Carbs are so much simpler, and TBI is extremely limited in it's ability to be tuned for more power. Holley makes a "Truck Avenger" that is supposed to be good for up to 40 degrees of incline before it even sputters. That's plenty for anything I would be doing in a full bodied full size truck. But to each their own, I just prefer a carb over TBI.

 

ya i know carb are simpler but you are still limited. i have also heard those truck avenger carbs suck out on the highway because of what they have to do to make it good for that 40* incline. can't seem to have everything with them.

 

After taking a look at the truck, I decided that there is just too much work to be done. For one, the lowest he would go is $1,500 (I'm not paying that for a broken hunk of metal). No exhaust, no fuel lines, the dash is cracked, the wiring is atrocious, and the bed had much more rot than I had hoped. The body was pretty damn straight for a '90, but that was really the only thing this truck had going for it.

I just recently located a '92, and I'm looking into that. It's another regular cab/short box, but this one has the 3.9L V6. It's all original with 108k on it. No rust at all just yet. He's asking $1,800. Hopefully I'll get to take a look at it this Thursday.

 

that was a good decision, from the pictures i wouldent have expected any less

 

If I am not mistaken, the 92 was the first year of Magnum motor so that V6 probably has as much HP as my 1991 318....that might be a GREAT truck to get as a first 1st gen ram. Darn good thing you passed on that other one! That thing had way too much wrong with it to be worth more than a grand and even then it was iffy. That guy needs to understand he can't recoup his money he spent chasing good after bad on that THING.

 

If I recall correctly, the Magnum 3.9 had 10 MORE horsies than the TBI 318, at 180 vs. 170. I don't recall the torque figures.

 

Also, swapping in a magnum 5.9 or 5.2 woulddn't be too hard. Those 3.9's are good motors though. Good choice not making an impulse buy.

 

i think swapping in a v8 might be harder than you think. on the 2wd trucks you have to get a motor mount extension plate out of a 88-93 2wd ram truck or ramcharger with a v8 or make your own. now i am not sure what you would need if the truck was 4x4 with v6 and you wanted to swap a v8 in but i am pretty sure you would need something.

 

Unfortunately, the truck sold within two days of the original posting. I may just pick myself up an old A-body (Dart/Demon/Duster/Valiant). I only come across these trucks every so often, and I check the web everyday.

 

Well, depends on what you mean by carbs are much simpler! I find them to be a lot more complicated in that they need to be jetted correctly before they are anywhere near as efficient as a TBI, they also need to be re-jetted if you move to a much higher or lower altitude, and they have problems with inclines. I love TBIs for every thing but performance. You certainly can get more outright performance out of a carb but there are tradeoffs like fuel mileage, and cold and hot starts. Personally unless I lived in a place that was never going to enstate smog checks, or where I DO live where we have them, I would never convert a TBI ro carb. And even then I would do it only if I didn't care what mileage the truck got because it would be all about a motor swap and an all motor build up with a carb. In other words, the 318 would come out and the 383 Magnum would go in.