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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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#63 ·
Besides loosing 5th gear everything has been working good as a dually. However, I now have this weird intermittant clunk when stopping. The noise seems like it is coming from passenger front. I've crawled under, around, and through truck and can't find whats making the noise. At this time I'm theorizing it may be my floor jack (under my toolbox) moving, or something else in the bed, but won't know for sure till I get down to Florida and empty the truck at my mom's place.
 
#64 · (Edited)
Well, it made it to it's destination (in fourth gear) on it's shake down run (Sarasota Florida).



Only other issue was the clunking. I finally figured that out. It appears the passenger side caliper is sticking, and the brake pad walked out. I'll be repairing that this evening or tomorrow.
 
#72 ·
Well, it made it back home. I just pulled in. Trip back was uneventful for the most part, and the truck got around 12-13 MPG every tank pulling the big new trailer without overdrive. I've got some taller tires and a new trans coming soon, so I hope to improve that number a bit. Overall I've been very pleased so far.
 
#79 ·
It's not that Florida is the "deal" place for trailers. I searched the entire country for one that had 1. 7 foot or more ceiling height (this one is 7 1/2) and 2. One with 35 foot of floor space (this one may be slightly less)

After several months of searching, having no luck finding one with the ceiling height, a member on here found one in Ft. Lauderdale for me. For all purposes it seemed like the "dream" trailer and I struck a deal. When I went to go pick that one up I found it to be grossly misrepresented, trashed, totaled, burnt, bent, rotted, and generally ready for the scrap yard. (Sellers fault - not the gl4x4 guy)

I had a few small jobs for the way home and I knew it meant either renting or buying a trailer. I hit craigslist with the intention of picking up something small I could resell and found this one. It was from the show "Pinks All Out".

I ended up getting it for $6,800, which is more than I wanted to pay, but I think I ended up with something much much better.
 
#82 ·
Thank you!

I feel it the dually conversion was the way to go. It towed great and was very stable. I hit a very heavy crosswind in southern Ohio and could only feel the slightest of pull and occasional minor rocking. It probably would have been much worse if I was still SRW.

I believe if I re-installed the rear sway bar (and maybe added a leaf or two) it would tow even better, so those things are on my to do list.
 
#88 ·
Its the photo. It sits 2-3 inches lower than empty. However it did hit the bumpstops a few times on the way home when I nailed a few big potholes. I plan to throw a couple extra leaves in.

And the trailer is quite tongue heavy currently. There is a fridge, microwave, two beds, and all kinds of junk in the front that is getting pulled.
 
#84 ·
That was the most of my concern. A good freind of mine that does a ton of towing also brings up the point that the dually offers some extra security in a flat tire situation, mostly while towing.

The guy that bought this trailer from Pinks towed it from NC and back with a F-250 superduty srw 4x4 and said he never had an issue, although he only used it a few times.
 
#89 ·
So, the NV4500 lost 5th gear. I'd like an extra gear, and looked at my options.

The NV5600, which came in these trucks 99-02, and 03-04 would be the simplest. However like the NV4500, overdrive is on the back of the trans, causing a weak point. Plus, the 5600 is getting hard to find, and most trans shops won't touch them, citing many issues.

So I started looking at the G56 used from 2005 to now. It is a German design, and the reviews out there pretty much say its God's gift to the manual trans Cummins crowd.

There are two G56 versions, the 2005-08, and the 2009-current G56a. The difference is that the early model uses a .79 overdrive ratio and the current model uses a .74 overdrive ratio. There is also rumor that the mainshaft and some internal parts were made of better steel (cryo-treated?) in the newer models, although I have yet to positively confirm this.

So, after thinking about it and checking the numbers I've decided to use a 2009-now G56a.
 
#90 ·
2wd G56a transmissions are pretty scarce, but I finally found one through one of my parts places. It came out of a wrecked 2011 Ram with only 17,000 miles on it.

It came in today on a pallet, it's all wrapped up still, so here is a list of the knowns and unknowns.

Known:

The G56 is physically longer and taller than a NV4500, so there will probably be some clearance issues. Net research says I'll have to cut crossmember and hammer floor.

The G56 will (probably) bolt to the NV4500 adapter. The G56 uses an integral bellhousing.

The G56 is fixed yoke vs. my current slip.

Unknowns:

I'm not sure yet if the stock clutch and flywheel will work.

Speedo pickup may or may not work. I found a writeup online detailing how to use rear axle sensor for a speedo sensor.
 
#91 · (Edited)
Got trans unwrapped and started measuring everything up. I mocked up a nv4500 adapter plate and clutch.

Everthing bolts up with exception of the clutch disc. The NV4500 uses a 12x1.25 disc whereas the G56 uses a 13x1.375 disc. The G56 input shaft is larger and the spline engagement sits approximately .75 inch deeper into the bell.

This left me with a few options:

1. Since I have been unable to cross reference a stock application 12x1.375 disc I would be looking at a custom disc. Even then I'm not sure it would have enough spline engagement.

2. Upgrade to a 13 inch flywheel from a NV5600 equipped truck. That would require a starter spacer adapter. Then use a 5600 clutch.

3. Use all stock G56 clutch components with a dual mass flywheel. This would require no spacer, but the dual mass is not the way to go.

So after all that, I called Greg at Southbend (over several calls) and his opinion is that I should use an aftermarket single mass G56 13 inch flywheel with my stock nv4500 adapter and starter. Then use a nv5600 spec clutch kit. This gives me the best of both worlds and does not require a starter spacer. Plus it gives me the correct engagement and depth. Instead of trying to piece together the stock pieces, I just ordered the Southbend kit, knowing if I blew the clutch in the middle of nowhere I could replace it with a nv5600 unit. Plus the Southbend single 5600 kit is rated to tow over 20,000 lbs. regularly.

 
#94 ·
As a note, I was curious if I totally cheaped out on all clutch stuff how low I could go.

Valair (cheapest) g56 single mass flywheel - $250ish

Autozone NV5600 clutch kit - $239

So, with tax and shipping I'd be around $550.

Southbend kit with flywheel was $950, so almost double........for four times the clutch.
 
#96 ·
I'm sure you've thought of this already - but with the miles you plan on driving with that trailer - an airfoil or similar object on the cab would pay for itself quick and net you a consistent increase in fuel economy.

There are some other aero tricks that could net a bit more too. :thumb:

I'm pretty impressed on what you've done with your "life" in the last 3 or 4 years. :thumb:
 
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