2wd to 4wd conversion possible?

well just for ***** and giggles ive been kicking around the idea of doing a 4wd conversion on my ram. its a 2wd 1999 reg cab short bed 1500. this is the CLEANEST dodge i have EVER seen so i would like to keep it for as long as possible, and with the near 17k i have in it i dont have the money for a 4wd as nice as this. so i was wondering if a 4wd swap is even possible? i think id need a new front and rear end as well as tranny, not sure about the motor. its a gas 5.9 im just wondering if this could be done for a couple thousand bucks??? copy and paste this link to see a pic of my truck in question! thanks for looking!


http://www.ramforum.com/members/rammanriley20-albums-my_ram.html

rammanriley20 said:

well just for ***** and giggles ive been kicking around the idea of doing a 4wd conversion on my ram. its a 2wd 1999 reg cab short bed 1500. this is the CLEANEST dodge i have EVER seen so i would like to keep it for as long as possible, and with the near 17k i have in it i dont have the money for a 4wd as nice as this. so i was wondering if a 4wd swap is even possible? i think id need a new front and rear end as well as tranny, not sure about the motor. its a gas 5.9 im just wondering if this could be done for a couple thousand bucks??? copy and paste this link to see a pic of my truck in question! thanks for looking!


http://www.ramforum.com/members/rammanriley20-albums-my_ram.html

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Sure it could be done for a couple thousand dollars. I see older Dodge 4X4s around here al the time for a couple thousand or less. Easiest way would be buy a complete truck, nice or wrecked(cheaper), and swap everything needed. Maybe, if the donor was nice enough, you could use your removed parts to get it running as a 2wd, sell it, and get some of your money back? Good luck!

gunner1374 said:

Sure it could be done for a couple thousand dollars. I see older Dodge 4X4s around here al the time for a couple thousand or less. Easiest way would be buy a complete truck, nice or wrecked(cheaper), and swap everything needed. Maybe, if the donor was nice enough, you could use your removed parts to get it running as a 2wd, sell it, and get some of your money back? Good luck!

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alright dude thanks! i think ill look into having it done! i will need a different tranny correect? but not i different motor i think?

You will need a 4x4 trans, t-case w/shifter, front axle, suspension, front and maybe rear drive lines

By the sound of things, you have a pretty decent truck. I can only assume you are prepared to make this conversion yourself at a $2,000. budget. Sorry to rain on your parade, but the labor alone for a project like that would be 2K. Modification to the front suspension would be necessary, including brake system. Parts alone from a decent boneyard will exceed your budget. So ok, you get a used truck and do a complete swap. This almost always turns out to be a nightmare come true unless you are a professional in a well equipped shop. Then consider the truck you are going to morph into your 4X4. A ragged out old nag will run close to 2K. Surely you don't want to cover a pile of crap with a silk hankie!
Better shop for another truck if you need 4x4. A sucker will give you what you want for your truck if you keep it polished and hold out long enough.

ive decided to just do a dana rear end swap to get posi and im gonna upgrade the front suspension a little. theres no way ill find a decent 2500 anywhere here in iowa with little rust.