When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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.
FWIW, the pinch weld on all my cummins trucks is trimmed back (factory). I did the same on my RC - I didn't want to have to fight any harder with clearances than necessary.
Edit: what is the drag link clearance like at the oil pan? I ask this because the drag link used on the cummins trucks has a slight dip in it.
FWIW, the pinch weld on all my cummins trucks is trimmed back (factory). I did the same on my RC - I didn't want to have to fight any harder with clearances than necessary.
Edit: what is the drag link clearance like at the oil pan? I ask this because the drag link used on the cummins trucks has a slight dip in it.
Ah, thanks a bunch u2slow! I'll pull the engine back out and trim that pinch down to almost nothing and weld the edge up, I don't want any rubbing anywhere. The drag link is something I forgot to ask to ask about, might be able to slip a piece of paper between the pan and it. Thanks again, just ordered a duralast piece from autozone!
The factory trim is about 3/8" to 1/2". It leaves the spot welds there.
The 89-93 cummins drag link will not fit on its own. It is part of the 4000# suspension found on those trucks. Otherwise you need to build hybrid tie rods, or ream the 1/2-ton knuckles.
The factory trim is about 3/8" to 1/2". It leaves the spot welds there.
The 89-93 cummins drag link will not fit on its own. It is part of the 4000# suspension found on those trucks. Otherwise you need to build hybrid tie rods, or ream the 1/2-ton knuckles.
Do you recall if the tie rod sleeves use the same thread size as the 1/2 ton / 3/4 ton? Thank you for this info bud, Very helpful!
Edit: Looks like the part#'s are the same between the two, are the inners left or right hand threads? sorry for all the questions...
Just thinking out loud but, welding a small notch in the pan to clear the drag link....hmmm
Best to look it up. Something about equal vs unequal length tie-rod ends.
What I do remember is D150 and D250 is usually the same parts. The cummins D250 stuff is really D350 with 4000# suspension. They should show up in listings for 89-93 D250 with the cummins engine.
looks like you are make some good progress on this project.
Interested to se what you come up with for the oil pan clearance.
Thanks Oliver, feeling pretty good about it for just working on it 5-10 hrs on the weekends. As for the pan clearance, I put a slight bend in it right where the drag link passes. Maybe 1/4" extra space but its still really close, didn't want to go crazy beating it up because the pickup tube is pretty tight to the bottom of the pan.
Got the pinch weld all trimmed up at the firewall and now there should be good clearance when the trans is in, made it a bunch easier to set the engine in as well.
Bolted on my BW SXE362 so I can start making oil drain etc, just trying to tackle some little things when I have limited time.
Lastly for this weekend... I bought some 5/16 cage nuts a while back to weld to the floor pans so the trans tunnel bolts in like it did when it left the factory. Figured out where they needed to go and plug welded them on..Everything fits nice and tight.
Hey fella's, been a few days since I chimed in. Got a few things done that I thought i'd share
First I got the floor pans all fit and welded in, they are pretty close to OE for being ebay china pieces.
Dropped the tank to clean it out, replace the sending unit and drill a big hole. Deffinately tell the parts of the frame that didn't get undercoated, considerably more rust.
Thankfully in good shape with no cracks, YAY!
Even found the grease mark on it stating it passed inspection before assembly after a good washing!
Glad I never relied on the fuel gauge... it was also stuck in the 3/4 tank posistion.
Put in the new sending unit I got from fleabay but the pickup tube was way to long to fit in the tank so I just cut it off and plugged the hole. Also had to adjust (bend) the float arm so that it would read right on the gauge. Drilled a big hole in the bottom of the tank for a FASS sump as I thought this would be the easiest route to plumb in the 1/2" feed line and the return goes right back into the sump. Then layed under the truck staring at what space I had to mount the pre-filter and lift pump, ended up with finding a decent spot for them. The pump is quite a ways up from the tank (more than i'd like) but whatcha gonna do.
I tried a little experiment with the oil pan to drag link clearance. Amazon oil pan, cutoff wheel, extra chunk of floor pan metal, hammer, welder and I think it'll work.
Great looking progress.
Some of the pictures looks strangely familiar.
I missed your question on 2wd and 4x4 47RHs, Yes they have different mounts. So mocking up a 4x4 transmission I do not think, will help you out.
I have a clean little '85 D150 prospector I think of building into a little 12V powered 1/2 ton sometimes. I was wondering about doing some oil pan notching as an option. We could always just swap in all the 8 lug parts from the upper and lower arms out along with the steering a tie rods, if we deemed it worth doing down the road.
I have a drag racing friend with a big oil pan on his big block '68 Super Bee. He has a oil pan with a pipe welded through the oil pan for the steering rod to go through. I will be watching how this works out for your RC.
We could always just swap in all the 8 lug parts from the upper and lower arms out along with the steering a tie rods, if we deemed it worth doing down the road.
This was so easy, it didn't make sense for me to fuss with anything else. Bigger lower balljoints. Bigger TREs. Bigger brakes. Bigger bearings. Correct coil springs.
This was so easy, it didn't make sense for me to fuss with anything else. Bigger lower balljoints. Bigger TREs. Bigger brakes. Bigger bearings. Correct coil springs.
You have been posting about how easy swapping over all the 8 lug parts was on your Ramcharger on RCC and here for years now.
I have to ask - was it easy enough for you to finish the job yet? I am not busting your chops, I have plenty of half done projects. It is a real question.
There is a good '92 Ramcharger build on RCC and here that the builder left all the 5 lugs stuff. He finished the project and put a bunch of miles on it before selling it. He seemed pretty happy with how it worked for him. I think his handle is Kansascrewcab.
In my case my D-150 is rust free and before the 360 blew was a drag truck. The front end is rust free, clean and recently COMPLETELY gone through. My donor D250 that I could take all the 8 lug stuff off of, is a rusty old farmer kids truck that if I wanted to use the front end, I would expect to replace all bushings, tie rods, ball joints, brakes ETC "while I was there".
If I leave it 5 lug and decide I want to swap it later, I have wasted no time or $ on the 5 lug stuff as it is currently ready to go. It will literally be just as easy/hard to swap it later with the 12v under the hood as now. That is where my head is at on this build. I am picturing a clean little driver that gets 20 MPG, not a work truck that is loaded with stuff.
Lots of ways to recycle 30-40 year old Dodge parts into cool rides.
You have been posting about how easy swapping over all the 8 lug parts was on your Ramcharger on RCC and here for years now.
I have to ask - was it easy enough for you to finish the job yet? I am not busting your chops, I have plenty of half done projects. It is a real question.
Finish which parts?
The 8lug suspension is in. 8lug rear axle is in. Cummins and 5speed are in.
07-13-2024, 08:30 PM
