Went to look at a 1990 ramcharger today, i have a short video on you tube for yall to see if u'd like. Until it finishes up-loading i'll tell you a little about my plans. Seems this was hit hard from the drivers side, right on the rear tire. Moved the wheel to the frame and in the process it broke/twisted the leaf springs, moved some of the wheel well out of the way, and ripped the axle out of the trans.

Looked at the trans and there are a few hair-line fractures, but i know how to fix those fairly easily...need new seals though.

Was thinking about upgrading to dana60 axles anyways... need to find old gasser for parts now. As for the drivetrain i have a motor basically lined up and would just need to source a tranny/transfer case. I wonder if i could use the one out of the gasser if i found the right deal.

I know there are other threads about what to do and how to do it. this is more of what i have to work with and what i may need to do in order to get this thing...
A: Back on the road
B: Ready for a swap
C: Handle the torque of the rattling cummins

Also a few things i forgot about the station-wagon It is a LE Package with very nice interior, wish i got a few more shots of that. Does have brand new bumper(sitting in my truck as of right now). Starts and moves under its own power(Front wheel drive).

Video is done now... heres the link Ramcharger

 

Gasser trannys are different

Also think about how you're going to register it, a diesel will never pass a gasoline smog test. And some states don't want you to swap an engine if it's older than the vehicle it's going into.

That's a lot of body work, clean old ramchargers are hard to find.

I found a very clean '89 with no rust and a blown motor in Georgia. It was going to cost more to ship than the sale price.

 

Pass...You will have at least $2-3K or more in repairs if you can't do it yourself. There may also be some major inner substructure damages to deal with that you may not want to get involved with. For the same total amount of money you would spend on that one you should be able to find one that you can drive home that is just as nice. Take a look toward the southwest parts of the country; TX, AZ, & CA.

 

Check your PM.

 

Thanks for the quick input and objective view i need to see.

Walking away: I have a clean rust free, rear smoothie bumper...with brackets and bolts! Also a 5 Year old Class III trailer hitch.

Buying: I'll have less into the truck than i do the exhaust on my truck. I can do all the work my self, im very mechanically inclined. I plan on putting a lift on anyways(leaf springs). I have a rebuilt rear sitting behind the garage that would go in nicely... if not i'll weld on new spring perches. As for the damage... im not going for the professional way, it'll be more along the lines of hammer/dolly, come-along and bondo...THEN body shop to match paint. Or Salvage yard for any dodge truck for the wheel well and weld the whole piece in.

Again im not rushing into anything at the moment, i would just like to think for how nice the rest of the truck is... and the rock bottom price... that its worth fixing, at least minimally.

 

Well I was expecting a lot worse....I don't think it's too bad a candidate. I bet there is no structural damage, the spring perches and such took the brunt of the collision.

If you can get it dirt cheap then I'd say jump on it.

But before you drop the hammer check with the local inspection station, or insurance company and let them know what you are planning and see if you will have any difficulties down the road. Better to do a little leg work now then spend a decent $$ and find out you can't register or insure it.

 

So after thinking about this for about 2 hours total today, i think im going to get this. I can get rid of it tomorrow for twice what i paid for it, just by selling the glass to safelite. Its just a matter of getting a car trailer for the weekend I have an interesting idea for the rear suspension and found a nice lift kit for the front that someone is getting rid of.

As for rears, i cut apart a 1980s 2500 a few years ago, i don't think they sold the rears yet... something like this could be utilized with a different yoke or custom drive-shafts right? (weld on spring perches for the different size frame width)

I'm thinking just get it back on the road and see how i like it, there really isn't anything else wrong with it besides the messed up springs/perches. If there is some frame damage, How bad could this affect driving? Looking under the truck from the front... i didn't see any twisting or bent steel, doesn't mean it isn't tweaked.

For the diesel swap registration, its all about how you have it inspected. If its pre 96 you can do basically anything you want. No one around here would fail you because the casting dates were previous to that of the truck, even so i'm thinking Grumman 4bt with a 700r4 behind it(from parts chevy i mentioned before) I'd love to do a manual swap too but its all about finding CHEAP parts and this is what i have access to.

Let me know what you think, again i appreciate all input.

 

Come on over to Ramcharger Central we have a number on completed and on going RC CTD conversions

 

You need to check the top and bottom sections of the frame channel for unusual looking flare ups in the sections starting at the rear of the door traveling toward the rear. Also look at the body mount areas for distorted or twisted mounting.

Just a heads up on inspections here in PA. Whenever I take my 92 Crown Victoria (which is pre-96) in for inspection it gets a visual under the hood inspection which the following emissions items are checked for being in place and operating: EGR valve, PCV valve, charcoal canister for gas tank fumes, and if it was ever equipped with an air pump compressor which in my case it doesn't have one. Then there is the check to see if the catalytic converters are in place. The gasoline filler tube is also an emissions inspection point because it is checked to make sure the proper gasoline nozzle restriction plate is in place. There is no exhaust sniffer or any of the electronic related inspection equipment here in Greene County PA. Check first with your inspection station before converting to diesel. The visual emissions inspection does not apply to the "classic" (over 15 years old) or "antique" (over 25 years old) type registrations.

 

Thanks bogie, i'll check that out soon enough.

Trebor: Thanks for confirming my assumption about the flared marks on the frame, i'll have to double check. Last time i looked there wasn't any. Although on my diesel, the frame is bent!! in two spots... i can't get a class IV hitch to bolt up, need to modify the holes and use a come-along to pinch the frame back together to get the last bolt in. Also the passenger side fender sits 1 1/4" higher than the drivers side(with jack stands on the frame front and rer) could be a variation in the manufacturing of the jack stands... but i double check the measurements also.