So 1992 is a good year. It's intercooled.
Like was said, the fluid level on the Getrag is relatively important. That being said, it isn't an easy thing to check, as there is no dipstick or siteglass. When you drive it see how easy it is to get into reverse and second. Take your time and work the gears a little bit. You don't really use 1st gear very often on these trucks, but check it out anyway. But, if she shifts nice, if she goes in and out of reverse and 2nd good, and the clutch pedal seems to have some decent travel, you might be ok. The trannies are stout, but they don't like to be lugged or speed shifted. When you lug it, you can hear it really rattle...that's bad, mmmmkay?
On the engine, I'd just check it over and make sure the cummins anti-corrosion system is working.
I've not seen too many of these old girls that don't leak here and there. Mine leaks from the (new) valve cover gaskets and from the oil pan gasket. Leaks aren't a big deal as it holds 3 gallons, but if you look under it and there's a few quarts on the ground, that isn't good either.
I believe the 2wd setup uses ball joints and coil springs. system is fairly easy to rebuild, so like you said I wouldn't worry too much about it.
You could pull the intake hose off the turbo and check the shaft to see if its good.
On the pump itself, there are signs to see if people tampered with it. It's not necessarily a bad thing if they did, as tuning these trucks are a lot of fun and can be done relatively easily with little danger, but if you find the pump is tampered with and the owner insists that the pump 'has never been turned up', well, you know what/who you're dealing with. On the top of the fuel pump is a screw called 'the smoke screw'. There is a cap on that. If the cap is gone and you can see the screw...tampered with.
On the back of the pump, above and towards the motor from where all the fuel lines come out, is a long 'screw' with a slot for a flat head screwdriver in the back. If that screw has a metal collar welded to it, it probably hasn't been tampered with...but the biggest step to getting power out of the VE is removing that collar and screwing in that screw...of course you want to read up on the dangers first.
I'm trying to think...it's funny that there really isn't too much that can go wrong on these things...they're like old farm tractors...they just work.
You might check the steering shaft from the firewall to the steering box. The big upgrade for that over the years has been the famed 'borgenson' steering shaft. That could be a sign of a loved truck at one time.
If it's rained in the recent past, you might check the carpet for moisture on the front kick panel area and the back cab corners.
When you start the truck, it should catch within 2 cranks...they are fast starting engines. When the engine is turned off, it usually stops so violently it squeaks the belt. A good puff of black/grey smoke upon initial start up isn't necessarily a bad sign, either.
Boost gauge/EGT?
AC?
Plow? 5th Wheel, Trailer Hitch? Maybe you can tell how the truck has been used for its life.
If you do buy it, you should almost immediately do a few hundred bucks in maint. Change the fuel filter, the air filter, the oil filter, the 3 gallons of 15w40 and drain and replace the tranny fluid with 5 qts of 5w30 synthetic. This is over filling the tranny by 1 qt. Apparently between Getrag and Dodge and Cummins, the transmission ends up sitting low in the back, and without the extra oil there's a bearing that gets a bit starved. The extra quart is one of those unanimous tips.
If it won't start, check the 2 wires coming off the fuel pump...those get loose, the truck won't start. Basically the only electric on the entire motor.
The VE is a reliable little guy. People have taken them to great heights...I think ~700 HP is the top right now. And that in a 6-7k truck is a ton! Getting some bigger injectors, a bigger intake/exhaust and possibly changing the turbo should make 300 HP (almost double the stock) attainable. The fun thing about the VE is that everything is mechanical. You tune it by turning wrenches, instead of a computer.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling post...was just trying to think of stuff that I'd check, knowing what I know now.
Actually, you should go over to
www.dieseltruckresource.com and go to the 1st gen section, and then look through the sticky...it's akin to the knowledge base here:
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/d...t-t102027.html
Also, the killer dowel pin is a concern, but it didn't happen to as many of the first gens as it did to the later 12v engines, if i remember correctly. I mean, if you have the chance, fix it, but I wouldn't turn down the truck if it hasn't been done.
Here's a good post from an old Chrysler tech in regards to the Getrag 360:
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showpost.php?p=2844659&postcount=11
Here's some good info on the VE pump operation/modification:
http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/more_power/Power_ve.htm
EDIT: Fixed the link for the Getrag post.