As a multiple CTD owner and a current 6. 0 Powerjoke owner, I can tell you that the Navistar/International Harvester engine is a giant piece of sh!$, compared to any of the CTDs I've owned.
Yes, my '01 had some LP issues, but I replaced it with an Air Dog FP100 and never had another problem with my fuel system. Thanks to the TDR, if I would have needed to replace my VP, I could have.
My '05 only had one problem, which was fixed by a flash for the injectors. I never had another day's problem with it, and I should never have gotten rid of it (spur of the moment jack@$$ brainfart).
My '04 F350 King Ranch is a great truck. By that I mean that the interior blows Dodge away by a mile, and I've owned three Dodges. My biggest problem with the Dodge interior is the continual problem with cracked dashes, rust on the lower door panels/rocker panels, and just the lack of engineering, when it comes to cup holders... . thank God for Geno's! I would love to shoot the silly sob who designed the cup holders on my '97. My '05 had good cupholders, I will admit.
That said, looking good on the side of the road gets you nowhere, which is why I will be dropping an early-build '04 CTD in my truck, when it's paid off and the warranty has run out. I want a 305/555 engine, because then I won't need a catalytic converter, which the 6. 0 has.
As far as transmissions go, I'm pretty happy with the TorqShift. Though I never had a problem with my '05 48RE, I did have to get my NV5600 rebuilt on my '01. The '97 was a gasser, and the 46RE crapped out on me, while I was towing with the O/D off. The 47RE/RH wasn't much better for the CTD, when it came to reliability.
Ideally, the perfect truck, IMO, is a Ford body, a CTD and an Allison transmission.
I do like the Dodge body, but the interior leaves much to be desired.
I personally can't wait to get good mileage again with the CTD!!!!
