Ok so the title sounds pretty stupid right.

The answer should be strait foreword however, I just purchased a 98 or 97 quad cab longbed here in California and the seller swears its a 98 but it only has 2 doors but also sports the newer dash board that comes in all 24v trucks. The manufacture date is 6/97. Ordinarily I wouldn't care but if its a 98 i have to smog it.

thanks brock

 

That's really hinky. Both of my 97s are/were 6/97 trucks and they are for sure 97 old style interiors. You could get a standard club cab 98, more rare is a 98 Quad cab 12Valve. I would have thought production of the 98 model came much later though, 10 or 11/97 for early trucks. In any case, you don't smog the 12Valves, 8th digit in the VIN is D.

Run your VIN thru Dodge to get a VIP summary, it will tell you everything about your truck.

You can also try this service, though I don't know if they will send a complete VIP summary.

http://www.dodge.com/wccsapp/univers...ull&category=R

 

thanks a lot patfaly.

 

Well it looks like it was sold as a 98. So why is there 2 doors instead of 4? For those of you who are California residents, whats the deal with smog regulation on this truck. I live in Sacramento, because of this the law says smog for 98 and up diesel vehicles. Is there any way around this?

 

Hey Man, I live up in Redding and having to smog a diesel is news to me. I wish I could help you with your questions. I didn't think any diesel pickups had to be smogged in Cali. But then again my truck is a 95 12v and my last one was a piece of edit 85 Ford non turbo....what a turd that one was Good luck and please post again if this friggen state of ours has changed the regs to rip more cash out of our wallets

 

Yeah, I remember seeing a few 98s that were just club cabs. The quad cab doors were actually an option. The model year is the 10th digit of your serial number. 97 is a "V" and 98 is a "W".

 

ye torquefan, my truck is shur enough a 98 not the **** "w" in the vin #. I had no idea that the quad door was an option that year. Makes me want to slap the crap out of the first owner for buying the 2 door model.

Ill keep you all posted.

 

As far as smog goes, it's only a visual inspection. For now anyway. You can have aftermarket parts on the motor but just be sure they look factory. Air filter box, No piggy-back programmer boxes lying around. etc. But then again, most places are fairly lenient since they've never looked at a diesel. My dad took his '06 truck in for the first time after buying it in Sept. 2009. The guy was going by a book he had and started asking about and looking for an O2 sensor.

 

No smog on the mechanical trucks, at least yet.

Badley, you got lucky, a few moths later production ( 24V ) and they would be smogging you.

 

Smog or not my understanding is if you put a canopy on the truck registration is way cheaper in Calif.

 

Has it been wrecked or modified. Seems like a lot of work to convert to the newer dash but I am sure someone has probably done it. There are also a lot of mystery trucks in between model years running around out there with changeover parts. Like the few quad cab 12 valvers and some 99 and 2000's with rear discs.


The DMV is going to go by the vin for year of vehicle. That's pretty cut and dried.

A HS buddy of mine would buy the Chevy 6.9 liter diesel and drop a 454 in it. No smog cuz it shows as a diesel. He got away with it for quite a while.

As for the canopy trick, I believe its what the vehicle is primarily used for. My truck has truck commercial plates, the tahoe has car plates. A lot of 3/4 ton Subs and Excursions around here have com truck plates.

California sucks as far as taxes and fees go, I don't miss it at all.

 

In case anyone wonders, they do send you a complete build sheet if you ask for it, along with any recalls still on the truck. Nice to know exactly how it was built.

As for yours being a 98 with a 6/97 build date, either it was a pre-production mule truck or at some point someone has put a different cab on it, does the VIN on the drivers cab jam match the title and VIN on the dash? If so, you have the earliest 98 I have ever heard of, perhaps 98 #1....

Oh yea, I forgot, does it have the Cali EGR system? Not sure they let you register it without it in Cali.

 

True, but it must be cab high, you cant just cover the bed. It registers like a car with a shell on it. I'm sure the EDIT AGAIN at DMV will put an end to this sooner or later.

 

Sorry for the ignorance but what does it mean to have a canopy on the truck. How would this change the registration.

patdaly, yes it has the CA EGR stuff on it and the vin#'s match.Now that you mention it the truck does have a salvage title (why I got it so cheap) this could explain a cab change. This week i am going to look under the passenger seat to see if I can fined the vin under there.

 

Club cab (2 doors) were available until 99. IIRC, 98.5-99 quad cab was an option. The quad cab was so popular that most of the 99's were ordered that way from the dealership, that's all you could find on the lot. Everyone says the 98 12v QC is so rare, and it is, it took me years to find mine. But even more rare is the 99 24v CC.