He y’all I have a neighbor who has an old 12 valve manual, 4x4 dually. I’m thinking about getting it and making a camper or light expedition truck with it. The truck has 300,000 miles. No blowby and the frame and cab have no to little rust. The 3rd and 4th gears grind and it will need a clutch soon. The interior is standard trashed driver’s seat and cracked dash.
Is this thing worth the trouble? What would you offer him IF it was worth working on?
only you can answer the question of is it worth doing. really depends what you want from it.
but the cummins powertrain is excellent. if you shift your trip focus away from wheeling and more towards cruising and hauling especially. i wouldn't be concerned about 300k with no signs of poor engine health. but the tranny grinding isn't a great sign for an nv4500. front axles are not great with all that weight. the dodge truck wrapped around the cummins is mediocre. the simpler/fewer power options, the better for reliability.
what its worth really depends on prices in your area. clutch isnt a huge job but it is a very heavy assembly to re and re.
myself i have had two cummins manual trucks. mine were both 24V 6 speed single rear wheel crew cabs. initially bought them for work trucks but came to realize with family and dog that the crew cab, a/c, excess power on tap, low fuel consumption all factored into me getting a small camper and taking road trip and extended camping duties away from my cruisers. full size pickups have their limitations in where they can go so just be honest with yourself about priorities and if you need to be running rougher trails with your camping rig.
I should add. that specific truck is a good choice if you want a heavy camper or for towing. Otherwise I'd stick to SRW.
