New Truck Arrived

[lil red cummins]

Dealer called me this morning (26th). the new truck came in christmas eve. it hasn't been preped yet but went to see and drive it anyway. WOW, what a beauty. it is everything i expected it to be. very quiet, maybe more so than some gas trucks. brakes are top notch, probably not more than 1/2" pedal travel to stop. the flip up towing mirrors are really neat and the best part is the power adjustment switch keeps the correct orientation in either position.

had 3 miles on it when i got in and put on about 4 driving around the block. i was able to get on it once right before we got back. hit around 3000 in 5th with no problem. really runs great for a new truck. it is the 305 version. absolutely no regrets in this area.

i looked at the holes in the rockers and they were taped. told him to order the plugs right away. 8 on each side i think it was. also ordered the wheel liners. DC also has a nice set of molded floor mats for front and rear. gonna get those to.

looks like the exhaust is full 4" from turbo back. not 100% sure though, because i only had my leatherman to measure with. transmission shifts great although i had to work at getting it into reverse. the clutch will take some getting used to. i have never been a fan of hydraulic clutches. i start out ok, i just have problem between gears slipping a little too much trying to make it a smooth engagement. can't really "feel" it like a mechanical linkage.

even though it was still dirty from shipping, everything looks good. nothing stood out as a problem other than the half of a cracker on the back floor. should be able to take delivery before the end of the year once we get the money part worked out. i transfered a large sum of money to the checking account and the bank has an automatic hold on it for 10 days. gonna try and work around it some how.

i'll let you know more once it gets home.



by the way, did someone say there is an additional $500 rebate till the end of the year. i am pushing him on it, but he said it was only on the 1500 series. is he right?



jim

 

[LargoLes]

I was told by 2 dealers that it is only on 1500's.

 

[racebeeper68]

LIL Red,

You'll get the hang of that hydraulic clutch in no time and your knee and leg will thank you for it. I felt the same way with that clutch system when I first got my 96'. I kept thinking it needed adjustment. I sold it the other day with 138,000 on the clock and never no problems with the clutch. It's gonna be a long 4-5 weeks till my new one gets here.

 

[MABurns]

Just picked mine up too (24th-- Merry Christmas to me). I was also told the extra rebates did not apply to the 2500/3500s.



My third CTD (I had a 94 and 99) and following a two year hiatus in a Chevy 2500HD D/A. The 04 is a winner, much improvement over the 2d gen.

 

[lil red cummins]

ok, thanks for the heads up on the rebate. i will add the 500 back into the equation. gotta go to the bank and see how much of MY money they will let me have. (go figure). its a beautiful day here and would be nice to bring it home today.



jim

 

[Big Wheel]

I got the $ 500. 00 holiday rebate on mine ordered it in October.

picked it up in December around the 10th I think.

When I went to get it thay told me I got a addishel 500. 00 holiday rebate.

 

[wyosteve]

lilred, I don't know if the $500 is regional, but I was down yesterday and test drove the 04 3500 SRW I will probably buy and they figured the $500 into the rebate numbers. told me it runs through Jan. 2. Oh, this was in Colorado by the way.

 

[TexEdwards]

in texas there is a $500 rebate if you are a farm bureau member

 

[StephenThomas]

How long does it take for these rebates to arrive once they are submitted?? Dealer was supposed to have sent my info in for the "Business Owner" rebate about 5-6 wks ago. I was wondering when I could expect it to arrive??

 

[lil red cummins]

well it is home now!



first overall driving impression is WONDERFUL.



everything is top notch. power is exceptional. gets to 70 pretty quick. drove around most of the day and with almost 100 miles on now, i pushed it up an uphill entrance ramp to the interstate that i use for "testing". it was about 80 at the merge point. this is at the top in comparison with all my other vehicles. the 89 turbo caravan is about equal. all the rest are a little slower. and this is with a new engine! cant imagine what 20,000 miles and a TST box will do for it.



only disappointment - i have 2 small dents in the hood. didnt notice till i got to my parents house to show it off. i saw it when the sun hits just right. now i cant miss it:{ i guess i will discuss this with the dealer. i am not a fan of dealer repaints because they never seem to get it as good as the factory. my dad says "now that you have your first dent you will stop worrying about when it will

happen"



i was wrong about the exhaust. it is 3-1/2 back through the muffler. there is actually a 3-1/2 to 4" bushing at the back of the muffler. wonderful sound. the turbo brings tears to my eyes it is so sweet.



the engine appears to be completely coated with some type of clear coat. it looks really nicely finished.



in conclussion - it was definately worth the wait. the wife is worried she is not gonna see me as much. i told her we can have plenty of time together, as long as we are both in the truck



jim

 

[PJ]

I bought my 04 a month ago and got the $2500 rebate in Oregon. Had I waited another week, there was another $500.

I hear that the same deal was in Idaho also. .

 

[PJ]

You mentioned that your truck had tape and you "ordered plugs". . Did Chrysler pay for that???

 

[lil red cummins]

hi PBJ,



not sure who pays for it. i didn't discuss it with the salesman. i probably should have. i just told him to get them in. now that i have the dents in the hood to take care of, maybe i have some bargaining leverage? who knows.



regarding the 500 rebate that so many have gotten, apparently in this area, it is for the 1500 series only.



in the immortal words of Charlton Heston:



"They can take my truck when they pry it from my cold dead hands" ok, i know it wasn't quite like that, but the thought is there.



jim

 

[StephenThomas]

Where exactly should I be looking to see if I have tape versus plugs on my 04'?? A pic would be great. If not, a detailed description will help.



TIA

 

[lil red cummins]

hi stephen,

crawl under the truck right by the door(s). look up at the back side of the rocker panel, about 2 inches above the bottom lip of the rocker panel. you will see pieces of black tape maybe 2" wide by 3" long. there are eight on each side of my quad cab. it looks professionally installed. the problem is the tape and adhesive will eventually be degraded by water and debris to where it falls off and then the holes can get filled up with junk like SALT that will take out our rocker panels. atleast thats what it looks like on mine.

sorry i dont have a pic. daughter ran off with the dig. cam.

jim

 

[StephenThomas]

Li'l Red Cummins...

Thanks! I'm going to go check it out right now.

 

[lil red cummins]

well here are my latest observations about "lil red" as she will be called.



love it, love it, love it. have just under 200 miles on it. now that i have managed to keep my foot out of it almost all the time, the mileage is up to 17. 9. my salesman delivered the DC molded winter floor mats, the rear wheel liners and the rocker panel plugs to my house this evening. what a nice guy! i went shopping for the tonneau cover and bed liner earlier today. i am pretty set now on the truxedo tonneau cover and the bedrug liner. still not sure what to do with running boards.



i noticed that right in front of the radiator are two clips and bumpers that look ideal for setting an 1/8" piece of plexiglas in, to serve as a winter front. they are about 1/2 way down. it would allow about 1/2 the radiator to be blocked which seems about right. could these be for an auto trans cooler?



i also noticed that the air conditioning condenser fins are extremely exposed at the front of the truck and they bend very easily and snag on my shirt. i was thinking about getting a piece of 1/16 x 1/2 x 1/2 aluminum angle and placing it over the top edge. has anybody else dealt with this problem?



thats it for now

jim

 

[Casey Balvert]

I use a piece of aluminum, bent it at the front, added two sided tape and stuck it to the top of the intercooler. I added black tape to the front to make it invisible with the hood closed. Been there for almost a year now. Cheap too.



#ad

 

[lil red cummins]

thanks Casey,



that is exactly what i was looking for. gonna take some measurements at lunch time and do some fabricating.



jim