Hello folks! I just looked at and purchased a Dodge Ram 50 from 1984. I need to hook up the car hauler to go and grab it.
Thus far i know i'll need to replace all the fluids and the belt, and probably dive into the timing belt just in case. It has sat outside for atleast 10 years. But looks fairly good considering. the engine looks well taken care of, the coolant was still green, the oil was still fluid, and the air filter looked brand new still. So i'm hoping some simple replacements and maintenance can get her running again.
Unfortunately its only 2wd. I really wanted a long bed extended cab diesel, but i'll settle with this for now. I know almost nothing about this family of trucks so by all means tell me what i actually have. I was honestly looking for an old Toyota not-a-hilux but those don't seem to come in diesel, something i very much wanted above all else.
I couldn't get the motor to turn over by hand just using the fan, the other things attached to the same belt turned fine, i just didn't want to break off a fan blade forcing a dry piston. Battery is long dead and all the tires are rotted out. Thankfully 185-14 tires look pretty cheap, though finding new steel wheels seems a bit harder, it cirrently has all four aluminum wheels, but they look kinda beat and i doubt they'll seal well.
I wouldn't mind adding a few inches to the height, it seems like the leaf springs are rather tired and it sits low. The frame looked solid. Just slight surface rust, nothing rotted through.
Would like to turn this into an Australian styled Ute, finding the proper bed might be difficult unless i fab it myself, but even a simple stake bed would look gorgeous i think. Will be using it to drive to and from classes until the degree is done, but I ultimatly want it to explore the various national parks and sights around, and without taking hundreds of dollars in fuel to do so.
I'll need new seats as this one has been attacked by some rats, its still in one piece but heavily deteriorated, will need some of the minor knobs and trim as well, the shifter is missing its knob, the choke is missing the knob, and a few other minor cosmetics.
Overall I think its a great starting point and hopefully a start to a good relationship with you all.
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