I own a 4-Runner with a 4.0L and I had one prior to that with a 3.4L. Both have been solid, reliable vehicles that didn't set the bar on gas mileage or performance, but that isn't their claim to fame. My neighbor has a 5.7L Tundra and my Hemi Ram will pull it backwards while getting better gas mileage.
A yota guy that owns a hemi ram!? You’ve lost any credibility you had. If you did tie the two together and display which one has better traction in the dragging contest, How long did that last? That p.o.s. Dodge ain’t gonna last long and the 5.7 tundra will drag you for the next 500k. The only thing that dodge will pull is the repair mechanic all the way to the bank.
I don't buy the brand. When the right deal comes up on a used vehicle, I buy it, and don't usually care who's emblem is on it . For some odd reason, they never seem to be Ford.
Last cord I cut released the sparks and light from inside it- then it wouldn’t run my belt sander. Lesson here: don’t cut cords because it releases the sparks and they need the sparks to run your tools
There's a guy around my parts that did a 4bt swap in a ranger. It was no small task. Actually he was the second owner of it as the first guy got sick of sinking money in it. Drive train wise, nothing is stock. Nv4500 and dodge t case, custom springs up front, custom Drive shafts, and the part that killed me was the 4 inch body lift to clear the engine. Took him a few years to get it sorted till it worked right and was reliable. I'm 90% sure he had said something about swapping a heavier rear from a v8 explorer in it as well. Cool in concept but there are better enginse suited for that size of vehicle. The cummins r2.8 comes to mind immediately, as well as a 4tnv yanmar. Actually a bigger kubota may work decently as well. It is a really cool little truck, but not worth the effort when you can drop it straight in a half ton and not have to go through all the crap he did to get it to work. I've considered it a few times for my expedition but the cost of a nice used 4bt holds me back. Almost as expensive as a 6bt and makes way less power and doesn't have nearly the after market support as the 6bt does. To put it bluntly better not be squeamish of the conversion parts cost. When I did my 12valve swap in my 79f350 half the cost was getting the driveline to mesh properly. $2k for a nv4500 to grenade it after 200 miles. Few driveshafts till I got a combo that worked. Heck a 241dhd t case set me back $1500. Then a cool $1800 for a twin dusk clutch to hold up to it. Gets expensive really quick.
So here's my perspective coming from a guy thats owned or driven most ford and dodge diesels, as well as small and big blocks. Dodge sucks save the cummins. And the trucks themselves suck. Ford never made a good small block for towing untill recently, the 5.4 and 6.8 were and are turds. The 6.4l was the worst diesel Ford ever released, and showed when they dropped it after a few years. Can't say I even want to tow with anything small block hence why I still have my 460. It doesn't pull like a diesel but I don't have issues dragging 15k up a hill either. I'd much rather have the diesel. All costs side by sade the big block has been cheaper on everything save gas. 7mpg when towing heavy and 10 when empty closes the gap pretty fast, coupled when I'm done with a vehicle it's ready for the scrap yard. My current 460 has 190k on the clock and I doubt it will get close to 300k like my cummins surpassed years ago still running just fine. Heck when I pulled it apart to go over and o ring the heads before I stuffed it in my 79 we ended up reusing just about every thing save bearings and ring. It had basically no wear. Mains were spot on, rods were perfect, bore was great, pistons were good, crank was good, no cam wear. The oil pump speed out good but was cheap insurance to toss a new unit in, Heck it still had the original water pump and oil cooler from 94. If I want in search of big power it would still be together running just how it did before it got tore down. I was very impressed with it, and it didn't have an easy life before I got it. I'd easily go back if I could afford another truck with a diesel in it, but they cost stupid money just to buy. For now the big block works fine till I can afford a newer diesel. I'd buy a 6.7l Ford in a heart beat if I had the money on hand. Don't even think I'd modify it, they run great from the factory.
@ farmer steve
Oh forgot about the factory ford ranger diesels here's a link to a decent article about them. I really wish I could get my hands on one.
Those 460s are tough engines. I also am a fan of the old 6BTs. Too bad the trucks were terrible.
I drove a 84 4 door Malibu with a 350 Olds diesel through high school. It got decent mileage. It wasn't particularly fast but it could do a nice brake stand if you started spinning one rear tire on the gravel first and then crept up on the blacktop. I had a cherry bomb muffler on it for the heck of it. In winter I had to make sure to park next to a outlet at school so I could plug it in. I had fun with it.
I can appreciate that thought process. The last 2 years between switching jobs and having my son, I haven't been using the truck near as much. I actually haven't pit more then 5k miles on it in the past 2 years. Hard to justify the purchase of a newer truck when my 96 works just fine, and the longest trip I've taken recently in it was to see farmer Steve. (Great guy btw) the next truck I will be getting a 1 ton duelly.Those 460s are tough engines. I also am a fan of the old 6BTs. Too bad the trucks were terrible.
The other day I saw a 05ish F-350 with a Cummins emblem on it. The funny thing is it had a sticker under the emblem that said "FIXED!"
I've kicked around picking up a 03-05 Silverado with a Duramax from down south. Problem is you still have to shell out over 10k for a high mileage truck that's damn near 20 years old. Up here in Wisconsin it'll still rot away in 5 years. I'm still rocking a 06 Chevy 3500 Express with a 6.0 and 4L80E. It has 260k on it but she still gets the job done. After it dissolves into a pile of iron oxide I'll probably end up getting a 2020ish 3500 Express with a 6.6 gas and convert it to 4wd. It'd be perfect for my western bird hunting trips.
The biggest problem I have with the diesels for me is I only put on 6k miles a year on my van. I drive a 14 Malibu every day. If I'd put on over 15k a year I'd probably consider it more.
If you tinkered with the timing and injection pump you could get them to run super smooth. Deffinatly not powerful by any standard and had lots of issues, but they were pretty cool for what they were.
We had the injection pump rebuilt and we replaced the nozzles and bumped up the injection timing a couple degrees. It never failed me except the time I was too lazy to add anti-gel when I filled it up once. Temp dropped the next day and she promptly gelled up and stalled on the way to school. Lesson learned!
Trucks at Carlisle this coming weekend. Got my nephew pumped when we went to the Ford show so we are going to this. Told the boss I might need the checkbook in case I see a Cheby '55 1st series panel truck.
I'm going out too . I have three vedor spots C40-41-42 stop by I'll be in and out of the spots during the day . 99% sure I'll be taking the yellow truckTrucks at Carlisle this coming weekend. Got my nephew pumped when we went to the Ford show so we are going to this. Told the boss I might need the checkbook in case I see a Cheby '55 1st series panel truck.
I just welded a new cover on the taco's rear diff . Started getting gearoil running down it . Had lots of pin holes in it. But it does have over 200k and it my primary winter truck
