New to me a 1986 Dodge Ram 350 Van
1 owner, 86k miles, i think i got a good deal. I got all the receipts all the way back to when it was new. I even got the original window sticker!
There are a couple of things though. firstly, the tires are 15 or so years old, the van has been sitting for years. So i need new tires but the sizing is 8.75 R 16.5. Nobody makes tires to that standard anymore but they are equivalents the problem is the diameter of 16.5. Almost no one makes tires that diameter. Does anyone know any good options? Or should I just get some different wheels?
The other thing, is the temp gauge is very vague.
Driving at a steady speed the gauge looks like this, almost all the way to cold. Sitting at idle the gauge will hover in the middle. Then the weird one is on start, the gauge will be almost pegged at hot and i get a warning buzzer. Only coming back down once i get moving. I don't know how much i believe the gauge but im sure someone here knows what is up
Anything else that is worth mentioning, im all ears, i have never owned an American vehicle so Im a little out of my element on this one
Walmart carries 16.5" tires.
lrrs
HalfDork
8/2/22 6:44 p.m.
In reply to marcosv6 :
Move to 16s. I got mine from a 2000 ot so b3500.
Seeing that I am sitting next to my van at a camp ground, pic with model number comming...
Here it is.
Picked them with ok rubber a couple years ago for 200 bucks. One is close to needing replacement. Looks like previous van needed an alignment.
Get some 16" 8 on 6.5" wheels from a later B350. They swap right on.
Does the temp gauge pull the same shenanigans when the van is first started in the morning?
They are good vans, the main worries are the steering boxes rotting off the frame and poor mileage with the 727 trans.
car-part.com
Search out your wheels and then contact that junkyard. Usually the JY will have the wheels then pulled and waiting for you in the lobby. Easy.
The college I went to had these. They drive fine for what they are. That 360 will be topped with a ...Quadrajet. By now, it probably has a hellacious bog when you select the secondaries. Simple adjustment to fix that. Basically no emissions controls on them. No cats, but you can certainly add one or two. It may or may not be the case then when loaded with 7 people, luggage, and towing a small trailer, they'll top out at 92 on flat ground. The bench seats are uncomfortable, but you'll be driving, right? Besides the tires, it would proobably benffit from new shocks and all new bushings.
In reply to Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself :
On a cold start the temp gauge behaves normally, shows cold, then rises as temp rises. Its only on hot restart that the gauge behaves funny
Thanks for the wheel recommendation, i haven't found any online yet but I will be on the lookout
Im also going to be putting in a new radio as the current one is totally dead. Do you guys know any good options? Something maybe tailored to old American stuff
Sounds like it is running warm/hot at idle, and then there is heat soak in the engine once you turn it off until you start it and recirculate the coolant through the radiator.
How far are you from Chula Vista? Might be worth a walk through the yards.
Also, MoPar went to 16" in their 3/4 and one ton trucks in the late '80s, and these through 1993 will have the correct offset for your 8 on 6.5" B350 as well. 8 lug 16" wheels from other vehicles will also work, but you need to match lug pattern, offset, lug diameter, and center register. The Ford E350 van is a common swap. I would check Craiglist and FB Marketplace and local tire repair repair shops. They shouldn't be difficult to find.
As for the radio, I'm pretty sure your van will have the standard later model MoPar '80s-'90s radio mounting and wiring and if so, you should still be able to swap in a later factory stereo with more power, graphic EQ, or even a snazzy CD player and cool joystick fader control. This is a great link for many of the factory options. Stick with the "Two Bolt" mounting and matching plugs for easy swapability. (Photos of a couple of my spares below) Many of these can be converted to aux input and Bluetooth if you are fancy and listen to your music on your phone.
You can also still find the adapters to use current stereos and infotainment systems in your van. The opening is 1.5 DIN size. Some have even forced "Double DIN" units in there.
Here is a vintage Pioneer "DIN and a Half" stereo specifically made for Chrysler (And some GM) vehicles in my Radwood Stash-
In reply to Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself :
Thanks for all the help! Chula vista is only a 30 minute drive, thank you for the find. And that link for the radio guide has everything I'll need to know thank you!
I don't know how similar they are, but my '94 B250 has wonky gauges also. The voltmeter consistently reads low, to the point where I was checking stuff with a meter and in fact ended up replacing the OE alternator just to be sure.
The fuel gauge is all over the place. I'm thinking the sender has a large area of poor contact in the middle of the range, and the needle bounces all over the place. It fairly accurately shows "full", but anything less might have you wondering if you have enough gas to make it home.
16.5 tires in correct size / load range are available, and with good shopping for reasonable pricing. However, changing to 16s WILL save ya a ton of hassle!
As said, any stock 8 on 6.5 is likely to fit. Ford switched to an oddball metric pattern in 99. Most all brands of stock rims in 8 on 6.5 will have close enough backspace to be fine. Some have either larger or smaller center, so that would be my first check on a used rim.
Skobie
New Reader
8/3/22 10:07 p.m.
