Front Axle

Not much new going on with the crewcab these days. All efforts are going into the Cummins Ramcharger. The link is on this page. You should check it out, if you haven't. Anyway, in a three axle swap with the ramchrger, 5-speed donor truck, and the crewcab, I ended up with the dually front d60 in the crew frame. the d44 from the crew is now in the Ramcharger with the lift springs. It will eventually be replaced by the d60 that M & H are welding.
Still can't get used to the idea of the crewcab becoming a dually. We'll see.

Time to put the cross-members back in.

I wanted the frame to be flat and square before I bolted it back together. First I put a level on the back. It showed about 1/4 inch low on the right.

To adjust I stacked washers under the rigt rear jack stand.
The level on the front showed that it was about 1/4 in low on the left. This meant the frame had 1/4 inch of twist in it. I do not know if the cross-members will hold it flat, but it gives me a good starting point.
Once again, I stacked washers under the appropriate stand. Before bolting in the members, I put a tape accross the diagonals in three different places. All showed that the frame was square. Now that I know that the frame is square and flat, it is time to bolt it all up.
Here it is from front to back with the members on place and torqued down to 60 ft/lbs on the 7/16 bolts and 80 ft/lbs on the half inch bolts.
The last pic from back to front. I don't know why it is green. I think it will signal the end of the cheap camera. I will likely need to move the two middle cross members forward some because the NV4500 5-speed is shorter than the auto that was on the 440.

The next move will be to roll it out of the shop and start in on the Ramcharger.

Finally got some paint on the frame.

Sorry for the poor picture. Using an old cam as a shop cam. Anyway, here is the painted frame. I coated it with POR15. This is two coats of the original product. Tomorrow, I will recoat it with POR15 Chasis Black. Unfortunately, it looks like my hands and arms will be blackish for a while. POR15 does not wash off skin. Next time I will wear long sleeves and keep my gloves on.
A better picture. I did not paint the axles. They are not staying on the truck.
The next step after topcoat is to pop some wheels on it and roll it out of the shop to make room for the Ramcharger. I want to do a quick cummins install and get it on the road. Then I can get it out and have room and time for the crewcab again. So, It looks like I will be signing off this blog for a while and focussing on the Ramcharger blog. Check the link.

Cab Mounts

I have 3 different Dodge trucks without bodies on them and all of them have cracked or broken rear cab mounts. I figure if I just weld them up they will just crack again, so I looked at a different remedy.
I searched through my washer box abd came up with two large thick washes to weld in place to reinforce the entire mount surface.
Clamped up ready to weld.
Yeah, I welded it right above the fuel tank. Maybe I am not too bright

Started Cummins Ramcharger Blog

Sorry for the lack of progress. Things will change soon. I added a link to my new Ramcharger swap page. I plan to knock out a quick swap, nothing fancy, to get this on the road. I can't wait to roar down the road with the top off. In the picture below, I figure if I fit, that little 6 cylinder cummins wil drop right in. I can't even remember what I was doing in there. What a dork.
Check out the link in the right column.

A new donor

I have been toiling over the decision of whether to buy a new 5-spd NV4500 transmission or to put the truck together with the original 1992 4 speed automatic. The issue of my personal preferance was made a long time ago. I really wanted this truck to have the stick, and I wanted the NV4500 instead of the frequently weak link Getrag. The problem was the cost. The new tranny would be the single most expensive part of the whole project. Then, I was turned on to a local wrecked w350 dually chasis that had a 2 year-old NV4500 in it. The whole 1st generation package - clutch, bell housing, starter, etc. The beauty of the deal is that this chasis came with a 1993 cummins 6bt engine, an NP205 transfer case, Dana 60 dually front axle w/3.54 gears, and a dana 70 dually rear w/3.54 gears and a limited slip. All this for $300 more than the new tranny would have cost from the supplier. I could not pass it up.

Here is the engine.
And the tranny.
And the rear-end under a twisted pile of metal.
Now the little ramcharger gets to be a cummins too. (Smillin' big)

Project may be taking a turn.

Sometimes the unexpected happens. Even though I have not put in much work on the truck lately, I have not been Idle. I am now in the process of buying a '93 4x4 cummins dually 5-spd donor. The 5-speed is the desirable NV4500, not the getrag. Assuming this happens, I now have two complete power trains. One auto, one 5-spd. This can only mean three things:

1. The crew cab may become a dually.

2. The ramcharger gets a cummins.

3. The 44o is now for sale.

So boys and girls, tune in next week to see what happens next.