Well gents, it has begun, i got a 2001 ram 2500 24 valve with nv4500hd. my plan is to do a frame swap. after my first measurements it looks like it wont be that bad. wish me luck
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Well gents, it has begun, i got a 2001 ram 2500 24 valve with nv4500hd. my plan is to do a frame swap. after my first measurements it looks like it wont be that bad. wish me luck
I am doing one right now. Hit me up if you have questions but I am out 3/4 through mine. See thread.
http://www.m715.com/vb/showthread.ph...ht=Dodge+frame
thanks i just got the dodge stripped and now removing the m715 cab
got the body off now cleaning and removing brackets
Nice! Keep posting pics. Looks like fun.
lots of progress yesterday, got the frame stripped, all the wiring, fuel and brake lines are removed. got the engine out and started scraping away 20 years of grime. i think i will just replace gaskets and paint for now. under about 1 inch of grit i found the dreaded 53 on my block so it i wont invest in a rebuild until i need to.
well more progress, after thinking it over and debating on where and how to shorten the frame i decided to do the same as jhartings did on his frame more or less. after many hrs of cutting grinding and punching out old rivets i have the rear frame unrivited from the front and have shortened the front rails 12.7 inches. im removing and converting the rust before i mock it back up. my plan is to bolt it together where the rivets were and then weld and box the frame from there.
ok i got it back together. luck has it there is a factory bolt hole that lines up the lower spring mount when you shorten the frame. it makes the wheelbase 1/8 of an inch longer but the naked eye wont notice that when the truck is done. having that bolt hole makes squaring up the frame super easy. i triple checked everything and then drilled the other 3 bolt holes per side. once firmly bolted i did the plug welds and the inner and outer lap joint. i think the bolts helped keep the frame from twisting. after that the axles were put back under the frame and im done for the night
Excellent work. Keep up the pics!
so has anybody done a shackle flip on a second gen dodge? i feel like this is the time to do it. they say its a 4 in lift if you keep the factory blocks or a 1 in lift if you ditch the blocks. i was planning on getting rid of the blocks anyway or building a anti warp bar and keeping the blocks. just dont know what route to go. i wish i won the lottery and could afford a 4 link but...
well body is on, im going to have to cut a channel into the storage " tube". otherwise the bed and cab would sit too tall for my liking. oddly enough this body fits pretty well.
I had the same issue but when I moved my body brackets up (cut and weld) and used the original Dodge body rubber/mounts (which are about 3” thick) it leveled the cab up. I then put some 1” thick rubber spacers under the bed (ordered online) and now mine is the exact height/relationship between bed/cab as it was on the old frame without cutting the storage space. PM me if you have questions.
lots of work getting done, body and bed on the frame and mounts built, wheelbase is perfect. next engine and trans mock up. i also got a set of hummer wheels for a great deal they make the truck look great
engine is in and mounts are made. the engine is about 6.5 in back from the stock mounts the trans fits great. i have it sitting about 1\2 and inch lower than stock as well
more engine pics with turbo and front clip on
i fabbed up the hydro-boost and shortened the push rod to mount to the stock location on the stock kaiser pedal, pretty straightforward and easy.
Nice. Going to have it going by summer?
clutch master install was very much the same process, mock up and weld the stock linkage onto the new clutch master cylinder. it all fits good and the dodge hoses tuck in nicely
i doubt ill have it done for summer im hoping for jeep Easter safari 2021. i still have to finish fab work, tear down, powdercoat\ paint and re assemble but thanks for the support
Dude... looking great!
Can't wait to see it running!
well got a dual pass 19hx31w aluminum radiator off of Jegs, i trimmed some of the sheet metal on the front clip and got almost 4in of space in between the pulleys and the core. it is slanted about 15 deg to gain a bit more room. i hope this is enough cooling for the cumming but that was the biggest radiator i could squeeze in there. the intercooler should be interesting but i plan to mount it low like they do on the 2013+ ram diesels.
Any other cummins swap guys have any trouble with cooling?
In my experience, Cummins engines generate so little heat that even a smallish radiator will be fine. But always go with the biggest one you can fit. Better to have more cooling capacity than you need than the opposite.
Dang...that radiator looks RIGHT in there...nice work!!
Nope... and I have a smaller radiator than you.Quote:
Originally Posted by P2V3350
https://i.imgur.com/Hx0FN1h.jpg?1
well been a busy month. I havent gotten to work on the old girl as much as i wanted. started fabbing up the cage and seat mounts. i ended up removing the windshield latches so the a pillar would fit tighter. i got 2 mastercraft seats and with them mocked up into place i decided i needed a tilt steering column. the side support on the seats made it to hard to get in and out. i may have to shorter the window roller handles beacuse they touch the cage with the door closed. small problems but no big hassle.
the cage is 1.75 120 wall dom and the less important parts are 1.5 120 wall hrew. im going to tie the cage into the frame
Wow nice work man!
so tilt steering column mock up went great. its the jegs 28 in bare steel 1"dd column $285. it uses a standard gm plug so wiring will be easy but it fits prefect the firewall fitting will be easy to modify and just a bit of gringing to the dash. you can see the markings for grinding in the photos. i think when its painted it will look stock and a good easy upgrade for anybody who wants to do it . the stock mounting fits perfectly
very nice work.
I decided I am doing a duramax in mine... after we stuck a Cummins into a 71 K5 Blazer.
http://m715zone.com/vb/attachment.ph...7&d=1578794660Quote:
Originally Posted by P2V3350
I'm assuming this picture is the M715 body sitting on the Dodge frame? Do you have any other perspective shots of this?
I'm looking at doing a frame swap as well so I can keep the original Dodge suspension on the front axle and keep the Dodge rear axle as well. My worry has been it will look like a frame swap and not look natural but from the angle of your picture it does look as if it came that way from the factory. So I'm assuming you have already notched the bed to fit around the frame? Any pictures of that?
See if any of alosix pictures of his build are still around. He used the stock M715 frame with Dodge axles and powertrain. He used the lower links in the spring mounts for the front axle, they fit pretty good. He had to fab the upper link mounts and panhard mount on the M715 frame.Quote:
Originally Posted by jeeper
i get your concerns, frame swaps rarely look good. i spent a lot of time getting the body to sit as low as possible in the frame. the cab sits 3\4 of an inch above the frame and the bed is at 1"3/4 above the frame. i did have to cut channels in the "tool box" to get it to sit low enough. i also had to trim the heat shield on the passenger side of the firewall to clear. otherwise it was super easy. im doing a rear shackle flip to help the ride and to eliminate some interference with a bed mount. I support the frame swap it was way easier than expected to shorten the frame and i think it looks good. Plus you get a frame and suspension that you can purchase parts for at NAPA. one concern is neither the dodge or jeep gas tank will fit, its sorta a tight squeeze in there ( the dodge frame is narrower than the jeep frame.)
hope these photos help. if you need anything else ill be glad to help!
Thanks for that heads up. I haven't had time to search for the pictures yet but I did go out and measure the Dodge frame and compare it to the Jeep frame. The lower control arm mounts are only 1/2" difference in width. And the stock control arm length should actually put the axle in the correct spot on the Jeep frame length wise.Quote:
Originally Posted by glenn
The problem I see really is the Dodge frame is 2 inches narrower than the Jeep frame where the shock/spring mounts need to go on the frame side. So I'd either have to move the pads on the axle (if that were even possible) or I'd have to cut pretty deep into the Jeep frame and modify that to keep the springs/shocks in the stock Dodge position.
Quote:
Originally Posted by P2V3350
Thanks for the pictures. As has been said by someone wiser than me "A picture is worth a thousand words."
The gas tank was going to be my next question. Have you got a solution figured out yet?
FWIW I'm not making mine a 6BT Cummins truck. I'm actually going with a LBZ Duramax and 6 speed Allison in mine.
I really like the idea of using the Dodge frame. It may be equal fabricating either way but having a frame under me that is a bit more modern has a certain appeal to me too.
for the gas tank i see a coupe of options, if i fab up a new rear frame support. ( the one that runs the width of the frame) it will free up room to put a older style chevy truck tank in between the frame rails where the spare tire was. otherwise its fab up a tank or there are some 20 gal universal tank options that will fit from jegs but they will sit a bit low for my liking. i have to remove the rivets from the shackle mounts anyway and thats what holds in the rear frame support/ spare tire hanger.
i support the frame swap the fab work and math involved is way easier than making your own suspension. chopping the frame is easy and all of these small problems add up but are easy fixes.
also i forgot to tell you but the stock shock towers and spring perches in the front require minimal trimming of the inner fender well to fit. a body saw made quick work of this.
I put my bed/cab on a 2002 Dodge frame and it looks great. Did not cut the bed at all but did cut/remove factory mounts and put custom body mounts on. I will put link to thread. Project on hold right now due to a 69 Wagoneer I just bought that my wife wants to drive pretty bad.
Thanks jhartings. Yes I've seen your thread. I've even commented/subscribed to it. I'm really hoping to see a nice side shot from about 15-20 feet away to see how natural the body looks on the frame. On P2V3350's it seems like it may look like it belongs.
I don't really want to hijack this thread. That isn't my intent but I have been thinking about doing something like this for quite a while and P2V3350 seems a bit further along than you. Not trying to say anything negative but after reading what I typed it may come across that way. I don't mean anything negative by it. I'm happy that I have multiple examples to look at before I start cutting and welding anything either way.
I've been working on a 1998 Jeep TJ for a couple years (wow it's been that long already) and am not really all that happy with how the frame looks under the Jeep and it's a 1998 Jeep TJ frame...
well sorry gents, i had to take some time off for an injury to my back, devoice and covid..... but the build is back on and radiator is going in. this project sorta stalled for a bit but im motivated to finish it once again.