Couple question about a 1 ton.

[flowmasterz]

Hi guys im new to this forum and have a few questions.Ive been lookin for a toy, something i can build up slowly to play with off road, i found a 84 1ton with a flat bed and dual rear wheel. I dont really know much about the older trucks, i have the basic down but thats about it. I would like to start with one because of the solid front axle and this is not something i wanna drop a ton of money into, just something i can make reliable that i can mess with a little. I talked to the guy and hes said it has a dana 60 front and 14 bolt rear. He said the front driveshaft broke and cracked the case of the trans so it needs a new trans which wont be a big deal i can get one fairly easily. Also it has 4.56 gears already so thats a plus. Any way so on with the questions i have.

6.2 diesel? Any good or stay away from them? What do i look for if i go look at the truck?

How hard would it be to make srw? can i just take the inside wheel off since it looks like the outer wheel is about the same width as the front? Or do i need a new axle?

The guy doesnt know what he wants for it so where do i start? What should i offer?

Anything else i should look for or be aware of?

If someone could aim me in the right direction thatd be great i would really like to learn more about these older trucks so i know what im looking for when i go look at them.

Thanks a lot and great site.

[frogman68]

What condition is the body in. Heck Lowball him tell em 200 bucks and see if he bites.
I would be concerned as to why the front shaft busted the transfer case might have some serious issues there. Converting a DRW to a SRW not sure if the axle is the same but if they are I would change the hub otherwise it will stick out past the rear wheel

[flowmasterz]

heres a picture of it, i would be losing the flat bed or making a lighter one.

[choptop]

Check to see what you can get a transfercase for, that will help determing the value. When you go see it, take note on how well it starts. The deisel in these trucks isnt a powerhouse, but has fair low end grunt, and dependin  on what you want to do with it , may work for you. As far as the single wheel conversion, since you want to off road it, just put a single rear wheel on the back with the right width and backspacing you need. If you want the front to match, you will need to change the front hubs out.If the truck runs, it would bring $1000-$1500 here. Just depends on how bd the t-case it damaged

[flowmasterz]

I should have been more specific, he said it cracked the transmission case not the transfer case. Not sure how a drive shaft would do that but thats how he explained it to me. He said there is nothing wrong with the transfer case. He told me the th400 in it is built he said he would just swap everything to a new case but he didnt give me specifics on what is done to the current transmision. And if the diesel makes decent torque im not lookin for it to be fast just to have enough power to spin some bigger tires, maybe in the 38" tall range. Alse he said it runs good the only problem is the transmission.

[frogman68]

I should have been more specific, he said it cracked the transmission case not the transfer case. Not sure how a drive shaft would do that but thats how he explained it to me. He said there is nothing wrong with the transfer case. He told me the th400 in it is built he said he would just swap everything to a new case but he didnt give me specifics on what is done to the current transmision. And if the diesel makes decent torque im not lookin for it to be fast just to have enough power to spin some bigger tires, maybe in the 38" tall range. Alse he said it runs good the only problem is the transmission.

If the front drive shaft broke the transmission housing he had to have the shaft come apart I would look very carefully

[Captkaos]

1) the diesel should turn 38's
2) The flatbeds came with a narrow axle setup, so you would have to swap out to a "normal" SRW.  It is involved, but there have been people on here that have experience
3) If he doesn't know what he wants for it, take into account what is wrong with it and how close it is to what you want.
a) can it be driven
b) what is the replacement cost of the trans
c) what is the replacement cost of the driveshaft
d) what is wrong that cause the trans damage.

I would say start at $800 because without a front driveshaft and a broke trans that means you can't use it.

[flowmasterz]

Ok im going to email the guy again and try and get his phone number so i can talk to him in person and ask some more questions.

I also found a k5 blazer with a 6 inch lift that the guy put a 14ff and dana 60 in with 4.56 gears. It has a 350ci and a th 350 trans that he claims runs good, but the body is not in very good shape. This guy also says make him an offer but he doesnt know what he wants for it. Would this be better to look at than the 1 ton above? Its just gonna be a toy to drive around town and offroad. What should i offer this guy?

[Blazin]

I would go with the Blazer. You can always put a pickup cab on it if the body is to far gone.

[BlueCollarRon]

Yea go with the blazer like he said.

If it was me, I would take the starter completely off and clean the block to check for cracks or anything messed up.  I've had too much trouble with a cracked block, piece of crap...

After that I would check to make sure the transmission is bolted to the block, no-brainer really.

You would be off to a better start then me and I turned out okay.

I would sell the rear end, duallys aren't very good for mudding.  4 wheels do just fine.

If the blazer runs good, shifts easily on the highway, kicks down when you give it gas, brakes, etc then I would offer him 800, see what he says.  1,000 wouldnt be bad if the body was dented up but ran good.