If the 5 speed is so rare, I got one for sale as of tomorrow, lol. And I am not by any means saying the 318 is a bad engine, It just does not have the power I need. And the miles scare me. I am a dodge guy for life. Nothing can beat the toughness of a dodge.

 

Nothing can beat the rustiness of one either. The seller is one smart guy and already knows this.
Good luck!

 

it is for sure a 360.

 

i love my 360...its up to you though...im getting 13.1 MPG's in mine as of right now...the 318's can do better, so you'll loose ot there a bit. As for rustiness, my looked rusty, but after grinding the frame and undercoating it, the frame looks new, and the rockers/bottomof the doorswere rusted on mine, and i fixed it with some bondo, spray foam, fiberglass, and duct tape. and she looks damn good. So with a little work the rust can be repaired.

 

I have a 1971 Dodge Fargo Custom-100 with the 318 in it. It has 168,728 original miles on it and still squeals the tires...and yes... on dry pavement! SO.... should you trade an EXTENDED CAB for a REGULAR cab truck?...well,..if you don't mind the rust fix, and 4 year older truck...go for it. 318 has great proven power, (heavier pistons), 360 has lots O' ***** too, lighter pistons, balanced differently, has more upgrades available...but 1)3-5 m.p.g. less gas mileage and everyone can see your a$$ going into every gas station because it's a regular cab!...hmmmm. but again.. if it's an HD model it does have the 3/4-ton suspension and frame, (my '94 was HD and I took all parts off of it and modified my current 1500 into an HD type), but wouldn't you rather have an EXTended cab?..you can always swap an engine/ re-build it.

 

Then at some point it was a custom job to put that 5 speed into it. Or he dropped a 360 in after he removed a 318. The 360 will bolt up to the 5 speed fine, its just that no 1500s from the factory had a 5.9L V8 360ci and the 5-speed manual. It was not an option at all, "work special" or whatever. None, zero, were built (except for super-special Indy Ram edition).

So I have to ask, how do you know its a 360 for sure? The 318 and 360 look very similar in outward appearance, unless you know exactly what to look for. Without checking a build sheet or looking at the piece of paper on the underside of the hood (the same one that says the gear ratio and etc.), I'm not sure I could tell them apart myself.

Just because it has more power than your old one doesn't mean anything... he may have done some upgrades, or maybe he never had the "death flash" performed, or perhaps he upgraded the gears to a better gear ratio.

 

I'm telling you, he's attempting to pull the wool over your eyes. I don't care what the idiot says, there is NO WAY that he has a 1500 with a 5.9(360) with a 5 speed manual. It's well known it's doable, but I have yet to see one person actually do it.

Now, on paper, the 5.9 should last longer due to the simple fact of the compression differences, but it just doesn't work that way.

The 5.2's have always been more reliable. The only plus is the 5.9 has better gains from bolt ons and block building. From the factory, there wasn't enough of a difference to even worry about. That's why mine has a 5.2 instead of a 5.9.

 

i'm going to call BS on this one too.

here's what i think.
1. his truck has had the engine swapped from the factory 5.2 to 5.9.
2. his mileage is probably not accurate. 112/15 yrs = 7500 miles per year. even i don't drive that little. so either his speedometer has been disconnected, or he's swapped the speedo out (most likely). i've swapped numerous speedo's including the one in my 01 ram. its easy and can be misleading if not disclosed.
3. if you swap, you need about $1000-$2000 to boot, or else your giving up money. you may find that 5 speed desirable, but from a value standpoint, its worth less than an auto. and frankly, a 94-95 ST (work truck) is the least valuable of all 2nd gens. (OBD-I, age, lack of accessories, etc). plus the rust...

 

I am on the " Bravo Sierra" wagon. While a 360/5 speed is neat,its not OEM. Sounds like someone trying to shovel their you- know- what on to you. I say no deal.

 

I thought I read on here one day that Dodge ships 2500's to Mexico labeled as 1500's. They have a different classification down there. How many bolt rims does it have? He may have a mexican 1500, aka a 2500.