That feeling the TDR is passing you by . . .

[rbattelle]

I've been around here since November 2001. I spend probably 80% of my forum time and posts in the 3rd gen forums.



Now that the 6. 7l and 4500/5500 C&C forums have begun, I feel like I'm falling behind. I feel I have little or nothing to add to these new forums.



Is this what it feels like to be a 2nd gen owner? Like the site's leaving you behind?



My goodness, what about the 1st gen owners!? They must really feel like a 5 year old whose parents lost him in Wal-Mart!



Ah, I guess I'm getting old. My post rate isn't what it used to be. You know, they say your post rate is the first thing to go! :-laf



I'd like to apologize to all the first and second gen owners out there who I made feel "outdated" by my own existence as a 3rd gen owner.



Ryan

 

[JApol]

~gets paper towels to clean up the mess from spitting food all over my computer~

 

[RustyJC]

Ryan,



Finally, you know how I feel. :{ :{



Rusty

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Sounds to me like maybe you are afflicted by the dreaded gotta have the latest disease . Seems there are many afflicted by such around here. It constantly amazes me how often some guys on here replace their trucks. 7 years, 200,000 miles and counting on mine and I'm still lovin it and the TDR Oo. What I have seen around here and I've commented as such to Robert is that there are 3 life cycles to our trucks related to the TDR. 1st is when they are new and your modding them to meet your needs, fix shortcomings from the factory, etc. Then there is the middle period where you've got it like you want it and you just drive the wheels off it and do basic maintenance (this would be the dull stage - the one you are in). Then there's the 3rd stage where they are getting a lot of miles on them, things are wearing out and you need to start doing some rehab work on them (the 1st gen guys have been here a while and many 2nd gen guys are there too).

 

[rbattelle]

Maybe Steve should start a forum for people who feel left behind. He could call it "Shady Palms" or "Del Boca-Vista" or some such retirement-community type name.



We can all hang around and talk about how great we were when our respective forums first started.



Instead of a moderator, it could have a "nurse".



Ryan

 

[rbattelle]

Sounds to me like maybe you are afflicted by the dreaded gotta have the latest disease

Not at all! I have no desire whatsoever to buy a new truck anytime soon. I genuinely love mine just the way it is.



Excuse me while I go hug my truck...



Ryan

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

After all my time here and owning a 2nd Gen truck..... I finally got wise and went BACK to the first gen truck. I wouldnt want a new one over the first gens. I kinda forgot about those new forums. . . . :-laf

 

[WDaniels]

I'm like Steve, 10 years and 224,000 and climing. I wouldn't give up my 97 for a brand new 6. 7 if the 6. 7 was given to me. Of course I've asked Steve if he would go out on the site and grab all the information on the 12 Valves and put into a CD or forum but he poo-pooed me. Said that it would be to much work. (Cut to Steve who is getting out his gun to shoot me directly in the head for mentioning it. #@$%! #@$%! ) Sorry Steve.

WD

 

[PToombs]

Us 1st Genners don't need to hug our trucks, and we don't feel left behind. Our trucks know we love them and show us they love us by starting at 5* when we forget to plug them in. And usually on the first or second spin!

 

[sstefanini]

I like rereading the same post, every few months someone new asks the same questions which have already been answered a dozen times (me included). It helps to make me feel smarter when I already know the answers.

 

[GFritsch]

"Del Boca-Vista"

:-laf :-laf :-laf Don't know why, but that cracks me up.





Just think how I feel. I got my truck just 2-1/2 years ago and it's already outdated. :{ :{ :{ I am making payments on the "last" generation.



Acually I like my third generation truck style more.



My two greatest vehicle regrets are selling my 72 boat tail Riv and my 94 12 valve CTD.



Oh well, live and learn... . well, at least live... . :-laf

 

[biggieou]

Welcome to the first genner's world!!!! I wish the new guys luck and the new trucks millions of miles, but I wish they were making early 90's Dodge's again.

 

[daytripper63]

Not at all! I have no desire whatsoever to buy a new truck anytime soon. Ryan

Of course not "EVERYONE" knows that the 2003s are the best ones EVER built.

 

[Philip]

when we forget to plug them in.

All right Pete what kind of plug you talking about? :-laf



Mine has only been on a plug once. That was a battery charger.



I like the new C&C's. But I drive what I can afford and work on my self.

 

[fkovalski]

I stepped into diesels with an '01... . traded up to the '05 as part of lease a lease buyout being only $20 more per month (plus time) for the 3G. I still think that in many ways that the former was more truck than my current one.



I like to peruse the first gen forums just for the sake of inovation. It is quite the truck to do much bombing without biting you back in a bad way as opposed to the newfangled ones. True pioneers you "old timers" are!



What is a p7100 anyway?? (sounds like you old timers seem to like 'em )









.

 

[rlyons]

We 1st Gen'ers don't mind if the forums pass us up as we will be looking where to hook up the tow strap on your new fangled trucks when your electronics decide to leave you sitting in the road. :-laf It's a dirty job but someone has to clear the roadway so we can truck on.

 

[bmoeller]

Us 1st Genners don't need to hug our trucks, and we don't feel left behind. Our trucks know we love them and show us they love us by starting at 5* when we forget to plug them in. And usually on the first or second spin!

Same for me and my 2nd gen. Still get the Oo. Oo. when I drive it. Even after 5+ yrs.



The only thing I'd gain with a newer truck would be better steering/ brakes and a big payment. Would STILL have to BOMB it to get the power I already have.



The new trucks are to quiet for me.

 

[fest3er]

I'm like Steve, 10 years and 224,000 and climbing. I wouldn't give up my 97 for a brand new 6. 7 if the 6. 7 was given to me. ...

Like Warren, I've put 220K miles on my '98 12V in 9. 5 years. However, it *is* starting to show its age. The bearings in the rear axle (wheel and diff) are real loud when it's cold, and audible when it's warm. The front u-joints need to be replaced again. All of the suspension bushings probably should be replaced. The engine probably needs rings and seals, although my redneck crankcase ventilator (Jeff Garmon's suggestion) did significantly reduce oil consumption. The injectors need work (130K miles on them). The A/C hardly works anymore. The front bumper assembly and the grill need to be replaced. The springs on all four corners probably need replacement or re-tempering. The cruise control has completely quit. The fuel level sensor is shot. The seat bottoms are wore out. When it's under 10F or so, just about everything leaks: coolant, oil, trans. There are a few bits of body rot here and there. It's sprouted a few creaks and squeaks. My 'original' JRE 4" exhaust pipes are holding up, although the muffler rotted off (I've got a Silverline muffler hacked in).



That all said, I'll still drive it cross-country (in cool or cold weather). I still like driving it. But since I'll have to haul a trailer to a lot of events this year, I may have to replace it; it's reliable, but I need 'guaranteed' reliability.



Like Steve said, I've been in the dull stage for about 170K miles now (which, as it happens, is about how long it's been since I last drained the oil). The question is, do I dismantle it and restore it, or do I turn it into a racer/puller?



Getting back on topic, I think all of us who've been in the 'dull' stage have a lot to offer in these fora. Think about the many things we've done to our trucks to get them into what we felt was comfortable. For me, I installed:

• Amsoil's dual-remote bypass filter system (mounting bracket is my own design) and Amsoil throughout.
• 3K GSK
• Exhaust/turbo blanket
• Vent visors
• Rickson 19. 5" tires/wheels
• 215HP injectors
• DSS
• KYB shocks (120K miles and still solid)
• commercial intake heater relays, which are still like new after 3-4 years
• boost/EGT gauge
• radar detector hidden above the overhead console
• conveyor belting bed mat
• $20 halogen backup lights
• 4" exhaust
• Flaming River steering shaft
• ATS TC and VB
• Optima batteries
• TruSpeed speed sensor tweaker
• electric trailer brake controller

We can report back to the members about what parts have worked well, what hasn't worked well, which parts have lasted and which haven't. For example:

• The Abbott speed sensor tweaker worked well enough, but the TruSpeed is much better and more flexible
• The KYB monotube shocks I installed are *still* solid after 120K miles or more; the KYBs just don't wear out like many other brands
• When I installed the DSS (Darren Steering Stabilizer), I had to re-learn how to steer the truck; there was that much difference. It's still doing its job quite nicely
• Amsoil has probably kept the transmission running without trouble; even when the pan was leaking and the TC clutch was slipping, everything looked just fine when I had the ATS parts installed, and all still looked fine when I next serviced the trans 100K miles later
• The differentials were pretty clean when I serviced them after 100K miles on Amsoil 75W90; both ring gears do show 'cracking', as is expected after 200K miles
• The OEM driveshaft u-joints are original, as is the rear shaft carrier bearing
• I replaced the left rear bearing about 10K miles ago; but I don't know what's making the racket back there now, especially when it's real cold.
• The engine uses oil, but it's mostly from leakage
• The radiator held on for about 200K miles; the cooling fins were rotting away in some places
• The Stancor relays I installed back around 2002 (maybe $15 each) are still operating like new; I'm sure OEM relays would've failed twice by now - I was on my second set when I switched to the Stancor relays
• et cetera

Those of us who have owned and run the older models for a number of years probably can offer a lot in the 'old gen' fora to folks who are buying them for the first time. Collectively, we have accumulated a wealth of information as to what works, what fails, what's worth buying, and what should be avoided. It would be a shame not to share that with other members.



And now I'd best close this missive before my fingers become uncontrollably diarrhetic.



N

 

[Greenleaf]

I keep up with the newer engines (not the truck) due to the fleet of "B" series engines in the school buses. I can now, as of December 2006, order the new 6. 7 in a bird.



The older buses have proven to be much more reliable, but it's not just the older Cummins engine. The new buses have other electronic controls that are prone to electricl glitch.



I move right along with the times. I just retired a 1996 model year bus w/the 12 valve Cummins... ... ..... I feel old.



I don't feel bad as a firt gen owner as the 2nd/3rd gen rigs become old/outdated just the same. Can't stop progress.

 

[ACoyle]

The beauty of the TDR is that it does NOT pass you by. Wherever you are, you are. It acts as your radar ahead, so that you do not go ahead blind. It has your back, which can still give you information that you can use.



Much of the strength is in the people as much as the generations of trucks. There are plenty of posts by people who do not own a particular generation of truck with good information.



You are not passed by, just read more forums.



AC