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The Great Dodge Switcheroo Work Truck Project

23K views 178 replies 34 participants last post by  kkodet 
#1 · (Edited)
It's time for me to step up to a dually for my transport business. I don't really "need" to, but with my new gooseneck trailer I think it will look better and be more stable. After much thought and contemplation I decided it would make more sense to just convert my current truck. It is a 1997 12 valve Cummins 5 speed extended cab 2wd, with only 515,000 miles on it. I know this truck inside and out, it treats me right, and I like it. Here she is at work:



Purusing Craigslist snagged me this 1995 Dodge 3500 Dually V-10 automatic 4x4 with only 117,000 miles that runs and drives great. Gears were same (3.55) but the dually has a powerlock :)



The plan is to swap everything I want from the gasser to my truck and visa-versa. Then (hopefully) sell the 4x4 V-10 truck.
 
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#100 ·
Test fitting the P30 (frito lay truck) Chevy wheels to my truck. I aquired these from a friend, and he bored out the centers already to the larger Dodge hole size for me.

The wheels I got from him all came with 8 R 19.5 load range F tires on them. The tires are in pretty good shape, and I'd like to use them as they are tall (approx 34 inches) and skinny.

Bolted up:



And fully cycled them back and forth. Only spot they hit is a bump in the back of the plastic wheel liner:



From the back it appears there would be plenty of room if I trimmed liner or removed it. Since I am replacing front fenders soon I am going to try removing liner.
 
#101 ·
I know the body shop guys cringe when you don't run liners, saying they protect from rust, but I don't buy it.

Every set I've pulled over the years hides rust, moisture, and this time I got about 10 pounds of sand and dirt out.

You can see where I hammered over the bottom 6 inches of the sharp pinch welded area.

 
#103 ·
So after removing the inner fenders, hammering lip, and getting truck back on ground I see it is VERY close as to whether these will hit, in a big bump, while turning. So I decided to mount up both fronts, and I'm going for a drive. Wish me luck!

If I toast fenders, no biggie, they are getting replaced anyways.

 
#104 ·
Sometimes I love engineers. 2 and 4 wheel drive G56 units appear to be the same. 2wd units just get this big flange.



And sometimes I want to take a rolled up newspaper to engineers. There is only one sensor on the trans. I wanted to see if it was a reverse sensor or vss. It (and most of the bolts on the trans) are inverted torx metric. Bad engineer.....swat swat.....go to your corner and think about what you did.



It's a reverse switch by the way.
 
#106 ·
NV4500 (left) vs. G56 design. You can see the spacer bump that is part of the 56 setup. This is what makes up for the difference. As you can see, the starter gear is at the back of the flywheel to make the difference. The only other way this could have been achieved would have been to use an aftermarket 13 inch nv4500 flywheel with a crank spacer, but then I'm not sure what kind of starter issues I'd have, and whether or not the starter would engage.

 
#108 ·
Stock shifter and boot. I'm hoping to use the 2011 boot, because this one looks like Dom DeLouise would use it as a hat. Shifter is in neutral position, and you can see the way it bends up towards dash. The six speed shifter is different, more of a straight rod to the driver, so I'm hoping to be able to use it to give more dash to shifter clearance so I can mount my CB there. Currently it would hit, so CB is under seat, making it a pain to use. We'll see!

 
#109 ·
For anyone pulling a stock 97 shifter boot, here is something interesting - I unscrewed the boot but it wouldn't pop up. I even tried prying it. It took me a bit, but I figured out they use a boot inside a boot, with the inside one screwed to the floor and the outside one screwed to the inside one. Mine were quite stuck together and appeared to be one piece.

 
#114 · (Edited)
I pulled the flange to see if it indeed is the same as a 4x4 version. It is. The output spline is 29. I also took a spare 4x4 case just to "be sure" and it bolted right in with plenty of spline engagement. So yes, 2wd and 4wd G56 transmissions are the same. And, 2wd and 4wd dodge crossmembers are interchangeable.



Lgottlers hairy arms holding in t-case.



And in, but its not staying. Nice to know a 4x4 conversion wouldn't require a trans change.

 
#115 ·
According to another site I'm on, the only difference besides the flange is the rear seal. Supposedly the 4x4 seal is a smaller inside diameter but easily popped out and swapped. I'll check it out in the next few days and let you guys know.
 
#116 ·
Sorry for the delay guys. I had some other stuff I needed to do and I was waiting on the driveshaft.

First, I checked out whether or not the seal is different between 2 and 4 wheel drive. It appears to be. The 241 case I had bolted up takes an approximately 2 inch inside diameter seal, where the 2wd yoke takes one that is approximately 2 7/8.

I also had to modify the crossmember. To have the trans yoke in the right spot the mount needed to come rearward about 2 inches, and down 1.



So I cut out the offending area and reworked it.



And probably didn't need to, but braced it from underneath for insurance.

 
#118 ·
Bu the way, a stock NV4500 trans mount bolts to the G56, as does the slave cylinder. However, the G56 has a shorter slave pushrod than the NV4500. Due to the thicker clutch, I believe the short one is the one to use. Here is the difference:

 
#121 ·
That would be a lot of work, but probably not a bad way to go. If I ever went 4x4, I was thinking about using a kingpin Ford 60 from a 86-91 F-350. IMO it's a better axle than the Dodge unit, and the weird offset (about 3 1/2 inches further to driver side than 78-79) would allow less lift and better clearance. Even the stock height of this model Dodge is too high for my tastes.

From there I don't know if I'd leaf it or link it. I'd probably just leaf it for simplicity.
 
#122 ·
The new driveshaft from CCI in Ira Township, Michigan. They made a new front and rebuilt the rear. It has a new center bearing and all new spicer U-joints. For my 2wd extended cab truck I needed the driveshaft to be 46 1/2 inches from the face of the flange to the center of the mid-bearing.

 
#123 ·
Unfortnately the 2011 boot is for a console and too short. The stock boot works but is just about stretched to it's limit. After my next run I'll probably build some sort of console to use 2011 boot.

The G56 shift knob is a weird one. To get it off you pop out the indicator tab, and unbolt a 15mm bolt. Then you still have to unscrew it from the shaft. So don't go trying to just twist one of these off like the old ones!

 
#126 ·
...
The G56 shift knob is a weird one. To get it off you pop out the indicator tab, and unbolt a 15mm bolt. Then you still have to unscrew it from the shaft. So don't go trying to just twist one of these off like the old ones!

My TJ is the exact same thing. Was very confused when I was twisting and nothing was happening at first, then figured it out. I left the indicator tab out on mine though, seems to give me a better grip on the stick...

Paint
 
#124 · (Edited)
One quick project I had was to change out the mirrors. My parts truck had the stock dually flip up units. However they were manual (all factory ones were) and very stiff to adjust. So stiff in fact that my wife busted the glass in the passenger side one on our last trip while she was adjusting it for me. New glass is only a couple bucks, but I decided it was an opportunity to upgrade. So I picked up these aftermarket flip up units. They are stock looking, but are power! The wiring is already in all of these trucks for power mirrors, so they are plug and play.



 
#125 ·
I had originally swapped the drivers door panel out for the parts truck one, as mine was cracked and sagging in the armrest area. You couldn't see the damage, as it was under the upholstery.

However, I soon noticed the panels are different. I have Infinity surround sound in the truck, so my original panels have grilles for the tweaters.

So out came the fiberglass to patch up my original panel.

 
#128 ·
Filled up trans with Syncromesh. Even though the G56 calls for ATF, Southbend and others reccomend Snyncomesh due to its thicker viscosity and cooling properties.

Then I got to work on the Reverse light switch. Problem there is the plug is unique to the G56, I don't have it, and it is unavailable via both aftermarket and dealer as of now.



Finding a yard willing to cut off the plug from a good harness wouldn't be easy (or timely) so I put some very small female spade connecters on some wire and pressed them in.



Since the spades are so close to eachother (less than half a mm) I filled the cavity with silicone to keep them in place and protected. The G56 reverse light switch sits about two feet rearward of where the 4500 one was, so some extensions with spades were necessary. I plugged it all in and it worked great!

 
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