[dharmabum]

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I've been reading old posts here for the last few hours and this might be in the wrong spot but I have a few questions about a truck I will be looking at this weekend. I've been looking for a while for a decent but cheap pickup to use as a daily highway driver, parts hauler, and tow rig for my 72 Commando on a dual axle trailer. Most of what I have found in Fords and Chevys has been too beat or too expensive but I may have found a decent Dodge. Its an 85 one ton, 4WD, 360, 727, and I believe it should have 60s front and rear and a 205 case but will confirm this when I see it in person. I have no experience with Dodges at all so is there anything I should watch out for on them and will this have enough power to pull well? Is the 360 a decent compromise for a DD and a tow rig? I figure I can always throw a 4bbl and headers on it for more power and a tranny cooler is a must for the 727 but other than that it should be pretty much bulletproof, right? Thanks for any help....

 

[chrysler300le]

this is the right spot to post.

the truck should have a Dana 60 front, more then likely a Dana 70 rear. 205 transfer case. should already be a 4 bbl with quadrajet carburator. The engine is rated at about 180 hp but i think thats underated. Some exhaust mods will really wake the truck up. It probably already has a tranny cooler on the truck. 727 transmissions are damn near bullet proof. Don't expect more then 10 mpg though. There is really 0 trouble spots to look for on a 85 Dodge. Maybe some emission stuff not working properly.

 

[dharmabum]

Thanks, gas mileage isn't too big of a concern, most of what I own only gets 10-12 MPG anyway. It seems like these things were built with all the right parts from the factory. Supposedly it only has @ 98k miles on it as it was used as a small town supervisor's truck? I will check for rust all over and general wear and tear but if its in good shape is $2000 a good price. Also how long will a 360 realistically last with regular maintenance. I could rebuild it no problem but I just want to figure it into the budget etc...

 

[kyot]

Hard to say how long it will last without knowing the maintainence history. Sounds like you found a really good truck!

 

[ProjectM880]

My friend 87 dodge has a 318 in it and it has 187,000 miles on it the orginal engine, it does have 1 burnt valve but other than that still runs great and haul hay for his brother in laws ranch . we thought about a month ago that it final died because it wouldn't crank or start. But it ended up being the original timeing chain final stretch so much it fell off. We replaced. Real easy fix and the truck runs better than it did.

 

[Smokey]

300le has pretty well said all that needs to be said. That 1Ton will most likely be a really good answer to your needs... especially if is "that low" on miles. Sounds like a decent price to me, as you say "check for rust, etc.".
Congrats and Welcome to RCC !

 

[trailduster440]

I looked at a 84 one ton 4x4 yesterday with a dana 44 front, auto hubs, np208, dana 60 rear. If the truck has dual rear wheels it should be a 60 front. It should also be a front dana 60 if the is a club or crewcab. The transfer case should be cast iron not shiny alum. Probably has a dana 60 front but make sure. There were alot of early 80's Dodge W350 with dana 44 fronts. Mike

 

[Smokey]

It is called a 44HD