Hello,

I'm converting a 1979 RC pop top to a second generation Cummins 5.9 with the TF auto trans divorced NP-205.

When I was in Iraq from 07-09 I bought off the Fed a 1995 Flight Line Tow Vehicle (FLTV) made by Entwistle for the Air force to tow aircraft around flight lines. The FLTV is a modified Dodge 2500 with a Cummins IC 5.9 . They remove the bed cut the frame and then strengthen it. Then the axle is moved about 1-3 feet behind the cab, add a HD spring setup, HD aux trans cooler, you get the picture...HD. This thing would make a awsome off road vehicle and the body and frame is for sale. Anyway on to my project....

The 79 pop top RC was sourced from Arizona and it has zero rust and no body damage...

Parts

I bought a set of dana-61 axles (3.07) ratio and a divorced dodge NP205, and the short stub drive shaft.

New fuel pump..I'm going straight from the tank to the P-7100 bypassing the on board pre-filter, LP and heater, bypassing the problem areas.

New marine HD fuel hose all the way around.
New front drive shaft, reuse the old rear one.
Replaced all hoses on the engine, they are all original, the FLTV only has 14k on it, yep 14k and 800 hrs on it...
New SS brake lines, front and back
New Gen 1 motor mounts, Gen 2 motor mounts will not work
Fab up a
6 inch lift
33 inch tires and wheels, TBD
New exhaust minus smog and muffler

If you would like to share then please do. I can be reached at 256-655-1188 or shaweta@mchsi.com

I'll do my best to upload pictures as we progress

 

awesome ....i one thing i think youll want a dana 70 or an 80 for the rear end instead of the 60 ...

 

A Ramcharger with a Cummins, who could vote anyway other than cool off the hook?

If I could find a decent Ramcharger, I would be putting my 4BT in it instead of the 99 F250....................

PS, No WAY I would go straight from the tank to the pump with the fuel, you need a filter in between...... Go aftermarket if need be, but filter it.

 

^If the rear has 3.07 ratio it is a D71. Same axles, hubs, and drums as a D70 just the housing is larger to accomidate the larger ring gear. I chose the same setup. Plenty strong enough to handle what he has.

Cool setup! As I near completion on my ramcharger project I often think back and wonder why I didnt go with a first gen (1974-80) RC to use. Around here in the rust belt rust free metal is hard to find. But to think about popping the top off for a trip into Morgantown with 5 other friends would be a cool ride. Great project, I will keep close eyes on this one

 

I think you are going to want to look for married tranfer case and tranny. The correct rear driveline angles will be hard to achieve with a divorced unit. The original pop top RC's are my favorite, and my first car also so I'm kind of partial. Keep us posted with the progress.

 

You guys hit the nail on the head. The rear axle maybe a D71 and the front D61. I bought them off a guy in PA who was parting out a D2500 Cummins truck.

I meant to say I was going with an Air Dawg or like pump with filters straight to the P7100. For sure I'm going to have a filter involved I just want to eliminate the lift pump and pre-heater housing hoses air leak issues.

I got the tans to divorced 205 shaft today and I ordered a set of poly 1st gen motor mounts, they should be here by Friday. I hope!!

Second generation motor mounts will not work on a RC, first discovery.

We removed all the gas fuel lines and now I am trying to source a new tank...I found one for $600 a little stiff for me...so still looking.

I'm waiting on the axles, leaf springs, fuel tank, trans x-case. We will fab up a np205 xcase ....

Thanks for the feedback and comments I'll keep this going and post often

 

one of my day dream trucks!! keep us posted!

 

Confused, is the old tank rusted?

Should work just fine to convert to diesel, 79 would have had both feed and fuel return so should just be a straight hook up.

 

Axles, springs, trans xmember, wheels, tires and stubby drive shaft for the NP205 arrived today along with a new upgraded Larry B ULTIMATE Dodge fuel solenoid FIX KIT, which includes relay and fusible link. I hope the new motor mounts and the Pureflow Air Dog 100 arrive soon, and we will be off to the race.

We are going to run marine grade fuel hose from the front to the back, no hard lines.

The fuel tank was repaired once before so we are going to have drop it and see what we have to work with, that is why I was thinking of replacing it.

I blasted the np205 today with coal slag and it looked allot better. Time to break into it and see if it needs a rebuild/overhaul and or just seals replaced.

Then I'll spray self etching primer and black epoxy on and it will be ready.

So far so good ....allot of work still to be done...

 

I have an 87 Ramcharger with 96 Dodge running gear and engine. Not sure how short your transmission is but my 5 speed and transfer case make for an already fairly short rear driveshaft. With divorced NP205 and 6" lift it would be fairly steep.

I love mine... Best mileage so far Highway is 26 and that was cruising 75 mph. I have some tweaks to do, but over all it is a blast and very useful. Tons of traction with the weight split much more evenly than a pickup... I hardly ever have to put it in 4 wheel drive, it just has so much traction with just the rear. Snow can be a interesting as 4 wheel drifts are easy and looping it because of the short wheel base is easy too.

2nd gen lift pumps (mechanical) aren't too bad. I have close to 300k and replaced mine once and it is great. Just kept the stock tank, flushed and ran new soft lines forward and back.

Shane

 

This was definitely a fun project, i would like to do a plymouth traildusters but they are real hard to find.

I would also probably want to have a standard trans too next time around.

The other thing i'm having a problem with is the speedometer i still haven't figured out how to get it to work, my donor truck didn't have a complete wiring harness, so its something i'll have to figure out on my own.

Good luck in your project i'll be keepin a look at it

 

Thanks for the kind words of support.

We used 1st gen mounts which worked just great with a set of poly mounts, second gen mounts will not work.

We altered the front core support and tweaked the radiator shroud just a little to get it to drop in and have a factory finish.

I blasted and sprayed/applied a fine coat of primer paint to the NP205, once mocked up I'll replace all the gaskets and do a visual on it just to make sure we don't have any issues. We hope to use a divorced NP205 factory drive shaft, any thoughts here?

I'm going to move both batteries to the frame just under the drivers seat, closer to the starter and less weight/junk in the engine bay.

Dropped the tank and performed a visual inspection, looks very good. we will reuse the old tank after we have her boiled and pressure tested.

I may not need a suspension lift as the engine does not look like it would come into contact with the axles, we'll see.

I don't intend on using the vehicle for any serious off road action so I don't foresee any very large tires 33 or 35 largest on her in the future.

How did you work out the front drive shaft and exhaust since they are both on the same side, right side drop and exhaust?

Do you think it would be possible to go directly from the np205 to trans without the small intermediate drive shaft?

Did you reuse the front and or rear drive shafts?

Thanks

 

The front driveshaft and exhaust clear pretty well, if u can come across a factory 1st gen downpipe, or a diamondeye after market will get you there. If your making your own your gonna have to finess the exhaust around the transfer case.

As for the t-case mount i don't recall seeing if it was an automatic or standard trans. From what i know the 4x4 transmissions don't have many parts in common with the 2wd on the tail housing or output shaft. You might be better off with 1 u-joint between the two and get a nice expensive driveshaft made. I forget the name of the company that makes them but the jeep guys use them a lot. they use a similar joint as the front driveshaft and your able to get almost 70* angle before they bind and blow up.

 

Where are we and what has been completed.

Replaced the D44 and 9.25 axles with Dana 61, 71 3.07 units...new ubolts of course. Sandblasted both axles gave them a good wash with muratic acid, nasty stuff but it eats rust like I eat a pork sandwich. Por15 them, used epoxy paint on all parts including the springs and now are waiting on new leaf spring bushings.

Front axle/axle hubs:

Installed new bearings and races, new star washers and nuts, new brake lines, brake pads, rotors and calipers, both sides.

Rear axle

We decided to go with a disc brake conversion, removed drums and now waiting on the disc brake bracket. All the new brake parts are in we used 70ish Chevy 3/4 ton brake rotors and calipers.

NP205 clam shell bracket is finished, it may need some tweaking to get the front drop we are looking for, we will see .

FASS HD electric diesel pump is in box waiting on installation ....that thing is fricking huge

Steering is hooked up

Stripped down frame,engine compartment, hood, inner outer fenders, etc to bare metal, used black self etching primer and then shot them with two part bed-liner material....looks good...hopefully this will add a layer of protection, reduce noise and help keep the engine bay clean and nice looking, we will see.

The only mods so to speak have been to the NP205, added twin shift functionality and fabricated clam shell cradle to hold this beast firmly in place.

The other modification if you can call it that was to the front engine x member where we elongated/re the driver side hole to allow the first gen motor mounts to work, engine slide in like it was from the factory.



https://plus.google.com/photos/10919...10386918674369

 

I am starting my own similar project and watching this one closely. Did you ever figure out what you are doing with the drive shafts? Most everything else you are doing I am on a similar track. I am using D70/D60 axles with 3.54 and running an airdog. Looks bitchin to this point. Best of luck!!