Faults:
Front right control arm giveaway while towing a boat at about 108,000 miles. Luckily I had just left my house and not even 100 feet down the road.
Radiator started leaking at about 109,000 miles. It was my fault though.
It got really hard to start at about 110,00 miles when we sold it. The choke wasn't working properly, but the new owner fixed it within 1/2 and hour with some zip ties.
General Comments:
First thing I have to say is, this is one heck of a truck. It was my first vehicle and it was almost as slow as my friend's Geo.
But It was the toughest vehicle I have ever owned in my entire life. It was harder than heck to to make it break.
About 300 miles before I got rid of it, I jumped it on a local bridge. I got about 8-10 feet of air off of that sucker.
The only problem that resulted from that little act of stupidity was a small hole in the radiator, which was fixed with that cheap "Stop leak" you can get at gas stations.
I had beat the crap out of that vehicle really bad and it held up better than anything I have ever owned.
I couldn't begin to count the number of things I hit with it. It had a few dents, but overall it was good.
It did not handle well at all. The suspension was really flexy though, and that was the reason.
I loved going down country roads with it because it soaked up those bumps like NOTHING. It pretty much floated and I loved that feeling.
The downside of this vehicle was the engine it had.
The Slant six was gutless, powerless motor. It had get up and go in 1st and 2nd, but good luck with 3rd and 4th.
The motor's power was rated at 90hp and 160 ft lbs torque.
It took nearly 1 minute to get up to 60 mph while towing our old 12' fishing boat.
But I'd be danged if you could find a more reliable engine. Those things are indestructable.
The gas mileage wasn't too bad for a fullsize pickup. It made about 18 mpg.
I have recently been thinking about getting a new one. Just this time, it will have a 318 or a 360 in it.
28th Apr 2009, 21:00
Dodge really got it right on these mid-'80s trucks. I also had a 1985 Dodge Ramcharger, although it only made 260,000 miles when the frame braces rusted out. It still ran and drove fine on the original engine and transmission.
I see more mid-1980s Dodge trucks still around than any other group. They are pretty much the last of the original Mopars, from the point of view of using the carbureted 318. It seems like Dodge started going downhill once the 318 disappeared, and they started making the "4.7 Liter".