Picking up my Grail truck Sunday

[ArtVandalay]

I have already gotten blank stares from my friends and family and figured I might get a little more empathy from the fine folks on TDR.

Ever since I cam back stateside and bought my first Cummins, a 94 2500 single cab long bed auto 4x4, I have been blown away by the 12v engines durability and utlity. Through my reading online I realized that the truck I fell in love with when I was a kid, the quad cab short bed diesel Dodge, was somewhat of a black swan with the 24v engine. I have no desire or time to deal with a truck that I need to constantly worried about the lift or injection pum p going bad and leaving me stranded. A 98 12v QC SB 4x4 is what it would take to have the truck I longed for 15 years ago.

Sunday I am driving to Virginia to pick up my holy grail of trucks.

I found a 98 12v, quad cab, short bed, 5 speed manual truck about an hour south of my parent's house. The truck is in immaculate condtion, the only thing I wish it had is cab lights. The interior looks brand new, probably because the truck only has 70,000 miles. Aside from the Line X in the bed it looks like it just rolled off the show room floor.

I can't wait to get it amd start doing some basic maintenance to it, filters, fluids, etc. I know I'll be coming here for some knowledge and probably asking some pretty simple questions...but I know this is the place for answers. With TDR I'm sure I can make my grail truck last for hundreds of thousands of miles...

 

[The patriot]

Gauges & KDP.
Good luck!

 

[ArtVandalay]

Yep...KDP will be done in the first week...along with swapping my gauges and my exhaust.

 

[mwilson]

No blank stares on here! Nice truck!

Congratulations!!!

 

[Ozymandias]

This thread is worthless without Pics! Oo.

 

[jgillott]

Congratulations on a great find.

 

[ArtVandalay]

I only have the pics he's sent me so far...but I'm happy to post them! Tomorrow I should have some of my own.

 

[ArtVandalay]

 

[Ozymandias]

Awesome Truck, like that Color scheme.
Now some nice tires to fill the huge empty wheel arcs and be done.

 

[JR]

Very clean, and quad cab 12 valves are quite rare. However it is still an 18 year old truck, so don't let yourself pay too much for something that will without a doubt need continuous maintenance going forward. I paid $10k for my 98.5 several years ago with less than 67k miles on the odo, very similar condition as the one above judging by the pictures.

 

[ArtVandalay]

Well I made it back home last night at about 1:30 AM....I couldn't be happier with the truck and it rode superbly. Now I know what it must have felt like to drive on back in 98-99...

 

[GCroyle]

Enjoy the Cummins music. Good looking truck.

 

[jgillott]

Very nice. Enjoy.

 

[ArtVandalay]

Thanks everyone...I'm already ordering parts and creating spreadsheets

 

[SierraRam]

Very nice rig!

 

[The patriot]

Nice looking truck.
Seems to be in the same condition as mine. Except I have leather. Pretty nice for an "old truck".
Good luck with it!

 

[Doubleclutch]

Looks like a keeper! Suggest an exhaust brake, and when the 5th gear falls off, rebuild transmission with fully splined main shaft. (Plenty of this on the TDR forums). Good luck with the new truck, and enjoy many happy miles!
Greg

 

[MLee]

Art;
Secret to the 5th gear staying put is don't lug the engine. I use 50 mph as a guide line, above, plus, 5th-- below 4th gear. when pulling keep the rpm up there, with in reason of course, no mater what gear your in. Remember your in charge now as to the power you use.
I had to learn how to drive this truck compared to my old gas engine because the difference in transmissions and engine rpms etc. Little different than the auto.
Enjoy!!

 

[Tuesdak]

Thanks everyone...I'm already ordering parts and creating spreadsheets

Nice looking truck!!!

The secret to happiness on an old vehicle is to do spreadsheets for a single project and just for savings/budgeting purposes. Then delete it and forget about it. Seriously ignorance is bliss when you pass the book value of the vehicle due to mods. repairs, etc. Another way to look at it is truck payment for new becomes the "budget" for repairs and mods/upgrades/go fast parts. I figure $4000 per year over my 2003 payment for new skipping higher insurance and license plate cost. Only when a vehicle constantly $100's and $50's you to death to you need a different DD. Make sure your insurance company knows and is agreeable with higher than book value as you do or add expensive things. And this is where each project becomes a separate spreadsheet for insurance purposes should the need ever arise.

Business purposes and IRS tax write off is a different story.

 

[ArtVandalay]

Art;
Secret to the 5th gear staying put is don't lug the engine. I use 50 mph as a guide line, above, plus, 5th-- below 4th gear. when pulling keep the rpm up there, with in reason of course, no mater what gear your in. Remember your in charge now as to the power you use.
I had to learn how to drive this truck compared to my old gas engine because the difference in transmissions and engine rpms etc. Little different than the auto.
Enjoy!!

That seems to be the consensus on keeping 5th gear alive...More than anything I need to get used to the truck spinning at 1850-2000 RPMs driving around town. It just seems like the engine is working so hard with all the noise it makes. I have to keep reminding myself that it's a Cummins diesel....the same engine is being run in all kind of equipment at 2500 RPM for days at a time with no problems.