Help deciding on a straight truck

late 90's would be a DT466E, with a 10 speed is kind of hard to find. Most DT466E's were low horse power rated, somewhere around 190-210hp. They aren't very fast but they will get you there.

 

Auto's are about as rare as the 10 speeds around here. Autos again where more meant for city work, not really highway. Any DT that is pre-Maxxforce is pretty good. Even the 2004 emission engines are decent, they don't have the egr cooler failures or egr valve failures that the later generation like Maxxforce have. They also have no DOC/DPFs. As far as the truck goes, the newer style cab (4300, 4400) can be great, so can the older style cabs, (4700, 4900). The new style are all computer controlled. Nothing wrong with that. Most of the electrical problems are outside of the cab. The best and quickest way to check the overall electrical condition is to remove the black plastic cover off of the "Power distribution panel" and have a quick look inside. This panel is located under the hood, near the firewall on the drivers side, right above the fender and is mounted on an angle. Inside this box is most of the trucks relays and fuses. Trucks with a lot of electrical problems will show a lot of dirt and corrosion in this area. If it is nice and clean inside, chances are good everything else is in good shape.

 

541 is up there for the chassis, I'd find out what else has been done to it. Brakes, suspension, steering, etc. What kind of price are they looking for?

 

Can't go wrong for $6K. Not much to those trucks. Pretty easy to fix most stuff. Has it been sitting for a long time?