I am looking at buying one of these two pickups. I have done a lot of research on the net but I would like for some peoples opinions on the two here just to get a 1st person view of them. Here are the descriptions

Dodge-Ext. cab, CTD 12 valve, auto, power everything, dually, 70,000 miles but I think it has a faulty turbo
Ford-4 door, 7.3, 5 speed, power everything, dually, 98,000 miles

Any opinions are appreciated, and by the way, does anybody know of any good diesel aftermarket parts websites?

 

OH MAN, I HOPE I AM NOT TO LATE ! BUY THE FORD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'd hate to buy the Dodge over the Ford but the Cummins would make the sale for me. If it was a '94 with the powerstroke, that's a differant story.

 

Those older Dodge's may be a tad on the ugly side to some(though I really like them), but no Ford or GM from the same era will out work them. For the same money I'd definately go with the Dodge CTD. Do a little restoration on the body and interior and then you've got a real gem - there were only like 170,000 1st generations made with the CTD I believe.

 

Buy the Dodge. The ford has a few problems no turbo=crappy in mountains & ultra slow, The cavitation issues that ruin the motor. I like the 1st gen ***-aparts They look cool and like said nothing of the era can work em. I have had a soft spot for the old 12V. I had a chance the buy a D350 dually reg cab 4x4 5spd cummins-even black for $4k and the truck was mint and I didn't have the cash and I already have 2 trucks
I know where the tuck is today and it has 170K well maintained miles

 

since the dodge has the auto, i would say to get the ford. i always get real edgy when it comes to dodge automatics. the ford will also have more room. if you want more power for the ford, just get an aftermarket turbo. then you'll smoke the dodge. you probably would be able to buy the turbo after you had replaced the dodge tranny a couple of times. (my opinion).

 

I think I would shop more.I don't know if either one is the right one for you?Good Luck!

 

The Dodges body and interior are in immaculate condition so thats not a bother, the only thing keeping me from signing the check is i dont know how much a replacement turbo would be and i can seem to find any on the net, anybody have a price check or a place i could find a turbo?

 

You can get a turbo just about anywhere. My neighbor has a 93 3500 dually with 5 speed and has put in a new hybrid holset for under 600 dollars. I would bet a hy35 or hx 35 holset could be found that would be better than the original turbocharger in that truck. The turbochargers are fairly inexpensive if that is your dilemma. Ebay has several usually.
Shops selling these things....do a google search and you should get alot of help. Bully Dog, Shieds, Piers....what part of the country are you in?

 

What would a rebuild cost?At least you would know what you had vs used.

 

Please Please Pleeeeese, buy the Dodge. Leave the Ford sit. That 7.3 IDI is not even comparable to the Cummins. The 7.3 is prone to cavitation and glow plug problems and is not very efficient. The only advantages of the Ford are the transmission and maybe the body, hardly enough reason to get it.

There is really no need for any aftermarket parts for the Cummins, aside from maybe different injectors and a high flow air filter. The injector pump can be adjusted in a number of ways, which will probably produce all of the power needed. Info about IP adjustment can be found at www.dodgeram.org. One other performance mod is a 16 cm exhaust side turbine housing. The stock unit on the Dodge is either an 18 or 21 cm, which does not provide too much low end boost. If the turbo has problems, it would not be a bad idea to put a 16 cm housing in while it is tore apart. A pyro, boost and tranny temp gauge are a good idea if you are going to turn it up. Also, the 93's do not come with a tachometer, but there is a plugin for one. Isspro makes a tach and an adaptor for this application, but it is a bit pricey.

The transmission in the Dodge is an A518. It can hold up to some moderate power upgrades, but the downfall of it is that it doesn't have a lockup torque converter. In the opinion of many, the A518 is a better tranny than the Getrag 5-speed found in the 1st Gen Dodge diesels.

One other cool thing about the 1st gen Dodge 4X4s is that they have a NP205 gear driven t-case.

I have a 1992 Dodge diesel 4X4 and I am in the process of bombing it.

 

If i were to get the Dodge the first thing to go on it would be smoke stacks because i heard a stacked CTD and it sounded SWEET. I would do that to it and get the turbo slapped on. I am really leaning towards the Dodge due to the better mileage, better reliability and better power, that and ithink the old body style looks pretty sweet.

 

I'm not a big fan of stacks, myself, but they do sound good. They are too showy for me. I have the stock 3" exhaust with the muffler cut out and it sounds pretty good.

 

Just a free flowing exhaust and I can hear my neighbor comming down the street. I have a aeroturbine but have hesitated putting it on for fear of bothering the neighbors.

MJD...are you going to put a power pin in your pump. I have heard it does good things.
The parts (injectors and turbos) are relatively inexpensive. You could see over 250 horsepower on that 93 pretty quick. More is available along with more money spent. The engine takes horsepower mods and will last.

 

I haven't heard much about the power pin. Does it have the same effect as a fuel plate in the 94-98 12v Cummins engines with inline IPs? Might have to look into it.

I have turned up the low boost setting on the pump and I also built a custom intake with a K&N filter. I have a pyro installed and I just purchased a boost gauge. I will probably do some more tinkering with the pump. After that, probably the 16 cm housing upgrade. If I am pleased with the power, I will probably call it quits, but then again i might also look into injectors or maybe a power pin. Hey, I gotta stop spending sometime!! I also need to keep the automatic tranny in mind, it can only withstand so much. An NV4500 conversion would be nice, but it is much much more than i want to spend on my old pickup.