which engine should i be on the lookout for

[WildcatHemi]

im looking at early Ram trucks. im seeing them with slant 6, 318? and 360’s. pretty sure i dont need a 360 but if its the better option i will consider.

truck will just be a cruiser. not a racer or hauler though i may use it to tow the 17’ boat occasionally.

any other advice for looking at older trucks?

 

[Grams]

The 318 is a well-respected and long-lived basic. You can’t go wrong with that engine.
The slant six will be underpowered for towing……but just for running around town….I wouldn’t turn it down.

 

[WildcatHemi]

im also looking at f100’s with the 4.9 i6. really rather have a ram though.

 

[huntergreen]

im also looking at f100’s with the 4.9 i6. really rather have a ram though.

Fords Venturi carbs were a pain in the butt ! That’s my experience.

The slant six is a legend for reliability, but IMHO the 318 would be the engine of choice for your needs.

 

[David Vandercook]

318 is a great engine, 360 as well. You will definitely want a V8. I'd personally prefer a 360, but you can't go wrong with either.

 

[u2slow]

im also looking at f100’s with the 4.9 i6. really rather have a ram though.

I like that engine, but I'm not a fan of the 80's Ford suspensions.

2wd or 4wd? I've always preferred to start at 3/4ton.

 

[WildcatHemi]

if money was no issue, id love a W250

 

[u2slow]

if money was no issue, id love a W250

3/4ton (gas engine) rarely costs more than a 1/2.
The w100/150 longbed uses a 250 frame. The grunty NP435 trans could be found in either.

 

[Dean2]

I had them with 318s and a couple of 360s. The 360 was MUCH harder on fuel and produced very little more power than the 318 properly set up. The 360s also wore valves and guides much sooner than the 318s. I would go with the 318, they are easy to get more power out of cheaply.

 

[David Vandercook]

if money was no issue, id love a W250

Keep looking then, I bought mine for 3 grand when prices were high. Usually having 4wd adds maybe $500 in value, but in general there shouldn't be a huge price difference between the difference configurations.

 

[u2slow]

Have not experienced the 318/360 economy myself, but have heard about the thirsty 360 from others. Wondered if it's axle ratio related - 318s going in half tons (3.21/3.54) vs opening the door to 4.10 in a 3/4ton.

89-90 model years have been the cheapest finds for me. The old-school crowd avoids them because they are EFI. And they also don't have the updated 91-93 nose than some folks love (and possible magnum engines).

 

[David Vandercook]

As far as fuel economy goes, I get the exact same between my half ton 2wd with 360 and 3/4 ton 4x4 with 318. If I baby them I can get 12-14 mpg, if I drive hard I can get 7. Usually average about 10 on both though.

 

[Sandevino]

I had a '96 1500 extended cab 4x4 and no matter how I drove it, I got 250 miles per tank. I loved that truck and engine as it's door stop reliable and simple to work on. I bought it used for $2k in 2008 with 100k on the clock and sold it at 250k for $6k.

 

[rvance]

I've had a couple of 318s, a couple of 360s,and a Slant 6. All good engines. The Slant 6 will go more miles than the V8s. I did have a LOT of trouble with the 2bbl carbs on all 4 V8s. You can probably by a dependable replacement carb these days. The 225 6 can tow a reasonable sized boat pretty well as they are usually geared very low. I used to pull my 16' SeaRay 90mph with my 4 cylinder, 96hp Isuzu Trooper.

 

[shockit]

im looking at early Ram trucks. im seeing them with slant 6, 318? and 360’s. pretty sure i dont need a 360 but if its the better option i will consider.

truck will just be a cruiser. not a racer or hauler though i may use it to tow the 17’ boat occasionally.

any other advice for looking at older trucks?

5.9l 98 have 400,000 still new

 

[David Vandercook]

5.9l 98 have 400,000 still new

Yep. Everyone curses second gens, but it's getting hard to find one under 250k miles!

 

[Hardracer]

My 98 sport had a 318..maybe 160k...I guess the engine was ok(normal fix it stuff)235 hp i believe..not enough....rest of the truck not so good for me...2 torque converters,then a full tranny rebuild,rear end howled like all he// but never let go,had it checked at 3 places over time..each time each said all looked good(obvious something was amiss),dash cracked everywhere,cup holder couldn't hold a cup,seat cables/webbing(whatever you call it)snapped with me driving down the road...felt like i was sittin on the floor...bunch of little things...if i were to have one again it would have to be mint and very cheap.
From my understanding slant 6 was like bullet proof from the ole timers around me..i don't know though...360 ..ya..couldn't really drive past a gas station.318,360 i know from experience...not a slant 6...my mom had something way back when I was little but no clue.
Wait!!!..it was a rambler..did that have a slant 6?

 

[Hagar1]

Have not experienced the 318/360 economy myself, but have heard about the thirsty 360 from others. Wondered if it's axle ratio related - 318s going in half tons (3.21/3.54) vs opening the door to 4.10 in a 3/4ton.

89-90 model years have been the cheapest finds for me. The old-school crowd avoids them because they are EFI. And they also don't have the updated 91-93 nose than some folks love (and possible magnum engines).

Yes, the 360 is a thirsty beast.

 

[huntergreen]

My 98 sport had a 318..maybe 160k...I guess the engine was ok(normal fix it stuff)235 hp i believe..not enough....rest of the truck not so good for me...2 torque converters,then a full tranny rebuild,rear end howled like all he// but never let go,had it checked at 3 places over time..each time each said all looked good(obvious something was amiss),dash cracked everywhere,cup holder couldn't hold a cup,seat cables/webbing(whatever you call it)snapped with me driving down the road...felt like i was sittin on the floor...bunch of little things...if i were to have one again it would have to be mint and very cheap.
From my understanding slant 6 was like bullet proof from the ole timers around me..i don't know though...360 ..ya..couldn't really drive past a gas station.318,360 i know from experience...not a slant 6...my mom had something way back when I was little but no clue.
Wait!!!..it was a rambler..did that have a slant 6?

Nope ! Ramblers had a straight six. Chrysler had the slant six. Is it possible your mother had the Plymouth Valient ? They kind of resembled the ramblers ?

 

[BigMopar440]

Whether it is a 150, 250 or even some 350s, I believe the 318 is the way to go.