shrmpboatcptn

has anyone done this on a second gen? i tried searching with no good results. my friend has a 99 dodge 4x4 diesel that got wrecked and told me i could have the front diff and all the front suspension, the 5 speed out of it, the transfer case, both driveshafts and the floor shifter. mines a '97 3.55 gears in mine and the truck im gettin the stuff out of. i was wondering if the frame mounts are riveted or welded on? and if theyre riveted are all the holes already in the frame to mount the 4x4 control arm brackets or do i have to drill them? any advice or pics would be appreciated

306lx

I am interested in this as well. A good friend of mine just picked up a 95' 4x2 with 60,000 miles on it. He also picked up a complete 4x4 front half and we plan converting it over. If anyone has any useful information on this swap that would be awesome. TIA

shrmpboatcptn

could you take pics of the two frames where the mounts would be to see if theres any differences?

justme-

The frame should be sufficiently different that it is impractical to do such a conversion. The 2wd trucks use independent front suspension if I am not mistaken so the control arm mounts needed for a 4wd axle are not there and would need to be fabricated or obtained from a doner truck and precisely located assuming you want to use the same make/generation 4wd system. If you want to go simpler fabricating a leaf spring front end may be easier but remember anything that attaches the suspension to the frame must be perfectly and precisely located on the frame is you want the truck to be safe and have good road manners.
Simplest way if you must do this is obtain a 4wd frame and include a frame swap in the process. When you figure out you have to obtain and swap the frame, transmission, front suspension, add transfer case, cross member, drive shafts, and possibly more you are going to be essentially disassembling the entire truck and rebuilding it.... is it worth all that instead of buying a 4wd?

mechrisme

Well I read online that the 2nd gen Dodge frames are made it sections so you can swap the front section of the frame off the 4wd with your 2wd

mechrisme

I found this online somewhere



I picked up a '96 3500 club cab Dodge\Cummins 5-spd 2wd dually which I've been er, um, slightly busy with, instead of posting, here, there, and everywhere.

So far, I've added IAT, Boost, and EGT gages, replaced the clutch-pilot bearing (already had a new clutch\pressure plate, t-o bearing), installed the 330hp\750lbsft torque TST plate, replaced the brown doggie-motel velour interior with grey velour, instrument panel and all, replaced the vacuum brake boost with Hydroboost, and.......

Dodge built their frames in three sections -

front section determined suspension type
2wd independent
4wd coil springs, trailing links
2wd straight front axle coil springs\trailing links, same frame\suspension\steering as 4wd

middle section determined cab type
regular cab 2-door
club cab 2dr (4 door '98 - up)

rear section determined bed length

Sooooo......I jacked the truck up, raised the cab up a foot off the frame, raised the Cummins 6 inches outta the frame, then cut the front i-f-s frame section out at the factory splice, directly beneath the seats.

Having located and prepped a '98 3500 4wd frame section and 2001 straight front axle, I then mated, aligned, and welded the two sections and VOILA!!!

I now have maybe the only Dodge 3500 HD straight front axle dually pickup on the road - white\grey velour, sittin' 5" higher than when Dodge sold it to another old man and his dog (Boy! did that cab ever stink!!!!!).

The straight front axle is the Dana 70 without the differential third-member and drive axles - the steering knuckles, brakes, hubs, etc, are the same, just no drive assy, replaced by a section of 3/8ths inch thick heavy-wall tube.

HD factory option was offered only in cab-and-chassis configuration, with the narrower rear axle

I see Dodge now builds one-piece rail frames, but I like the '94 - 2001 body style trucks, so no biggie.

justme-

I'll have to look under mine- I don;t remember seeing any obvious welds where sections would have been joined like that, but I've missed things like that before.

Nasuryma

I'm converting one right now. A '96 2wd to a 4wd. I've collected parts from different trucks over time. Front axle from a '94, various parts from '01, I'm currently looking for 5 seed tranny and transfer case. It takes time but do-able.

BigstarATX

Has anyone ever FINISHED one of these projects? I’ve seen the question asked many times but never any follow up or photos

oliver foster

What parts do you need still?
I have 4x4 frames, axles and all the 5 speed 4x4 parts here at my shop to do this swap.

oliver foster

I personally have done 2wd to 4x4 swaps on a 1st gen Dodge truck and a Ramcharger.
The 2nd gens do not excite me enough to do that much work. I also have 4x4 2nd gens at my disposal already.

A lot of people post when they need help. Less post when they are done with the project and just posting tips to help other people.
Then there are those that never finish the project at all.

BigstarATX

Gotcha. I just bought a good low milage 2WD dually manual 12 valve and I have a beater 12 valve, 4x4, manual with a really good frame. Wondering if it’s easiest to strip the 4x4 frame down and move everything (including the body) over to the 4x4.

oliver foster

If the 4x4 frame is good, then yes swapping everything onto the good 4x4 frame will likely be easier.
That is how I swapped my '92 W-250, using a good W250 frame and a clean D250 truck.
I did a detailed thread on it on DTR in the 1st gen section, if you want to check it out.

I even posted tips for the next guy doing this, after it was done....Haha

BigstarATX

I’ll check it out