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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.
Hello,
This is my first post on a forum, so hopefully I don't break any rules.
I recently bought a '91 D250 Cummins. It’s got some issues, but overall not terrible shape.
My question is regarding my front suspension. When I went to rotate my tires, I was shocked by what I saw. The front suspension is rusted all to hell. I'll post pics of what I saw, but front what I can tell, I need new springs, perches, and upper/lower control arms, and every single piece of the steering system. Both sides look the same. If someone with more experience can chime in and tell me exactly what parts I need, and where's the best place to find them? Also, are the upper spring perches part of the engine crossmember, or can they be replaced independently?
Or is it worth it just to swap to a different front end?
Thanks!
Front driver's side 1 Front driver's side 2 Front driver's side 3
The upper end of the coil spring seats in the main cross member. Those edges aren't super critical IMHO; they mainly hold the bumpstops. I have mended upper control arms like that by welding rebar into the edge.
If you really want to renew this in a stock way, I suggest finding another Cummins D250 or D350 to cut the front suspension out of as a donor. (Often scrapped after folks pluck a cummins from a dodge.) People also cut most of this stuff out when doing a 4wd conversion.
There are better/stronger 2wd suspensions out there (Chevy 1ton, F250/350) but none fit easily.
Not sure where you live, I'm in southern Missouri, but I'm about to cut the 2wd suspension out of my 93 to do a 4wd swap. I haven't really paid attention to see if anything is rusty, but overall the truck isn't. If you're interested I can get pictures.
Not sure where you live, I'm in southern Missouri, but I'm about to cut the 2wd suspension out of my 93 to do a 4wd swap. I haven't really paid attention to see if anything is rusty, but overall the truck isn't. If you're interested I can get pictures.
I'm all the way in Alaska, so I think shipping is going to be pretty expensive. I appreciate the offer though. I think I've decided to do a custom front suspension. I'm converting to rack and pinion later this week just to test it out and then if that goes well I'm going to fab up a cross member and new control arms.
08-07-2023, 10:38 PM
