Thinking about a '78 W200, any input?

['67Satellite]

Hey guys! I'm thinking about picking up a W200 for desert driving, hauling, and maybe some daily driving. I've found a '78 extended cab/long bed. It's bronze, automatic (which I assume is a 727), and has a factory A/C unit on the original 360 (I am told it's original).

The guy I'd be buying from is the second owner, and uses it for work. He doesn't really know how many miles are on it, but the frame and body seem to be very nice, no real rust, and only minor denting on the doors and bed. I know the 360 is common, and though I've never worked on one, i'm sure it would be relatively easy. And parts seem to be pretty common.

So what do you think, would it be worth picking up? Do you know of any places i should look for common issues? And do you think it would be worth around $1500?

 

[68sportsatelliteragtop]

Which truck are you looking at W200, 4X4, or D 200, 2X4? I had a '78 M880 military W200 318 w/ full time transfer and 4.10 gears that was a beast on trails and in the snow. Bullitt proof drivetrain, only issues were from snowplow usage, driving it on salt/chemical treated roads. I would think a truck from your part of the country should be pretty solid, mine started rusting on fender aprons and top of rear wheel arch, and bottom of doors. I have seen other trucks w/ rust on core support and cab mounts. I also had a 77 W200 extended cab that was also 318 w/ 4.10s that served well as a plow truck. Only issues were front u-joints and brake rotors, pain in the butt to replace but doable w/ factory service manual. That truck had over 180K on it before the body rotted out too bad to be worth fixing! For $1500 sounds like a good buy if you have a need for a heavy duty gas drinkin' truck.

 

['67Satellite]

Thanks for the input. I'm guessing somewhere in the realm of 10 miles on a gallon? That'd be about 1/3 the fuel economy of my current vehicle, so it would be interesting.

Oh and it is a W200 4x4.

 

[68sportsatelliteragtop]

What gears and is it a 4 barrel? Top speed on mine was 65 mph with the 4.10's and 30 in tires. Probably would go faster but the 318 was talkin by then!

 

['67Satellite]

Not sure on carb or gears, haven't looked at it yet, or driven it. I'll see if I can find out now though. 65? Really? Well that wouldn't work for me

 

['67Satellite]

Well the guy doesn't know what carb it has or what gears are in it. But it does look like Dana 60's front and rear, which i think it correct.

Will these trucks have a fender tag with option codes???

 

[moparmarks]

I've owed and own lots of 72-80 Dodge trucks. Have a 78 D300 360 4-sp among others. The one your looking at probably came with the piece of crap Holley 2-bbl. Was used on 360 and 400 motors. Not your standard Holley. Probably has a Dana 60 in back and a 44 up front with either 3.91 or 4.10 gears. Tranny will be a 727. If the motor is stock then it will be a real dog in the mountains, even empty. Have had several 360 trucks and live in Colorado. Do you need a 4wd? 2wd will lighter, more power in the hills and better MPG.
Common problems are fuse for heater melts down. Amp gauge and bulk head. Cracks in the cowl that makes a loud popping sound. SoCa truck shouldn't have many rust problems. Fender tag was a glue on sticker under the hood and are usually long gone though I do have the one for my 73 W200.

 

[moparmarks]

Oh and 1500 on this side of the country is a fair price. I wouldn't pay more.

 

[67 coronet]

1500 is not a bad price.you just need to look it over really good for bad hidden rust.make sure to crawl under it when you check it out with a flashlight.also,as someone else mentioned,unless you go with tall tires you wont have much of a top speed.i have owened a bunch of the 70' era trucks and most problems are pretty simple to fix with some basic automotive knowledge.

 

[Budnicks]

A 78 Power Wagon w-200 3/4 ton 4x4 for $1500, with a straight body, running & driving is a good deal, the parts for the drive train are worth probably 2 times that anyway... They are gas pigs, but some work on tuning, good low ohm resistance wires, good plugs like E-3's, quality cap & rotor, change to a 4bbl Carburetor change like a "spread bore" 4165 650cfm Holley or Carter's Thermoquad with small primaries or even a Holley "Truck Avenger" vacuum secondary w/elec. choke 4bbl, either will be much better, with an Performer RPM dual plane aluminum intake, exhaust manifold change to shorty truck headers & a free flowing exhaust {like Flowmaster's 2.5" or equivalent}, K&N X-treme air filter, changes will help some {but not a bunch} with fuel mileage, but it will give you a way better driving experience & performing truck... Those truck generally came with 3.54:1 gears front & rear, unless ordered other wise, w/Dana-44 & Dana-60, 8 lug rims & full floating 3/4 ton axles, Disc brake front & drum rear, when equipped with an automatic trans, they can do freeway 65-70mph speeds with relative ease, even with the week 360 2bbl, put some larger diameter like 30"-32" good all terrain radial tires & good oversize gas shocks on it ,that will cut the gear ratio a little & give you better traction & ride to boot... The biggest issues, I ever had with them were, the batteries didn't last long because of vibration get a gel cell battery {a higher output 75amp alternator won't hurt either}, also the main electrical bulkhead connection at the firewall gets allot of corrosion & heat in it, especially after 34 years, easy fix too, just disconnect & wire brush/clean & get all the oxidation & corrosion out then use a dab of dielectric grease on all connections before reassembly & the Amp gauges are crap, they have a tendency to go bad & fry all the wires, make sure all the connections are tight, clean & good condition, everything goes thru the Amp gauge on all earlier pre 1990's Mopars, the trucks were especially prone to problems in those 2 areas, especially if they were driven off road or in wet conditions allot... Drive lines & front/rear axle yokes & universals are also a good place to check, especially if it's full time 4wd, even if it's a lock out hub type/part time 4wd front end the universal are good place to check, they do wear out much quicker than cars... Good luck it sound like a decent deal to me, check it out well, it can be a decent occasional driver, not too practical for a daily driver though, unless you need a tough 4x4 for daily driving off road in the desert....

 

[Ron 73]

Hey guys! I'm thinking about picking up a W200 for desert driving, hauling, and maybe some daily driving. I've found a '78 extended cab/long bed. It's bronze, automatic (which I assume is a 727), and has a factory A/C unit on the original 360 (I am told it's original).

The guy I'd be buying from is the second owner, and uses it for work. He doesn't really know how many miles are on it, but the frame and body seem to be very nice, no real rust, and only minor denting on the doors and bed. I know the 360 is common, and though I've never worked on one, i'm sure it would be relatively easy. And parts seem to be pretty common.

So what do you think, would it be worth picking up? Do you know of any places i should look for common issues? And do you think it would be worth around $1500?

What you explained about the truck, i cant see 1500 being a bad price, where im at i would pay more for such a one as this.... And with the owner driving it, and uses it for work is a plus if hes telling the truth, usually around here there parked in the driveway selling for a bit more then this guy wants, and it sounds like its in decent shape.. Good luck.