1989 Dodge Ram Cummins 12 valve Turbo Diesel 4x4 Rollback Car Hauler 1st Gen

1989 Dodge Ram 3500 Description

You're looking at a No Reserve auction on a 1st Generation 12-valve Cummins Dodge Ram 3500 4-wheel-drive dually with just under 74,000 miles! ...read on:
It has a 14ft aluminum-frame roll-back auto transporter bed on it with steel diamond-plate decking & a 22,000 poundwinch. The hydraulics on the bed & winch all work just as they should. It also has a receiver-hitch, and can tow a trailer, so you could haul one, and tow one at the same time. It's rare to see one of these first-gen Cummins Dodges in a roll-back, and even more rare to see one in a 4-wheel-drive! It's got a freshly rebuilt (with an 18 month/18,000 mile AAMCO warranty) Torqflight 727 which is arguably the most durable automatic transmission ever made, and indestructable NP 205 geared (no chain) 4x4 transfer-case. Very beefy Dana 70 front, and Dana 80 rear axles with 3:08 highway gears, so it gets fantastic fuel-mileage for a truck this large.
The radio, and some of the gauges don't work, but there are a couple of aftermarket units bolted under the dash so you can keep an eye on oil-pressure and voltage, etc. It's got a super nice interior with virtually no wear on the seat, and no cracks on the dash or in the factory rubber floor. It has air-conditioning, but not currently working. The heater works, as do the wipers, dash illumination, headlights & turn-signals.
The cab is wearing its original red finish (never been re-painted). Granted the clearcoat is flaking off (a feature of Dodges that came with no extra charge right from the factory), but it's never had any paint-work done to it, or bondo anywhere. What you see is exactly what you get... no hidden surprises with body issues. There is some rust in the driver's side fender, but otherwise the frame, cab-corners, cab-floors and everything are super solid and rust-free on the truck. There are some large dents down low on the doors, but I recently found a nearly perfect passenger side door at the junkyard that's the correct color red and everything which can be included with the sale of the vehicle. The doors do close very well, don't sag, and the seals are still good (no wind-whistle or water-leaks). The windshield has a couple cracks, but doesn't interfere with your vision while driving. The driver's side running board needs the front bracket replaced, as you can see in the pictures, it sags a little.
The motor is really clean, and not all greasy, just as I would expect it to be with so few miles on it (I didn't spray engine-shine on it to dress it up or anything... just took a picture of it as she is). It's not an oil-leaker, either which is pretty unheard of for these motors. It has Brand new tires on the rear, and 75% tread remaining on the fronts. The brakes don't pull to either side, but the rears need to be bled, as the pedal is spongy, but they work okay. Front end components are tight, and not sloppy with good alignment. Drives straight down the road. It's very reliable and road worthy. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere in the Country on a moment's notice. I've driven it several thousand miles on various road-trips to pick up vehicles during the time I've had it, and the only thing that I've ever had to do is put a new voltage regulator in it ($15 bucks at Napa, and took me 2 minutes to replace). It's got good belts and hoses, and a newer industrial battery. It's pretty much ready to go, and only needs a few things. I am currently using it as my work truck on a daily basis, but will stop driving it once it gets a bid or sells. The 4-wheel-drive works awesome, and there are Select-O-Matic manual lockouts on the front axle. Starts up great in the cold (the heat-grid pack works well) and runs smoothly. Smokes when you first start it up in cold weather, as is typical for diesels, but comes out of it when warmed up. The injection pump is bone-stock, and has never been turned up or messed with, so it doesn't "roll-coal" as the teenagers say when you step on the accelerator pedal going down the road. One nice thing about these 1st generation Cummins Dodge trucks, is that they are 50 State emissions exempt, grandfathered in because of their age, so even if you live in a State with emissions testing, you'll never have to deal with those regulations on this truck, which is nice. They diesels came right from the factory in 1989 with zero smog equipment and were sold that way in every State.
Another great thing about this vehicle is that there are zero electronics whatsoever. The engine literally runs by one wire hooked up to the fuel cut-off solonoid, and that's it. The only electrics are the alternator and accessories, but the engine is completely non-electronic making it the most reliable engine ever to have been put in a Dodge. With less than 74,000 miles on the clock, it's got lots and lots of life left in it. They're known to run 450 to 500,000 miles pretty consistently. It's not a perfect vehicle, but it's still in amazingly good condition for its age. I'm quite sure I'll never find another rollback in this 12 valve Cummins 4x4 configuration again. All my friends who are car-guys tell me I'm making a huge mistake by putting it up for sale, as it is SO incredibly handy to have around. I've even used it as a dump-truck when not moving vehicles around (you don't have to use the slide-back feature... you can just dump it all the way up with the hydraulic rams... and it goes pretty high). I hauled a bunch of logs and branches with it last Fall, and it made unloading a piece of cake). The only reason I'm willing to let it go is that I need a Cummins Dodge with 4 doors, because there are more than 3 people in my family (all you can fit legally in a single-cab truck).
I've covered the details as exhaustively & honestly as I can think of. If my description doesn't answer all your questions, feel free to message me through eBay. A couple more things that I forgot to mention above is that there is a fairly good sized lockable tool-box below the bed on passenger side for your chains, binders, straps, tools, etc, as well as a handy little slide-out ladder on the driver's side to make it easy to step up (rather than climb up) onto the bed when needed (pickups with steps and a hand-rail are all the rage I see on the new pickup commercials today). There's also one extra lever on the hydraulics-manifold with quick-coupler lines running straight to the back of the truck for an attachment or accessory if you had need for such a thing (like a log-splitter or maybe a stinger for dollying a 2nd vehicle behind, etc).
Thanks for looking!
By bidding on or purchasing this truck, you accept that it is being sold As Is with no warranty. I require a $500 deposit within 48 hours of auction's end, and that the remaining balance of the purchase price is paid for in full within 10 days of that time. I can store it for a while if buyer needs some time to arrange moving the truck, but please ask before bidding and let me know what you're thinkin for a timeline. I ask for cash in person, otherwise if having it moved with an auto-transporter, a cashier's check or bank wire-transfer is acceptable. I will release the vehicle for pickup once the funds have cleared. I have a good, clear Iowa title for it registered in my name with no liens or encumberances.