E4DOA trucks will leave you stranded at the worst possible times(imho). I also like ext cab trucks due to the fact I"m a large guy and like the space to keep my **** in the cab.
so.....my choice out of your is narrowed down to one. if you don't mind driving a ZF5 truck in sokal traffic, you're a good guy in my books;Sweet
 

JMD4993

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thanks

thanks for the info. ya i already have a 5 spd jeep cherokee i drive in socal traffic but i usually avoid the traffic. it would be nice to have an auto for that but giving in isnt my style i love manuals. if you have any other advice on the 12 valves or things to check before i buy it let me know thanks again.
 

towcat

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1st gen 12V is a favorite of mime, but I hate the wrapper. the electrical is flaky and the seats aren't comfy. Dodge didn't get their act together until MBZ redid the electrical post-98. problem is, you are now in the 24V territory.
Cummins is a good motor, just everything else around it isn't as durable as a ford product. Also, when you do have to work on a Cummins, the parts are at least twice if not three times as much compared to a ford/IH.
 

chvycmnslvr68

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Well at least some of that info is true ... but when you start talking about cost of the IH/stroker you don't get any higher than them when replacing injectors ... the 12Valve Cummins is the most inexpensive to work on ... you can buy brand new injectors for around 75.00(ford IH is about 475.00 exchange) and you can usually get the injection pump completely rebuilt for around 6- 800 (the High pressure oil pump alone on a power stroke is about 1800).. and as for the question about pulling with a five speed .. if your pulling a very big trailer such as a goose neck... you will definitely have heating issues with auto trans w/o making some expensive mod's to them .. my 91 Chevy with the 93 12 valve and dodge 5-speed with the pump wide open and i cant get it over two ten .,. it slowly creeps up there and then the fan comes on and it cools right down again .. I just pulled a 40' goose neck over 4400 miles with it loaded and i never once got it over 210 where the fan comes on at .. Every dodge I ever tried pulling with that had an auto in it you couldn't keep it cool once it started warming up you just had to keep backing out of it till you were finally pulled over on the side of the read trying to cool it back down ...
 

The Warden

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Well at least some of that info is true ... but when you start talking about cost of the IH/stroker you don't get any higher than them when replacing injectors ... the 12Valve Cummins is the most inexpensive to work on ... you can buy brand new injectors for around 75.00(ford IH is about 475.00 exchange) and you can usually get the injection pump completely rebuilt for around 6- 800 (the High pressure oil pump alone on a power stroke is about 1800)..
You make a good point, but I'm pretty sure towcat was talking about the Ford/IH IDI engine, not the Powerstroke. You can buy a set of 8 injectors for an IDI for less than a single PSD injector goes for. At the same time, the Bosch fuel system parts on the 6BT should last longer than the Stanadyne parts that IH went with.

I've made no secret of my preference for manual transmissions :D
 

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