Hey guys. I just got a 90' 3/4 ton 4x4 Dodge truck. Wanted this truck for a conversion im doing. But wanted to see what kind of cost there is in rebuilding these engines. Was the Getrag 5 spd any good. This truck seems to run great. It has almost 300,000 miles. The guy i bought it from told me he has the head off becuase when he bought it it smoked. It was a bad head gasket and the head was replaced with an upgraded head due to cracks around the valves in the stock head. The guy told me you could still see the factory hone marks in the cylinder. At what mileage should i rebuild. And what little things should i watch out for in these early engines. Thanks Ryan

 

If it's got an updated head, just roll some main and rod bearings in while it's out of the vehicle. Rear main seal and crank seal are also easily accessable and a good idea. mine had 300k about 100k ago. I put a little camera-thingy down the injector bore and saw hone marks...so, if it's a runner, I say just let it fly, I know I do! The Getrag is a mixed bag, but I say there's just too much cast iron there for it to be all bad. Check my gallery if you wanna see the guts of the gutbag. The real downfall of the tranny is poor oiling, especially of the input shaft bearing. Most folks overfill by a quart to try and saturate the bearing. There are 'rags out there holding 3, 4, 5, 6 and 700 RWHP. Good luck with your conversion--what's it gonna be?
greg