Agreed on the HF gauge. I think I will try replacing the thermostat and doing a coolant flush at the same time. I'll grab a can of Seafoam as well to put in the oil and run it a bit before I change it to the 5w-30.
A single cab with a decent box...awesome 
I think a set of those wheels off the Charger would work well.....
Well after some upgrades and TLC maybe he can eventually trade up to a Ford.Anyway, looks like a good score, even if it is a Dodge.
That's some great information, thank you! This is my first Dodge, Currently I've got all of the big three in my driveway, I don't discriminate.When I get a "new" used vehicle, I usually do a tune-up and fluid flush/change on it. Before I do an oil change
, I put a quart of diesel in the engine and let it idle for about 15 minutes to a half hour, then do the oil/filter change with some cheap oil and a quart of SeaFoam. Drive it a week, do the diesel idle thing again, then do another oil/filter change with good stuff. Anyway, looks like a good score, even if it is a Dodge.
Hmm, maybe...
You guys, we actually bought the Dakota to replace our F-150...Well after some upgrades and TLC maybe he can eventually trade up to a Ford.
"16" tires are becoming a rare breed, better go 17 or 18.Here's another version I just finished. White grille inserts and bumper, no flares, and I think these Ultra type 50 wheels in 16" diameter would look pretty good. A period correct wheel with a nice classy, timeless look. Let me know what you think of this version!
The oilAll you mechanical gurus, I would like to see what you think about an observation I made while driving the truck home on the interstate.
The oil pressure gauge above has the needle pointed pretty far towards the high end I thought. This picture was taken while going 75 at about 2,300 RPM.
Here's where the needle sits at idle.
Does that look normal to you guys? It runs excellent, no weird noises whatsoever and he told me it burns zero oil and does not leak (engine looks clean and free of leaks). I believe he told me he runs 10w-30, so maybe the thicker oil is causing higher pressure?
The general rule of thumb for oil pressure is 10psi per 1000rpm. 30-80 psi is normal range. My 2001 Chevy truck with a 5.3 v8 runs at 60psi the entire time. It has 140k miles and I bought it brand new. I would watch it and see if it changes from it’s current range. Like other said, buy and aftermarket oil pressure gauge and install it for a piece of mind. The temp seems normal, it also depends on how cold it was outside and you got to remember, older cars don’t run as hot as new cars, new cars purposely run warmer because of emissions. As an example, my 2021 Chevy Tahoe runs at 210 all the time, my 66 chevelle with a sbc 350 runs at 180. The PO may have put a low temp thermostat, like a 160.
Unfortunately if I go with those Ultra wheels the largest diameter they come in is a 16"
Thank you for your detailed response and for the kind words.The oil
The general rule of thumb for oil pressure is 10psi per 1000rpm. 30-80 psi is normal range. My 2001 Chevy truck with a 5.3 v8 runs at 60psi the entire time. It has 140k miles and I bought it brand new. I would watch it and see if it changes from it’s current range. Like other said, buy and aftermarket oil pressure gauge and install it for a piece of mind. The temp seems normal, it also depends on how cold it was outside and you got to remember, older cars don’t run as hot as new cars, new cars purposely run warmer because of emissions. As an example, my 2021 Chevy Tahoe runs at 210 all the time, my 66 chevelle with a sbc 350 runs at 180. The PO may have put a low temp thermostat, like a 160.
As for engine sludge, try this, it’s supposed to be good.
Pro-Line Engine Flush
A highly effective formulation designed for quick and safe removal of deposits in engines before an oil change. Optimizes oil consumption, guarantees proper oil pressure in hydraulically activated systems and ensures proper oil flow after a cold start. Allows the fresh oil to immediately develop...www.liqui-moly.com
Congratulations on the new truck. While brand new cars are nice, I’m an older car person. I’m current truck is a 2001 Chevy Silverado and I love it. It has the paint problems like yours, it she runs great and has never given me a problem and I’ve bough her brand new. Her name is “Betsy.”
Enough about my truck, I like your garage set up, it’s come along way since you first moved in.
Matt
There's also the issue of the very chalky wheel opening trim. Hey Mike @zmotorsports do you suppose your Zep Powerhouse followed by 303 Aerospace Protectant treatment would work on damage this bad?
Thank you for the comments Mike! I've pretty much decided I'll be pulling off the flares once I'm able to fix the rot on the rear wheel arches. In the mean time I'll slap some 303 Aerospace Protectant on them to try to spruce them up a bit. I'm not a big fan of black plastic trim or fender flares in general, even on a 4x4.
Thanks Mike! I'm doing the best I can with what I've got.The truck looks great. Photos are awesome.
Your kind words and advice are well received, thank you! I need to find the time to get those detail pictures taken so I can get the listing up.
Well thank you for reaching out with the high praise! I'm doing the best that I can with what I've got!
What a nice message! Congratulations on your new shop! Cleanliness and organization in my opinion set the stage for reaching your potential in the shop.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for stopping by my humble thread, and of course thank you for the kind words! Wow, I can't imagine what the CG world was like 30 years ago, but it looks like that software is pretty powerful today. I use Blender for my CG work, it's also free and open source, which blows my mind for how immensely capable it is. Fortunately it doesn't usually take much more than seconds for my desktop to process the majority of my renders, it would be tough to wait for hours!
I'm absolutely blown away - Thank you!
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to edit that! You did a great job, and I have to admit, the white mirrors look better than I would have expected. The rear roll pan also surprises me with how good it looks and it's honestly tempting me... The wheels and tires look very nice, the stuffed look gives it an RC car vibe that I like. Really nice work on the edit, I see how you even shortened the tailpipe and cleaned off the vent visor adhesive like I did in the most recent update on the truck here! Thank you again!If you're going to paint the bumper white go all in!
Tell/show me the 71/72 C/K 10 in the back. I have a 72 C10.Last week I was able to spend some more quality time with the new truck, named "White Lightning" by the previous owner. I wrapped up detailing the interior and I started focusing on cleaning up the exterior some. I decided to first tackle the removal of the leftover adhesive from the once upon a time vent visors installed over the windows. This stuff was nasty, and had been baking in the sun for God knows how long, which had turned it into a crusty, tar-like substance. I soaked it in WD-40, tried warming it with a heat gun, and scraping with a plastic scraper. The only method that ended up bringing about results was carefully scraping it off with a razor blade and using acetone to remove the last bit of adhesive residue. The final adhesive layer seemed like super glue, it was rock hard and clear. Pretty nasty stuff, but I was successful and the truck looks surprisingly much better with that junk off.
I finished off the day with my first hand wash of the truck. The first wash of a new vehicle is nerve racking, you just don't know what you'll find when you run your hands and eyeballs over every painted inch. Fortunately, there was nothing hiding that I discovered in the wash other than satisfaction for just how truly clean this truck is! Sure, there are a lot of rock chips in the doors and a few hail dings, but other than that and the rust I've already shared, it's just so nice.
Congrats on making the header pageI made an O'Reilly's run last week and picked up several things to tune up the new Dakota as well as some detailing supplies, notably the 303 Aerospace Protectant made famous here by @zmotorsports . I have to say, I expected it to be good, but it exceeded my high expectations, a rare occurrence. Thank you for sharing Mike! I applied it to all of the exterior plastics, tonneau cover, and the under hood plastics and the difference is remarkable. They weren't faded, but the 303 spray really gave the plastic a deeper color and slight sheen. I'll attach a quick picture of under the hood of the F-150. Much better than whatever the Armorall junk is that most dealerships coat their engine bays with.
I spent entirely too much time detailing the truck to get it ready for sale. I'm trying to get top dollar for the truck, so I want it to blow away the potential buyer with how clean and nice it is. It is truly in great condition for a 2009 and well cared for in the last 6 years and 65,000 miles of our ownership.
One massive improvement I made was polishing all of the exterior glass. The rear window especially had horrible water spots that refused to scrub off. The Meguire's Ultimate Compound I had in the flammable cabinet and some elbow grease did a remarkable job of removing them though. I still **** at cleaning windows though, I really struggle with getting them streak-free. Please leave window cleaning tips guys!
Again, I spent way too much time on this detail - I just can't help myself. I shampooed all of the carpets/floor mats and even striped them using the stiff bristle brush method I learned watching Larry (AmmoNYC) YouTube videos. It just takes a minute, but it looks awesome in my opinion.
I borrowed a real, fancy, professional camera from my sister (Canon Rebel T3i) to take some pictures for the sale listing. I read a very helpful B&H Photo article for capturing listing photos and tried to apply what I read last night with some pictures taken during the Blue Hour at a location I scouted just down the road at the volunteer fire station. My knowledge with using a DSLR camera is basically non-existent, so again, I'm soliciting advice from the brilliant hive mind here!
To get the truck listed, I still need to get some detail photos of things like the engine bay, interior, wheels/tires, and bed. I ran out of light last night. Thanks for stopping by folks!
The Dakota is looking excellent for a truck of its age. If you turned off the headlights and had someone pressing the brake for that detail...even better.
Congrats on making the header page
On the pics, my one piece of advice is to try and limit the light sources as you end up with multiple color temperatures (white is not white) in various parts of the photo. I'm guessing that is the sun, but when you also fire up the headlights, you end with two color temperatures. In that first pic you have the sky (color temp is cool), direct sunlight (color temp warm) and headlights (much cooler color temp)...so three color temperatures to deal with.
Direct sunlight is always hard to deal with. Try and aim for a location or time where the light is diffuse, like just before or after sunset.
The "derelict" choice of the storage containers is always a nice back drop for a minty vehicle
Your 2nd pic is about perfect with respect to selling
Your pic 3 is gold...shows the Platinum trim in a perfect manner!
These are just iphone snaps, but I've gone low angle with some interesting sky and lighting conditions. In pic 1 I've made a rookie error by being in the bumper reflection...ha. Going with some reflections like this really shows a straight clean body.
Most cars really look good in the low quarter angle shot:
If you're selling, a wide angle like the shot below distorts the body shape and is not ideal. It is an example though of the famous "rule of thirds" where you can show some composition skills by moving the focal interest from center. I was in the sun, (which is not ideal), however in this case I chose the "sparkle" point to show off the car.
