Bought a New Ram - No Thinking Required

[Ted]

Well, it's RED !

View attachment 77860

Yes, mine is black. That is a big difference. The red should make more horsepower but I think makes less in reality.

The plumbing is notably different, which isn't surprising given it's in a different application. It'd be interesting to note if it was a B6.7 or the L9, both of which look to be options in the 4300 series.

 

[weilke]

Yes, mine is black. That is a big difference. The red should make more horsepower but I think makes less in reality.

The plumbing is notably different, which isn't surprising given it's in a different application. It'd be interesting to note if it was a B6.7 or the L9, both of which look to be options in the 4300 series.

B6.7 rated at 220hp. That explains some of yesterday's hill-climb adventures. Wasn't even loaded all that much, just towing 6500lb worth of trailer.

 

[Ted]

B6.7

View attachment 77861

There we go then. Basically engine as I have, just modified for the application with some different parts and tuning.

So they must have less stringent noise requirements and thus not needed to try to make it quite so quiet.

 

[denverpilot]

For Nate in his (former) dually towing the giant 5th wheel camper with the NV5600 maybe it made sense, I don't know, but I still probably would've used overdrive just because. In my 3/4-ton Ram with the NV5600 I used overdrive for towing all the time, loaded or not, never had an issue. In 108k miles I owned it I'd say 50-75% of those were towing. Based on this I'll still tow with my current Ram in overdrive.

It was a temperature thing. I had a sensor on the manual trans case and when it went to X number (I forget) I would get out of sixth and into fifth and let it cool itself down. Which also meant slowing down from 75 because it was so low geared in the rear end. Listening to the engine scream at 75 in fifth was really annoying.

I only ever towed at 75 in the daytime. Not safe at night. Also had TPMS on the trailer tires so I might catch a problem before it became a blowout. Trailer tires suck ass. Even the good ones. LOL.

 

[Ted]

It was a temperature thing. I had a sensor on the manual trans case and when it went to X number (I forget) I would get out of sixth and into fifth and let it cool itself down. Which also meant slowing down from 75 because it was so low geared in the rear end. Listening to the engine scream at 75 in fifth was really annoying.

That makes sense. I've never run a temperature sensor on any transmission, much less a manual. When I was looking up some of the fluid ideas/options one thing that came up is that some people have added an aftermarket transmission cooler - basically a pump and a heat exchanger for the fluid. I think if I was worried about temp enough to downshift for temperature I would probably do that.

I only ever towed at 75 in the daytime. Not safe at night. Also had TPMS on the trailer tires so I might catch a problem before it became a blowout. Trailer tires suck ass. Even the good ones. LOL.

TPMS would be a good idea on the trailer (or in general). I've had two trailer tires blowout in my history, not enough to make me care now, but if I started towing more regularly again I would probably add it.

As to towing speeds... well... I'll just keep my mouth shut.

 

[denverpilot]

When I was looking up some of the fluid ideas/options one thing that came up is that some people have added an aftermarket transmission cooler - basically a pump and a heat exchanger for the fluid. I think if I was worried about temp enough to downshift for temperature I would probably do that.

Yeah mine got hot due to that design flaw of sixth not getting enough splash cooling and circulation plus just towing really heavy.

I had the MagHytec (so?) larger trans covers with bigger fins that folks reported mixed reports on whether or not they kept things cooler but they also added something like another quart of fluid capacity as I recall. They also had magnetic drain plugs so if the trans was ever making any metal it would be stuck to the magnet on the inside of the drain plug when you pulled it to change the fluid. All put on by the original owner but seemed like reasonable upgrades and not gimmicky.

[QUOTE="Ted DuPuis, post: 2798235, member: 3654"
TPMS would be a good idea on the trailer (or in general). I've had two trailer tires blowout in my history, not enough to make me care now, but if I started towing more regularly again I would probably add it.

As to towing speeds... well... I'll just keep my mouth shut. [/QUOTE]

I found it interesting that tire pressures were always higher on the sunny (usually south) side of the trailer by a fairly large number. Made sense after you see it, but was surprising on the first trip.

I used the external ones screwed on to the valve stems. I ended up not liking them. If I used those in the future I would put in steel valve stems.

They make internal ones with an integrated valve stem and those make more sense but cost a bit more and usually aren’t stocked anywhere. And of course your tire folks have to install them.

I would go that route if I did another big trailer. Too easy for a rock or something to maybe knock one of the externals off and lose tire pressure after ripping a valve stem off.

But they worked. I was just always worried about the stress they put on the valve stems.

Of course the other downside of the internal ones is having to unmount the tires when the batteries fail.

Also if the trailer is reeeeealy long they made a repeater/transmitter that could be wired into the trailer coach power or wherever you could get 12VDC somewhere near the front of the trailer to repeat the weak signal from the TPMS sensors to the little receiver on the dash of the truck.

I never installed the one that came with mine, they all reached the cab and never dropped out, so that device would have been one more thing to remember to switch off in the post-towing checklist to not kill the coach batteries.

I had installed four 75 AH data center high current deep cycle batteries I had and taken out the stupid little consumer deep cycle that came with the trailer, but still.

No need for vampire loads on all the time, so it would have been installed with a switch which would have been installed in the coach’s switch panel.

Once I found they reached the cab, it sounded like a whole lot less work to not install the repeater transmitter. Ha.

 

[Ted]

I wonder about with things like the extra capacity sides, etc. is how much that really helps. Having some PTO covers that had fins built-in I could see helping. Keep the fluid cooler, keep the transmission cooler. I'm sure those exist for the G56, just haven't found them yet. And not putting them on anytime soon anyway since I just changed the fluid.

Something with these pickups that a lot of people tend to forget is that we actually have a lot of power for the size and weight of truck we have. Go to a medium duty truck with a Cummins 5.9 or 6.7 and you're looking at less horsepower and probably a lower redline. People forget that, while more horsepower is nice when towing, it really makes things harder on the driveline. 400 HP in a semi moving 80k lbs requires way beefier components than 400 HP in the Cobra moving 2k lbs.

 

[denverpilot]

Something with these pickups that a lot of people tend to forget is that we actually have a lot of power for the size and weight of truck we have. Go to a medium duty truck with a Cummins 5.9 or 6.7 and you're looking at less horsepower and probably a lower redline. People forget that, while more horsepower is nice when towing, it really makes things harder on the driveline. 400 HP in a semi moving 80k lbs requires way beefier components than 400 HP in the Cobra moving 2k lbs.

The guy who worked on mine and the shop I’ve mentioned here before who @gkainz referred me to kindly when I bought it, when he was talking to me about possible upgrades... besides pointing out that I had a block in the serial number range that WOULD crack at a lower bolt and lose all the engine oil in spectacular fashion, if we pushed the boost up any more...

Also said, “That old computer the original owner put on it will push enough horsepower to destroy your drivetrain. So we’d have to upgrade that, too.”

And it only added like 50-75 real horsepower to the ground when people bothered to measure it on a dyno. The marketing wank that came in the box with it said 150. Early early Edge device. (Their later stuff would push that waaaaay up, mine was way too old.)

 

[Ted]

The guy who worked on mine and the shop I’ve mentioned here before who @gkainz referred me to kindly when I bought it, when he was talking to me about possible upgrades... besides pointing out that I had a block in the serial number range that WOULD crack at a lower bolt and lose all the engine oil in spectacular fashion, if we pushed the boost up any more...

Also said, “That old computer the original owner put on it will push enough horsepower to destroy your drivetrain. So we’d have to upgrade that, too.”

And it only added like 50-75 real horsepower to the ground when people bothered to measure it on a dyno. The marketing wank that came in the box with it said 150. Early early Edge device. (Their later stuff would push that waaaaay up, mine was way too old.)

I was talking to a coworker of mine with an F-150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost like @jesse has. He was watching a video where they took an F-150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost, towed a max load up a hill, then chipped it and did the same thing. After chipping it they snapped the driveshaft in two.

Another coworker has an F-350 with the 6.7, one of the newer ones that has something like 450 HP, and has a huge 5th wheel camper like you. He was saying he tried towing with a 300-350 HP truck and it just felt really slow. Yeah, that's towing. You've got a lot of weight, and that makes for a whole lot of torque getting absorbed by the driveline.

That's why when I'm looking at the things I'm doing to my truck I'm not trying to increase horsepower, what I'm really trying to do is improve sound and throttle response, the metrics I care about. I realize that more throttle response is also harder on the driveline, but less so than more power, and I'm trying to make sure the driveline is properly cared for as well.

 

[bnt83]

My new to me truck. My grandpa bought it brand new in 1979, has 79k miles on it now. A few dings here & there from being a "retired" farmer's truck but barely any rust on it. Its mostly original. The air conditioner and dome light doesn't work. It runs and drives fantastic, steering is light an smooth and very responsive with very little play. This has a 360 with a 727 transmission. The stock wheel size kinda suck for tire variety but they have so much tread on them now they'll probably rot off before wearing out. The fronts wheels were swapped to a different size already and I think the treads catch the frame when turning with the wheel against the stops. Its kind of a weird truck because looking for parts online it rarely comes up with anything, I'm guessing in 1979 there weren't many D200s built or something. Google pics show few are equipped with the quad rectangular headlights and most are just two round ones or square.

I drove it from Lincoln to Wichita and back, helping dad pick up a new golf kart for grandma. Dad drove it to Tennessee and back. The only thing that he didn't like was a howling noise at high speed, we found the belt loose on the vacuum pump and fixed that.

Easily get in and drive it anywhere, but it only gets about 10 miles to the gallon on the highway lol.

Yes, was always and still is garaged.

 

[Bill]

My new to me truck. My grandpa bought it brand new in 1979, has 79000k miles on it now. A few dings here & there from being a "retired" farmer's truck but barely any rust on it. Its mostly original. The air conditioner and dome light doesn't work. It runs and drives fantastic, steering is light an smooth and very responsive with very little play. This has a 360 with a 727 transmission.
View attachment 77970

Nice! Reminds me of the truck I learned to drive on, a 1975 Dodge Power Wagon. It had the club cab, 8ft bed, 318 with 4 on the floor. It was a tough truck. Vinyl seats, rubber floors, nothing fancy at all. It rode rough, drove rough, and took anything we gave it. It was also quite ugly, it was a puke sort of green. LIke forest service green, but pukier.

 

[Ted]

Yes, was always and still is garaged.

That's something that held me back from buying my Ram and that I worry about with it. It's not garaged, and isn't likely to be for some time. Maybe once I build the hangar.

 

[bnt83]

Nice! Reminds me of the truck I learned to drive on, a 1975 Dodge Power Wagon. It had the club cab, 8ft bed, 318 with 4 on the floor. It was a tough truck. Vinyl seats, rubber floors, nothing fancy at all. It rode rough, drove rough, and took anything we gave it. It was also quite ugly, it was a puke sort of green. LIke forest service green, but pukier.

We have a blue 318 powerwagon with 4 on the floor 4wd too, it wasn't spared from the elements and was used as a true farm truck. I'm sure it would run and drive but mother nature has just about reclaimed it, it might be a 76-1979 or so.

Dad's primary truck is 1989 Cumins powerwagon with auto trans, 4wd standard cab, its a beautiful truck but the ride is like an empty semi and that engine/cab is pretty loud, I'd love to have it lol. The D200 above is so quiet I can't hardly hear it at stop lights.

 

[bnt83]

That's something that held me back from buying my Ram and that I worry about with it. It's not garaged, and isn't likely to be for some time. Maybe once I build the hangar.

I think the D200 is gonna sit most of the winter in the garage, 2wd anyway and plus the winter road treatments here eat everything.

I've thought about getting a corrosion X kit and going to town on it. I did buy some mouse bait for the garage and tossed a couple behind the seat.

 

[Ted]

Dad's primary truck is 1989 Cumins powerwagon with auto trans, 4wd standard cab, its a beautiful truck but the ride is like an empty semi and that engine/cab is pretty loud, I'd love to have it lol. The D200 above is so quiet I can't hardly hear it at stop lights.

It's funny how that's reversed. In the older days the diesels were super loud, and gas engines were muffled super quiet. Now if you put my Cummins Ram next to one with a 6.4 Hemi, the Hemi will be louder. However that's more because of government regs than anything.

I think the D200 is gonna sit most of the winter in the garage, 2wd anyway and plus the winter road treatments here eat everything

My truck remains a daily driver and a worker, and a winter driver. We don't get much road salt here like you do in Nebraska, so you don't have as much rust on trucks here. That said, rust eventually happens if you get any salt. Time will tell. Since it's the last of the manual transmission trucks I hope to keep it a long, long time.

 

[bnt83]

There are some really interesting engine swaps available, would be neat to swap a 5.7L or larger hemi into it, with the electronic fuel injection. Not sure how the drivability would pan out bolted up to the 727 transmission. I haven't done enough research into it. (I've got enough projects lol)

 

[Ted]

There are some really interesting engine swaps available, would be neat to swap a 5.7L or larger hemi into it, with the electronic fuel injection. Not sure how the drivability would pan out bolted up to the 727 transmission. I haven't done enough research into it. (I've got enough projects lol)

I wouldn't do that and leave it attached to a TF-727. If you were going to do something like that and keep an automatic, I'd look for a Hemi of some sort with a 4 or 5-speed auto. One of the early "That thing got a Hemi?!" 5.7 Hemi drivetrains would probably work fine.

But that's a lot of a project there, and 10 MPG? That's fine.

 

[bnt83]

Just an old truck

 

[Zeldman]

Wish I had a picture. There is an old Dodge pickup running around town with the Mitsubishi 6 cylinder diesel in it. I don't see it very often but it has to be parked in a garage when it is not being driven.

 

[Ted]

I need to buy a new pintle hook for my truck. The one I bought last year is rusted and can’t open or close without a hammer.

Any brands that don’t rust? I suppose I should buy Reese.

 

[bnt83]

Got the factory Chrysler Shop manual for it on CD for $40, the transmission section is 132 pages alone, a lot more in this manual than I thought there would be. The three speed automatic shift points certainly stand out to me as all the trucks I grew up with were sticks. The 2-3 upshift at WOT lol. The 3 to 1 downshift looks like it could get exciting on gravel if not ready for wheelspin.

My favorite farm truck to drive as a kid was the 350 powered C60 Chevy grain truck with the 4 speed and hi/lo rear axle. This pickup sure has a lot better power to weight ratio.



I don't think grandpa bought automatics till he lost a hand in farming accident, several years before I was born. My guess is that 1979 ish was when he decided it was getting time to retire and the D200 2wd was part of that plan.

 

[Bill]

The three speed automatic shift points certainly stand out to me as all the trucks I grew up with were sticks. The 2-3 upshift at WOT lol

Yeah, those used to modern 4sp and up automatics will get a kick out of how wide range the old three speeds were. Your numbers look about right, I grew up driving a '73 Chrysler Newport, 440v4, 727 transmission, and this one had a 2.73 rear end. Moon gears lol. Matted, it would hold 1st to 45mph and second to nearly 90mph. I do remember that at 65mph, matting it would drop it into second and it would pull fairly hard for a car in the day. That big old boat would run out to about 132mph, timed on a stopwatch and mile markers lol.

One like this:

Stylin' in the 70's I was!

 

[bnt83]

Yeah, those used to modern 4sp and up automatics will get a kick out of how wide range the old three speeds were. Your numbers look about right, I grew up driving a '73 Chrysler Newport, 440v4, 727 transmission, and this one had a 2.73 rear end. Moon gears lol. Matted, it would hold 1st to 45mph and second to nearly 90mph. I do remember that at 65mph, matting it would drop it into second and it would pull fairly hard for a car in the day. That big old boat would run out to about 132mph, timed on a stopwatch and mile markers lol.

One like this:

Stylin' in the 70's I was!

I vaguely remember grandma driving a Newport, they must have gotten rid of it by the time I turn 5 years old or so. Dad always reminisces "I've never seen her dive fast till the day grandpa lost his hand, she was in that 440 Newport."

 

[FormerHangie]

My new to me truck. My grandpa bought it brand new in 1979, has 79000k miles on it now. A few dings here & there from being a "retired" farmer's truck but barely any rust on it. Its mostly original. The air conditioner and dome light doesn't work. It runs and drives fantastic, steering is light an smooth and very responsive with very little play. This has a 360 with a 727 transmission. The stock wheel size kinda suck for tire variety but they have so much tread on them now they'll probably rot off before wearing out. The fronts wheels were swapped to a different size already and I think the treads catch the frame when turning with the wheel against the stops. Its kind of a weird truck because looking for parts online it rarely comes up with anything, I'm guessing in 1979 there weren't many D200s built or something. Google pics show few are equipped with the quad rectangular headlights and most are just two round ones or square.

I drove it from Lincoln to Wichita and back, helping dad pick up a new golf kart for grandma. Dad drove it to Tennessee and back. The only thing that he didn't like was a howling noise at high speed, we found the belt loose on the vacuum pump and fixed that.

Easily get in and drive it anywhere, but it only gets about 10 miles to the gallon on the highway lol.

Yes, was always and still is garaged.

View attachment 77970

Vacuum pump? Do you drive the truck in cloud?

 

[Ted]

Yeah, those used to modern 4sp and up automatics will get a kick out of how wide range the old three speeds were.

My first car, the 1982 Jaguar XJ-S, had a 2.88 rear end with a TH400. It'd run out to about 160 MPH in top (3rd) gear. First was good to something like 65 MPH as I recall, and second to over 100. Of course that was with the 6500 RPM redline which the TH400 really didn't like.

Things were a lot different then for sure. When I added a TKO 5-speed manual to the car it transformed things. Not only was acceleration much better (the 3.27:1 first gear still was good to 45 or 50 as I recall) and 5th gear would run under 2,000 RPM at 70 MPH. I could get 30 MPG at 70 MPH with that car.

I never got 30 MPG, though... other than the one time I was following my mom somewhere in her Volvo.

 

[Grum.Man]

My first car, the 1982 Jaguar XJ-S, had a 2.88 rear end with a TH400. It'd run out to about 160 MPH in top (3rd) gear. First was good to something like 65 MPH as I recall, and second to over 100. Of course that was with the 6500 RPM redline which the TH400 really didn't like.

Things were a lot different then for sure. When I added a TKO 5-speed manual to the car it transformed things. Not only was acceleration much better (the 3.27:1 first gear still was good to 45 or 50 as I recall) and 5th gear would run under 2,000 RPM at 70 MPH. I could get 30 MPG at 70 MPH with that car.

I never got 30 MPG, though... other than the one time I was following my mom somewhere in her Volvo.

I'm more surprised an XJ ran long enough to reach 70 much less get 30 mpg.

 

[Ted]

I'm more surprised an XJ ran long enough to reach 70 much less get 30 mpg.

Put 30k miles on it in one year. Only had two issues - fuel pump failed and distributor cap exploded.

 

[bnt83]

Its not my color but it is really growing on me. Dirty vs clean is night and day difference in color and appearance. Taking forever for me to get it cleaned and buffed, its raining all the time. Just finished the LH side last night.

The Winnebago topper needs to be stored somewhere, just incase I need another project.

Dad has the original front wheels and covers to match the ones on the back.

 

[Matthew]

Yeah, those used to modern 4sp and up automatics will get a kick out of how wide range the old three speeds were. Your numbers look about right, I grew up driving a '73 Chrysler Newport, 440v4, 727 transmission, and this one had a 2.73 rear end. Moon gears lol. Matted, it would hold 1st to 45mph and second to nearly 90mph. I do remember that at 65mph, matting it would drop it into second and it would pull fairly hard for a car in the day. That big old boat would run out to about 132mph, timed on a stopwatch and mile markers lol.

One like this:

Stylin' in the 70's I was!

Heh - my college roomate had a similar vehicle. Not that one, but same vintage land barge. He got a couple of stickers at a gas station and put them on the front fenders. We got a lot of funny looks when someone would pull up next to us and see the "TURBO" emblems.

 

[SCCutler]

Brian: That truck is abso-freakin-lutely awesome. Go for the factory wheels and caps, you'll have the coolest truck in town, and it's likely a town with a lot of trucks.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I've often browsed the classifieds for a good example of a 1978-1979 Ford F-250 Supercab 4x4 "snowfighter". It's tough to find many of that vintage which haven't been relegated to farm duty and are now all rusted out and body panels beat to hell. Factory Dana 60's, 460 big block w/C4 auto. They just look great with that classic appearance. Same goes for the late 60's/early 70's Chevy/GMC 1500s. Sharp looking trucks.

 

[bnt83]

Brian: That truck is abso-freakin-lutely awesome. Go for the factory wheels and caps, you'll have the coolest truck in town, and it's likely a town with a lot of trucks.

I think the original wheels are 16.5 by 6.75, not great for tire selection, and why the original front rims were swapped off.

 

[denverpilot]

Its not my color but it is really growing on me. Dirty vs clean is night and day difference in color and appearance.

The Winnebago topper needs to be stored somewhere, just incase I need another project.

Dad has the original front wheels and covers to match the ones on the back.

Thing is virtually identical to my dad’s truck when I was a kid. His was single tone paint the color of your center band.

 

[Ted]

Its not my color but it is really growing on me. Dirty vs clean is night and day difference in color and appearance. Taking forever for me to get it cleaned and buffed, its raining all the time. Just finished the LH side last night.

The Winnebago topper needs to be stored somewhere, just incase I need another project.

Dad has the original front wheels and covers to match the ones on the back.

I would definitely store but remove the topper. I never much cared for the way those looked, and in those days, especially so.

The BakFlip that I bought following seeing the one Jesse had on his F-150 I remain very happy with. 2 years later the wear and tear on it is about equal to the rest of the truck. I also need to be better about cleaning out the back of the truck and properly cleaning it. However with the dirt roads I drive on that's a somewhat futile exercise.

 

[bnt83]

I would definitely store but remove the topper. I never much cared for the way those looked, and in those days, especially so.

The BakFlip that I bought following seeing the one Jesse had on his F-150 I remain very happy with. 2 years later the wear and tear on it is about equal to the rest of the truck. I also need to be better about cleaning out the back of the truck and properly cleaning it. However with the dirt roads I drive on that's a somewhat futile exercise.

Dirt roads are the enemy of clean. The Chevy lumina I drive never sees gravel and basically anything I leave in the trunk is surprisingly filthy in about 6 months like I drive gravel every day.

 

[bnt83]

The BakFlip that I bought following seeing the one Jesse had on his F-150 I remain very happy with. 2 years later the wear and tear on it is about equal to the rest of the truck. I also need to be better about cleaning out the back of the truck and properly cleaning it. However with the dirt roads I drive on that's a somewhat futile exercise.

I haven't looked much into accessories like those, I do know that these guys https://truxedo.com/ manufacture in Yankton SD.

Since its parked in a garage and not likely to be snowed on I'll probably just leave it an open box once I get the topper off.

 

[Ted]

I haven't looked much into accessories like those, I do know that these guys https://truxedo.com/ manufacture in Yankton SD.

Since its parked in a garage and not likely to be snowed on I'll probably just leave it an open box once I get the topper off.

I had never looked into accessories like those and have never been a fan of toneau covers or caps. But I'm really enjoying this one. Easy open, easy close, secures the bed, lets me keep stuff in there without worry of it getting weathered or broken. So far, so good.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I had never looked into accessories like those and have never been a fan of toneau covers or caps. But I'm really enjoying this one. Easy open, easy close, secures the bed, lets me keep stuff in there without worry of it getting weathered or broken. So far, so good.

I liked the BakFlip idea, but I also like the retractable tops like Roll-N-Lock. You do sacrifice a small bit of space up at the front of the bed but you can retract it fully without losing visibility out of the back glass like the folding covers do.

 

[Ted]

I liked the BakFlip idea, but I also like the retractable tops like Roll-N-Lock. You do sacrifice a small bit of space up at the front of the bed but you can retract it fully without losing visibility out of the back glass like the folding covers do.

What I've found is that my standard use case for the BakFlip has been folding up to the last fold, and then just leaving that down. I have the "BakBox" (toolbox that goes under the BakFlip up front) so it works out well. I also have the 8' bed, so there is that.

 

[bnt83]

These are interesting. It basically turns the factory 727 transmission and axle into a hi/lo axle.

https://www.gearvendors.com/4x4d3s.html

https://www.gearvendors.com/ag3s.html