Considering a mid 80's Dodge w-150...
 

4x4 with 318(I think) auto tranny, part time 4x4 33's(room for 35's) I assume stock gearing in the 3.50 to 4.10 range. I like 318 better than ford 302, hech it has almost(maybe a little more) power than 351w. Does anyone know torque and horsepower ratings? aproximate gas mileage? Hwy, with easy foot. I like this truck because it would get worked and wheeled, and therefore solid axle is a big plus. is this a good package for a beggining wheeler planning to build for mud?
Thanks! dont hurt me I love ford too!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...rticleId=46028

Horsiepower is listed at 140ish for the mid 80s...as for the tq ratings, should be pretty close to what was offered at the time by the other members of the once big 3. You may get the figures from dodgetalk.com. Hard to find anything other than vehicles for sale on google searching for 5.2L v8 ratings!

Don't worry about getting reamed into too bad. The Dodge brothers worked for Ford waaay back when, so we're like family. I think. Okay, maybe a dysfunctional family.

They are a pretty solid truck mechanically, but look out for rust issues.

As previously mentioned they are mechanically sound, tough trucks. I had an '87 RamCharger (wish I still had), and it was an awesome off roader. Something about the '70s to mid '80s Dodges, they just seemed to go offroad really well. I liked the Fords of the 80's also, especially the full size Bronco. Back in the 80's when the trucks were new, I thought the Ford's looked better, and I thought the Dodges were ugly, but oddly I think the Dodges look better now that time has passed. The style of the 80's Dodges have aged well. My old RamCharger was amazing in 2WD. When wheeling with my buddies I almost never had to lock it into 4WD. The main problem area that I'm aware of is the Chrysler lean burn system. Luckily there is a leanburnectomy procedure that makes a world of difference, especially when you swap out to a 4BL carb at the same time. The drivetrain in these trucks will last for a very long time, as both the 318 engine and torqueflight transmission are well known for their longevity.

Great truck if it isn't rusty. And, they like to rust in crazy places, like the roof above the doors and windshield. The vacuum disconnect front axle that some of these had works O.K., but watch for bad hoses. They seem to come off when you are in deep mud or snow, leaving you in 2WD at the worst possible moment. I had an '86, bought it new, and it was one of the best trucks I ever owned.

My brother has had an 88 for years and it now has 179K on it. It has been a good truck but there are a couple of things to consider. The 318 will last forever but it uses an amazing amount of gas and does not have much power. Also, they tend to overheat easily and the radiators stop up easily. They have such a large turning circle that takes something the size of a football field to turn one around. As has been mentioned, watch for rust. He bought a 77 250 last year for a farm truck and in addition to body rust, the frame was rusted and breaking.

i had a 86 D100 custom, 2wd 318 2bbl with a limited edition 909 torque flight tranny with limited slip 3.55 gears. my dad bought it in 1990 91 something like that from a repo dealer. he drove (abused it) for 9 years. drave it daily and towed heavy trailers. wood for fire place and what ever would fit in the 8" bed. if you could hook to it.. it would tow it no problems, though the rear end would nearly sit on the ground but the engine would just pull it with no grumbles. at best it got 12mpg. when the engine went out in 99-00 i bought a replacent from an old fame truck (318 again) and drove it for a year. the reason i let it go was i could not aford the gas to drive it. and i got $1000 for it on trade in for a 71 plymouth duster 340 for my dad. yes the 71 was on a used car lot :)

The old 70s and 80s Dodge trucks were really good, in my opinion you almost had to cross-breed them to make them perfect. The late 70s Dodge trucks with full time 4wd had a lousy wheel bearing design on their front axles. They didn't hold up well with hard 4 wheeling and big tires, they were expensive to repair and some parts are often hard to come by. The 80s trucks had the better set up with the standard full floating outer hubs, but had the rather unreliable vacuum operated CAD set up which has been known to leave people stuck in 2wd. If I were to build an older Dodge truck I would use an older Dana 44 or 60, install the outers off a newer CAD axle, and top it off with a set of Warn manual hubs. Other than that they were great trucks, good solid frames, suspension systems, good motors, good trannies...tons of potential to be one hell of an off road machine. They were horrible for body rust, most old Mopar's electrical systems I have seen didn't handle water well (Keep a couple cans of WD-40 with you). They weren't sealed up well to protect them from the elements. I always liked the 70s and 80s body style...especially the old Ramchargers and Traildusters with the fully removeable top (my buddy has a 79 TD 4wd...it's bad ass), and the old stepside Powerwagons were just plain cool. I am a true Ford man, but I like the old Billy Goats too! Good choice, build it up and have fun with it! :-X22

I'll second that one. We have an '01 Ram 1500 reg cab longbed 318/5.2 and auto o/d, 3.55's just like my Bronco. It has nearly 300cc's, 50hp, 30lb-ft (granted both at a higher RPM), and 400lbs on my 302/5.0 Bronco, but the Bronco kills it off the line. The Bronco pulls hills loaded with a/c on in O/D that the Ram has to downshift for when it's empty.

Fuel economy on it used to be good (21mpg highway) until the EGR went haywire. Now 15 is about as good as it's getting even on the freeway. Nice truck but man, that powerplant needed some work.

i drove a 98 x cab auto 318 at work and pulled good at highway speeds, but it was pretty sluggish right off of the line. I think a stickshift would help that. And of course a 5.9 360 with at least 3.73 gears

i had an 89 w150 4x4 the vacuum disconect axle was acting up and the interior started to fall apart and the wiring was scarry it was gutless and burned gas like crazy but the 318 was indistructable the i overheated it so severly once that i thought it was dead it was knocking like crazy but when it cooled down it still ran good and burned no oil.

i would say dodge: "the piece of _ _ _ _ that dosent quit"