well the family is getting bigger so the ol rusty trusty 12V is gonna hafta go rear facing car seats and no back doors in an extended cab just dont work on 8hr trips. anyways i was looking around at third gens and i can get a 03-05 for a very reasonable price these days, while the 06s are abit more but still ok (i really like the 06). the for about $5k more i can get an 08 6.7. i have done a lotta research on them and just not sure what to look at. dont like the injector issues and dropped valve seats in the early cr but still dont like the emmisions stuff on the 6.7s although i luv the exhaust brake idea and efi tuning and miles on the truck, which in the long run isnt gonna make it or break it for me. is the 6.7 really worth the extra 5 grand?
plans for either truck will be turbo back exhaust, air dog or similar (to ensure proper filtration and fp), intake, and a chip or tuning of some sort. reason why i posted this in the performance section is because im officially addicted to diesel power so the tuning will be quite aggressive and i want to know which truck is better in that respect. looking to run 5-600hp, basically max the stock injectors and turbo out on either rig. yes tranny will be built. so whats your vote? help me out here

 

From what I have seen, you will probably be happier sticking with the 5.9 (03 - early 07) unless you want to pony up the extra money for a 2010+ with the real crew cab.

 

Ok, so exactly how likely is it to see a dropped valve seat on a early cr with around 200k miles on it? This would b my biggest concern for these years of trucks...

 

06-07 5.9 mega cab and don't look back. I like the 6.7 but if I were going to get one I would want a later model 2010 or newer, and that's gonna cost ya.
The nice thing about the 06-07 is EFI live is available now, that with a lift pump and some trans work and you can have 500 all day. A little more air and you can have 550-600 on stock sticks.
I have 3 kids, the Mega cab is the only way to go.

 

Ya I love the mega cabs but not too fond of the super short box. I am considering it tho. personally I don't even care if I have replace something like injectors or cp3....just gives me a chance to upgrade haha just can't afford the time and don't want a full blown rebuild-not yet anyways. I had an 06 laramie hemi and aside from the fuel mileage and lack of power I liked that year of truck.

 

I second the mega cab. I got an 06 I was going to sell, then asked myself what would I buy to replace it. Came back to wanting the truck I already got. Good luck with your new family.

 

Hmm....maybe this just means I need to lonbox the megacab ill look around for a decent megacab but those r more scarce. But ill trust u guys with the families cause uv probably tried everything else and know what ur talking about. Thanks

 

Sold a quad for my mega, I have 3 car seats in the back and I'm 6'2 and I have my seat adjusted the way I like without worry of hitting the car seats. I looked for 3 months to find mine, I'm glad I didn't settle.

 

Ok well I'm 6'5" so seems clear enuf. Seeing as its a hot rod road princess 95% of the time and work truck the other 5% maybe I can live with a shortbox..... lol

 

At least the mega cabs have the 6.5' bed and not the 5.5' bed on the 1/2 ton trucks. I had a 2011 Tundra crewmax (same size cab as megacab), which was great, but I hated the 5.5' bed when I needed to use it.

 

I have seen a lot of mega cab's for sale in Florida while I was looking for quad + 8' + manual 4X4. Took me six months to find that combo.

 

thats an idea. i have not checked in the states (im in canada) but if the deal is good enuf then i might go there. one more question....how bad is driving a dually? i dont need it but there are tons of them around right now for cheap. only thing id need a dually for is extra traction on a 4x4 boosted launch.....

 

I say 1st gen crew cab conversion. Plenty of room for a whole mess of rear facing car seats, you still get a 12v under the hood and a better balance in the savings account

 

Well I actually was going to try to find a cheap 3rd gen with a blown motor and put my 95 12valve in but it turns out its not a drop in n required quite some work.....but I still might cause then I could part out the frame and build the blown motor slowly then drop it back in anf sell the 12v. Make some of my money back that way

 

Bit of a thread revival here, but the 12v sold and I'm actively looking for a 3rd gen. My course of action based on future plans (650hp) has me set on not buying a manual, but instead I'm looking for an auto that's already blown up so its cheaper up front and putting something like a garmon stage 2 or 2.5 in. But I noticed that the early 03 had a 47rh and 03.5+ got the 48re. Is one better than the other to start out with or does it even matter since I'm putting in a fully built one? And what is the difference between the two anyways?
Looking forward to some new technology!