Had a friend call me asking me to buy his truck

old · Sep 11, 2015

So he has this 1978?? Dodge truck. 4X4 stick shift 4 cylinder but is has 8 lug wheels on it so to me that says 3/4 ton but 4 cylinder. He wants $200 for it which seem very good as in lower then scrap price. Has a utility type tool box bed on it. So any idea what this truck maybe??
Thanks

DeltaRed · Sep 11, 2015

4 cyl DIESEL?

4play · Sep 11, 2015

The most I knew was they had the 225 slant 6, 243 inline 6 mitsubishi diesel (4.0L) , 318, 360, 383, 400, 440 V8's

blue water massey · Sep 11, 2015

dodge D50 maybe
but not sure of 8 bolt
thought they where all 6 bolt

not to bad of a little truck
were pretty tough to kill

ericlb · Sep 12, 2015

need a pic, if this is a full size dodge it could be a 3/4 ton, dodge did experiment back then with a 4 cylinder diesel, im not sure which make but i think it was a perkins, it was not a good idea, as it was underpowered , but then chevy didnt have any power either in '78 with the 5.7 diesel, in fact if you hooked a trailer of any type to the diesel chevy it voided the warranty , they sure have come a long way today

casecollectorsc · Sep 12, 2015

Anything can be done....friend put a 453 Detroit in a 75 Dodge one ton....with a 5 spd. and a 3 spd Brownie. Use to run across SD with a gooseneck trailer behind....loud as heck.

Donald Lehman · Sep 12, 2015

I believe you are right about the thing being a Perkins engine. If the foggy recesses of my memory are correct, they didn't sell very well. Dodge's offerings of small truck diesels in those days were a sorry collection of misfits and false starts.

ss55 · Sep 12, 2015

If you can use one, the utility type tool box bed alone could be worth the $200. You would have to take a look at it to be sure what it is, because a 4 cylinder engine does not sound right compared to the rest of the description. I think a late 1970's four cylinder would be around 100 to maybe 125 horsepower at the most.

Could it be a slant six or a double slant four (V-8)?

old · Sep 12, 2015

What gets me is the 8 hole wheels and this is a small truck and if I had to compare it to any thing it is like a Toyota 4X4 in size

old · Sep 12, 2015

Ya it may have 6 hole wheels instead of 8. The guy is one who is clueless when it come to cars etc

RN · Sep 12, 2015

Maybe a Mitsubishi diesel? Dodge D50s were basic rebadged Mitsubishi's. Ford Ranger badge was on Mazda's, the little Chevy P'Up was gotten from the Isuzu builders. The more popular diesel engine in other markets was available for the US market rebadges, more were sold to some fleet buyers than to individuals at/from a dealership. 6 bolts wheels were common on the Japanese pickups and commercial vans - the bolt pattern was the same as the early 6 bolt Chevy car and light pickup. Chevy assembly plant in pre WW2 Japan was taken/nationalized and given to Toyota to run making light trucks for government and military, the 6 bolt wheel tooling was copied in metric threading and the wheel was a Japnese government standard that other manufacturers had to use if they sold a similar vehicle to Japanese army or government motorpool and became the default for most of the other manufacturers like Mazda and Mitsubishi that sometimes had a 4 bolt wheel based on English Austin or a large ring 5 bolt as used on Fords. RN

old · Sep 12, 2015

4 cylinder gas carb type engine. I looked at ti a couple years ago but well it has been a couple years so not for sure any thing about ti till I get the time to go look again. For what he wmats for it I'll probably get it if for no other reason to have the bed it has

fixerupper · Sep 12, 2015

Speaking of that four cylinder diesel, I saw one at our local threshing show, must have been all of ten years ago. It was a half ton short bed, mid-70's vintage. The owner told me you don't want to be in a hurry when you drive it. If memory serves me right the diesel was offered in the 1/2 ton pickups only.

4play · Sep 12, 2015

The dodge ram-50 (d-50) was made by mitsubishi, had 6 hole wheels and 4cyl gas engines. Pretty sure they came out in 79 though. 4wd and turbo diesel options came out a few years later, that little turbo diesel engine was a real turd, not to be associated with anything powerful or fast.

old · Sep 12, 2015

This one has the utility bed on it which just that type of bed may make it worth the $200 he wants for it. I know is is a gas engine since it has a carb on it.

Steve@Advance · Sep 12, 2015

If... It's a full size 3/4 ton, with a 4 cylinder in it, there are 2 possibilities. Someone put it in there, or it migrated up here from Mexico or Central America. There are vehicle combinations from "down there" that were never offered here.

I came across mid 70's Suburban in a wrecking yard, had a 261 stove bolt six in it! Must have been factory, looked too good to be a transplant. Had an HEI ignition, a carb I've never seen, Mexico tags.

A friend of mine's dad had a winter home down in Mexico. He found himself a girlfriend and brought her and her car back here. (Not sure how it did that, but...) The car was a Nissan, Toyota, don't remember for sure, but I do remember it had an engine in it like nothing ever sold here!

old · Sep 12, 2015

What little I know about it is that he got it form the Fire Dept he works for or other such place. But again he is some one who knows about as much about a car or truck as say most 10 year old's know. It may well have 6 lugs instead of 8 but I know it is a 4X4 and stick shift which is a big plus for me

Bob N.Y. · Sep 12, 2015

I have 2 1996 Mazda B-3000 pickups. They both have a tag on the driver's door that says "Made by Ford Motor Company in USA for Mazda Motors Corporation". The Mazda pickups since 1994 are Ford Rangers, not the other way around. The Ford Currier pickup that preceded the Ranger was built by Mazda.

Leroy · Sep 12, 2015

Picture says it all, a sub compact truck and only a 4 cylinder.

Had a friend call me asking me to buy his truck

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