thebestofindica

First of all I'm 21 years old. That will explain this next statement. I recently went through the rice burner stage and regret it 150%. I own a 2001 civic with some mods. Anyways, the lease is up on it in october. I will then be looking for the ever-so-elusive 12v cummins. I really would like something between a '96-'98. I know that the 98 12v's are very rare and hard to find. Do you folks have a recommendation for finding one other than dealerships and the classifieds in the papers. I live in the Midwest, near Sioux City, IA, if that helps. What are the major differences between the '98 12v, '97 and '96's?? Is it really that important to find a '98 12v?? I own a 2003 duramax and love it. It is so nice to have that allison tranny. I know a lot of you love to hate them. I haul seed corn and pull loads close to 30,000 lbs all spring long and the truck performs above my expectations every time, but thats beside the point. I am keeping the duramax, but want a cummins as well. Please give me some tips and hints on where to find what I'm looking for. Thanks a bunch

Palmetto_kid

Ive got one for sale. check your pm's.

DieselDaze

Thanks for keeping it in the PM's Palmetto_Kid.

Rich.

DZLPWR

The only difference in 98's and older are:
1. If you want a short bed, ext. cab, they only make them 98 and up. That is the main reason 98 12v's are so popular.
2. New interior in 98's (nothing special), quad cab.
3. Only body configurations available on 97-94 are
A. Standard cab, long bed.
B. Ext. cab, long bed.
4. HP ratings are different between the years depending on tranny and year.
I know the 96-98 12v 5spd has 215hp, which was the most avail for the 12v, so thats the one i wanted. Look at Fritz's dodge ram tech for lots of info.

Check all over the internet.
Surrounding Newspapers (online), Used car sites, ebay, every where. Be prepared to drive. The more picky you are, the farther you have to drive.

I found mine on ebay, got lucky. Was watching the truck because i had never seen one that met what i was looking for on ebay, for about a year of looking. So, i planned on bidding, and just before i bid on it, he canceled the auction. 5th gear whent out on him during the auction. E-mailed my #, he called and said it was in the shop at that moment. He said that if i mailed a down payment, it was mine.
Sooooo, here i am with my dream truck!!! Got very lucky.
Be paitent, and you will get what you want.

BoldtsWagon

Go to autotrader.com. There are literally hundreds of 96 to 97 3500s and 2500s

kingofdodge7131

Hey sup, Im from sioux city myself, actually looked at a 12v this weekend. Went to look at it because i thought he told me it was a 24v, my bad, its about 150 miles from here. Drove fine, looked good.

http://www.dealsonwheels.com/search/...tos__ID/203512

thebestofindica

What is a good price to pay for a '98 12valve that is in good shape and respectable amount of mileage?? It has to be 4x4 of course, would prefer ext. cab, short box. Any trim level is fine, and 5spd is preferred. thanks

turbo thom

I bought the wife a 98 quad-cab about a year and a half ago. Found it in Fla. The big difference I see in the 96 and 98 is the transmission has a different throw. The shifting pattern is a lot tighter. Compared to my 96 it feels like it has a short shifter on top. Things under the hood are a little different too. The fuel filer is the paper type where mine is a canister. One nice thing is she has heated mirrors where I couldn't get them on mine. And those quad doors. I would almost kill for a pair on my truck. They are really handy. I know there are a few other things but that's all I see that stands out.
As to price. In 96 I paid $34,500 for my ole truck and I got hers for $22,000. I think today it would bring about $18K- $20K. Her truck is very clean and has the Banks kit with an US Gear e-brake. Can't say much for the kit but the brake is excellent. We got the truck with 88K miles and now it sits at 122K. We may need to sell it but she says no way. We have 3 trucks now and it is very hard on an old man to keep 3 trucks up.

This is just a few things I've noticed about the truck. Good luck on finding one.

..Preston..

98 2500

i got the same thing your looking for except a 24v with 145k on it for 12,700 near philadelphia just to give ya an idea. Why 12v, whats the big difference in the two anyhow(minus the obvious)

DZLPWR

1. More durable injection pump(p7100 inline), all mechanical pump, so that means YOU can do free HP increases or very cheap fuel mods. 24v's have a good pump(VP44 rotary) but is prone to failure because of weak lift pumps. Dont get me wrong they are good pumps, but the p7100 is what everyone ends up wanting for good HP gains. The VP is also all electronicly controlled, so an upgrade is going to be in the form of a "chip" or fueling box $500+, wereas the p7100 upgrade is a metal "plate" that costs about $250. They are both fine pumps, the vp44 will need more attention though.
2. Injectors are set up like spark plugs on the 12v, 24v injectors are under the valve cover. So take a wild guess which on is easier to change.
Just some of the main differences. Lots more, just small. They are both excellent motors!
If you just plan on driving it and not increasing HP, go with either and slap a fuel pressure guage (monitors pump to prevent failure) on the 24v and be off with it.
Plan on Bombing, then go with the 12v. Or if you have deep pockets then go with either.

kingofdodge7131

how high in HP can you go on a 12v though before losin the drivablilty, maily mileage? Id love to look into that if i can hit the 400hp mark and keep the 20mpg

Dr. Evil

400 HP and 20+ mpg is very doable.....

kingofdodge7131

Really? I always thought that more power meant more fuel and more fuel equaled -mileage, What all would i have to do to accomplish that then? I mean i still like the thought of adjustability on the fly, but, my main thought was to be able to take those cocky lil ricers or be able to atleast compete then shut it off and drive home, so if i can pull it off and keep the same mileage, awesome

DZLPWR

At any HP level your right foot is the MPG meter. Its just easier to loose MPG with more horepower because of the ease of dumping more fuel at a higher rate.

kingofdodge7131

awesome, actually im just gonna start a new thread for this, so his thread stays on what it needs to be on