diesel4life

Yeah I could see where they wouldn't want to build an entire cannon.....thought you were just looking for a specific piece....really neat looking stuff there Russ.

I would take it to a local machine shop Russ, they could set you right up.

I hope he finds some positive answers, quickly Hex! We will be keeping him in our thoughts and praying he comes through! My grandfather spent his 84th birthday on the golf course. He walked all 9 holes, refused to rent a cart (as always)Later that year he developed Parkinson's, he is now 88 and still hanging in there but very limited in his abilities. He is still sharp as can be, he stays up until 3 or 4am every Saturday playing poker with guys literally half his age, and almost always comes home with a pocket full of money! His disease has really taken a toll on him physically though. He was always such a tough ol bird, it's so heart breaking to see him so vulnerable and frail.

I've accumulated spares over the years and carry them in a small tool box when I venture far from home. I do a couple of four wheeling trips every year and where we go we can be without cellphone service for days at a time so theres no calling anyone if there's a problem. Mechanically my truck is in great condition and I have no doubts about taking it on a 1200+ mile road trip (done it many times) but everything has a lifespan and there simply is no way of knowing what it is when it comes to electrical components. In my case every sensor on my truck except my APPS is 15+ yrs old, so it's only a matter of time.

Oil has a tendency to migrate and things that appear to be leaking sometimes aren't and vice versa. If you've been leaking for a while, can you degrease the engine and start with a clean block? Then you know for sure....

I dont see very many people willing to part with a r & p gear set without selling the entire axle assembly but that would be more cost effextive if you could get lucky enough to come across a set. No tuning required with a vgt, all plug and play, with an exhaust brake to boot, all for under a grand, and thats assuming you have to buy a new stand alone controller. :think:Its all a matter of preference, either turbo option would be a good one.

I assume this comment is directed at me. Im not here to cram my logic down other peoples throats, i was merely suggesting a perfectly viable option. Only hex can decide whats best for his application. The suber b would also be a pretty good choice, but as long as one stays within the fueling capabilities of the vgt its going to be tough to beat the efficiency. There is a reason why they re found on nearly all oem applications now a days. The gears would also help but unless you could find a set of axles for next to nothing it would be a huge expense for towing a trailer a handful of times a year.

"HE351vgt swap into a 2nd gen", or something similar to that. There is some good write ups on the swaps, if I have some time later I'll dig some up. 6.7 manifold bolts right up, you would need a 6.7 style down pipe as well because the turbo sits lower and closer to the block with the 6.7 manifold. There are a few things you will have to add, like coolant lines, extend the oil lines, and you may have to fab an elbow to mate to the intercooler because I havent seen one out there yet that you can purchase to bolt on. It will require a little work but if your patient and wait for the deals to come around I think it would be a very efficient turbo. You gotta remember that a stock 6.7 engine has about 100 more ponies right out of the gate than our 2nd gens. I've seen some modded 6.7s making some serious power while still utilizing the oem turbo, but they can only handle so much fuel and then your forced to step up again. I'm pretty sure you can get 40-42 psi out of them, a nice little step up from the 30-32 (35 if your really pushing it) out of the HX, plus the variable turbn gives you that bottom end boost right off the bottom.

Hit and run!!!!!!

I've seen where people have posted the earlier canisters like I've got are a major restriction but I don't see anymore of a pressure drop than the next guy. I love the steel canister with all the ports in the top. I use one for fuel pressure gauge, one for my low pressure idiot light I have to attract my attention in case my pressure goes to hell and I don't notice it right away (big red light illuminates in dash), and the last port I have a small needle valve with a short piece of tubing bent in a 90* elbow with a chunk of clear plastic hose stuffed over the end and ran down to the axle. That way when I have to break into the fuel system for any reason, I can bump the starter to engage the lift pump and barely crack the valve and watch the air bubbles come out in the fuel. I may have to repeat this a few times but eventually it will push solid fuel out and being its the highest point in the fuel system I can successfully bleed all the air out of the system without having to crank the engine over and bleed it through the injectors.

If your Banks is disconnected, where is your overboost code coming from?

You can find them on Craigslist, CF, places like that. The 6.7 guys ditch them once they start modding much above 450 horsepower (give or take) so if your patient you can pick them up for a decent price. You have to get a 6.7 manifold or an adapter but I hear theres some fab work involved and the air box would need relocated with an adapter, so the manifold would be the best bet. All bolt on parts, you would need a 4" down pipe coming off the back of the turbo. The stand alone controller is what controls the variable turbo and the exhaust brake. Not sure if you've ever ridden in a 6.7 truck but their exhaust brakes are outstanding, probably better than most if not all aftermarket exhaust brakes, except maybe the load leash which closes the exhaust valves. If you do some digging theres some pretty good writeups out there on the web on the 2nd gen trucks with the vgt set up.And yes, you would still need a lock up switch for the trans, and probably a billet input for heavy exhaust braking. You can run with the turbo only and not activate the exhaust brake if your not comfortable with the strain it will put on your trans, and upgrade the input at a later date, which is what I plan on doing if I can come across a sweet enough of a deal on a turbo/manifold.

If theyre not going to own up to it and replace it, you will likely have to find a place online that reconditions wheels. Junkyards are a long shot because if they have them they generally will only sell them with the wheel. http://www.centercaps.net/search/model.results.php?ddlMake=15&ddlModel=120&ddlYear=2001&getCap=Get&Cap When you click on the link type in the info on your truck and your caps will pop up. Not cheap by any stretch but unless you get lucky and find someone willing to part with a center cap, probably your only choice. This is just one example you may be able to shop around and find one a little cheaper but they are generally pretty pricey.

Interesting.... I've always been under the impression they are only good for 3 to 4 years. I remember reading an article by Michelin that stated after 3 years an ST tire has lost 1/3 of it's integrity, and the average lifespan of an ST tire should not exceed 5000 to 10,000 miles depending on the type of use the tire had.As for your tires on your truck, you went way overkill with a G rated tire which is probably why you got away with it. You increased the safety factor. If you would have been running on a set that was rated closer to the max GVW (or within the recomended 20% cushion) you may have had a lot different experience. Go buy a G rated truck tire and it will last you 80k+ miles and alot more than 3 years.....It's all personal preference based on past experience, I'm just not a fan of ST tires.

The overall cost of living is pretty cheap here as.well when it comes to property taxes, utilities, etc. You can get a nice chunk of Wooded property for around $2k an acre, give or take. Very surprising to see our registration fees so far apart.

36 bucks to register your truck?? It's $76 a year for mine. Heck even my tilt trailer I pay $48 a year for.

Don't ST tires typically have a short "shelf life" so to speak?

Thats probably the best solution. And try to get away from the ST tires, for the life of me I just can't understand why they can't engineer a tire to at least withstand the posted legal speed limits on the highways. I tow fairly frequently and I will only drive as fast as I feel is safe given the road, weather, and traffic conditions regardless of the posted speed limit. With that being said limiting your speed to 65 mph (which is at the MAX speed rating of the tire and a red flag in my book) when your on a freeway with a posted speed limit of 75 mph and traffic is realistically driving 80 to 85 mph, is a hazard in itself and an accident waiting to happen.

I agree with Ryan, a vgt would be a good choice and one I've been considering. Much more efficient than the HX35 because the turbo keeps you right in the sweet spot so your efficient down low yet you can pour the fuel to it and it stays right with you. The problems with the vanes I believe pertains to the early days of the 6.7s where they were sooting the turbos exessively with all the EGR cycles. But with all the changes in tuning that has become alot less of a problem and on a 24v with no EGR should be no problem. If your patient you can look around locally and find a good used 351 with a 6.7 manifold for 300 to 400 bucks and approximately another 400 for a stand alone controller. A good turbo and an exhaust brake for in the neighborhood of 800 bucks, hard to beat that

I've also got a set of the Duratracs in 285/75 for running the fields in the spring and winter roads but I quit running them all year around to try to save them. They have excellent traction Ive been really happy with them.

I recently drove out to Wyoming and back and I saw more Dodges (3rd and 4th gen) pulling large trailers than I would have ever imagined. This was the weekend of the 4th of July and there was a TON of rv's running I-80. I did all of the driving and made a game out of it with my son to pass the time to keep track of how many of each we saw. I'm not exaggerating in any stretch when I say they outnumbered Ford and GM combined. My son actually started guessing what truck it was as we were coming up on them in the passing lane before we could see the truck. After he got several in a row right I asked him how he knew. "Easy dad, I know what it is as soon as I see the mirror sticking out past the trailer." He's a smart little cuss.

The Duratracs are a great tire but probably too aggressive for the OP. Best all season tire I've ever ran on the Cummins is Goodyear Silent Armor Pro Grade. The steel belts are wrapped in Kevlar. 50k mile warranty and they meet the severe snow service requirements. Only tire I've ever gotten more than 60k out of on my Dodge. (ON my former 00) The down side is they are pricey, but you get what you pay for. Right now I'm running the factory BFG's that came on the 2012 4th gen wheels I picked up over the winter. The truck they came off of had less than 20k.Ivesince put close to 12k on them and there is no way I'm running these things through the winter. It's incredible how fast they've worn. I plan on replacing them with a set of Silent Armors.

Good lord, tandem duals! Never seen that on a camper, usually they just go to a tri axle. I like your option better though! thats a nice looking camper, hope you enjoy it!

I love my 2nd gen but my boys are growing like weeds and a mega will be in my future. I know more people with CR engines than I know with a 12 valve or a vp truck and they are all work horse trucks with high mileage. I drove to Wyoming at the beginning of July, actually when we left was right at the end of the 4th of July weekend. It was simply mind boggling how many Dodges are out on the roads pulling campers, flat deck trailers, wedges, BIG boats, enclosed trailers, etc. I saw very few 2nd gens, the vast majority were either 3rd or 4th gen rigs. They are very capable engines as long as an extra step in fuel filtration is taken for preventative measures.

Work is the best place to plug it in---I dont have to pay for the electricity!! I work alot of 14 to 16 hour days and Im not the least bit shy to plug that sucker in when I pull in, and leave it all day long. You won't catch me doing that at home though! Your best bet is to buy a heavy duty timer and have it set to kick on a few hours prior to leaving for work, or something to that effect. The juice you save will pay for that timer! The block heaters no doubt makes life much easier and has to be easier on the equipment, but Cummins says it isnt necessary or "recommended" until 0 degrees or below. With that bieng said, I've personally witnessed my brother in laws 08 sit up at the cabin in Wyoming at 10,000 feet for days on end with night time temps at or below -30 below zero, go out, cycle the grid heaters a few times, and light er off I asked him about plugging his truck in once and he looked at me like I was crazy. Last I knew he was pushing the 250k mile mark, still running strong....