When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1st Gen. Ram - All TopicsDiscussion for all Dodge Rams prior to 1994. This includes engine, drivetrain and non-drivetrain discussions. Anything prior to 1994 should go in here.
I am building a club cab, long bed 4x4 truck this winter. Using a 4x4 5 speed truck that has been ditched / side swiped that ruined the whole passenger side sheetmetal of the truck and a nearly rust free 2wd D250 club cab out of AZ to replace the sheetmetal that was ruined.
The 4x4 5 speed frame comes with 4.10 geared axles under it, so I chose to lift it mildly with the goal of running 35 ish inch tires. 4.10 gears in a daily driver 12V truck can be tough without the help of bigger than stock tire sizes if you want to cruise at highway speeds.
The 4x4 truck was from Fla. so it is actually very clean with original brake lines, ETC - it was a shame it got ditched into a telephone pole by a young kid.
I installed Skyjacker 2 inch lift springs in the front, under it last week and some Far From Stock axle relocation plates to move the front axle forward one inch along with the mild lift. I also added some custom made 1/2 longer shackles in the rear of the front springs along with grease-able bolts / bushings. I am looking at some cross over steering options currently, as I have never tried that on my other 1st gens.
So far I am just prepping the frame, suspension and powertrain. The donor sheetmetal is still on a complete running, driving D-250 I bought 6 years ago because I knew I would come up with a build for it... It has been patiently sitting in the heated shop collecting dust for years now, to the point where I called it the W.T.F. project truck as I was unsure what I was doing with it. Now I know what I bought it for so many year ago...
The 2wd truck needs a full front end rebuild and has a A-518 that doesn't always have O/D. Even though the auto problem is most likely just electrical, I will use it for the sweet sheetmetal for this build and the spare parts left over will be used for other projects like my '78 2wd RC build I am also working on this winter.
4.10 may still be steep with 35's on the highway for a DD. I end up revving mine right out with 3.54 and 35's. Its really only with 2tons firewood I stop using 5th; I guess that's when 4.10 would be more appropriate.
I bought some used NWF arms a couple years ago and was really eager to install them. I really didn't think the push-pull was going to be happy with my lift for long. Turns out I was wrong. I don't have (or need) much suspension travel. I think all I would gain is some tighter turning radius. I may be able to get that with a different pitman arm on push/pull anyway. I'm going to save the NWF arms for a coil-sprung truck build.
I have 37 inch tires on my '85 crew cab with 4.10 and that is a perfect combo. I have 35s on my '91 with 3.54 and that is a good combo as I don't tow with it, it makes plenty of power and has the 3200 RPM spring in it.
I was planning on 285 tires on this build until I discovered the gearing was 4.10. I plan on using it as a local driver for the most part, but would like to be able to have it capable of hooking up to my 10,000# trailer comfortably if need be. I will see what tire I can fit on with the axle one inch forward of its OEM location and a 2 -2 1/2 inch lift. I do have some 1 inch Zero Rates I can throw on the front axle if I need a little bit more lift in the front. Right now I am shooting for the rear axle / suspension to stay stock, but if it needs to come up, I have been eyeing out your "West Coast" Dana 80 swap write up you [u2slow] did. I do have a 4.10 Dana 80 CC dually axle with disc brakes on a truck that I could use with all the 2nd gen suspension stuff, if need be.
I agree 4.10 and 35s is on the edge of what I would normally recommend for a DD that sees lots of highway MPH speeds like 75-80, but I rarely get off roads which are only posted for 50MPH. I would like the truck to be comfortable for a trip on the highway, like the 9 HR trip to Carlisle, but it would not be what it does most of the time.
I am looking into crossover steering as the '92/'93 club cab frames tend to crack in the same place where the 4x4 steering box mounts in the front. This truck has that crack. Mounting the steering box in the 2wd location would take some of the stress off that area after I weld up the hairline crack.
Other bonuses, would be getting rid of the 4x4 steering plate that flexes, getting a tighter turning radius, helping with the axle relocation and stock drag link issues and less bump steer and better steering "feel" [from what I have read]
I am looking into crossover steering as the '92/'93 club cab frames tend to crack in the same place where the 4x4 steering box mounts in the front. This truck has that crack. Mounting the steering box in the 2wd location would take some of the stress off that area after I weld up the hairline crack.
Other bonuses, would be getting rid of the 4x4 steering plate that flexes, getting a tighter turning radius, helping with the axle relocation and stock drag link issues and less bump steer and better steering "feel" [from what I have read]
I look at the plate as a 'fusible link'... its been mended twice. My '93 frame is good so far. If I run into problems, I'll get one of Jungle's frame kits. IMO, these 92-93 frames are keepers, even if they need mending or alteration.
As I touched on with the longer pitman detail... I have the bits to make my own drag link now. Essentially copy the adjustable ones, but no offset, and ream the knuckle arm top-down. Just make it whatever length I need for the axle position. Bumpsteer or wandering has never been an issue for me. Stock or lifted. Maybe I'm just lucky? I know almost nobody goes this direction, but it'll cost me squat to try at this point.
I have 37 inch tires on my '85 crew cab with 4.10 and that is a perfect combo. I have 35s on my '91 with 3.54 and that is a good combo as I don't tow with it, it makes plenty of power and has the 3200 RPM spring in it.
I was planning on 285 tires on this build until I discovered the gearing was 4.10. I plan on using it as a local driver for the most part, but would like to be able to have it capable of hooking up to my 10,000# trailer comfortably if need be. I will see what tire I can fit on with the axle one inch forward of its OEM location and a 2 -2 1/2 inch lift. I do have some 1 inch Zero Rates I can throw on the front axle if I need a little bit more lift in the front. Right now I am shooting for the rear axle / suspension to stay stock, but if it needs to come up, I have been eyeing out your "West Coast" Dana 80 swap write up you [u2slow] did. I do have a 4.10 Dana 80 CC dually axle with disc brakes on a truck that I could use with all the 2nd gen suspension stuff, if need be.
I agree 4.10 and 35s is on the edge of what I would normally recommend for a DD that sees lots of highway MPH speeds like 75-80, but I rarely get off roads which are only posted for 50MPH. I would like the truck to be comfortable for a trip on the highway, like the 9 HR trip to Carlisle, but it would not be what it does most of the time.
I am looking into crossover steering as the '92/'93 club cab frames tend to crack in the same place where the 4x4 steering box mounts in the front. This truck has that crack. Mounting the steering box in the 2wd location would take some of the stress off that area after I weld up the hairline crack.
Other bonuses, would be getting rid of the 4x4 steering plate that flexes, getting a tighter turning radius, helping with the axle relocation and stock drag link issues and less bump steer and better steering "feel" [from what I have read]
Not sure, Ollie, but I think Jungle has a kit where you can box the frame area where the existing steering crack lies. It's a bunch of plates fabricated to fit that sector, and to be welded in.
Either it's him, or I'm thinking out my butt again, and it's actually someone else. Either way, that's something I would look into.
The only drawback to this thread is that somebody will have to fly a done up there for us to ever get pictures...
Give me a year or two and you could likely take pictures of it in the Carlisle show field...You could bring your truck, and park it next to it. They would match as they have the same color paint job....
nothingbutdarts,
The wrecked 5 speed 4x4 truck from Florida was in New England for two years when the high school kid crashed it on the way to school in the snow. The puffy 33x12 inch mud tires might not have been the best choice in winter tires, but I remember being young myself.... I picked it up in NY state two days before Christmas and drove it on my trailer and towed it home.
The AZ 2wd auto truck had been driven back to New England by the second owner when I bought it. They where moving back to be closer to their parents. He and the wife drove it as their back up rig for one winter, but it really didn't make the best rig for them and their new kid, so they sold it the next fall. I picked it up in southern Mass. and trailered it home a couple days before Thanksgiving. After washing it down and oil undercoating it, I parked it. It sat outside for a year being moved a few times during the year. Then I tucked it in the corner of my heated shop 4 years ago, where it sits to this day. I knew I would come up with a good build for it someday.
I do drive or fly out to places to pick up old Dodge truck every once in a while. I have flown into Phoenix and Dallas to buy and drive home old Dodge trucks before. The longest trip I did with my trailer in tow was the trip to the Phoenix area to pick up my '89 Ramcharger in pieces 7 or so years ago.
I spent 6200 miles and 12 days on the road with my loyal dog Sasha [RIP] in my '95 reg cab 2500 to pick it up. We camped in the back of the truck under the capper along the road. I did visit some friends along the way and I stopped in Moab for 2 day to check to out.
Now that I think about it all three of those trucks, even though I bought them 7 years apart where towed home by the same truck...The old Blue Donkey. We call it that because it is blue and silver with mangey looking peeling paint / clear coat spots, is slow as can be since it is dead stock, yet has been a reliable rig for me.
I run 315's on my Drag-n-Fly with 4.10s and a 3200 gov spring. And it's still topped out at 80 mph. I have a set of 3.55's out back of my shop that are probably going to make their way under that truck. I don't like towing heavy (~19k gross) in 5th gear up grades, but I don't like going 45 mph all the time either. That truck has a poorly rebuilt engine, by the previous owner, I am really thinking about building a strong P-pump engine with a second gen coolers set up and running a NV5600, because all that truck really does is see RoadTractor duty.
Give me a year or two and you could likely take pictures of it in the Carlisle show field...You could bring your truck, and park it next to it. They would match as they have the same color paint job....
You know, we may just do that. Was talking to my dad and brother about going there some day. Problem is, that’s my busy time of year.
Maybe by the time you get it done, I could also be retired. And maybe I’ll have my bed corner fixed by then too...
Thank you for posting those up T-man! I really appreciate it.
KRB [and the rest of the picture lovers] can see what I am working with now. Should make a pretty sweet truck between the two of them. They are both LE fully loaded trucks and both have working A/C.
It will be nice to have a 1st gen with working A/C for the few days we need it in VT and those hot mid summer trips to Carlisle....
T-man you remember the spice colored center console I was looking for at Carlisle 4 years ago?...It was for this project as that was lost along the way from '92/'93 to when I bought that truck. I have since sourced one from a '93 RC. I do love those '92/'93 bucket seats, as they are very comfortable.
01-30-2020, 08:11 PM
...Ben
My '93 frame is good so far. If I run into problems, I'll get one of Jungle's frame kits. IMO, these 92-93 frames are keepers, even if they need mending or alteration.
