Hey guys i'm new here and looking to get my first diesel pickup within the next year. do you guys have any suggestions as to what i should look into getting as my first cummins and what mods i could do to it. I plan on putting 7'' bull hauler stacks from www.blackclouddiesel.com/Stacks/stacks diesel on it. Any help would be greatly appreaicated.

Thanks Bryce

 

I've heard of this kind of issue and that kind of issue.

Things like steering boxes, lift pumps, injector pumps, ball joints etc.

That said, my '03 2WD Quad Cab Long Bed MUST have been made on the best day of the week with parts mostly made on the best day of the week.

I've read about and heard about fewer troubles with '03 models as almost any other year I've heard of.

Also heard if you can find a 12V '97 or '98 that would be close to as good as you can get.

I wouldn't know about mods, as my truck doesn't have any.

 

What's your budget? That's going to determine what you can get and what you can do to it after you get it.

 

If you've never had a diesel PU before don't worry about the mods yet. Get the truck, enjoy what it is and what it does. Then you'll begin to see what you might want to change or improve and then you will have an idea about what mods are right for you. It might be appearance, tires, horsepower, transmission, who knows what? But you won't know either till you get it and see where it can be "improved".

The exceptions to this are the KDP, if that applies, and the lift pump, if that applies.

John

 

Guages.....

 

Before you ask, the KDP is a Killer Dowl Pin in 12V engines and Lift Pump is on 24V 2nd gen engines.

I would almost rather have a 12V '98 model than my '03.... but my '03 has been a GRREAT truck!

 

first off thanks for the info guys, I'm going to look for a 94-99 model in the 6 to 12000 dollar range don't know what i might get for that kind of money but i'ev always wanted a cummins for mods I'd like to add a programmer intake injectors and things like that. any more help would be great also i saw the thread about filling your stacks with smoke but could'nt figure out what to do to get the smoke. thanks for the help.
Bryce

 

If you want "plug and play" you need a '98.5 or newer truck. The old 12 valves are all mechanical. They are easy to crank up, but you do have to get your hands dirty.

 

As has already been mentioned, before you think about modificaitons you need to deal with the truck itself first. I've owned mine for 6 years and can say with some depth of experance that they are not similar to maintining a car or light-duty truck. The price of replacement parts alone is considerably higher that other veichles, just due to the standards these part have to be built to to endure the engine's abilities. It's quite important to have at least 20% of your purchase price on hand for repairs and maintance in the first year of ownership, and this does not include modificaitons.

 

ok thanks for the help. i'ev got a buddie who put a cummins in his serria classic and is making over 500hp. what is common for wear on the older trucks that are more mechanical. come to think of it i'd rather get dirty than mess with computers. I really don't know alot about the cummins engine but i'm really eager to learn becuase i'ev always wanted one of these trucks. thanks for the help, Bryce

 

All I can say is read the forum as much as possible and soak in the info. And I saw that you are wanting stacks from blackcloud diesel, I have a set of 7 inch miters on my truck. Depending on what you get, if I had a one ton I would get the aussie bullhaulers. Those things are sick. As far as the wear and tear, my first cummins, a 2wd 96 model it lasted close to 300k before my turbo gave out due to an oil leak. They will last as long as you take care of them. And for lord sakes, don't bomb the truck just for smoke, do it for power.