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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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#129 ·
Last thing was to get the Speedometer working. G56 trannys do not have a speed sensor. Dodge started taking the speed off the rear axle in 98. My truck is a 97, but does have an ABS sensor in the rear axle.

It was not my idea, but saw it in a couple of writeups. The idea is to use a Dakota Digital (the company, not the truck) SGI-5 interface unit to pick up the rear axle signal. Currently Dakota does not list this as an application, but I figured it was worth a try.

The writeups use a four wire hookup. Power, Ground, Input, and output.

For input, I picked up the ABS signal from the back of the OBD2 port under the dash. The wire to tap into is red with a purple tracer.

For output to the speedo the writeups say to tap into the white wire with an orange tracer at the bundle under the dash next to the parking brake. I was unable to find the wire there, so I pulled out the cluster and found it easily to the right there. I tapped into it and tried driving truck......nothing.

Long story short is that the writeups did not say that the white wire with orange tracer needs to be cut completely, not tapped into. Once a wire is run from the back of the speedo (still the white with orange tracer one) directly to port 3 it works great. Switch 1 and 2 are left down, 3 and 4 up.

I mounted the unit to the brace under the panel at bottom of the dash. It is accessable while driving with panel off for fine tuning. Push and hold the buttons down for adjustment. I tuned mine in a few seconds with my GPS. Cool thing is I can easily retune with a push of a button for different tires or a gear swap.

Only thing I noticed with this setup is it runs 1-2 MPH fast under 25 mph. After that it is dead nuts accurate.

 
#131 · (Edited)
And it is done!

I took truck on an 80 mile shakedown and it is awesome. The Southbend clutch is oh so smooth and the extra gear greatly helps keep it in the RPM band.

For those who would like to know, here is a breakdown of costs:

17,000 mile G56a trans - $2750

Southbend Clutch w Flywheel -$989

Driveshaft Re-work - $479

Fluids, various small stuff - $100

Dakota SGI-5 unit - $85

Sub Total $4,403

Sale of old trans. +$600

Total project cost $3,803

Final notes:

Get shifter and wiring plug for reverse light switch with trans. They are not yet available aftermarket.

If possible, get front yoke with bolts off driveshaft to avoid having to buy them.

Get short (G56) slave rod with trans, it is the one you need.

I will give an update once I get some miles on this. So far so good!
 
#133 ·
Those mirrors are pretty bad azz. Did they come with a captains control for the Passenger side?
While you already have them and the wiring laid out on the mirrors have you considered adding heat? It is not a huge deal unless you head out to West Virginia or other mountainous areas where you can get freezing rain pretty easily.
They will really shine when your driving up a mountain and are able to hit defrost instead of having to stop every 15 minutes to scrape off the ice. I know I am all spoiled and junk but I don't plan on towing without heated mirrors after having and not having them after a fuse blew.
For all I know you may not put yourself in that situation though.
 
#134 · (Edited)
I couldn't find heated power ones. The truck originally had power back when it was SRW, so the master contol is still in the drivers side. I didn't need to lay anything out. Total swap took less than an hour and yes, I can control the pass side. No wiring was required.

Heat would be sweet though!

Non-power trucks still have the wiring in the doors. I just converted my nephews truck for him and the swap was super easy. We had to add the master switch for his though.
 
#135 ·
Today I farted around the shop a bit while running errands in between. I decided to add a leaf in each side.

My initial plan was to recycle some Ford leaves I had sitting around, but closer inspection showed they have a 3/8 center pin instead of the 1/2 I need. So I called up Ken at Marysville truck (at 4:59 PM) and talked to him about some add-a-leafs and new bolts. He told me to come on up (about a 1/2 hour drive for me), he'd wait. That is great customer service!

I've dealt with Marysville truck on many occasions and they are great. I highly reccomend them.

So, first project tomorrow is the leaves.
 
#138 ·
I really wanted to run my new 19.5s on this upcoming trip, which are wrapped with 8R19.5 rubber.

When I get back, they are all getting dismounted to be blasted and powdercoated. But I figured I'd run them as is for this trip, because their 34 inch height should keep me from having to use overdrive. Well, I started to air them up and several have rim leaks, so that plan is shot for now. I guess it will be one more run on the 31's using overdrive. At least the tranny is still under warranty :rolleyes:
 
#139 · (Edited)
This truck has a date in the near future with the body shop. I've been uncomfortable with the holes in the front fenders being this is a commercial vehicle. It just puts up a red flag in my mind.

So, until the front fenders get replaced, very very soon, I'm going to do a quick fiberglass job and gravel guard it or something, as I don't have time to mess with these junk fenders too much. This will definitely be a 50, or maybe 500 foot job :D

 
#141 ·
Can of undercoat said you could paint over it in an hour. I waited two and it has all these little pin holes I assume are escaping gasses from the drying process :(

Well, at least it isn't permanent. I'll just coat it a couple more times and it should look O.K.
 
#142 ·
Decided to work on dually fender lights and license plate lights. Neither was working. After some head scratching and poking around I finally figured out that the factory junction point in the harness, where NINE! ground wires converge was corroded. Sockets were rotted out for plate lights, so they are coming in tomorrow.

Fender lights now all work!
 
#144 ·
She made it to San Diego. However I've been having uphill overheating issues. I replaced thermostat in South Carolina, which helped, but todays climb through the Rockys into California with 90 plus heat was too much. After several pull over and cool down sessions, I unbolted the hood for extra airflow, and was able to continue the climb, although she still got warm, no boil over.



The head gasket has had a super small leak since I got truck, so I'll be tearing into motor when I get home.
 
#145 ·
You were worried about a couple little rust spots on your commercial vehicle and now you're running with no hood? :sonicjay:

I guess it shows that you'll do anything to get the load delivered....resourceful.
 
#150 ·
As for OD, it is definately a weak link in the 4500 and 5600 trans due to the secondary nature of the design. Poor cooling and small parts with poor support. As for the G56 I have now, the design appears much better. I'm simply cautious. I have been running loaded the last 5,000 miles in OD, no issues so far, and very pleased with it.
 
#152 ·
I just read this thread through from the beginning. Good work! Great to see someone else still running a 12V!

A few things I'll note. The 4500 and 5600 shifters also have that nut under the cap, just sometimes they unthread when you spin the whole knob. When you spin them back on, the nut usually doesnt start, and just pushes against the plastic cap. If it isn't there, it's been removed by someone.

Check with Zemco's 4x4 in Clare for your wiring tidbits, sometimes they will clip the harnesses. They may also have the 2wd swaybar you need.

Once you are happy with the leaf set-up in the rear, you should replace the u-bolts. They do stretch and are supposed to be one use wonders.

Great info with the Dakota Digital, good option for the 12V guys looking to swap from a 241 to a 271 T-case.

How is your insurance set up? When I was hotshotting a few years back, they wouldn't insure us with a truck over five years old, IIRC. Maybe it was just super expensive.
 
#153 ·
Thanks for the positive support and info!

As for the insurance, only one company regularly insures hot shot drivers, Progressive. However Progressive Direct is stupid expensive. After much, much, much reasearch and calling I found an agency that specializes in Hot Shot drivers. They still write through Progressive, but get special pricing due to their relationship.

I have a perfect driving record. Insurance alone on the Truck/trailer is about $2,800 a year. With my load coverages and other liability insurances and such my total business insurance is a bit under $5,000 a year. Add in the other $2,000 or so for multiple permits, fees, and other owner/operator government costs, my total yearly nut for paperwork alone is about $7,000. If I moved to a big rig that would near double.
 
#157 ·
I'm now in cooler climates so the hood went back on and it is running fine, even uphill. After the head gasket and a good radiator flush I'm sure it will be fine, if not I may install some hood vents and auxillary fans.

North of Reno I lost trailer brakes. My fairly new Maxbrake unit went black. After poking around with no luck I called Jay at Maxbrake. He helped me go through a diagnosis and we determined the brake sensor cable was bad. He helped me get the unit into limp mode, where I could use it manually. Then he overnighted a new cable to Twin Falls, Idaho at my cost, over $70 shipping :(

It was fairly flat land to Twin Falls, so it wasn't too bad. Got the cable installed this morning and all is good.

 
#158 ·
I just completed a 9,000 mile torture test of the G56 combo in the truck over 3 weeks. I took off from Michigan with my loaded 42 foot trailer, went down to South Carolina, down to Florida, over to California, up to Montana, and back home. All in all this truck saw lots of miles in the Rocky Mountains and Smoky Mountains, it saw both the Atlantic and Pacific, Both the Canadian and Mexican Borders, and crossed the Mohave Desert and several others. It climbed a private road with a loaded trailer 3 miles up a mountain with a 18 degree grade! It saw 113 degrees in Houston, and lots of traffic, hills, etc. I even hit an overnight severe sand storm north of Reno that covered the truck in a few inches of sand, and it almost tipped the whole thing over!

I am very very pleased with the truck and the combo. The extra gear made all the difference in the world. I can't even see ever towing with a five speed again. Downshifting is so much easier, and the Southbend Clutch is great. I have no complaints whatsoever. I'll continue to keep you all updated through the life of this truck and trans, but so far am a huge fan of the G56.
 
#159 ·
I'm reviving this thread as you'll see some more progress on this soon.

Last summer I ran this beast on what I didn't know at the time would be her last hurrah and final great voyage for Route 55 Transport. I drove it all the way up to Alaska and back with lots of little adventures. On that trip I blew the head gasket, wore out the tires, and generally beat the living crap out of it.

Alaska and back via plane, motorcyle, and a half million mile Dodge - New Updates! - Great Lakes 4x4. The largest offroad forum in the Midwest

At the end of the Alaska trip last summer my wife and I split, and being that I have the kids over half the time I decided to shut down the transport business to focus on family and local ventures.

The truck was parked, and while I worked on arranging my new life and such, it sat behind my shop gaining rust and cobwebs.

I have been in the need for a shop truck again, and have decided to freelance for my Dad's pest control company, so I've decided to revive the old girl. She will be getting some much needed repairs, as well as some modifications, so stay tuned!
 
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