Brian J.

My first post here folks and thanks for developing such a comprehensive website that's devoted to our beloved first-gen Mopar trucks. The 1991.5 Dodge D350 that I'm currently restoring was found within the weedy cow-yard of a beef ranch in the Faith, South Dakota, area. When the reasonably rust free and yet heavily hail-dented truck was initially spotted in June of 2021 (see the below first photo), the decision was instantly made to purchase the vehicle and then transport it back to Wisconsin for major restoration. My trusted friend Tom assisted with retrieving the truck in late April of 2022 and we were greatly enthused when a new battery prompted the 5.9 Cummins to crank right up. After semi-straightening a headlight, securing the new battery with a tattered length of bungie cord and then changing the engine oil, the truck was immediately driven across eastern South Dakota and through Minnesota just barely ahead of a gnarly great plains blizzard. The rear lights were so dysfunctional that major turns required the use of hand signals and the parking lights needed to be activated whenever the brake pedal was pressed. The ragged-looking truck with a severely cracked windshield was driven past at least nine law enforcement vehicles along the way and incredibly didn't get pulled over.



The second picture was taken in early May of '22 when the mashed front bumper was removed and the flat bed was being prepped for removal. A custom front bumper was built and and a rear bumper is currently being fabricated out of an 8" by 8" by 3/16" thick chunk of tubular steel. A southern rust-free eight-foot box was acquired from a local salvage yard and is currently in the process of having several dents pounded out and a new paint job.



The third picture was taken with the hood, doors and front fenders removed to facilitate the needed body work of fixing numerous hail and other ranch-inflicted dents. The major non-hail dents within the front fenders were easily removed by laying each fender (outside down) in relatively tall grass and then stepping down on the inside of the fender (a bit crude but it works). Even though the chassis originally came with dually rims, the truck will be converted to a single rear wheel drive (which will necessitate turning down the front hubs to accept standard rims).



The fourth picture provides an idea as to what the hail-dented hood looked like after it was initially block sanded. The hood was so dented that an entire coat of body filler was laid down and is currently being cross block-sanded to be level with the high spots. The front fenders, doors and cab were equally hail dented and it'll take a great deal of elbow grease (and ibuprofen) for these body components to once again look relatively straight.



Thanks again for your website which has provided excellent information and advice.

Brian

KRB

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for the pictures and keep us posted.
Good luck,

Gunch

Nice find least when you get it blocked that putty will be in there til you retire the truck.The rust is what we don’t want .Looks good keep us posted

Fordzilla

Very good!...It's always nice to find an old soldier being returned to his former glory and stature......Ben

cougar

Thanks for the save. Not many left now. After a hailstorm, my 91.5 looked like a golf ball. Parked next to it was my 83 Ramcharger. Other than the windshield, not a dent.

nonrev

Welcome to the forum, Brian J. If you are going to convert it to a swr remember the dually rear diff is about 7" wider. What gear ratio is it now 3:54 or 4:10

Brian J.

Thanks Nonrev for the insight on the additional dually rear end width. I purchased a set of stock 16" rims, although some offset rims may need to be purchased for the rear end if such stick out too far. The Dana 70 outside tag indicates that it has the 3.54 gears and I pulled the cover plate to verify that such are in decent condition. I'll dig into this a bit more and let you know what transpires.
Brian

u2slow

Thatas looks like a cab & chassis truck. Diff is only about 2" wider than srw, and the wheelbase about 4" longer.

nonrev

u2slow, my understanding was the srw is 53" backing plate to backing plate and the dually is 60" did I spread some misinformation?
'

Brian J.

Thanks u2slow for the insight on the frame style. Hopefully you are correct on the wheelbase of the rear end being only two inches wider than the SRW. The chassis was initially married to a utility box when the rancher purchased the truck from a Rapid City electrical contractor. The rancher removed the utility box (which is still in the weeds on his ranch) and installed a flatbed. The southern eight foot box that I purchased should fit reasonably well on the frame. The front dually hubs will be turned down to accept the single style rims. It's actually fun to perform a resto project on such a simple vehicle. Regards, Brian

Brian J.

Mr. Nonrev, I see that your SOLD-92 W250LE had a 4"diamond eye w/muffler. I'm thinking of purchasing such from DPP to replace my 3'' exhaust system. Did you like the diamond eye exhaust system? Was the initial intake part of the tubing necked down to accommodate the 3" outlet of the stock Holset turbo? Thanks, Brian

u2slow

The backing plate spacing is narrower than the flange.

On my SRW diff i get ~53" at the flange, and on my C&C diff i get ~55" . I dont have a 1stgen DRW pickup diff to measure.
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edit; the c&c diff is actually a better match for a srw front end. On a stock srw truck, the rear is narrower.

nonrev

Brian J. I liked the diamond eye exhaust and with the muffler the typical drone was almost nonexistent, and yes, it is a 3" flange welded into the pipe

Brian J.

Thanks Nonrev for the feedback on the diamond eye exhaust system that will be ordered first thing tomorrow morning. I was a bit apprehensive about how a 4 inch tube would fit on the 3 inch turbo outlet, but you thankfully settled my worries. With such a set-up, would you also consider wrapping the exhaust manifold and blanketing the turbo? Regards, Brian

u2slow

I run the DE 4" exhaust also. I haven't wrapped/blanketed the exhaust. I deal with enough of that stuff at work, and my truck's operating environment is dirtier/muddier/rustier by comparison. I like to keep the fasteners and any leaks in plain view.