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1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
I'm new to the forum here, but I've been playing with my 1957 3100 long be off and on for about 20 years. I picked this truck up in Phoenix two decades ago, sans motor and transmission, but with a decent body and good title for $1500 from a salvage yard. The truck was pretty much original and unmolested, though repainted a few times.
Over the years, I did a disc brake and power steering conversion on the original front axle, powered with a 350 and 200-4R automatic. I swapped in a rear axle from an early '80s Delta 88 to match the front wheel bolt pattern. The truck ran great, but the bump steer was lethal. A small bump in the road would cause lane changes. Later, I opted to swap out the straight axle for a Camaro subframe. I cut the frame, rebuilt a 1974 Camaro sub amd installed it. I am not a fan of the down in the weeds look, so I sandwiched 2x2" square tube between the frame and subframe before welding. It still sat too low for my taste, but the bump steer was now gone. During this time, I also played with EFI. The Quadrajet was ok, but I wanted something different. I found a 1983 Crossfire Injection system from a Z-28 and installed it, using a modified 1990 C-10 ECM to run the system. It worked, but there were issues with vapor locking, mostly due to the routing of my fuel lines in the engine compartment. Also the idle air control motors on the twin throttle bodies were a pain. From there, I went to a straight TBI on a manifold modified for my early heads, complete with a 35 gallon aluminum marine fuel tank in the bed. Not perfect, but functional. The transmission went south and the project sat again. I always like the look of the old Task Force NAPCO trucks. In high school, one of my fellow students had one as her daily driver. The 235 sounded like it was getting ready to hover while running down Scottsdale road at 45 MPH, but the all business look appealed to me. A few years ago, I started toying with my own take on the NAPCO, albeit with better suspension and modern power. I started comparing the Dodge Ram 1500 4wd chassis to the stock TF frame, first because the Dodge has a solid front axle with coil spring suspension, and second, because I had a 1996 Jeep Cherokee with complete 4.0L running gear that would make a nice donor. The Jeep body was completely rusted out, so it was only good for the drivetrain. The NP231J transfer case has a driver's side drop, so it could be used with the Dodge Ram chassis. I began hunting for a long bed or extended cab Ram 1500 4wd to use for a chassis donor. After comparing wheel bases on the two trucks (my TF and the Ram) I knew I would need to either shorten a long bed/extended cab chassis or lengthen a single cab short bed chassis to match up. Since it is easier to shorten the existing chassis, I looked for the longer platform. As this plan began to hatch, my wife convinced me that it would be easier to just stick with the Dodge running gear than it would be to use the Jeep's. The reason I like the Jeep idea was because: a. I already had known good parts on hand; b. The inline 6 kept to the original appearance of the NAPCO platform; and c. The 190 HP 4.0L was decent on fuel, at least in the Cherokee. On the other hand, parting out the Cherokee freed up funding to acquire the 1994-2001 Dodge Ram 1500 chassis for the heart of the project. Getting one from Craigslist with either a bad engine or transmission would keep my cost down, and I could replace or rebuild the engine when the time comes. Or, if I was so inclined, I could use my existing 350, mate it to a 700R4 and use the mid-90s Chevrolet left hand drop transfer case (NP242-C, I think). Of course the Chevy option meant buying another transmission and transfer case which blows my limited budget. After one failed trip to Ft. Worth to look at a 1996 Ram 1500 with a bad transfer case (and a severely rusted frame. Who ever heard of a truck frame rusting through?!), I found a 1994 Ram 1500 long bed, 4wd automatic less than two hours away. The motor was bad and partially disassembled, but the bulk of what I wanted was there for $500. The seller needed money and wanted it out of his pasture. There was a buyer who was going to scrap it for $400, but I was willing to give the seller his asking price and he was happy it would go to good use. With some of the money made from parting the Jeep, we went to Texas again. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0323.jpg -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Welcome.
This should be a neat build. Kim |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Welcome to the forum, looks like the start of an interesting build. Be sure to keep us updated with lots of pics.
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Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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-Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Here are a few pics of what i am working with:
My 1957 3100 LB http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/DSC01278.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/DSC01283.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/DSC01282.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/DSC01281.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/DSC01279.jpg And the Dodge http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0321.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0325.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0341.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0346.jpg -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
I made some progress this week. Story to follow.
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0442.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0443.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0444.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0446.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0447.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0445.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0448.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0449.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0450.jpg -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Last week, I finished shortening the frame down to the 123.5" wheelbase to match the 1957 body. When I first considered using the Dodge 1500 chassis, I knew that I would either need to lengthen or shorten the Dodge frame, depending on the configuration of the donor truck. A short bed, regular cab would require something in the area of 5" to be added to the wheelbase, and was least desirable to me. It would be far better to shorten a frame from a longer chassis. I had planned on cutting and welding, adding boxing plates where needed. It turns out, Dodge assembled these trucks with a rear subframe that was nested into the main frame and riveted into place. This made my work easier.
I was able to grind the heads off of the 14 rivets used, then drill and punch the rivets from the frame. The front leaf spring hangers used four rivets each and there were three per side for the crossmember. After I unbolted the rear leaf springs, I rolled the rear axle out of the way. I supported the subframe with my engine crane and slid it out of the main frame. I had to trim off the second set of pedestals that the bed mounts to in order to make room for the front leaf spring hangers. With the pedestals gone, I was able to trim 11.25" from the main frame rails and then re-insert the subframe and bolt up my leaf spring hangers. (I need to add pics in here) Yesterday, I finished removing the dashboard, pedal assembly, brake booster and cab wire harness. I put the steering column back in to aid in moving the truck out to my shop framework for cab removal. My daughter's boyfriend, Michael, was recruited to help with the cab removal. We moved the Dodge out to the "shop" after I loosened up the cab bolts. With all the cab wiring and connections removed, the cab with the help of my chain hoist and my 1951 Harry Ferguson tractor. The cab would not go high enough to pull the chassis backward, due to the engine. Instead, I pulled the chassis forward of the cab, set the cab down and dragged it out of the way. With the cab clear, I dragged the chassis back to the driveway to get ready for engine removal. The previous owner started to remove the engine after a perceived head gasket failure. All that was left to remove were the bell housing bolts. The 360 has a little over 200k miles and was "bad" at the time of purchase. The PO stated he had hit a cow (hence the Frankentruck paint scheme), which damaged the radiator. Rather than replace the radiator, he opted to keep refilling it. One day he decided there was enough coolant, only to overheat the engine and possibly blowing a head gasket. The truck was parked and sat for roughly four years in the pasture. Looking underneath, there is one quickie freeze plug repair and one missing on the passenger side of the engine block. I am thinking worst case, the block cracked either from freezing or overheating. I expect to get the engine out this week to see what there is to work with. -Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
I thought everyone knew that the 94+ Dodge trucks were component frame trucks. :-) Trucks were assembled in Mexico from US stamped parts. To increase the number of frames they could ship, to allow them to sandwich together, they made the frame in sections. 4WD front hoop is the same for a standard or extended cab. Long or short bed is the same frame hoop for 2wd and 4wd, std and ext cab. And so on. I remember this because it was in some car magazine back in the early 90's that, IIRC, featured the dual-axled T-Rex Dodge truck.
I had a 95 with a 360. Shoulda kept it. NOTHING would kill that truck. During one move, where I had my motorcycle, some tools, all the flammables that the moving company wouldn't touch in the back of my truck (1500 pounds in a 1/2 ton truck), the engine boiled out all the water 'cause a dealership's mechanic put the thermostat in upside down. Warped the radiator, fried the fan clutch and damaged some hoses. That was at about 160,000 miles. I sold it at 250,000 and never touched the motor in between. If the heads warped or cracked, it never lost compression or leaked fluids. Lucky. A huge tree fell on that truck during a storm, too. Fell across the truck and covered it from front to rear. Only place it touched the truck was on the tailgate, crushing it. Bed, cab, fenders were all spared. Lucky. Yeah, I still miss Clifford the Big Red Dodge. |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0404.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0405.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0412.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0414.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0420.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0422.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0423.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0416.jpg -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Looks like you are moving along nicely.
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Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
I used to build seat mechanisms for Dodge at one company and later Dodge Ram hood hinges at another. Every hood hinge for the 94 to 2004 hood hinge was built wrong to the print, but functionally correct. Apparently the CAD drawings were unclear so a part intended for the right hinge was installed on the left and vice versa. We figured it out in 2001 but left it alone, per Dodge's request. It didn't affect the safety of the hinge, either. Just fun facts to know and tell.
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Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
^^^ That's good stuff right there.
So far I have been moving along pretty steadily. The project to this point has been funded via disposing of a rusted out Cherokee and spare parts from the Dodge. I'm planning on pulling the Dodge engine after work tonight and taking a look at the internals once it is on the engine stand. I need to move a trailer out of the way so I can pull the '57 along side the Dodge chassis in preparation of moving things over. That way I will have a ready reference for my body mounting locations. I have some repair panels that I need to acquire and install on the '57, such as cab corners and the right side floor. I will do these once the cab is between frames. -Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Well I got out there this morning since nothing got done after work the past two days due to rain. In spite of teh motor being "bad" i had made an effort to cover it up since rain was expected, however this morning there was about a quart of water in the bottom of the intake manifold. Not a huge deal, since the engine was coming out today.
I made sure the wire harness was clear, supported the transmission and removed the bellhousing bolts. With the engine crane in place and some creative jacking below the transmission, I had the engine free of the chassis in just a few minutes. I did not take a lot of pictures at this point, since it was about 90% humidity and I was sweating like a whore in church, but I did take one or two. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0451.jpg This engine has had a bit of a hard life after being overheated, run hard by a volunteer firefighter, and partially disasembled for parts, being somewhat exposed to the elements. When I pulled the intake manifold, I really wasn't expecting to find the end of the rainbow. I didn't. But then again, it wasn't a compete turd hole either. The motor was not full of sludge. There was some old oil resude that had cooked on, like in most motors with a crap load of miles, but nothing to indicate it was completely wasted, or water logged for that matter. Then I spotted something a bit more troubling. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0452.jpg The #8 cylinder has at least one bad lobe on the camshaft. Back in the days of solid cams, this was not unusual on a high mileage motor, however, this engine has a roller cam, meaning the lifters that ride on the cam have little wheels that roll along the cam surface, rather than the nearly flat bottom of the lifter itself. Roller lifter cams are not known to wear and fail under normal conditions. The roller on the bottom of the #8 exhaust valve wore a groove into the lifter lobe, about 1/16"-1/8" deep, as best as I can tell. The PO told me about how it smoked (or steamed) after the head gasket blew. Surely he did not drive it like that for any length of time, making chocolate milk from motor oil and coolant. If so, the bearings throughout the motor, as well as the crankshaft are most likely toast. I had already planned on replacing the camshaft with a torque oriented grind, so the loss of the cam is insignificant in itself. The cause is another matter, as roller lifters are normally reused when the cam is replaced, unlike traditional hydraulic and solid lifter cams. Roller cams are around $300, give or take. Roller lifters run about $16 each, or $256 per set, if the whole lot of them is bad. At this point, a lower mileage Craigslist motor would save me a lot in the long run, $400-$500 for the motor, $200-$250 for fresh gaskets and re-ring, plus the cam for another $300 puts me right at $1000ish for the motor. If I try to salvage what I have here, a full rebuild is pretty much in order, so figure $2k. I may just get a good sub-100k motor and swap the cam for now. I'm not in a rush, however, I'd like to have the truck at least move under its own power before winter gets here. My shop isn't anywhere near done and probably won't be fully funded until next year at the earliest. I'll dig deeper into the 360 Friday or Saturday and then it will be time to start looking at the body swap. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Friday morning I opened up the 360 for a closer look at what remained. The camshaft was clearly damaged due to a bad roller lifter. Once I looked at the other lobes, I spotted at least two more heavily worn cam lobes, so there are no less than 3 lifters that are bad. I unbolted the cylinder heads and removed them both. The left side of the block appeared to be in good shape. The cylinder bores still have crosshatching from the original assembly, and there are no ridges at the top of the cylinders, not bad for a 200k+ motor.
When the right head came off, the problem revealed itself immediately in the form of a blown head gasket at the #2 cylinder. In itself, a blown headgasket is not that big a deal, however, water had been left standing in this cylinder, probably since the truck was parked years ago. The piston was not frozen in the bore, but it did several good hits with a rubber mallet to get the piston past the rust and scale that now made up the upper half of the cylinder wall. The cylinder wall has heavy pitting from the corrosion, which will require at least a 0.060 overbore, or a sleeve to be installed. The head does not have an obvious crack, but the combustion chamber for #2 is heavily rusted as well. At this point, I think I would be better served to buy a known good used engine and replace the cam in it, along with fresh gaskets. I've spotted a few Magnum 360s on CL for a reasonable price, even with under 100k miles. I could get one of those, install a new cam and be monetarily ahead of where I would be if I were to rebuild the motor I have now. For now, I am going to start prepping the frame for paint and sorting out my cab mounts. -Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Hey Purcell69 I remember your truck, I almost bought it from you a couple years ago when you had it for sale on craigslist. You are in law enforcement right? Glad to see you working on the truck...and building it the way you want. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you progress.
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Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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Correct on all counts. I really am glad I did not sell the truck back then. The wife got hurt on the job and we were in a battle with her employer, so money was really tight and the truck was just sitting there... The battle is still going, but we were able to get the finances under control. Honestly, I am glad you did not buy it back then. I would be regretting it. :) -Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Nice build! What will it be? Daily driver? Mud toy? Camper toter? Keep us updated! This is gonna be one cool rig.
Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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-Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Progress on the project has slowed a bit in consideration of other more pressing matters. The wife has decided that it is time for me to finish my workshop. I started the workshop about 5 years ago, before she got hurt. I got the framework up and then things turned upside down for us financially, putting the shop on hold indefinitely. Things have now stabilized and she is ready for me to move my project out of the carport so I can convert it into a workout room. The framework thus far is visible in the pictures above where Michael and I are removing the Dodge cab from the frame. I still need to get some materials, but I have a neighbor who is helping me with the dirt work and foundation for the slab in exchange for some repair work on his XJ Cherokee. The main shop will be 30'x30' with covered parking on either side for the horse trailer and equipment. Trusses for the roof will go up this weekend, weather permitting.
And since we have had phenomenal rain this year, the east pasture has grown out better than ever. The 40+ year old wood fence is no longer serviceable for horse containment, so the pasture has not been grazed this year. A few weed patches come up and were nearly as tall as I am, so I took the morning to brushhog. I've been acquiring material to rebuild the fence with pipe and wire panels, which will most likely take place this coming year. I hope to have the W3100 project operational and in the bodywork phase by then, in the shop. Oh, I nearly forgot...I scored a motor on CL this week! I found a running 125k mile 1999 5.9L V8 two hours away, $300 complete. I am picking it up Thursday morning. -Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Congrats on the shop go-ahead!
The 5.9l is a darn good engine. In a 2wd application with the weight of an AD truck and an overdrive transmission behind it, it should get around 18 mpg. My Clifford got that as an average between city and highway. If I kept it at 55 on the highway, I could get 21. And this was with a Ram 1500 extended cab that weighed damn near 2 ton. |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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-Joe Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Well I picked up my $300 Craigslist engine Thursday afternoon. We had to go to Tulsa for an appointment and the guy selling the engine was in Sapulpa, not too far down the road, so I was able to combine the trip. This engine is from a 1999 Ram 1500 and is essentially the same as what came out of the 1994. The only difference between the two is the newer engine does not have EGR, which will not really affect what I am doing. More importantly, the new engine has a bit more power. Somewhere around 1997, Dodge increased the horsepower rating on these motors by 15 HP. I don't know if it was a change in the cam profile or the computer tuning. If it was the latter, I am still using the old computer, so I am stuck with the lower output.
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...2ECD42E4F6.jpg I got the motor complete with all the accessories. Externally, it looks like it is in good shape. There are no signs of coolant leaks and the grease buildup is not bad, so it doesn't look like it was abused by lack of maintenance. I haven't pulled the intake and oil pan yet, but I am pretty confident I could set this engine in my chassis, hook up the wire harness and fuel connections and have a good running engine, albeit a 125k mile engine. At the minimum, I am going to replace the oil pump, main seals, inspect the bearings in the bottom end and replace the timing set. There is a known issue with the intake plenum and gasket, so I will address that when I pull the intake, and I will replace the camshaft as well. Beyond that, some cleaning and paint should seal the deal. About $500 will make for a solid motor, the bulk of which being the aftermarket cam. While I have everything disassembled, I am going to soda blast the aluminum engine brackets and intake manifold, then paint them with high temp clear to keep oxidization at bay. The block will get cleaned and shot with Hemi Orange. For now, I am going to hang on to the other 360, just in case I need the crank or rods, though I really doubt this will be an issue. -Joe __________________ |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Nice. Make sure you take plenty of pics of the body swap and motor/trans mounts. I'm also interested in how you make the body mounts. Keep rolling!
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Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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-Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Well after taking the winter off (no shop complete yet), I am slowly starting back at it again. I am about to level the frame and square it up, then make a plywood template of the 1957 Chevy cab floor to locate the mounting points and get my mounts set-up on the Dodge frame. There is a little over 7" of drop from the rear section of the frame where the bed mounts, to the step where the cab will mount. At the front, the drop is only a bit over 4 1/2"
I have decided to cut the ears off the Dodge frame and reuse them to mount the Chevy cab, since they are the right size for the Dodge cab isolators. The isolators that go between the cab and the ear on the frame are 1 1/2" thick, which will help take up some of the 7"+ of drop in the frame under the cab. The rest will be 11ga rectangular tube or square tube, as needed. The isolators at the front are only 1" thick, so some 3" 11ga Once everything is matched to the template, I will pull the cab from the Chevy frame, weld in replacement panels for the passenger floor between the seat riser and toe board, both steps with rockers (why is it the rockers always got crushed by some clown with a jack?!), and the rear cab corners. My goal this year is to get the cab mated to the Dodge frame, and the engine in and running before winter sets in again. If I can get all of that done, I can finish up the body work next spring and prep for paint. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
I spent this morning comparing and measuring between the 57 Chevy chassis and the Dodge frame. I have the Dodge frame sitting level now, so things are going to be a lot easier to work with. From my front axle centerline to the center of my core support mounts, the measurement is roughly 19". I will pin this one down as soon as I remove the front clip on the 57, but it is close enough to get an idea of what part of the Dodge frame I will be working with for the core support.
From the front axle centerline to the center of the front cab mount, the distance is 28 3/4", and from the front cab mount center to the rear cab mount center, it is 44". This means that the front mount will be in the 7" drop area on the Dodge frame and the rear mount will be in the 3" drop, ahead of the front wall of the bed (speaking of the Dodge bed.). Neither of these presents a problem. My future son-in-law pointed out something I had not considered though, the engine position. Small block Dodge and small block Chevrolet are essentially 32" long from the bellhousing flange to the front of the belt driven fan. The area of concern is where Dodge mounted the engine. Knowing I have pretty close to 19" to the center of the core support mounts, I looked at where my fan currently resides in relation to the radiator. There is a 2" gap. From my bellhousing in the Dodge chassis to the centerline of the core support, the distance is, you guessed it, 32". If I lose the belt driven fan in favor of an electric, I can get back 3" and as long as the electric fan is less than 3" thick, I can use a puller style fan and all will still be happy. I can move the engine, transmission and transfer case back, however, moving too much will affect the space left between the back of the transfer case on the drivers side and the rear axle, where the fuel tank resides. I already have the shortbed fuel tank, so if I have to give up too, much, I will need a custom tank. I am trying to avoid this. What is the thickness of the Ford Taurus e-fan that the Jeep guys like, (95-ish) model as I recall? -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Ok, here are a few pictures from today. I have a couple of pieces of 2" square tube laying on top of the Dodge frame rails to help me see where things will be, more or less. The 1957 Chevy frame is pretty much two flat rails, so the 2" box tube helps to simulate that with the Dodge's stepped frame.
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0859.jpg Since I don't have a shop floor to work off of yet, I am doing most of this on my driveway slab, which is far from level. I used cinder blocks and screw jacks to level the frame this morning, taking the weight off the suspension. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0860.jpg Here is another place where the box tube came in handy with the stepped frame. The rear of the frame where the bed mounts and the arch for the front suspension are the same height, so the box tube just spans the gaps. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0861.jpg Everything level, front to back and left to right. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0862.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0864.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0865.jpg Disregard all the mess around my work area. A friend bought some property down the road that came with a bunch of tools, assorted fluids, etc. He dropped off all that he didn't want. Until the shop is done, storage is almost none right now. And being spring time, the trees are shedding everywhere. Everything is coated with a yellow haze of pollen. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Looks like you have it planned out pretty well.
Kim |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
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Still, moving the drivetrain is well witin my abilities. :) -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
After checking measurements and looking everything over closely, moving the drivetrain back 5" is well within safe on either end of the fuel tank. I dummied up the tank mounting and found I have much more room than anticipated. Before the move, I have 12" between the back of the transfer case and the front of the gas tank, and math says 7" after. The rear of the tank is referenced by the crossmember ahead of the rear axle, there the tank is notch to fit the crossmember. There is more than a few inches there between the tank and axle, as fit checked when the frame was shortend and the crossmember was removed and remounted, so all is good.
While checking everything, I discovered that the 2" box tube that I had laid on top of the frame between the rear section and the front arch was not quite parallel with the frame and I needed to raise the front at the arch about 1". I picked up some 1"x2" 11 ga. tube to rest on top of the arch and extend forward for the core support and front bumper mounts. From the front axle centerline to the center of the core support is 19". the frame needs to extend another 10" to accomodate mounting the front bumper, so this morning I began making my mounts. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...D1D249FAB4.jpg In the pic, you can see the rectangle stock under the box tube. The end of the rectangle stock is 29" from the center of the front axle. I will drop a leg down to the Dodge frame at the end to start fixing my bumper mounts. Once everything is located and good, the extension of the Dodge frame forward of the mount will be trimmed off. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...FFDF168742.jpg One of my favorite tools ^^^^. This was a replacement for my first welder, a simple Campbell Hausfeld flux core welder, (Flux 80 I think). After 10 years of building barns and fence and fixing this and that, the little CH needed more cool down time than could weld. The Lincoln 3200HD can run gas or gasless and welds single pass up to 1/4". It also has a built in cooling fan, so no long periods of down time in the middle of a project. I don't recall how many years I've had it now, maybe 8 or 9, but I love this heavy bastard. I had to notch out the legs that will be welded to the Dodge frame. After marking, I used the DeWalt and a metal cutting blade to trim things up. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...6980F9CEBE.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...89736F6B00.jpg And now its all ready to tack together before final welding. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...6EF926545C.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...B1A2F31626.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...2601B07934.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...8DE6259CB8.jpg With the extensions all welded up, I set them aside for the time being, until I finish disassembling the front clip on the Chevy and check final fit on the core support. The other day I started cutting the welds on the motor mounts to remove them from the frame, as they will need to move back one full thickness (5"). The top weld was cut with an angle grinder, but there is a weld along one side as well as two small arms that act as gussets on the bottom. I cut the gussets with the sawzall with the intent of replacing them with my own, and then set about cutting the side weld. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0872.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...59E70512D7.jpg With the sawzall and a good metal cutting blade, I was able to cut the side weld pretty easily and remove the mount intact, ready to be relocated and welded in place again. My first inclination is to tack them in to place and check for fit, then final weld if all is good. Hanging them on the motor, then using the motor as the guide for placement could also work, but leave little room to tack weld. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...59E70512D7.jpg With the top weld and the gussets cut, I was able to make a little room with the hammer and chisel. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...1490A06D4E.jpg Engine mount removed, just some welds to clean up now. One down, one to go. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...86B0CF2AB4.jpg And the right side is out for future reference. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Nice progress.
Kim |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
i hate to point out the obvious (too me)
the way you have the blocks under your frame is how people in this hobby get killed. look around at any home with a block basement or any mobile home sitting up on blocks while i don't recommend them for any truck use, blocks have no strength the way you have them under your truck when, not if, they crack they will fail catastrophically. where yo had two 8'' tall blocks will now be 1 inch tall if you insist on using blocks at least turn them like a mason would use them (hint) stack them like the 2 blocks behind your frame, not like all the blocks under your frame http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3/IMG_0862.jpg |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Quote:
THANK YOU!!! -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
After getting the motor mounts cut from the frame, I tacked in my mounts for the core support and rechecked my measurements to locate the core support. I also jacked up the front of the '57 and got it settled in on jack stands so I could start the task of removing the front sheet metal. The easiest way to do this is to pull the front wheels and get up into the fender to get to all the hidden bolts that hold the front fenders, inner fenders, grille and valance together.
Since I am satisfied I have a good reference on the height of the cab mounts now, I took the Dodge frame off the jacks and blocks and set it back on its wheels. I tacked in my 1x2" box tube at the front, over the front arch and with the front of the '57 now disassembled, I was able to place the core support. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...BC158C6677.jpg I had been concerned about clearance between the bottom of the radiator and the steering box, but after a little sheet metal trimming, there is plenty of room around the steering lines and gearbox. Also, with all of the sheet metal removed from the 1957's front, I found my measurements were close but not 100%, and picked up an extra 3/4" ahead of the front axle, (and away from the steering lines). Additionally, once the transmission was back to level, I found I have 31 1/2" between the bellhousing and the radiator. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...8ECCCB7F05.jpg My last measurement of the length of the engine, to the front of the fan was pretty close to 32", so I will not need to move the drivetrain back as much as I had anticipated, (5" initially). With any luck at all, I will get the engine back on the crane this coming week for fitment check. It looks like 2"-3" will be more than enough. At the same time, I will tack in the engine mounts to their new homes ahead of final welding. If the engine only needs to move the 2"-3" that I expect, I will not need to have a new front driveshaft built. I checked it this morrning and found that as it sits static, (no load on the suspension from engine or body), to fully extended, I have at least 3" of expansion at the slip joint. This means that if I move the transmission and transfer case back 3" to make room for the engine, I will use all of the possible expansion, however, the weight of the engine and body will compress the suspension (and the driveline) about 2" roughly. Down the road when it is time to have the front shaft rebuilt, I will have it lengthend to account for the engine movement, but for now it should be fine, since this truck isn't going to be used as a rock crawler or anything like that, just a daily driver when I feel like it. -Joe __________________ |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
I made some unexpected progress yesterday. I had taken the day off from work to swap out a noisy front axle on the daughter's Jeep. Before I started taking her Jeep apart, I decided it would be a good idea to replace the upper control arm bushings on the Jeep axle that was going to be installed. By the time I got that job done, it was already noon-thirty and I did not want to chance not getting the job done and leaving her without a vehicle.
After taking a break for some lunch, I decided it was time to move the crossmember that supports the front of the gas tank. It is held in place on the top of the Dodge frame with four rivets. I knew from measurements that I would need to move it forward on the frame about 3", but figured it would be best to hang the tank and see just where exactly it would need to be. I cut the heads off the rivets with my angle grinder, then drilled down in to them, just like I did with the subframe when I shortend the truck. Once drilled, the crossmember popped off with a few light hammer taps. The remaining rivets were tapped out of the frame with a hammer and punch. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...A72A2CEF75.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...D073D04E6D.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...99F429DEA8.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...99F03ACE74.jpg I ran in to a glitch when it came time to hang the tank. Somehow I misplaced the rear strap that supports the fuel tank. At the time I did not know there was a front and a rear strap, until i went to hang the tank with the front strap at the rear and realized it was too long. As far as the rear strap, I guess it went with the Dodge cab that was hauled off for scrap, because I will be damned if I could find it. $32 buys a new pair, so it is not a huge crisis. In the meantime, I used a tie down strap to hold it in place. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...7E4AA86C0A.jpg Once I had the gas tank hung and the crossmember relocated, I fabbed up an adapter to relocate the transmission mount. I need to move the engine and transmission back about 2" for there to be adequate room between the fan and radiator. With the transmission sitting level, the fan is about 1/2" into the radiator presently. I also want to raise the engine and transmission about 1.5". Since neither movement is enough to warrant a new transmission crossmember, I made an adapter out of 1/4" plate stock and a piece of 1x2" 11ga box tube. I drilled the plate steel to match the stud holes in the transmission crossmember and the studs on the transmission mount, one for the top under the mount and one for the bottom at the crossmember. The plates were offset to move the holes back about 2.5" There is also about 1.25" of movement to the rear available at the crossmember. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...3D3C4008CC.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...04903F864F.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...860BC008CD.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...1FD1A845A2.jpg With this adapter installed, I now have 1 7/8" room between the fan and radiator and can move back an extra 1.25" if need be. I still need to add flat stock to tie the top and bottom plates together on either side of the box tube, to protect the adapter from torque loading the box tube. The beauty of this is it bolts in, so it can be removed if needed. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Looking good.
Kim |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Yesterday morning I got after it again once the rain stopped. I removed the radiator and core support from the Dodge frame. Then I rolled the engine out on the stand and pulled the exhaust manifolds off to give me a little extra working room. With the manifolds out of the way, I bolted up the mounts I had cut from the frame and put them on either side of the engine, attached to the motor mounts.
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...2FF572B588.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...6688E35DAF.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...5712C1ABEB.jpg ^^^ Helper Kitty here to supervise ^^^ Once this was done, I placed a jack under the transmission and raised the front so I could remove the support I have bolted to the bellhousing. Then came the fun part...I pulled out the engine crane to raise the motor and removed the engine stand adapter. Since there is no sheet metal in the way, it was pretty easy to mate the engine to the transmission. After the engine and transmission were connected, I put the core support back in place and found I have ample clearance between the engine and radiator now. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...8CF78F64B2.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...84B3E4FF13.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...7FF115E983.jpg When I was satisfied that the engine was in position with the transmission sitting level and no longer supported by the jack, I tacked the motor mount brackets to the frame, then removed the radiator and core support, and pulled the engine back out for final welding of the engine mount brackets. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...A4053FB32E.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...08DA5128E5.jpg The engine mount brackets were raised about 1" and moved rear 2". This leaves plenty of space between the stock 5.9 fan and the radiator. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Things here slowed down just a bit. My daughter was getting ready to graduate (Valedictorian!) and we had friends and family coming in for the event.
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...96FCADF32A.jpg Things are starting to pick back up again and I did cut the cab mount ears from the Dodge frame for reuse. Once I had them all cut off, I used my 2" square tube and the 1x2 to mock the cab mounts into place. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...6C3BE6DFBB.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...19AD4F69E7.jpg One of the issues I encountered was a conflict between the rear cab mounts and the front crossmember that supports the fuel tank. In order to repurpose the factory brackets from the Dodge frame, it looked like I would need to modify the crossmember. I took another look after anticipating notching the frame in that spot, and found a better solution. The factory Dodge insulator is a two piece unit that has steel backs top and bottom. The upper half has a stepped down extension that sits through the frame mount and seats into a rubber donut backed by a large steel washer that cups it all together. The mounting bolt runs through the middle to pull it all together. The problem I ran in to was the position of the mount and insulator in relation to the frame of the truck. The width of the rear mounts on the cab is just about 2" wider than the frame of the Dodge. The insulators need an extra 1/2" spacing in to the frame due to their circumference. Also the thickness of the lower portion would require a notch about 1/2" deep. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...19AD4F69E7.jpg All of this puts the bracket for the insulator right over the two rear-most bolts that hold the crossmember for the fuel tank to the frame. Instead of cutting the frame and crossmember to accomodate the cab mount, I trimmed the cab mount back on the front edge to allow the crossmember to slid into place and be bolted up. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...9B298AB343.jpg This still leaves the issue of the lower washer interfereing with the frame. Instead of notching and boxing the frame in that area, I notched the steel washer. By trimming off 1/2" and making a flat spot on one side, The washer and the lower half of the insulator fit in place. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...C92B006A68.jpg http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...C5178C642E.jpg When everything is torqued down, the washer should have no contact with the frame at all. Normally the washer has the lower part of the bushing glued to it, but I pulled the bushing off to cut and fit, but the bushing will be back in place for assembly. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...1A3A4694F1.jpg I tacked in the rear cab mounts on the back side for now. I still need to make gussets to extend down to the frame front and back for structural support, but that won't be until I am sure it is all squared up and I get some more 3/16" plate steel. The front cab mounts were about the right width off the Dodge frame, but were too far forward and too low to accomodate the Chevy cab. Once cut from the frame and mocked up with the bushings, the lower edge of the mount was now level with the top of the frame rail, though hanging in space. In order to tack things in place, I added some 1/8" plate I had on hand. Again, once everything is finally located, I will make gussets to extend the mounts down to the frame, top and side, for structural support. http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...0B47500480.jpg This morning I went out to recheck everything and found a 1/2" variation on the right side of the frame, between the cab mounts. It was getting ready to rain and I had to go in to work a few hours later, so for now, I am at a stopping place until I find and fix the error and can finshing welding in the cab mounts. As best as I could tell, the right front cab mount is about 1/2" too far forward. Thank goodness I only tacked them all in place. -Joe |
Re: 1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Congrats on your daughter.
Nice work on the frame. Kim |
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