Another truck decision

My Tacoma makes me very happy & when I'm out and about I don't think twice to use it for some fast finds that can't damage truck
all in all it's a pick up .
But for real down and dirty that truck is not the truck to use

My $150 Ranger runs but is moody & can run perfect or like complete crap but I get around
the rear frame has & is cracked
so the bed flexes , one of the Cat's gets red hot , But I really like this crap box . The truck has made plenty of money
& easily paid for it self ( it's a rust bucket ) it got me thu the cold snowy winter & the 4X4 was unstoppable
the truck is some what fixable (adds some time till it's end)
All said and done not really big enough for my stile of scrapping . It's not the big money maker type of truck
making $150 with proper select metals is doable But ...................

My next find Ok i'm excited I found a 1986 Dodge 100 ram pickup
with 3 speed manual & Slant 6 , It's got an 8 ft bed
Some rust but not to bad . The Interest I have is the slant 6 & stick
I feel this truck has the balance of Size MPG and no worry use .
the seller wants $600 to $700 . This Saturday I will hear it run & try is out .
Any body ever have a full size truck with Slant 6 ? Can I expect good MPG ?
I drive slow . I like trolling for scrap , good MPG is important & room to hold
So how is the MPG ?

The slant 6 Dodges aren't as fuel efficient as one might think.

I've known a few people that had them. One was in a late 70's D100 pickup, he said it got a little better mileage than the '78 Chevy 3/4 ton 4wd 350 4 speed he had before it.
The other one was in a '81 Diplomat sedan with the automatic. That one got 15 mpg all the time.


If you want a bigger truck that gets decent mileage, look for an F-150 with a fuel injected 300 straight 6.

Thanks for the tips , sure if I could find a big old ford I'd get one . For now I'll see how the dodge runs on Saturday .
Ive seen my ranger run perfect ( like a Gem ) so I know it's got it, in it to run .
I don't bother doing actual MPG test , I use the seat of my pant test . The ranger is decent , i'll put in $5 / $10 and drive here & there
& it's kinda at the edge of great fuel MPG and kinda OK . I had two 318 dodge pickups previous , those were like a bottomless pit
of fuel consumption . That feeling of fuel again !!! man I only drove 12 miles .
Because this D100 has a 3 speed stick , I feel great MPG is doable with classic old man driving stile but you have to be willing to Chug around
very slow using low end torque , Idle time fuel consumption is when you can match your Idle time fuel consumption with chugging around
you begin to associate Time as fuel consumption instead of mile traveled .
When you hunt for scrap Time as fuel consumption is the truth . as well as a long line of cars behind me wanting to pass

From my experience, regardless of the brand when ever you go to a full size pickup, whether you have a six cylinder of a V-8 the mileage will not be great. Given your priorities I would look for a pickup box trailer or build one to tow behind your present truck. Tatorjuice has a thread where he documents how he builds his. I build a lot but have not taken the time to document them. This will give you the flexibility of good fuel mileage when the trailer is not needed, the ability to haul larger loads, and a place to store scrap until you have a full load.

Using scrap trucks I have built trailers for as little as $ 20 (coupler, cutting torch gas and welding rod) and as expensive as $ 200 (includes new tires.) You could always buy the truck and when it dies, build a trailer out of it.

I did a complete tune up of my truck (Cummins diesel) right down to removing, dissassembling and cleaning injectors, did a valve adjustment and then all the o rings for the crossover tubes. I keep careful track of the mileage, and it's always been 18.5 now it's just shy of 20. Not bad for half a day's work.

Look for a 4.8 v8 long box regular cab 2wd chevy half ton. Of all the half tons it will be the lightest and get the best mileage. Put take off highway tires on it, tires that are a few years old are usually harder and have lower rolling resistance. The 4.8 is short stroke motor and like any LS engine it's pretty easy to keep up with. I had a older version when I was 18, a 95 cheyenne and it had a tbi 305 in it, the truck was great but the engine was garbage...

Originally Posted by Patriot76

From my experience, regardless of the brand when ever you go to a full size pickup, whether you have a six cylinder of a V-8 the mileage will not be great. Given your priorities I would look for a pickup box trailer or build one to tow behind your present truck. Tatorjuice has a thread where he documents how he builds his. I build a lot but have not taken the time to document them. This will give you the flexibility of good fuel mileage when the trailer is not needed, the ability to haul larger loads, and a place to store scrap until you have a full load.

Using scrap trucks I have built trailers for as little as $ 20 (coupler, cutting torch gas and welding rod) and as expensive as $ 200 (includes new tires.) You could always buy the truck and when it dies, build a trailer out of it.

My recent Dodges I let them go at the correct time . The Ranger at $150 was a - how can I go wrong truck . But it's not big enough Some metal is fine but oven's or fridges it's full, not to mention mine can't really safely carry to much weight .
I hunt for scrap casually any place I go , I look ( and find ) so to keep Ranger & always have a trailer on it is not gonna work . But hell yeah I'd like a trailer to load up for a trip to the yard wile a load is in pickup bed also . I stopped using Ranger I don't want to chance a need of help from a tow .
I am renting a 10 by 5 trailer from u hall $30
I'll take cats off AL wheels off & try to bulk it to 5500 pounds and use Tacoma to take to yard
That money will go towards a full-size 8 ft bed pickup be it the Slant 6 dodge or another oldie
It has to be a 6 in-line or V-6 . I can float a 6 cylinder to decent mileage
V-8's even driven slow equal time of use my 318 dodges used 2 gallons per hour I'm done with V-8's

Well there are other options. f150 with the 4.9 i6 but keep an extra ignition module in the door pocket lol. Other options 4.3 v6 half ton chevy, good for trolling around, astro van would work too.

I heard good stuff on the 4.3 V-6 , from what I heard the 4.3 is the famous Chevy 350 with 2 cylinders removed .
and that basically is the math ,
Chevy 350 is 5.7 liters. each 2 cylinder section equals 1.425 liters
1.425 liters X 3 = 4.275 liters hence the fine 4.3 V-6

Yea, they are good, avoid the CPI at all costs, the spider assembly for the fuel injection is under the manifold and leaks, even the updated assembly leaks. Instead either go for a early TBI or later rail style (in trucks that would be 2003+).

The old body style ford is probably your best bet, getting one with a 4.9 and tall gearing will save the day. Do a tune up right away, have an alignment done too, from there it should be problem free for a very long time, the engines are pretty much unkillable, the japanese transmissions not so much but at this point its old enough to have had that crap swapped out.

I decided on the year 1985 and 1/2
Dodge with 84,000 miles. (in 2 wheel drive)
Since it's there & ready for purchase,
It's nice running , a little ruff here and there, but perfect for junking .
It's got a big bed , helper springs . It's a no brainer ,
I scrap , I need room to scrap with a truck, I worry not to dent up .
All said and done the Slant Six is a legend of a motor . The Trans is 3 speed manual with overdrive .
Driven responsibly slow & the 6 kinda forces you to drive responsible
I just know it wont get worse - time use - fuel consumption then
my recent past 318 V-8 dodges
with hunting stile scrapping , it's about how much fuel is needed
in 4 or 5 hours rather then how far you drive in that time.
With hunting , idling & slug slow driving or motor on off as you pull items out from a dumpster
can be strong fuel consumption for some motors.

With all due respect to a V-8 , once I had no choice but to take my old scrap truck to Long Island,
A 280 mile drive each way . I was concerned , local driving fuel consumption
gave me reason to brace my self for the worst.
The worst never happen . I was reminded how a V-8 on the HWY pulling a 6000 pound truck
comes into it's own
I floated along at 75 MPH with no effort
The fuel needed in 4 1/2 hours was $45 or $50
not much more then my V-6 minivan.



One hundred down last night ,next is to sell Ranger to yard to
pay off Dodge . This will be my third Dodge I guess I'm a Dodge man .