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well here i am been out of work 7 months decided to find a 1st gen d350 modify some things and go car hauling with it prolly jus a 2 car 36' trailer staying under 26000 lbs so i can keep out of some of the nonsense bills like ifta ( why pay taxes in several states for fuel i bought in 1 ) ive been told 1st gen is a dogg truck an wouldnt make the cut but i gotta go with finances and the fact that i like the old ugly flying bricks so the idea is this ...1st gen club cag D350 running 19.5 aluminum rims ( theres a tire size that the same height as the stock 16 but i cant remember it right now ) 1 peice fiberglass front end building a custom light weight sleeper on back fifth wheel and getting it a lil lower to the ground so maybe about 5 or 6 inches of ground clearance areodynamics even on the brick will work ( got a friend who does wind tunnel design who is gonna help there) the turbo injecters K&n filter 4 or 5 inch exhaust out the tail end im looking to try an get as much mpg as possible out of this project ...if it works out theres a cummings to 1 ton toyota ultra low low hauler on the drawing board later down the road ok so im not gonna be on here everysingle day but im gonna come looking for advice and help i ask that i dont get any of the your crazy why would ya do that comments but advice as to how to get the better mpg im looking for and what all of you have found that works best so i can read it through and test it for myself if ya know who makes a good 1 peice front that weighs less give tag it her things like the 19.5 its the strenth of the tire an sidewall im looking at if ya know somthing better let me know ..turbo upgrades things like that ....like i said im new to the 1 ton diesel trucks scene and i want to thru some trial and error put together somthing that says old skool but has decently good mpg and reliability numbers all ive heard is that diesel is the way to go for long lasting trucks and performance so im giving it a try and if i fail then at least i tried right .................oh and ive heard tales of 24 to 30 mpg with a low boy 2 car flatbed trailer with a total weight truck + trailer + cargo = 23000lbs .....is it real or is it a fairytale ...im hopeing to get at least 18mpg at the worst ..............so there is my ??? what kinda directions can ya give me .............thank M ................

 

Here's my $0.02.

I don't care who you are or what truck you drive, 18 mpg towing is the best you're going to get. And I wouldn't be going to a 19.5 either. If you want mpg's, all that extra unsprung weight isn't going to help. For mpg's, don't get an auto, get a stick. Make sure it either has an intercooler, or install one. Personally I think a set of twins, (turbos that is) is the way to go for solid reliable towing boost. My own dream setup is an HE351 secondary with an HX55 underneath. But an HX35/55 combo would be ok too.
Body kit? AFAIK you're on your own with that. And whoever told you 1st gens are dogs obviously haven't got the faintest idea what they're talking about.

Forgot to mention, I think a 4" exhaust is enough. 5" won't give you enough back pressure.

 

1st gen cummins powered ford towing 14k. a smaller quik spooling turbo will get better fuel economy. i tow in the mountains and ave. 16-18 if towing in the 6000 to 8000 lb range. 12to 16 k + truck puts me over 20k get 13 to 14.. this is high elevation. power is no problem , proper set up is key.

 

18 mpg would be great for me the 19.5 was a suggestion i got from a guy whos had a ton of blowouts and well he has pretty bad luck when it comes ti tires ...4" exhaust sounds great too.............as for the friend who told me the 1st gens are dogs well he is a friend but he is also a spoiled by the family kinda guy who is older than me an has never owned a used truck ever also he just thinks there ugly so he tried to talk me into something les boxy an newer ...thank for the advice beleive me im just getting into this ...i had years with old VW and lil ricer cars i just found myself really wanting to go this route and i will take all the advice i cant get

 

ive had some friends hotshot with 1st gens and did ok if they they didnt tow too heavy. toasted some getrags though

 

He's driving a TURBO diesel. Not a naturally aspirated gasser. The turbo provides all the back pressure needed.

 

Not to hijack but I have a quick question for crewcabxlt. I see in your sig that you have a lift pump, is that the stock one?

Thanks

Hijack over...

 

Not so. You need at least a little back pressure to balance things out. If there was none, the turbo would overspeed and start disintegrating.

 

I don't think that's true at all. If it were, everyone with a hood stack would be busting up their turbos.

 

hahahahahahaha yea ok!!

 

This has been bugging the heck outta me, so I did a little research. Apparently I've been misinformed , and you guys are right . Go with a 5", heck go with a 6" exhaust system!

 

thanks for the input ......looks like i have come to the right place there is so much info on here and seems to me that there is alot of good guys in the know willing help people out

 

low pressure piston lift pump for tractor/industrial application. think there,s a sticky on here for part# and install. i noticed better performance with it.

 

We all try, (some of us better than others! ). Here's the link crewcabxlt mentioned. https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ad.php?t=93722