Buying a 12 valve need some advice

[Dieselfuture]

Dang, you guys have all the luck! I wish I could find an NV4500 donor truck on the east coast. Can't get the trans swap back here for $2700. Buy it , part it, and make some $$ at the least.

Thanks that's the answer I was looking for, but I really want to keep it and make it my toy with bigger tires and some lift so it's still legal on road and I can drive it to go fishing and to work, truck I got now is to nice yet to put dents in and I'm hoping someday my kid wold love to have it. I think it will still be a cool truck to have 10 years from now.

[YabbaDoo]

this is  the  part that  includes  the  glove box?   I'll dig around some too.

Yes, that would be the whole lower half

[Dieselfuture]

Ok I just bought this truck, it is pretty rusty but I got it for $2400. I did drive it and al gears shifted fine, he said at 70k hi had to fix 5th gear and never happened again. Clutch is from dodge dealer few years ago and supposedly only has few thousand miles on it. Engine is covered in oil top to bottom, looks like everything is leaking on it. But it fires right up if you hold go pedal a little otherwise just cranks and aventualy fires up but idles at about 500. There is defenetely not a lot of power but you can hear turbo spool and blow off, sounds normal. Heater core leaks, front end doesn't engage, most joint are shot, fuel guage don't work, fuel lines are almost rotted through just like brake lines, at this point not sure if it's worth fixing it up a bit or putting this drivetrain in a suburban or something like it. Any thoughts?

[Ilikeoldfords]

Doesnt sound like much of the truck is left. I would look at maybe rebuilding the drive train and putting it in something else. Could make a pretty cool project out of it.

[MnTom]

What condition is the body in? If it is decent, then I would look at fixing the oil leaks (might just be valve cover gaskets), the brake lines are fairly easy to replace, the starting is normal for a 12V due to low idle speed, the front end not engaging coud be the CAD collar not sliding, but the ball joints and tierod ends would be the most work.

[Dieselfuture]

What condition is the body in? If it is decent, then I would look at fixing the oil leaks (might just be valve cover gaskets), the brake lines are fairly easy to replace, the starting is normal for a 12V due to low idle speed, the front end not engaging coud be the CAD collar not sliding, but the ball joints and tierod ends would be the most work.

Body is pretty ruff, rockers are gone and fenders are going. Cab mounts are so so, I've driven worse but it's on the way out, it will last the way it is for few more years. I'm thinking fixing it up a bit just so I can do all the mods I want to it, that way later if I find another truck I like, I can swap it out with less fixing. I think I found most of oil leaks, you right valve covers leak like crazy, tappet cover has chunks missing, front cover seeps some, but non of it is horrible because after driving it up on trailer it didn't drip any oil yet. But being under it I noticed between bell housing and motor there is a small gap maybe 1/4 inch for inspection or oil drain for rear seal when it goes, anyway in that gap I observed a small spring maybe 1" long and just big enough I can't get it out of that gap, plus it looks like there is pieces of something flat and black looked like clutch disk chunks, but clutch seems to work fine and guy said it's almost brand new. Maybe it's pieces of old clutch never got cleaned out not sure. If I have to drop tranny more likely I'm parting this thing out and keeping what i need. Time will tell.

[MnTom]

To me it sure sounds like it was rode hard and put away wet way to many times.

[Dieselfuture]

To me it sure sounds like it was rode hard and put away wet way to many times.

You are right about that, I took a day off work today so I can make some progress on it. Everything that I looked at needed attention, fuel pressure was at 10 stretched return spring and it's at about 25 now, waste gate was leaking boost so I don't think pump was advancing or whatever that boost hose does that goes to injection pump. Valves were out of adjustment about 6 to 10 thousands one was like 20 that's over required setting. Fuel lines were leaking in several spots and quick connects on module were rotted, ran new lines and modified module with some jic fittings, fixed fuel gauge, Idle was at about 400-500 got it to 800, fuel heater was leaking from plug, threw it away, all vents were clogged, I don't think this guy did anything at all to it. But that's why I got an ok deal on it too. Going to test drive it this weekend hope I won't find anti thing else that's way out of wak.

[MnTom]

That is one good thing about these 12 valve engines. You can flog the crap out of them and beat them pretty hard and they keep coming back for more!

[Dieselfuture]

We'll that didn't last long, got it running great and of course my darling wife had to ***** about it, so had to let it go for pretty much what I put in it. Just went and spent a bunch of money on the one I'm allowed to keep.

[MnTom]

Well, that sucks......

[Dieselfuture]

Well, that sucks......

Yes it does Tom, but at least when I'm on this forum people feel my pain unlike some creatures in this world.

Some day when I'm gone she'll realize what she had, just like my grandma. Keeps bringing my grandpa up. But they used fight a little just like everyone else. I can tell she sissies him now. Part of life I guess.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Dieselfuture

[rlane547]

That sucks! I was going to suggest an oil analysis which would give you a decent idea of how the internals are. Guess you don't have to worry about it now, That's one thing about these trucks though. If you want to get rid of it it's usually not a problem.