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'94 Dodge service truck DD/Tow rig build

You bastard!


Nice score:thumb:


for that panel you can buy a cheap slide hammer and a stud welder or borrow one, another option is just to get a cheap patch panel or junkyard one and scab it if your just going for looks.


Does look better already though:thumb:


ah.. and you bastard!
 
These trucks aren't in junkyards or auto dismantling shops around here. I have no clue why but I've been looking for a door/fender for weeks without much luck so I think finding a cab I could cut a piece out of isn't going to happen. I'll just have to stick to yanking on the ol' slide hammer. :)
 
hey there is a guy in cambell that is always parting out dodge trucks of this variety. i know its a bit of a stretch but if you ever do any bay area traveling worth looking into.

***ETA linky poo.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/2285849645.html


if it came down to it i could probably snag it for you and help get it to you.

Thanks for the offer! I'll see what I can do locally though. My search for body parts has slowed down as my want for torque grows. :D
I need to finish a couple little projects and get gauges on then I'm going to bring on the hp/tq a little before I finish the body.
At the end of the day I'd rather get up the hill comfortably with an ugly fender/door than have a pretty fender/door and be pushing it. :thumb:

He can find them. He is just too slow and wont jump at a deal when he finds it:)

Some of us work and go to school full time PLUS get sucked into doing a million other projects for family and church so we don't have time to dilly dally around on craigslist all afternoon and go buy parts. :flipoff7:


:D
 
Got some work done this weekend and there's still a day left so I'm feeling optimistic about progress :)

Started the day by driving out to a neighboring farm community about 1/2 an hour away and picked up a really clean power door to replace my passenger side that's munched up. Got it for $60 which even factoring the drive in was better than what guys around here were wanting and half the time they weren't even all that clean.
So this'll go on tomorrow. I'll swap my mirror, interior panel and lock cylinder on then bolt it up.

DSCF0487.jpg


Then this afternoon I whipped up a way to get 4wd going. Like many dodges of this era the vacuum actuator was giving me trouble but the transfer case shifted great through everything so I said forget it and made up a cable operated setup to move the shift fork and engage the two passenger side axle shafts manually. Eventually I'd like to convert the outers and run hubs and at that point I'll lock the central axle disconnect in fully but for now this was cheap and works pretty well.

Here's the parts I used. A locking manual choke cable, a couple springs, an 1/8" NPT to 1/4" compression coupler, and some cable locks.
DSCF0470.jpg


Here's the CAD off the front axle before I started working on it.
DSCF0471.jpg


Here's what it looks like inside the tube. That collar slides and locks the two shafts together...
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I drilled and tapped a hole to 1/8" NPT in the side of the cover to fit the one side of that compression sleeve. The housing is cast so it was plenty thick enough to get a good thread engagement.
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Then I drilled a hole through the shift fork to fit the cable.
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Here it is mocked up...
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I mounted the cable like this for now.
DSCF0480.jpg


Once the cable was run through the firewall I was able to put it back together. I bent the end of the cable once it was through the shift fork and put a cable lock on the end of it. I had to play with this for a while to get the right spring tension/length.
DSCF0482.jpg


Here it is all bolted up.
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I made a bracket that I ran one of the diff cover bolts though and zip tied the cable to it so it's out of harms way (it's also zip tied to the axle tube right at the CAD.
DSCF0486.jpg


It works pretty dang well for being so cheap. I need to be rolling a bit but that's normal even for the stock setup.

Tomorrow I'll get started on that door. :)
 
Nice. Just made your own 4x4Posi-Lok system.
 
Ouch...they go for that much now?


Friend of mine had a similar Dodge years ago. Ended up finding a Ford D60 and just swapping that in. Eliminated ALL of the Dodge D60 issues.
 
Ouch...they go for that much now?


Friend of mine had a similar Dodge years ago. Ended up finding a Ford D60 and just swapping that in. Eliminated ALL of the Dodge D60 issues.


Yup they have been $200 for a few years now....but WELL worth it for DEPENDABLE 4wd.....and awesome for turning when you have a welded front end with 1400lbs hanging on the front of a pulling truck.:haha:

My tow rig still has its vaccum setup, but the first time it gives me trouble its getting replaced!

Nice Posi-Lok on the cheap!:bow:
 
Ouch...they go for that much now?


Friend of mine had a similar Dodge years ago. Ended up finding a Ford D60 and just swapping that in. Eliminated ALL of the Dodge D60 issues.


That would be ideal but I think there's some unwritten rule about your tow rig having a good 60 before your trail rig does. :haha:
 
theres a nice collection of those out here in ny in the junk yards guess it dont do you much good but truck is looking good
 
That would be ideal but I think there's some unwritten rule about your tow rig having a good 60 before your trail rig does. :haha:
True. He wheeled the piss out of his though...the faux D60 didn't hold up well to 35's and the weight of a Cummins while wheeling.:doah:
 
Looks good, but to play the other end..... what was wrong with the vacuum system? Why not just fix it? Maybe I've been lucky, 200K on my '01 and it's worked everytime I've needed 4wd.:dunno:

How do you like that P3 controller? I've got one in my Mega Cab and a Prodigy in my '01 and I actually like the Prodigy better. It works just as good and it's easier to adjust the gain, I think.
 
I have no clue how the vacuum system works to engage that little actuator. I traced all the lines, cleaned every connection and checked the whole thing for leaks and couldn't get it to work so I did this because I knew I could make it work.

I love that brake controller. I've had it a couple years and have no complaints. I have it all dialed in for my trailer with the k10 on it and it works like a champ.
 
I have no clue how the vacuum system works to engage that little actuator. I traced all the lines, cleaned every connection and checked the whole thing for leaks and couldn't get it to work so I did this because I knew I could make it work.

I love that brake controller. I've had it a couple years and have no complaints. I have it all dialed in for my trailer with the k10 on it and it works like a champ.
Ah, well at least you KNOW if it's locked in or not.

That P3 is pretty awesome, but I am switching between 3-4 trailers a lot and have to adjust for each one, that is where my complaint is with the P3. The electric over hydraulic is a cool feature though.
 
There's no upper end brake controller that allows you to save settings for each trailer?
 
Oh, forgot to post I got the new door on. This truck is all kinds of colors now. :)
I had to pull the wiring harness out of the new door and suck my wiring harness back out of my old door then run it through the new door once it was mounted for the lock/window/speaker/mirror because the new door uses a plug at the cab and the '94's didn't.
I fought with the handle for a while but got it figured out. I ended up swapping my lock cylinder into the new handle so that my key works for both doors.

DSCF0488.jpg

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Now I just need a fender and I can start prepping for paint.
 

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