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Advise on buying a 96 12v

939 views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Mike337 
#1 ·
Sorry if im posting in the wrong area im new to the forum. Also i am not a mecanic so i really and not real technical here but i do have a decent understanding of things so im going to give this a try. Anyway i am looking at a 1996 ext cab long bed 4x4 cummins. The exterior is in great shap as well as interior. The motor seems to be in perfect running order. The guy told me he has done the following.- Rebuilt trans and bigger torque converter, did some "beefing", new transfer case, he put a bigger fans or blades in the turbo, also he put in i believe he said 70hp injectors. also full exhaust and also a intake kit there was also something about the fuel pump and fuel being curved up or something, new rims, kevlar enforced tires, new brakes, moog front end parts. I have too be missing something but it seems like he really wanted a reliiable vehicle. Now I liked the truck and all the power it had. The bad thing is it has 250000 miles. The truck seems solid and the guy seemed honest seemed to know what he was talking about and was kinda one of those particular in a good kinda way people. But my question is what should i look for when buying. Or should i just stay away completely ( i can already answer that question im on a cummins forum lol)
 
#2 ·
250,000 is just getting broken in. If the front end is tight that will save you $1500 bucks. Thats what I have in mine that was with all new moog stuff and wheel bearings. New tires are another $800 that you wont have to spend.Does he have any receipts to prove the tranny work? If the body is good and interior is good thats another help plus it sounds like its got modifications that most people do to them first thing. What's he asking for it? If you dont mind me asking.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info we are thinking about trading vehicles he I have a 2000 ford f150 4x4 and maybe around 1000 cash my ford needs tires and is pretty scratched up but only has 106000.But yea i think its just getting broke in i actually hope we do the trade.
 
#4 ·
gotta ask why hes getting rid of the rig
but if its is nice and i liked the rig then i would not hesitate to buy it with all of the work done to it
take it to a transmission shop with a reputation and have the trans checked out
or do it yourself it would be the only deal breaker for me
but why does he want a ford half ton in place of a diesel ?
that has got me wondering
 
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#5 ·
I also started wondering as soon as you described the trade. The condition of the transmission can probably be checked out with a test-drive. Pull the dipstick (for the trans) and give it a look/sniff, too. If it has a good torque converter, it's almost guaranteed to have a lower stall.

The one thing I would be looking for is blow-by. Rebuilding one of these motors is no joke. There are trucks that have 300K with no blow-by whatsoever, and there are also those with 100K that are worn out. So, don't let the 250K miles scare you off. As has been mentioned, that is nothing for one of these motors. Just try to get a feel for the front end, how the transmission behaves, and check EVERYTHING on the truck. And I mean everything. I bought a truck during daylight hours, so I had no idea that the headlights barely even worked and that the dash lights were in-op. Try every single switch in the truck and verify that everything works. Use the O/D Off button and check lock-up in both 3rd and O/D. Give it some pedal when you test-drive, too. Ease into the pedal so you don't open the wastegate. Check the transfer case functions, too.

Well, good luck with it. Even outside of this forum, I'm sure people would wonder why he'd want to trade a Cummins-powered truck for an F-150. Seems crazy to me. Let us know if you find anything or make the trade. Also, it might be good to see if there is anyone on the forum that is in your area that can help you check it out.
 
#6 ·
Well guys thanks for the info the reason he is thinkin of the trade might b i approched him and offfered him some cash on top. The reason he said was he just bought a cummings with a 6 speed so he just didnt want another one sitting around. i dont know if he thinks that with the value of my truck being around 7000 and i would prob give him up too 1500 extra maybe sellin a gasser would be easier to sell to the gerneral public. I mean I want to test drive and check it out i called him and he did not answer yesterday he had to ask his wife what she thought. but he didnt answer so im really hoping things did not go sour. But thank you all for the helpful advise. Also how do i check and see if there is blow by?
 
#7 ·
Update on the truck i talked to the guy today. he said he would except 1000 dollars and my truck most likely. So i have to talk to my bank and stuff but hopefully it is going to happen i still have too go and check it out and look it over. Im goin to try to get my brother in law to go look at it he is a diesel mechanic. I will maybe post some pics here in a second too at least show you guys what i have seen too tell me if you believe it would be a good idea.
 
#10 ·
Talked to the bank today they are the only thing holdin me back. Because I got a loan on my f 150 never had a issue with the payments or anything but. I have only had the loan for like a month and a half they have not recieved the title from the sec of state yet. So untill that gets too the bank i have no ability to give him the title and move on with this. So i might have found the right tuck for the right price but, who knows how long the guy will hold it for me. Also i was talking to a mechanic at work. He was honestly kind of discouraging (might be because he is a ford guy) he said that it could be a huge money pit and diesel parts are two too three times more expensive than gas parts. I mean i do relize that this is true, but isn't it also true that they do not break down quite as often so it kind of balances out? I think if i have a mechanic i know go with me and he says mechanically it is sound which the guy makes it sound like it is. Then it would not be a bad idea. I mean he listed off like twenty new parts he had put on the truck and said also loaded he gets about 14 to 25 mpg and unloaded he can get almost 20. The things i know of new are the seats are out of a 2001, intake and exhaust, fuel plate curved up, fuel pump turned up a bit, smoke screw three quarters of a turn, new brakes all around. New calipers and master cylinder on the front. rebuilt and inspected transmission, new transfercase, all new vacumn hoses running too the transfer case, new front drive shaft, new four wheel switch, all new u joints, new rims and tires. The only thing he said that if he could replace something he said would be all new shocks. He said he would replace the one on front axle and all four others but they did not "need" it. So it seems solid and has already had the work done too it. That does not mean something could go wrong but im not scared of spending the money on maintnence and the occasional breakdown. The mechanic was just kind of discouraging.
 
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