It kind of pisses me off when I hear "1981 first gen with 318". I've always thought that First gen referred to the first generation of Cummins put in a Dodge truck. Dodge has been making trucks for +- 100 years, how can they call a 1981 truck "first gen"? thanks Rich

 

I bought an 81' new off the lot W250 4X4 with a 318"R".

 

I not only have a 1st Gen. I have one of the FIRST 1st gens!

 

I'll have to take a back seat on this discussion...No wait, my 3rd Gen doesn't have a back seat......Ben

 

I'd have to get in my wife's Ford Ranger to get in the back seat.

 

I don't have a back seat either, I have jump seats.

 

Well depends how you want to define the dodge trucks....if you are using the term "Dodge Ram" then it was 1981 when Ma Mopar coined that term for it's trucks so that would make any truck built on that body platform 1981-1993 as a 1st gen dodge ram. But if you are accepting any dodge truck with a ram's head badge or ornament then you could look at truck all the way back to the 30's, so it could make the 81-93 a 7th Gen? or some other number...I don't know haven't looked at specific body changes over that time frame.

 

So what you are saying is I have a 1st gen diesel but not the first first gen Ram? Confused yet?

 

I lump the whole 72-93 body style together. Same truck. Parts swap easy. It's just like the 73-87/91 Chevy 'squarebody' with the minor revision for 81.

I could get into "D/W Rams" as a generational name tag.

 

Before 1989 did anyone refer to Dodge trucks as first gen?

 

My grandfather sold Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Desotos. We owned nothing but MOPARs until I married my wife in 1990 and she had a 1989 Toyota Corolla. (I don't count my *****'s CJ-3B since Chrysler ended up with Jeep eventually). So basically my whole life has been surrounded by MOPARs and I never heard the term "1st Gen" until it was applied to and referred to a D or W with the Cummins.

But now days I hear "X" Gen to describe most any brand vehicle of a certain body style series - as in my daughters drive a 1st Gen and 3rd Gen RAV4.

Now if you REALLY want to get me going tell me how you can have a RWD Power Wagon or W series and a 4x4 D??? Slow deep breaths... slow deep breaths... I'm ok now...

 

So by this thinking of calling the trucks after the generation of Cummins motor under the hood...Does this make the '89-91.0 the first gens and the '91.5-'93 trucks with the intercooled motor a 2nd gen?

 

Which would then make the '94-'98.0 12V P-7100 pumped trucks the 3rd gens followed by the VP44 24V motors in '98.5-'02 the 4th gens....?

 

I'm confused...I drive a 2009 Dodge/Cummins, do I exist here, or should I be speaking from another dimension?......Ben

 

I think there was a Mistubishi diesel in the early '80s 1/2 ton trucks. IIRC.