HvyDuty
Senior Member
Hi All,
I have decided to convert my 2017 Ram 1500 4x2 with 3.6L to 4x4 thanks to the advent of AlphaOBD. I'll probably be the first to do this on a 4th gen Ram. I also have a 2018 1500 4x4 with Hemi for similar reference. I'm doing it for a number of reasons. I (wife) really likes the truck and I moved to the great white north over the summer. Trading for 4x4 would be too easy, but unfortunately much more costly in my case.
I have experience doing a swap like this myself before. I converted my 1990 Jeep Comanche 4.0 to 4x4 and I swapped a manual transmission into an automatic w123 Mercedes 300D I had. Could not have done them without forum help; it made those swaps relatively painless.
I think I will be able to get this done for around $2000 sourcing mostly local salvage parts and myself for labor. I plan to post a write-up here in the DIY section once I've collected all the research. Below is the list of parts I've found needed so far, please post any corrections/additions I've missed especially with wiring as this is my biggest hurdle right now. Thank you!
Front Suspension
-4x4 Lower Control Arms ($160/pair new aftermarket)
-4x4 Struts ($140/pair new aftermarket)
Front Drivetrain
-Front 3.55 gear Differential Carrier Complete ($200 Salvage)
-Front CV Half Shafts ($120/pair new aftermarket)
-Front Driveshaft ($50 Salvage)
-Engine Mounts to Carrier Brackets and hardware ($80 new Mopar)
-Front Axle Disconnect wiring jumper ($20 new Mopar)
Transmission/Rear
-4x4 845RFE ($600-$800 low mileage salvage) -Unfortunately its does not look like the tranny output shafts are swappable without opening the cases, so can't reuse my 4x2 845RFE.
-BW 44-45 Transfer Case ($150 low mileage salvage)
-Transmission Crossmember and hardware ($50 new Mopar)
-Transfer Case Wiring Harness (????)
-4x4 Rear Driveshaft ($90 Salvage)
Interior/Modules
-BW 44-45 Dash Shifter ($50 Salvage)
-Transfer Case Module -right side dash kick panel ($50 new Mopar)
AlphaOBD and MX Bluetooth ($100)
I have decided to convert my 2017 Ram 1500 4x2 with 3.6L to 4x4 thanks to the advent of AlphaOBD. I'll probably be the first to do this on a 4th gen Ram. I also have a 2018 1500 4x4 with Hemi for similar reference. I'm doing it for a number of reasons. I (wife) really likes the truck and I moved to the great white north over the summer. Trading for 4x4 would be too easy, but unfortunately much more costly in my case.
I have experience doing a swap like this myself before. I converted my 1990 Jeep Comanche 4.0 to 4x4 and I swapped a manual transmission into an automatic w123 Mercedes 300D I had. Could not have done them without forum help; it made those swaps relatively painless.
I think I will be able to get this done for around $2000 sourcing mostly local salvage parts and myself for labor. I plan to post a write-up here in the DIY section once I've collected all the research. Below is the list of parts I've found needed so far, please post any corrections/additions I've missed especially with wiring as this is my biggest hurdle right now. Thank you!
Front Suspension
-4x4 Lower Control Arms ($160/pair new aftermarket)
-4x4 Struts ($140/pair new aftermarket)
Front Drivetrain
-Front 3.55 gear Differential Carrier Complete ($200 Salvage)
-Front CV Half Shafts ($120/pair new aftermarket)
-Front Driveshaft ($50 Salvage)
-Engine Mounts to Carrier Brackets and hardware ($80 new Mopar)
-Front Axle Disconnect wiring jumper ($20 new Mopar)
Transmission/Rear
-4x4 845RFE ($600-$800 low mileage salvage) -Unfortunately its does not look like the tranny output shafts are swappable without opening the cases, so can't reuse my 4x2 845RFE.
-BW 44-45 Transfer Case ($150 low mileage salvage)
-Transmission Crossmember and hardware ($50 new Mopar)
-Transfer Case Wiring Harness (????)
-4x4 Rear Driveshaft ($90 Salvage)
Interior/Modules
-BW 44-45 Dash Shifter ($50 Salvage)
-Transfer Case Module -right side dash kick panel ($50 new Mopar)
AlphaOBD and MX Bluetooth ($100)