CSM

I am kinda torn there with the short commute as well. I usually just shut down cold and once a week take it out for a few more miles to get it warmed up.

What we've been discussing is that more than 5 min idling is considered unnecessary and possibly harmful by Cummins. The current consensus is that you idle it briefly until the engine smooths out a bit, and then idle away and drive real nice until it warms up. Usually the idle time is a minute or two, then go, or less if it was plugged in. The high idle will get the oil flowing a little better & get the alternator spinning faster and additionally the 3cyl idle will put a load on the engine to warm it up faster. Unlike a gas engine, a diesel just builds heat very very slowly at idle due to the lack of load and subsequent lean mixture at idle.

No, but you can do it cheaper. The below part and a 1-1/8th hole saw and you're done. http://www.vulcanperformance.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DS2

Thats awesome! I love those old engines. I was oilfield too. I covered Frac, Wireline, & Seismic. Did the gas boom, then the gas bust, then the oil boom. Thankfully, I am skipping the oil bust. Hopefully things stabilize soon.

Have a smartphone? Here is a nice driveline angle app. http://tremec.com/menu.php?m=154

You could also eliminate the moving parts abs use your fancy lights as high beam and run low beam halogens. Probably not necessary though.

Probably true. When I looked at the prices though, I couldn't justify the bigger U joints. The prices of the 1480s I looked at were quite a bit higher than the 1410s. I don't horse around enough to break a U joint, even with the TST. I won't put that much rubber on my truck and I haven't broken a 1410.

There are a lot of car shows out there. A lot of crappy "reality shows" that really are scripted and then there is this show. It is possibly the best show ever. Yes, better than Top Gear. I grew up going to the library and spending DAYS reading through old copies of HOT ROD magazine. I love cars and HOT ROD. If you are similarly afflicted, I have a show for you. ROADKILL... This show is great. It is two guys, the Editor and Assoc. Editor ot HOT ROD going out and doing real car stuff. Some of it absurd, but it isn't scripted, and it isn't syndicated. These guys are making some money off of it, but aren't controlled by some network focus group. Check it out. Probably my favorite episode, is when they take an A Body Plymouth Barracuda out of a Junkyard, drive it several hundred miles to a legit drag race in Tx. The wife's favorite is when they buy a Craigslist low rider and put swampers on it. Below is a link to their shows, all free, on youtube. If you like Roadkill, check out some of the other Hot Rod offerings on the Motor Trend channel. I also like the following two channels. Mr Pete 222, aka Tubalcain, the master of metals. This guy is a retired machinist and shop teacher. I would call him a mechanical rock star in some ways. Did you ever wonder how to properly sharpen drill bits? Did you ever wonder how to properly use files? Did you ever wonder how to do some lathe operations or basic machining? Did you know that Aluminum and Steel require different tapping lubricants!??? Check this guy out. It is like the shop class I never had. https://www.youtube.com/user/mrpete222 And, coldwarmotors. This is a crazy Canuck with a lot of time and friends who rescues some amazing old Iron from the crusher and keeps it on his property, almost like a moving museum. You can see him take some amazingly trashed old cars from the junk yard and make them drive. I covet his 72 Chrysler land yacht. https://www.youtube.com/user/coldwarmotors The most recent Roadkill, was a old mini pickup with a Toronado transaxle and Olds 455 in the bed. Kinda like a Mazda-Olds-Porsche thing.

My barracuda has been in pieces for the past 15 years. We did get my dads Challenger going though. Barracuda as drug home, many years ago. I know, it is totally mint! The interior is posh! I've collected all the parts to finish it over the years, but I've been working too far away from the family shop to do much on it. I am optimistic that work will continue on it this next year, as I am moving back to Colorado next year. I have a 340 with six pack to go in it. The car is a 4sp. I am going to paint both a power bulge and shaker hood for it to give myself options, as the six pack isn't going to stay on there forever. I want to play with it, but I will likely go FAST EFI eventually. 72 Challenger. 360 automatic. Fun car Currently getting new quarters. I am trying to convince him to keep the gold, but I don't think that is going to happen.

I have my old one. It still spins fine but was throwing over 1V ac. I even have a box to ship it in.

I love old mopars. Mopar, (God bless'em) still makes legit 2nd gen (muscle car era) Elephant motors! They don't build the engines themselves, they contract it all out to various manufacturers and large shops typically around the Detroit area. Well, during my research I found out that there has been quite a few changes in who makes these new crate motors. Originally, it was a small high end machine shop that would take the raw castings and turn them into beautiful engines. Then, Mopar decided to go with the lowest bidder. Cummins. The engines that came from Cummins were 100% garbage. Crap in the engines. Awful surface finish on parts. Poor hone job. Casting sand in the engine. Horrible stuff. No care or QC. Cummins no longer makes the Hemis for Mopar Performance, thank goodness! Nothing against Cummins as a whole here, but it got me thinking again about the differences between Cummins/Cat diesels and otto cycle gas engines. Cummins, by comparison, could make a 5.9 12V cummins with sand in it. They could make a cummins with horrible finish on most parts. They could leave casting flash in the ports. Nobody would care or even notice. The engines that Cummins makes are kind of the motor equivalent of Anvils. High performance hemi on the other hand, are $20,000 antique pieces of high performance art that requires a different outlook. With a naturally aspirated hemi, the builders can be beyond meticulous about details... They are superstitious! Even the texture of the intake ports matter. A super smooth port or super rough port will lose power. Only nice coarse grit cartridge roll with "proper technique" will suffice. Everything else from valvetrain to clocking spark plugs can be equally important. Does anybody here have any experience with OEM diesels that have quite a few issues from the factory? Could it be more than just inadequate procedures and specifications from Mopar, and just the concept that they built the hemis like they build the diesels? I've never torn down a brand new truck, I wouldn't know.

The shop said that steel would be getting close to the natural frequency at that lb/ft on a long bed. I don't think there is anything wrong with AL, except expense.

Tailshaft bushing is possible. I doubt it is the angle, as the suspension is designed to be loaded.

Hoo boy. Thats a tough one then. There are only 28 U joint cups on the truck. U joint wear can be hard to find until they start grinding.

Kitt, I know there are some good driveshaft shops in Denver and might be more in Grand Junction. I don't know if steel would be an option given the length, but steel would have been preferred. Aluminum is kinda cool though. I used to work up in your neck of the woods, back when the gas fields were booming.

The alternators these days are awful. I fully expect in the next 10 years or so, that most of these trucks will be ABS delete due to the computers and controllers failing without replacement parts from Mopar.

I like this, mike. I am still using some steel and plastic NATO cans I've had for a while. Not the easiest as they require a funnel, but they are better than the EPA tyranny. I still think that steel cans are the way to go, especially as they don't crack and wear out like plastic.

Transmission and engine mounts still good?

Any codes?

Yes.

It was expensive at about 700. I would have liked to shop around or had one made at one of the Denver hot rod shops. Probably could have saved some if I had. Unfortunately, I am living out of state for a few months and didn't have that option. I am told it is a good driveshaft for all use. The main gain is less moving parts, less weight, and no carrier bearing. Other than that I expect no differences. I do expect some minor and brief vibration during break in, but we shall see. I think ah64id has a one piece as well and that the newer trucks have gone to one piece drive shafts.

Holy crap. What? In the morning, I am going to go dig through some manuals. I thought that was a 3rd gen only thing.

Primarily, connectors. Then I would take the cover off the box (if it is like the juice modules) and RTV any gaps or holes before re assembly. Although, it has been a while since I had a juice module to compare.

If you guys are concerned, there is nothing like some good dielectric grease.

Thank you, Sir! Happy Thanksgiving to all, no matter where you are at.