Hi all,

I just purchased a '96 4x4 2500 Cummins, with auto trans. I have a few questions, the first one being- what are the differences between a 2500 and a 3500 single wheel? I have been around trucks all my life, so I know the *usual* differences- bigger axles, heavier frame, larger brakes, etc. But since Dodge saw fit to upgrade the 2500 Diesel drivetrains over the 2500 gas jobs, I was wondering what exactly ARE the differences?

Next, my truck came with an automatic trans. I HATE autos, especially behind diesels. So, since I got such a great deal on this truck (dumb a$$ sold it for $500), I thought I would have extra money to play with a swap. I would like to either go with an NV4500 for simplicity (and cost...the 5600 would be sweet, but just not as easy to find), or a Roadranger...if I could figure out what to do about a transfer case. I suppose I could install a divorced unit, but then I'm getting into major fabricating and redesigning. So, the 4500 it is. Has anyone done the auto to manual swaps? It seems that I would need the pedal assembly, hydraulic clutch system, flywheel, transmission...anything I'm missing? How do the lengths of the transmissions compare...am I looking at changing driveshafts as well?

I tried searching for this info, but I get a message saying the search has been disabled. Thanks in advance.

Jim

 

Jim, in 96 there was no 3500 single rear wheel. First year of 3500 SRW was 2003 I think.

I dunno about your year but most years the differences between a 2500 and 3500 dually beside the 2 extra wheels are slight...frame is the same.

What I can think of might be number of leafs in the pack, rear sway bar and you have a Dana70 probably and 3500 would have a Dana80.

Check out
http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/Ramspecs.htm

 

You just made my night...thats what I was hoping to hear. I figured the springs would be lighter on the 2500, but that doesn't bother me any since I wouldn't be putting a huge payload in the back, and if I ever wanted to, I could upgrade the springs. I would mostly be using this for towing, so I'll probably install a hitch in the bed (actually, in the custom body I plan to build), and I'll be looking for a flatbed trailer for hauling cars I buy in the New England area, and for hauling my 4x4s around. Thanks for the heads up on the 3500 single wheel thing...I never paid much attention to them until now. Now if I can just get rid of that auto trans, I'll trust driving it more than around town. I have 3 dead Dodge automatics in my yard right now...I don't need another one! I'd rather sell the auto (its freshly rebuild, or so I was told), and put the money toward an NV4500 setup.

Jim

 

Have you driven both a 5600 and 4500? If I was in you situation, I would go with the 5600. But, I really think I would sell or trade the truck for a manual and skip all of the work and chasing down parts. The drops between the gears are much more even. Some say there 4500 shifts better than the 5600 though. The 5600 has a higher torque rating. Only issue being is that the 5600 is no longer being made. But, you can get brand new units from http://www.quad4x4.com/index.htm. They make kits to convert a 4500 to a 5600, so they may be able to help you.

 

Well keep in mind that thiks truck was abandoned because it had been vandalized, then I bought it for $500 with no title. I'm basically using this drivetrain to rebuild another truck...making one good truck out of 2. The vandalism was kept to the interior (needs new seats and carpet, and a REALLY good cleaning all around inside), a broken windshield, and broken passenger door window. Because the truck has no paperwork, and the state it came from makes getting a title on it almost impossible because of their regulations, its being used fo rparts to repair another truck. I'm sure you can read between the lines enough to know what I'm doing.

For what its worth, I did a Carfax check of the VIN number to make sure there was nothing fishy about the truck, and it came back clean, so I know the seller wasn't being shady. Basically I bought the truck from someone who owns a house that he rents out, and a previous trennant left the truck behind after it was vandalized. Because it has over 200K miles, no title, and needs lots of work, it has very little resale value, except as parts. So I'm ahead of the game to invest in changing this one to suit my needs. If I had paid $10,000 for a truck, I wouldn't even think about doing all this work...I'd just sell the truck and buy another, or I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. This is going to end up being an affordable project, keeping costs as low as possible. On the other hand, I don't mind spending $1000 on a reman NV4500 on ebay (can't find them around here, not even a used one) plus the parts to install it. Just the peace of mind of knowing the transmission won't let go at any minute while away from home is worth the price.

Jim