Looking at 2005 Dodge 3500 for out Lance
A guy I work with has a 2005 Dodge 3500 crew dab 4x4 for sale. It's a diesel of course, automatic and 4x4. He has 180k miles on it with a transmission rebuild at 130k and the front end just rebuilt. H...
Forum Discussion
Hi Mote,
IMO a 2005 CTD Dually sounds like it's be perfect for your needs.
As others have mentioned, the 05's have no anti-smog stuff on them except for a (high flow) catalytic converter. That Cummins 5.9L is about as reliable as they get, 180K miles is nuthin'.
Since your planning to carry a TC, I’d suggest that you add a set of Torklift Upper StableLoad's and a Roadmaster anti-sway bar and then load your camper and go for a drive and see how it handles before you consider adding air bags.
There are a few other things to be aware of on the 3rd gen’ Rams;
- A DSS Steering Stabilizer should be considered a mandatory upgrade. This dramatically improves steering and reduces the chance of death wobble.
- A track bar from Thuren or Carli will also help with handling.
- The factory ball joints are complete junk! Fortunately super-strong & rebuildable ones are available from Carli and Dynatrac.
- The front wheel unit-bearings are about as bad as the ball joints. Free spin hubs with re-greasable Timken bearings are available from Spyntec and Dynatrac
- The transmission is a potential weak link. I know that you said this one was rebuilt at 130K, but do you know what components were used? A Goerend torque converter, valve body, & billet apply lever would go a long way toward improving reliability. Billlet input and output shafts couldn’t hurt either.
-If the water pump hasn’t been recently replaced (easy job) then put in a new Cummins one now or carry a spare. Same goes for the serp’-belt.
- Replace (or carry spares) of the #5 & #6 fuel injector lines, they're prone to cracking
- Tuners are available which will help make a little more power without sacrificing reliability. I prefer the Smarty Jr.
- The stock shocks are too soft for hauling a TC. Have a look at the shocks from Bilstein and Rancho.
- If you choose to add an exhaust brake, the PRXB from Pacbrake is awesome… they make great airbags too.
So, if the truck is in good condition and the price really is as good as you’re implying, then it may be worth it to invest a few (or more) thousand dollars in upgrades and have a truck that will easily go another decade, or two, I know that I plan to keep mine for a very long time :)!
Cheers
-Mark
IMO a 2005 CTD Dually sounds like it's be perfect for your needs.
As others have mentioned, the 05's have no anti-smog stuff on them except for a (high flow) catalytic converter. That Cummins 5.9L is about as reliable as they get, 180K miles is nuthin'.
Since your planning to carry a TC, I’d suggest that you add a set of Torklift Upper StableLoad's and a Roadmaster anti-sway bar and then load your camper and go for a drive and see how it handles before you consider adding air bags.
There are a few other things to be aware of on the 3rd gen’ Rams;
- A DSS Steering Stabilizer should be considered a mandatory upgrade. This dramatically improves steering and reduces the chance of death wobble.
- A track bar from Thuren or Carli will also help with handling.
- The factory ball joints are complete junk! Fortunately super-strong & rebuildable ones are available from Carli and Dynatrac.
- The front wheel unit-bearings are about as bad as the ball joints. Free spin hubs with re-greasable Timken bearings are available from Spyntec and Dynatrac
- The transmission is a potential weak link. I know that you said this one was rebuilt at 130K, but do you know what components were used? A Goerend torque converter, valve body, & billet apply lever would go a long way toward improving reliability. Billlet input and output shafts couldn’t hurt either.
-If the water pump hasn’t been recently replaced (easy job) then put in a new Cummins one now or carry a spare. Same goes for the serp’-belt.
- Replace (or carry spares) of the #5 & #6 fuel injector lines, they're prone to cracking
- Tuners are available which will help make a little more power without sacrificing reliability. I prefer the Smarty Jr.
- The stock shocks are too soft for hauling a TC. Have a look at the shocks from Bilstein and Rancho.
- If you choose to add an exhaust brake, the PRXB from Pacbrake is awesome… they make great airbags too.
So, if the truck is in good condition and the price really is as good as you’re implying, then it may be worth it to invest a few (or more) thousand dollars in upgrades and have a truck that will easily go another decade, or two, I know that I plan to keep mine for a very long time :)!
Cheers
-Mark
