I have an 00 for parts. I've been successful finding a handful of decent gaser 3/4 ton reg cab replacements, but only 1994, 1995, and 1996.

One of those is a v10... I'm thinking the v10 isn't a good choice, I've heard that some of the sensors are unobtainium.

Looking at specs the 1998-2002 had 15 more HP and 10 ft/lbs torque... what did they do to the engine in 98?

I know the brakes on the 3/4 ton are better starting in 2000... which was behind my initial desire to score a 00-02.

I thought I would find a 2000-2002 with a wide search, but haven't find a good one yet.
Are the differences between the early and late ones worth holding out to find, or should I just execute on one of these earlier ones?

 

I would stick with 99+ just for the better interior. Yes, 2000+ gets better brakes. The V10 is a monster and there's gotta be parts somewhere or else Heyyou will stop driving!

The 98+ increase in gasser power was due to pcm changes/calibrations. All that's different is the longer plugs (RC12LC4 vs RC12YC) so it's gotta be timing.

Keep looking, even nation wide. If it's clean enough and you have good pics, there's no reason not to buy online and have it shipped. There are tons of clean 2nd gens out west here.

 

Going and getting it could be a fun Road Trip too. Fly out, drive back. Or, fly back, if you decide you don't like it.....

 

Thats what I did when I found mine. Flew to Des Moines and drove it back.

Don't be afraid of the sensor issue. The cam and crank sensors can be hard to come by at times, but a little patience will find some good deals and you should always have one of each in the spares box under the work bench.

If you can score an 01 or 02, you'll get disc rear brakes and better 4x4 front axle engagement on the 02.

It will come with the Mopar death flash. Hook up with Hemifever and an get an SCT tuner. Worth every nickle on these V10's.

 

Des Moines, WA? or rustbelt Des Moines, IA? If the latter, good score!

Also, 01.5 is where discs showed up. Not all 01s got them. Have to look at the rear brakes physically to know for sure.

 

I flex to Nevada for one didn't like or flew back and that's where I found my 02 2500 with no rust

 

I have not found a suitable 2000-2002 Regular Cab 4x4 5.9 magnum automatic yet. I have found a couple quad cabs, but I really want an 8ft bed and the shorter wheelbase. Guess its going to take a while....

 

Keep at it, you'll find her. Shoot, I've been looking for a wife for 20 years and still nothing.

 

That I'd be happy about

 

I'm thinking once the quad cabs came out, Dodge was building less regular cabs. That is my working theory based on the availability I'm finding. It'd be cool to find the build count by body, by year - to substantiate my 2 weeks of empirical evidence! Also have decided I need more West and South West USA friends