TNH

I recently picked up a new project.
I found this forum while searching the web for cummins related information, and came across moneytlks01's build log. I had never seen a 1st gen crew cab shortbed, and I really liked it. I had been planning on buying a 73-87 crew cab square body Chevy and doing a shortbed conversion with a cummins swap. After seeing the Dodge though, I decided I wanted to do one of those instead.
Lucky for me, I found this truck on craigslist. A 1983 crew cab shortbed, a former Caltrans (California state agency responsible for highway, bridge, and rail transportation planning, construction, and maintenance) truck with only 77k original miles!
The previous owner did a full cummins 12v drivetrain swap from a 1993 Ram, with Dana's and a 4" lift.

It needs a lot of little things to be complete, but it should be a fun and fairly easy project. This is the only pic I have, I will be updating the thread as things get done to it.
It might be a slow log since I have several other projects going on, but I'd like to get this one done first since it is the closest to being finished.

simplysmn

Nice find and Welcome to the Crewcab club

thrashingcows

Hey Welcome to the board...and nice truck you picked up there. The hardest parts are done...just the million little things. Which can be more daunting then the big stuff.

Trebor

Welcome to the forum. I also have an 85/92 crew in progress with a 6 foot bed. In retrospect if I were to start all over again the truck would be a 73-87 crew cab square body Chevy. Dodge crew parts in my part of the country are difficult to locate. The aftermarket pre-94 Dodge stuff is getting more difficult to find. Good used parts for these trucks are generally located thousands of mile away down in the southwestern parts of the country. Most of the GM/Chevy reproduction stuff is as close as a phone call away. Dodge reproduction parts when located are usually twice the cost of the GM stuff. I have three summers of work in my crew to date. I think I will never repeat this process again. Estimated cost exceeded by more than double; time factor involved also over double my estimate.

thrashingcows

Ahh the bane of a mopar lover...it always costs more to redo a mopar. If it's costs your worried about then a Chevy or Ford is ALWAYS cheaper. But if your a die hard mopar guy then the added cost is just something you live with.

TNH

Thanks for the welcome everyone.
Yes, I am just now discovering the lack of parts for these trucks. It seems that the aftermarket just completely ignored the 1st gen, yet they make everything for all the other Dodge trucks.

I knew that the Mopar muscle car stuff was really hard to come by, but I didn't know the trucks had such little aftermarket support. I always wanted to build a Charger, but chose a '69 Firebird since they make everything for the GM stuff.

I am still very happy with the purchase though. Even if it costs much more than a square body Chevy, it is far more unique, and I really like that.

There were a ton of things I should have addressed on this truck first, but I could not resist putting a set of tires and wheels on it.... so here is the first mod.

Up next, Alcan springs to get the ride quality better and to get the rear raised up a bit. I want to do crossover steering while I'm at it.

The reason the doors are different is because the previous owner swapped in the '93 doors to get power windows and locks.

TNH

Here's another pic...
I didn't think the chip in the grill was going to be a big deal until I found out that they are almost $400. This one will most likely be painted satin black or orange to match the truck. I would have liked to have kept the chrome so it flowed well with the chrome bumper and polished wheels.

thrashingcows

Looks good! You can get repro chrome grilles off Rockauto, or e-bay for about $100. Not bad quality for the price. I have one sitting in the garage waiting for my grille upgrade. Only difference is the repro grilles don't have the "Dodge" letters.

Here's a pic....

TNH

Thank you thrashingcows!
The one I found with the Dodge lettering was $380 without shipping!

I think I actually like it a little better without the lettering. What I'll probably do is rattle can mine orange to match the truck, and see if it looks good at a distance. If it looks good, I'll have it professionally sprayed. If not, I'll order the chrome one you just showed me.

When you say waiting for your grill upgrade, do you just mean replacing your grill with that letter-less chrome one, or are you doing some other mods to it such as billet inserts?

I saw someone's grill painted satin black with billet inserts and it looked great.

thrashingcows

My grille upgrade is going from the 86-91 style that it has now, to the 91.5-93. I need to swap in the rad support, then get my Power Stroke IC in there, new A/C condensor, and then the grille.

Here's what it has now...



But I have to finish getting the house painted first....much rather be wrenching.