OK QUESTION for any one whose builta DODGE RAT ROD. Please read at least my 1st post .

OK SO I'm going to be starting a 1989 Dodge Diesel D250 . BUT I'm going to put a 1951 Ford TR Body on it..
SO Have any of you guys done this. I have a few questions.
1. When i post about this Project. Which Topic do I need to ask it in.
2. I DO 90 % OF MY Q&A in the the General Discussion.
3. Is there a better web forum I could get more help. But I've been on here a long time.
4. My most uncertain Question is Has any of you cut the body off the D250 FRAME . & Leave the body mounts & Leave the Floors in place & Leave the fire wall mostly in place . I want to use MY STOCK 89 Dodge brake pedals. my fuel pedal .. My Dodge Brake & Hydro Boost . & I want to use my Dodge tilt steering column .
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5...I'm going to add Here. I want all my wiring harness to stay intact . & As I see it I can take the stock Dodge dash cluster & Move it inside my DASH of the old Ford. . This way I'll not have to rewire . Or said differently . MY VOLT wiring can plug into my Dodge dash cluster . My oil pressure .. my temp gauge . & Best of all in my opinion is the fuel gauge .. Since the flue tank in already mounted in the Frame work of my Dodge D250. & Then I can use the Dodge fuel gauge in the Dodge cluster . & After all those I can have my Headlamp indicator brights & dems & my Blinkers . Maybe even Flashers on a 1951.
& My SpeedOmeter should work fantastic.
6. Can my plan work .. BREAK IT DOWN ANY WAY YOU WANT TO.
i'M A BIG BOY & tHIS IS NOT MY 1ST RODEO.

i'M 72 YEARS OLD NOW . Not totally sure I have one more project in me. But I'm going to start it.
Back ground . Started in the parts business in 1967. Overhauled about 20 old chevy pickups Making an old farm truck. Later in life I got into 1980 Bronco put 3 rebuilt 300cid in it. & Several more Broncos . Then got into a few Dodges.75 D250 with a 440 & 727. & 1995 i sold out & moved onto Part Plus supervisor position until 91101 . Then that ruined that business. . SO I WAS STILL Playing on my farm & jacking with trucks.
Then I landed a position with Chrysler as service advisor dealing with customers .. STRESS. DELUX.
i DID THAT FOR 10 Years & Got hooked on THE CUMMINS TRUCKS .
I didn't agree with the way warranties were being handled . I got sent home.
Then another 10 years at A Freightliner store outside sales .about a 500 mile circle.
& Several of my customers loved Cummins dieseld also .
SO I Built 1972 Ford Bronco half cab.& put a 4BT In it. sweet.
& LATER I'VE BUILT A 1988 GAS D250 with a Western Hauler bed & Then added a Wrecker Hyd Cylinder & made it into a Farm Round Hay Bale Spear .. No Power from the 318 5.2L BUT It only has about 80K MILES on it . SO IT's a wonderful truck..
& Next was about 5 ZJ JEEPS. 1st 4 were 6 cylinders . Worked on the farm. Kept trading on them . & Last one is a 1995 ZJ ORVIS MOSSY Green V8. PRIVATE Ryan. I bought for $300.00 after a young man didn;t come home from IRAC.
Now one of my Grand Sons & I bought this old Dodge 1989 6BT D250. . BUT MY 49 YEAR OLD SON PASSED AWAY IN 2019 CANCER SUCKS.
SO that Grand Son took a 1995 Chevy long bed 350 4x4 Extended CAB. So he doesn't need much to do with this 1989 dodge & 1951 Ford. & I want to put these 2 together .
& I'VE RAN A BIG FARM also since 1972 . I run cows & Make hay. I had 500ac of least & 145 of mine . I don't have any least now but I still have 86ac of mine . I've sold off 52ac since my Son passed . Due to price of the back side of myplace ... They just offered too much money . & The wife & I can enjoy our .. SO CALED GOLDEN YEARS .
. BUT Projects like this Truck keep me going ..
Well new Baby calves on the farm. & Green Grass in my hay fields . & Also 4 Classic TRACTORS .
IH 404 Gas.. Ford 800 & a JUBLIEE.. & a CASE LP 830.
........ thank you for those that read to the end.
... Feel free to tear that top side apart If I'm wrong. You'll only save me money. THANKS

Dang a lot of people read this but no one committed .
I was hoping for an answer or 2.
Thanks in Advance .

OK .. SO IS there a better spot in this forum I should ask this question.
Or do any of you Guys & Gals know of a Rat Rod Forum that I might get some answers ..
Before I tie into tearing either of these 2 Trucks apart.

It can be done. Remember you're basically just removing the sheet metal and wrapping the '51 stuff around the existing chassis. Lots and lots of measuring, and hopefully you won't have to modify the length or width of the chassis. Spend more time taking stuff loose than trying to hurry and get it drivable, make sure you label them and take pictures, then you can figure out where you're going to put them once you start assembly. You're going to have to do some modifications for sure along the way, and you're only going to find them out when they reach up and slap you in the face.

It sounds like a great idea, and I really admire you for tackling it at 72. I'm 68 and i guess I've worn my body out doing life instead of just letting it happen. Small tasks are almost beyond me, and even things like changing an upper radiator hose on a Jeep Cherokee I6 took me 3 hours. Just keep the patience and determination and you can do it. Inspiration? $1200 Corvette that I rolled in like a wheel barrow and brought home in 2 pickups and a flat bed. Lot of work, imagination and figuring out how something works, but it was fun Yea, that's the same car in both pics

Buckneccid. Yes I FOUND A 1968 427 CORVETTE ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO. It didn't have but about 30k on it . & I went to another customer that built custom Rides. & So I took my customer to my other customer & no 2 owned that Corvette. & in about 3 months It was rolling again.
I couldn't wait to go see each of those guys once a week.
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......... & Yes I understand how some crazy stuff happens .. When I put that 4BT into my 1972 BRONCO . It was cut patch & mold & paint it or under coat it.. But I loved coming up with some crazy way to regenerate some aspect on mating those 2 together.
& It a rather nice Unit to have on the farm.

I think your making more work for yourself by cutting the body away and leaving the lower parts. The biggest differance your going to find is the older truck is much narrower that the donor truck. A plasma cutter is the tool for getting everything apart.
I think it would be much easier to just start with the frame stripped completely of sheet metal. And mount the new body and build from there. Your going to cut down almost all of the donor to fit. Why waste the time. Yes use the complete wiring harness. but only use the cluster part of the dash. A small HVAC unit can be found to fit better than the gen 1 unit. Think smaller.

Sounds like an interesting project. I agree with 1970 Pelle in the width part. I see the shine in using the firewall and dash but the two are way off width wise. I did visited a shop here in Saginaw Mi where a guy took a old Lincoln and mated with a police Crown Vic dash and powertrain. He cut behind both by the windshield in a fashion that allowed everything to fit. The Lincoln was probably wider than the Crown Vic or close. The problem I see is the cluster is going to be in the door jam and the steering wheel will be sitting on the seat. There are plenty of plug and play instrument cluster options and do a under dash air if you cant get the windows to work.

Thanks Guys. Yes the old 51 Ford is narrow than the Dodge , But I'm planning on cutting away I'm thinking about 6 inches of the dodge Fire wall .. We'll see if this works.
& Yes I like the thought of that Dodge cluster SO all the gauges will work From the original wiring . But OF COURSE temp, oil & volts are not an issue . But getting to use the cluster & the speedOmeter. I'd not have any issue from the trans to the speed. & I'll have a trip meter . I'll have dash lights. & The gas gauge will work. Remember the stock tank will be used So the gauge can be used with it's wiring .
Now the steering column it may need to be cut loose & shifted inside maybe an inch & That will say the steering wheel most likely will need some attention. Yes the width is going to be an Issue.
...... I'm thinking get a piece of either 14 gauge Flat sheet metal & fix it so the cluster will bolt or attach to that flat plate ... That Flat plate can either be metal & painted or sprayed with Hammer Finished Silver or I've even thought of using some of that Chrome Aluminum Diamond plate or Checkered plate .
.... CUTTING THE ORIGINAL DASH cluster out so It could be welded back in place
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....... Yes I do plan to use one of the AC DASK CLUSTER FROM SOMETHING LIKE Classic Air.
.... Won't a tilt wheel keep the steering column from setting in the seat. As one of you said.
Yes most of that stuff will just have to be checked out as building moves along.
I'm almost 73 so my biggest worry is when my warranty runs out.
I feel I'm in rather good shape . My biggest problem is if I get down on the ground I can't get back up off the ground. I'm trying to find myself a helper. Lifting & doing stuff under the truck.

My dodge setup has the original 727 auto trans . But I'd like to swap in a OverDrive 46RE Or the A518. I'd like to have an O/D trans .

I apologize I haven't been following your build very close. The only thing stopping that trans upgrade is you. Go for it, you just need to researh the swap. The find the correct parts needed. And with the frame clear of sheet metal the swapping of parts will be much easier. A bunch of folks have went with OD trans on older trucks
Just today I watched a video on you tube, where they took a cummings and built a 36 chevy truck. The built off the 1936 parts rather than use a Dodge frame. It came out looking great, and they guy uses it to pull big 5th wheel trailers.

1970 Pelle What did you put in on You-Tube to find that build . I've watched a bunch but I have time for more.
.......
. & 2nd ... what does you Handle stand for or mean.
..... My Computer say it stands for ...PELLE , Means spade , shovel, trowell, ladle, Bucket, Fluke & French Kiss...
Wonder where you were going .

Well i'm still in the planning stage of this Ford on Dodge frame..
I did add another Concrete Slab in front of my shop .. It's 15ft X46ft long.
I'm thinking I can put the Dodge & it's frame up front & place the Ford behind it ... Take the cab off the Dodge & & PREPARE IT for the FORD items . Then pull the cab from the Ford & roll it forward with an A Frame .. Haul the frame from the Ford away . & Continue my build..
On & I'm planing building a awning over about 18ft of the slab. KEEPING some of the water off my project. I've got 8 joints of 2 &3/8 pipe & I've got about 15 sheets of R-Panel .. Only thing I think I'll really need to buy is the C-Purlin..

Love all your ideas, Pa' ! Got quite a few projects planned myself which includes a Rat rod project. Keep up the passion my friend ! Here's a pic of one of my babies !

WOW MATT that's one sweet ride.
Automatic 727 or OD 727 OR 5 SPEED.
.... HOW OLD ARE YOU.. I'm 73 now retired & I sure hope I can keep my health.
& I've had enough bad stuff . Slap me on the jaw. But my Beer Stein is still half full. Divorce at 29 years, Corporation I was hooked up with went Bankrupt.. It didn't hurt me much, Except I lost my Parts store after about 32 years. Got a better job .. then lost one son at 25 years old, Jeep wreck & lost a 2nd son at 49 years old from Cancer . 4 year college athlete.
I think it's Willie Nelson line from a song. I woke up & was surprised to fine myself mostly still SANE..
.... BUT I've got lots of friends & family .& I don't get cheated If I can stay out of the Poker Games.

Pelle ... Thanks for commenting on my build..
WHAT did you put in to get on You-Tube to bring up that 1936 project.
I've looked on you tube & Not found much.
Some of those U-Tubes Are great & some not so much.
.... Yes you are correct with the sheet metal gone I can do 95% of that swap from the top side standing up.
... & On mine My 727 is almost gone. Back a few years ago when I was driving it up & down the county road just keeping mobil. It would leak out enough of it's fluid to not move in just a jew miles / maybe 10.
SO If I have to rebuild the trans I might as well put in the trans I want.
..... AS I said I have plenty of friends here in our little town .& One of them was our local trans rebuild man .. If I can ever find a tran, I'll Take it to him & get it rebuilt & he still builds them at his house .. But he'll not put them in.
SO That helps me .. He did 2 for me in 2022.

Pelle I had a 1991 also many years ago .. It too had a 727 in it. My hunting buddy & I had just started goin out to New Mexico hunting. SO I found us an old camper Cab-Over & put it on the old Dodge. & i Towed that mess out &back about 5 times Before getting my current 2000 haul truck. .
That old 91 would only run 81 mph..Wide open & at least it had a cruise control. But it got 11 mpg out there & back. THAT was the truck camper & trailer with either my 1980 Ford Bronco 300cid 4 speed or later my buddies 66 Bronco & Np435 & later My 4BT 72 Bronco & NP435. Mine was tough to start at about 7 to 15* EACH MORNING .
BUT SOME OF THOSE MOUNTAINS THAT OLD TRUCK pilled down to about 30 mph .. While my 2000 pulls much better .. I'll get about 8 mpg going out there but gets up to 12 coming home empty.. But it too pulls down to 50 mph one we get almost to the ranch in N.M.
THE OLD MAN that owned the ranch, He passed away last year & his grand kids want let us come & hunt anymore ..That ranch was 50,000 acres .
We're heart broke . He was about 91 & His wife was 88 it was her grand parents old place . My wife & I went to RUIDOSO at the same time last summer & met her & took her to supper . It was her & her husbands Wedding Anniversary . She was so happy.

Just in case . If anyone on here is located in TEXAS or at least close to Texas. I'LL COME pickup an Automatic O/D trans .
one of the wife & mine's running buddies couple .. We'll take off on a long week end & have a weekend vacation.. These tran i'm looking far I think is 1995 46RE Or the A518..

thanks A BUNCH GT' yankee .. I can't tell you how many times I've searched so much ..& I never find anything.
....I'll do my best to see If I can watch these ..
THANKS & Awesome.

OK Guys I'm thinking i need 2 steal 16ich wheels. I need them as flat as possible. & I need them to fit over my 89 3/4 ton disk rotors.
SO CAN Someone tell me what I need. CHEVY Dodge or Ford.
I want to use beauty rings & Baby Moon Hub caps.
Those are what I've decided for my wheels . Much cheaper that something I might buy & not like. & I've been looking for another set of the 1995 8 hole chrome 8'' stock wheels . For A GOOD 6 MONTHS & I've really not found any more of them.