firstgen12v

Hey all, First want to say that I have no idea where this goes. So if it gets moved on me: apologies in advance.
I have been reading this forum for a while now as I shopped around for my first truck. (first vehicle of my own, actually, as I am in High school still) I went ahead and took the plunge on a 93 first gen that I found on craigslist. Of course it was purchased as is as seen etc so I knew going into it that I would have to overcome whatever issues arose. Most of what I have gotten into thus far was seen in advance. (some not so much ) but my whole idea was to buy a truck as a learning tool, and that much has been accomplished so far.

The truck has most of what I wanted: single cab, long bed, intercooled etc. I did want a manual trans, which I didn't get, and I wanted manual windows etc for simplicity. (Unless the LE package and auto windows/locks etc are actually good in the long run)

DISCLAIMER: the majority of the welding and fab being done to the truck is being done by a friend of mine with 30+ yrs welding experience. I am learning, but do not feel confident enough to do the sort of work required for the truck.
DISCLAIMER 2: First off, this is my first truck/car/diesel or not etc so any dumb questions that come forth please take them with such knowledge.
DISCLAIMER 3: I am a teenager and thus I will probably choose things here or there that might make some purists shake their heads. I will not, however, be the kid with the rockstar rims and 10 inch stacks with POD injectors calling my truck "built". I still want to do things right despite budget and knowledge limitations.

The truck currently is in the beginning stages of being built up to being road worthy and beyond, but is not going to get there for a while. It is currently a flinstone mobile as the floors are cut out and being rebuilt by a friend. I am losing the bench seat in favor of a set of Volvo bucket seats so that I will not end up in the passenger side when I make a left hand turn.

Plans include lots of body work to keep this 20+ yr/old New England truck living long. I'd like to do a couple things... such as 35's on the American racing wheels that came with the truck. I'd also like to run a cap up top as I love to hunt and fish and can utilize the bed best that way.

Powerplant is where I am going to need some help. The motor is all stock currently in the low 200K mile range Some would say that is too high of mileage to buy a truck at, others would say she is just broken in. I want to do enough motor work to where I can turn the key and drive coast to coast without worrying about reliability. I would also like to have the truck put down somewhere around 800ft lbs.
What I want to know from those with more experience than I: Is that a realistic goal? I know those numbers are low by newer truck standards, but how is that for a daily driven 12 valve?
Would things such as injectors, exhaust, intake, fuel pin, valve springs, etc make this kind of power?
P.S the trans (auto, unfortunately) is going to be built with billet components to hold around 1000lb ft as it is leaking a fair amount and the truck is only going to get more power from here on out)

Pictures of build will be coming eventually. Thanks
Anyone with encouragement, concerns, ideas, thoughts, insight, wisdom etc feel free to reply. I am looking to read and learn as much as I possibly can on all things first gen/12 valve.

flyboy129

Awesome first post, kid! Thank you for not wanting to roll coal at every stoplight. 200K isn't that bad. Cummins recommends a bottom refresh @ 300K (main bearings), but others may say "run it". I'd recommend hitting the sticky thread (FAQ) and reading to your hearts content. Honestly, with just a little more power, these trucks are really awesome. Do you really need 800 lb/ft of torque? Make sure to get an upgraded converter. That is the biggie with the autos from what I've read. there is also a thread on here somewhere, where a guy made the 518 into a lockup. First mod needs to be gauges (trans temp, boost, and pyro) at the minimum. Know where you start, so you know what you've accomplished. Welcome aboard!

mknittle

Sounds like you have the right idea. and know what you want to accomplish.
I would keep this thread going as your build thread. There are several very knowledgeable people here that are willing to help. Oh yeah and.

firstgen12v

sooo how do I go about posting pictures within a thread like all the pros on here do? I can attach them but they are huge files and don't go in order nicely like every who does write ups on the forum. (oh and when I drag and drop it doesn't work, they just blow up)

NJTman

Resize them below 1mp and they should attach.

Very well written first post, BTW

firstgen12v

Here are a few pictures of how things are thus far

EDIT: I still don't know how to get the pictures to be in the post so I can write on each one. But there are pictures of the engine, the current state of the floor in it's rebuild, and the truck as it sets right now all torn apart.

The box of parts includes: Plenty of gunk for cleaning things like the trans so that I can put in the new shift seal, upper and lower ball joints, front seals, new valve cover gaskets, injector cleaner etc.

I also have a new steering box and a borgeson shaft is on the way.

If anyone can tell me how to get the pictures inside the post rather than attached that would be super cool. I'd like to make the write up's a little more organized as I proceed. Thanks

EDIT 2.0: Yea those pictures came out crummy. all different sizes etc. I'll try to make others better but tis late and I am going to retire.

j_martin

If I'm going to put a picture in a post, I first edit it. I use Gimp, but any photo editor will work.
1. Crop the picture if needed.
2. Resize the image to 600 or 640 pixels on the long side.
3. Save (export in Gimp) in JPG format at about 90% quality.

Then I upload it to my Photobucket account, and get the direct link for it copied into my scratchpad buffer. If I'm doing several, I save all the links in a notepad session for grab and go later.

In DTR's editor, put the cursor where you want the picture, click on the "insert image" icon at the top, and paste in the link.

The pictures are actually at Photobucket. The only thing in the post is the link to it. You can do it by uploading your pictures to DTR and linking them, but Photobucket seems to be easier.

Comes out like this:

Nughuffer

Congrats on the truck. It'll be a great learning experience for you. I have to say that it's refreshing to see the influx of youngsters here lately. Especially the type willing to learn and use the search function. It's nice to see threads/posts from the younger crowd that contain complete sentences & some punctuation. /rant

Good Lord that makes me sound so old...

mknittle

Looks like a good project.

KRB

First I will welcome you and second I must commend you on the quality of your post. You say you are in high school yet you communicate better than most your age.

You understand paragraphs, you understand periods, you understand correct spelling. You can organize your thoughts into a clear concise presentation.

This is welcomed relief and as a result I predict you will receive a lot more help & feedback than those that are at a fraction of your caliber.

Welcome.

lockgessner

My picture process is similar to j Martin, I just copy and paste the link from photo bucket. Click on the pic you want in photobucket, then on the right hand side there's four little boxes, copy the bottom one (IMG), paste that web address where you want in your post.
It will look similar to this:

[URL=http://s1210..com/user/lockgessner1/media/IMG_1125.jpg.html][/URL (I deleted a bracket on the end so pic would not post)
Edit more than the bracket
When you post the reply the link will turn into a pic; like this:



There you have it, easiest way for pics I know.

Congrats on the truck, wish I had got my 1st gen in hs...

firstgen12v

I would quote someone, but everyone has left such positive things I would have to quote all of you!
With that said thanks to everyone for the feedback about how to better the pictures that are within posts.


Also, thanks to everyone who had positive things to say about my spelling and grammar etc. I was homeschooled most of my life and then went to a private high school and took mostly college prep classes. English never was my strongpoint, but I could always write well enough to get through unscathed. (for the most part)

Little update:

Cummins Performance Parts has been helpful to me after the mishap with my Borgeson steering box. I ordered it on labor day and it wound up being discontinued and took weeks to figure the situation out even after I was charged for it. Long story short Jessica over at CPP (big shout out to her) was super good with getting things straightened out and hooking me up the next time that I ordered from them. I picked up a regular dodge box locally and ordered a Borgeson steering shaft from CPP. I called them up and spoke to Jessica who was able to overnight the part and so that should be here on Monday. Originally I was not going to shop there again but I figured I would give them a second chance, and I am very glad that I did.

Fuel filter came in, transmission shift seal came in (doing that while the floor is out), and more ball joint stuff is in/on the way.
Hopefully I will be tearing back into it tomorrow night after work. Should start getting some of these parts to be in the truck instead of laying on the bench!

KRB

Was going to ask if you were home schooled but didn't want to seem presumptuous. It usually means they are, OR their parents still take an active role in their upbringing and not leave that minor task to the overworked, underpaid teachers...

Sounds like you are doing well, do you have a budget? Keep up the good work!

firstgen12v

So minor update.

Looks like the front end of the truck was tagged at some point or possibly someone abused the plow pretty bad. In either case, someone decided it would be a good idea to get under there with a stick welder and go to town on some stuff that I didn't see when my friend (mechanic for 30+yrs) and I looked at the truck originally.
Part of what they did was weld the steering box plate to the frame. So right now the battery/holder is out, the intake is off, the inner fender is out and we should be getting around to cutting the welds off with a torch or plasma soon.

Also, on the steering issue with Borgeson/CPP: My part was not in Monday when I was told that it would be. Same goes for Tuesday, and now Wednesday.. so needless to say I was very displeased with the customer service from CPP. However I did receive an email from Jessica over at CPP who said that she was out sick and was unable to contact Borgeson.

"I am very sorry for the delay I was out ill.. I contacted the warehouse and not sure what happen I was told you should of had this Monday when I ordered it.. Which makes me very upset.. I just got off the phone with the warehouse and was told you will have this tomorrow!! I am very sorry.. "

So assuming the part actually comes in tomorrow I will give them a pass and try ordering again at some point. (however I still don't like the fact that I keep winding up on hold for 10-20 minutes every time I try to call them. More than once I have got an answering machine after 10+ minutes of waiting during normal business hours... which is irritating)

j_martin

Sooner or later you'll figure out that CPP amounts to Jamie, and whoever the latest girl he can get to answer the phone (was Natasha when I called) working out of a farm house.

Took me 2+ months to get a set of injectors after I paid $750 for the injectors and a core charge. When I got them they were built on old pitted cores. 2 leaked badly within a week and had to be replaced.


Good luck with your deal.