Puttng 1st Gen Body onto 3rd gen Frame

Yoox_II · Oct 23, 2015

I have been pondering the idea of putting the body of my 84 d150 onto a 3rd Gen 1500 ram 4x4. What all would be involved with this? The reason I am considering it is because I have been driving my current 84 for 4 years now. The transmission is starting to cop out, the front end is loose and louder than the cherry bomb exhaust when I hit bumps, and I am getting tired of the sluggish acceleration and bad gas mileage.
Would I need to find a single cab frame of a 3rd Gen, or would a quad cab frame work as well? I'm just thinking about the placements of the body mounts and the length of the wheel base and stuff. By the way, I would be keeping ONLY the body and interior components of the first gen. Everything else would be the 3rd Gen... (chassis, suspension, engine, transmission, etc). It would be sweet to have the style of a first gen with the dependability and efficiency of a newer pickup. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

PS
When it all comes down to it, if you strip down a 30 year old dodge and a 10 year old dodge, the frames will be fairly similar, right? There is only so much that an automaker can change with the shape of a frame.

codered · Oct 23, 2015

Yoox_II said:
I have been pondering the idea of putting the body of my 84 d150 onto a 3rd Gen 1500 ram 4x4. What all would be involved with this? The reason I am considering it is because I have been driving my current 84 for 4 years now. The transmission is starting to cop out, the front end is loose and louder than the cherry bomb exhaust when I hit bumps, and I am getting tired of the sluggish acceleration and bad gas mileage.
Would I need to find a single cab frame of a 3rd Gen, or would a quad cab frame work as well? I'm just thinking about the placements of the body mounts and the length of the wheel base and stuff. By the way, I would be keeping ONLY the body and interior components of the first gen. Everything else would be the 3rd Gen... (chassis, suspension, engine, transmission, etc). It would be sweet to have the style of a first gen with the dependability and efficiency of a newer pickup. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

PS
When it all comes down to it, if you strip down a 30 year old dodge and a 10 year old dodge, the frames will be fairly similar, right? There is only so much that an automaker can change with the shape of a frame.

I say good luck to ya. you would need to put the 3rd gen dash in the 84 to make it work(plug n play). depends on what setup you have for the body because a lot can change in 20 years. certain 3rd gens have torsion bar ride, some don't. as long as you're good with welding and cutting, the frame shouldn't be an issue. If you're running a Reg cab short bed it's best to find the same configuration. I might be mistaken but i think the quad cab and club cabs have different lengths for the frame. Quad being bigger, club being shorter. but, you could always get some sheet metal to make the gap from the bed to the cab less noticeable. this is just general info i'm no expert.
Edit: a reg cab long bed 3rd gen would be your best bet.

crazzywolfie · Oct 25, 2015

not worth it. you would have to be a very good electrician or real deep pockets to make it happen. the frames have changed a lot plus 3rd gens are really not that reliable and really don't get much better mileage. your 84's drive train will most likely outlast any stock 3rd gen out there. if you did buy a 3rd gen frame you would have to replace the entire front end if someone hadn't already because they are weak with no grease fittings. cab mounts are also completely different. i saw a 2nd gen body on a 1st gen frame and they had to do a lot of fab work to do it.

Yoox_II · Oct 27, 2015

Okay, if it's not worth worth putting my truck's body onto a third gen, would it make more sense to swap a newer (fuel injected) hemi and new transmission onto my existing truck instead? All I really want is the reliability and constant power of a fuel injected engine, I would like to get away from carburaters just because of how finicky they can be and inconsistent in power. Also like the sound of newer v8 engine too.

crazzywolfie · Oct 27, 2015

your really only limited by your budget. any of them new engines would cost a lot to swap it in. i would guess it could cost between $5-10,000 by the time it is all said and done. would be cheaper to buy an aftermarket fuel injection system and intake for your current engine than it would be to swap in a new engine/trans

Yoox_II · Oct 27, 2015

I hear that Performance Injection Equipment makes a bolt on fuel injection system for our dodge engines, have you guys heard much about them? I'd definitely go for the bolt on style rather than the more involved, complicated type since I am not extremely mechanically inclined, just moderately.

crazzywolfie · Oct 27, 2015

nope never heard of them but after looking at their website they look a bit overpriced for what they are selling especially since their prices are most likely in us currency. i think you should be able to get a bolt on fuel injection system of some sort with everything you should need for less than $3000. just need to do some research into which kit would be best even tho all of them should most likely be about the same

Yoox_II · Oct 29, 2015

After doing a ton of research on my different options for installing an electronic Fuel injection system on my 318, I am going to get the EZ EFI system (product code 30227). It allows you to set the idle speed, fuel pressure and a few other things which in theory will keep the engine running at a consistent pace and rev. Cold starts are a big benefit from this system too. They run about $2000.00 US and are bolt on systems. They come with a computer/screen that let's you punch in your idle speed, fuel pressure, engine displacement, number of cylinders, etc. And allows you to monitor as you drive. The only thing I may have to buy in addition is a different intake manifold because the EZ EFI is only compatible with square-port carb engines, while my holley 2280 is round.
I will be buying this system in the coming weeks and installing it over a weekend (hopefully) before winter sets in, so I can drive it this winter without the stalling headaches.
Any questions or suggestions just let me know

crazzywolfie · Oct 29, 2015

Might want to check to see if that is one of the kits that comes with a fuel pump or not. Some do some don't around that price range.

Also i don't know if it would be worth looking into for you or not but you could see about installing electric fans so you could ditch the mechanical fan. I got electric fans on my 81 and it warms up way quicker than my 93 does. Heck with the electric fans I can set them to not come on till the engine hits 210* so that the heat I get is warm.

Yoox_II · Oct 29, 2015

crazzywolfie said:
Might want to check to see if that is one of the kits that comes with a fuel pump or not. Some do some don't around that price range.

Also i don't know if it would be worth looking into for you or not but you could see about installing electric fans so you could ditch the mechanical fan. I got electric fans on my 81 and it warms up way quicker than my 93 does. Heck with the electric fans I can set them to not come on till the engine hits 210* so that the heat I get is warm.

The specifications says it includes the fuel pump.

I saw your thread on using a 96-2000 caravan fan, I think I'll wonder the local junk yard tomorrow and pick one up for myself. Easy to retrofit onto a first gen?

crazzywolfie · Oct 29, 2015

Ok. Just making sure. I know some include theme in the kit and some don't

They require some trimming to make them look good but all I had to use to bolt themy on was a couple pieces of 90* metal

Yoox_II · Oct 30, 2015

Perfect thanks. Quick question. Would an EFI system come with some sort of automatic choke? How exactly would the system know to rev higher on a cold start for a minute or so

crazzywolfie · Oct 30, 2015

it don't have a choke. it has a idle air control motor.

Puttng 1st Gen Body onto 3rd gen Frame

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