1998 Dodge Ram Rebuild or Replace?

Did you do a wet compression test to verify that it is the lower end and not the upper end that's causing the low readings?

My mechanic is the one that told me this.

One mechanic told me it was the intake manifold gasket, but he didn't do that work, so I took it somewhere else to have them do it. They checked it out and told me it wasn't the gasket, but low compression on those valves.

They did hook up the tester under the dash and gave me the codes "misfire on cylinder 1, misfire on cyclinder 5.

Then the next day they told me it wasn't the gasket but the piston rings.

They also don't do that work, so I'm assuming that they are being honest since they are telling me that they can't complete the job, why would they tell me that something was bad if they weren't going to charge meto fix it?

Did not mean to insinuate your mechanic was not being honest. I was only suggesting that a wet compression test be done to confirm the diagnosis.
A rebuild for this vehicle will be any where from 1800 hundred to 2200 depending on the engine severity and ability to be repaired. A re manufactured engine with a warranty will be around 2000.00 then you still have to pay to have it installed and your old one removed. Most require a core charge as well.
Good Luck.

He said they put oil in the cylinder and ran a compression test.

I assume this is where "wet" comes from.

So there is no other way to remedy this other than a rebuild? And is this a top end, or does the whole block have to come out.

The whole block will have to be removed.

But is this something that needs to be done right away, I mean can I drive it for a while like this untill I can afford to fix it?

It drives and has decent accelleration, it just runs rough.

I bought this truck to repo cars, I will be hauling cars on a wheel lift installed on the back end.

how long can I go with this problem, and what other problems will it cause if I don't fix it right away?