8.0L V10 - worth rebuilding?

Shellkamp · Dec 18, 2018

DodgeTx said:
$9000 for a rebuild on the trans and engine, but its runs and drives? if you are concerned, buy a parts truck that runs and drives and you'll have whatever parts you may need as they arise.

I have a 96 v10, that i love, but its got a bad trans, reverse doesnt enjoy working. Yet it stills sits next to my garage, and if my cummins breaks down, i know my v10 will fire up with a jump and be able to tow it home.

They are great for power and gotta love the 8-10mpg!

I'd love for you to keep it, and fix, but at $9k for me personally that is wayyyy to much.
a parts truck would run you anywhere from 200-3500 depending on if its current on everything and usable.

I'm not understanding the logic of purchasing a "parts truck", when 95 percent of the parts on this thing can be purchased new.

**** wears out, and requires maintenance to stave off entropy. Yeah, it's a big chunk of change - but so is buying a used truck that's not got 150,000 miles on it and already 10 years old.

Even after a major rebuild I can almost guarantee total cost of ownership is lower than most newer stuff out there.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

Shellkamp · Dec 22, 2018

I threw the front end back together after ordering some missing nuts and bolts - installed new tie-rod ends, front wheel bearings, brake rotors, calipers, pads, and shocks too. Ball joints and control arm bushings were already installed a few years ago. I have the pitman and idler arms but I bent my puller trying to get the pitman off the steering gear. I'll let the mechanic take care of those. :Grin:

Got it insured and registered on Wednesday, and for it's maiden voyage I drove to the landfill to remove all the wood from the bed (1020 lbs!). It drove all the way to the top of the trash mountain with no problems. Only an occasional hesitation in shifting, completely randomly.

Looking forward to handing this thing over for the rebuild. He says he is going to look at the rear diff, too, but I think I might encourage him to just go ahead and rebuild it completely, or at a minimum replace the bearings and seals if the gears turn out OK. That and the driveshaft u-joints and whatnot.

Still need to get a quote for paint. Anybody got an idea of what a halfway decent paint job would cost? $2000 maybe? Not looking for a mop 'n' glo Maaco job, or show-car worthy, either - just something that will hold up for a while and look decent.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

roundyracer · Jan 3, 2019

MADDOG said:
I'd rebuild it if it were mine.

Parts issues can be overcome with some diligent searching online.

Good luck!

318willrun · Jan 13, 2019

Depends on what it means and what it's worth to you. If it runs good, drive it. If you are bent on rebuilding it, I would think you could find a V10 2nd hand with much lower miles and just swap.

Shellkamp · Jul 20, 2019

I just stopped by the mechanic yesterday. Engine is completely rebuilt, put back together and re-installed. Had to bore the cylinders .30 over and he had a difficult time finding a camshaft. The cam was basically worn down to nothing - to the point that the machine shop didn't believe my mechanic when he told them it ran and drove just fine before he brought the engine in. :Grin:

He cleaned up and painted the engine, intake, valve covers, accessory brackets, etc. As well as detailed/painted the frame and parts of the engine compartment that were going to be covered by the engine.

He's going to order the transmission now and soon enough it'll be ready for paint. I've been finding the emblems and other miscellaneous trim parts on eBay and LMC truck for when that time comes. It's going to look and drive like a brand new truck by the time it's done.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

Shellkamp · Dec 6, 2019

All that's left is the muffler getting replaced. Freshly detailed this afternoon.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

bellaireroad · Dec 7, 2019

Wow ...she’s a beauty

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Dodge 1500 4X4 · Dec 8, 2019

Wow congratulation on restoring a memory from the past that's priceless, you didn't have to deal with any dreaded corrosion like us from the salt belt of the world, I have a Great new truck that I don't drive in the Winter because of this.

392DevilDog · Dec 8, 2019

Wow. Your truck looks like that and you were concerned about rebuilding the motor.

My V10 with 5 speed is never going to leave my ownership.

But this is what Pennsylvania did to it

And that is the good side.

Fenderflares and red duct tape keep it good for the inspection man

It will look like this again someday

Do wish mine was a longbed.

Thanks for posting your truck. It looks great.

Shellkamp · Dec 9, 2019

392DevilDog said:
Wow. Your truck looks like that and you were concerned about rebuilding the motor.

My V10 with 5 speed is never going to leave my ownership.

But this is what Pennsylvania did to itView attachment 188395
And that is the good side.
View attachment 188396
Fenderflares and red duct tape keep it good for the inspection man

It will look like this again someday View attachment 188397
Do wish mine was a longbed.

Thanks for posting your truck. It looks great.

Thanks. It certainly didn't look like that from the beginning, though. the dash cover was completely trashed from the Florida sun, the paint job was in terrible shape, the front bumper plastic pieces were faded and damaged. The Evaporator coil was leaking, the blower motor had a nice little whine to it, the rear driver's side door didn't want to open. The front infinity speakers both failed and the head unit, too, so I had to convert the stereo system to conventional. I am very lucky that the body was structurally sound.

It definitely needed a LOT of work but I'm incredibly happy with the result.

Once the muffler gets installed it'll finally be rid of that pesky rattle at idle, too.

on a side note, has anyone used the hemifever tuning chip on their V10? The guy told me 20 hp and 30 ft/lbs of torque with possibly 1-2 MPG gained. Thinking of trying it down the road.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

71ChargerRT · Feb 27, 2020

I'm glad to see you persevered and had yours rebuilt.
Mine started knocking and I am now in the process of building a 360 stroker, 410 cubic inch motor for it. If I had sentimental value I might've done the same thing.

Skyroamer · Mar 30, 2020

You're right about parts getting hard to find. I recently found out the OEM exhaust manifolds for the V10 are no more.
I found a really nice set of headers on Ebay for under $200. They fit good and sound great.
So I guess parts are out there if you look.
Even though my V10 is runing good right now, I too am thinking of swaping it out for a Cummins.
Thing is I already have the Diesel and all the wireing harness and fuel system from my 99 ram that I broke the frame on.

Yeret · Apr 4, 2020

What you have there is a VERY nice example of a second-gen Ram. Here in Iowa, one that clean is almost inconceivable.

The age-old debate of fix-it-or-dump-it-and-buy-a-new-one. In my case, my truck was gifted to me almost a decade ago by my grandpa, who passed away last summer. Now, I watched and pretty much idolized the movie "Twister" long, long ago as a kid, and the second-gen Ram has been one of my favorite vehicles of all time. So, needless to say, when grandpa gifted me one (I was really, REALLY dirt-ass poor back then), I instantly declared that I'm gonna keep this truck going for as long as I can.

There have been plenty of rough patches along the way since then, but I've still got the truck and I'm not planning on dumping it any time soon. I'm gonna keep fixing it, make a few modifications as money allows along the way, and will keep rocking on.

Thank you, grandpa, for the first, and so far, only vehicle that I've truly revered! Your gift will eventually fall to the sands of time, but not yet. Not yet! :driver:

Brinkley · Aug 6, 2020

Wow, This is on my future chores list as well. Mine has 225K burns/leaks no oil or coolant. Only thing I've changed over the years is: Radiator, thermostat, P steering pump, Heater core and I think water pump "not sure on that one". Getting to that core was like working with an egg shell. Had to buy a dash cap and a few of the brackets that bolt dash to firewall have broke. Now dash bounces around on rough roads. Dam these trucks have a rough ride!! Did you replace the dash or were you able to salvage it? Any problems with the brittle plastic?

Zdawg86 · Sep 13, 2020

Loved reading this thread! It gives me hope and is stoking the fire to keep my 01 v10 short bed and make it last even longer. Im the second owner at 130,000 miles. Runs great, but feels like it floods when i accelerate. I dont know what the previous owner had done to the motor, but there look to be drilled out and threaded holes on the front core where an intercooler was mounted. I feel like he had it turbo'ed, there were a few unexplained wires left behind after whatever was removed and glue marks on the driver side A pillar where a tac set was mounted.
I love the truck, just trying to not lose hope as the fix-it list grows haha

8.0L V10 - worth rebuilding?

Shellkamp

Member

Shellkamp

Member

roundyracer

Junior Member

318willrun

Junior Member

Shellkamp

Member

Shellkamp

Member

bellaireroad

Senior Member

Dodge 1500 4X4

Senior Member

392DevilDog

Senior Member

Shellkamp

Member

71ChargerRT

Junior Member

Skyroamer

Junior Member

Yeret

The Village Drunk

Brinkley

Junior Member

Zdawg86

Junior Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Share this page