• Welcome to For Trucks Only !

    We are a community of American Brand Pickup Truck and SUV owners. Join now! Its Free!

The introduction of jason vogel

So I am new to the dodge truck thing. I found a 1987 d250 4 speed 360. It has 36,000 miles and it was a forestry service truck. So my question is, is this a good setup and what are simple things I could do to make it more economical and just fun to drive?
 
Hello from Minnesota. I think its a good setup. Does it have granny low for 1st gear? You can start in 2nd if it does. A tune up is about all I can think of to help in the economic department.
 
Yes it's got the granny 1st gear. It's rust free has a flat bed barely used. I was thinking of an intake and carb but not sure. Guy who has it stopped driving it because he got 12 mpg. He got it from forestry service has all records and everything. No one here wants it if it's not 4 wheel drive.
 
4wd sure comes in handy out there I bet. Intake and carb would give it some pep, might not do anything for mileage. Depends on the carb. I had an edelbrock dual plane with an eddy 750 on my 360 and liked it. I never checked mileage. I was guessing 15-18 when it was in my 87 Ram van. Went like a raped ape.
 
It worked for me. My line of thinking is; it will get the fuel it needs without stepping on the gas as much as you would need to with a smaller carb. I had a 400 with a 600 cfm carb and was always on the throttle. I went to the 750 and have as barely touching the pedal and I picked up 1-2 mpg. Some people like smaller carbs, I prefer bigger.
 
Had not given that much thought as far as a carb. Hell I'm game for it. I have to rejet everything up here anyway. I guess 6000 ft for a 600 is no fun for carb from factory anyway.
 
You'd have to route some ducting from the air cleaner assembly to the radiator support of you have a snorkel on the air cleaner.
 
Last edited:
Look under your battery tray Jason . Being an 87 you might already have a hole or a cut out for a fresh air duct . There might be a plate over it with two spot welds or two screws but that's easy enough to pop off . By the way , Welcome to the site .
 
OK. Great.. Is this truck more or less bullet proof or is there anything problematic with them? I'm using it as a project for my son andi. He's going to be driving it before to long.
 
jason vogel said:
OK. Great.. Is this truck more or less bullet proof or is there anything problematic with them? I'm using it as a project for my son andi. He's going to be driving it before to long.
Click to expand...
Me personally ? I would go with a nice dual plane intake and an Eddy carb with an electric choke . On a stock or close to stock 360 I wouldn't really run anything bigger then a 600 myself , "maybe" a 650 if I was thinking of taking he next step and install a mild cam . In a case like this something close to an RV cam . Another thing you could think about is a true dual exhaust for it , It would help with power as well as fuel economy . As a bonus , with the right mufflers your son would love the sound of it . lol I've done this combo for a few people as well as myself and was always happy with the results . On a side note , since this is going to be your sons truck , Make sure you check out the front end and brakes before he starts driving it . That could be another part of the project for you two and then you'd know he was safe . :D
 
Well I haven't bought it yet however it's almost a done deal. I was thinking headers but ones I have found so far don't sound like they fit well. I am doing a true dual exhaust no matter what. Maybe some little bullet mufflers. I have a suburban with setup and my kid loves to sit and rev it. There goes whatever gas that may be saved.
 
Well if you don't find a header you like you could always run it right off the manifolds . The one draw back there though is that you'll have to start off with a smaller pipe because of the flange . But if the guy making your exhaust is good he can upsize it almost right away and then continue it back . I know what your saying wanting to rev it all the time . I'm the same way every time I try a new exhaust . I keep stepping on the gas to hear what it sounds like at different RPM's . I'm worse then a kid when it comes to that ! lol
 
jason vogel said:
my kid loves to sit and rev it. There goes whatever gas that may be saved.
Click to expand...

That's what I love about my cars, they're mine, I can rev them whenever I want! I don't have any of my old vehicles for any economic savings. I hope you're not paying for gas!
 
LocuMob said:
That's what I love about my cars, they're mine, I can rev them whenever I want! I don't have any of my old vehicles for any economic savings. I hope you're not paying for gas!
Click to expand...
In your case , nothing beats the sound of a 440 ! lol
 
I'm paying for it all. He is really interested in older cars and trucks so I'm all for him learning. I buy older stuff for cash and work on them myself. Fun times saves money and you drive something that's not off the shelf. Wheres the fun in a kia?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top