2002 Dodge ram 1500 Auto to manual conversion

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Skatulaki

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2002 1500
Engine
5.9 liter 360
I originally had this thread on Second Gen forum, but closed it out as my Ram is actually 3rd Gen.

Anyway, this has taken some time and research and bit of effort but not as much as I originally thought it would. it will take a little more cash than I first thought, but not too much more.
After I removed the R-46 ( which by the way I recommend shelling out a $112 bucks for a trans jack instead of trying to use a regular floor jack for stability reasons. It rolled off to the side and when I grabbed the tail end of it, it smashed a finger and I lost a nail for a while but it has almost fully grown back ). The R-46 is quite heavy.

I began to search junkyards and found a manual Gen 3 in a u-pull it type place. Was surprised to see such a nice truck in a junkyard, 2wd shortbed, not smashed, not rusted, while I didn't recognize the engine it was probably a 3.7. I pulled the steering column ( had a key woohoo ) , brake and clutch pedals, NV 3500, Flywheel, CP and PP, shift lever and some other stuff. While I'm only going to be able to use the steering column pedals and maybe shift lever and wiring connector, I bought the other stuff for cores or future use. The NV 3500 might or might not fit, but I'm not using it as the pilot bearing portion of the main shaft shows much wear, and it would have to be rebuilt.
Autohotwire informed me that all the wires going to the auto trans can be tie wrapped up out of the way and all I need to worry about are the back up lights, and that I might need a new ECM or have it reprogrammed.

Now that I have the funds, I have ordered through Rock Auto a Precision flywheel and 12 inch clutch kit ( instead of 11" ) and a LUK ( I think ) master and ***** cyl clutch system that is allegedly containing a fully filled and bled fluid system, that is suppossed to bolt right in ( cough ).

Next was the bellhousing. I chose to go with the NV4500 5 speed rather than the foreign Getrag 6 as the gear ratio's couldn't justify the extra gear for my use. I ruled out the NV 5600 because the gear ratio's were not much different, and because I don't believe I will need the heavier duty and didn't want the expense. While I gave Tremec consideration, the trans ratio's were not significant , and I wouldn't have a suitable core.
I found a company named Smart Parts Auto who makes new bell housings and a lot of conversion parts, however I also found MidWest Transmissions who rebuilds Transmissions and has GTO ( Good Take Off ) parts , and said they had a used bell housing that would mate an NV 4500 to 5.9L Gas. ( the man I spoke with evidently knew the difference between the 5.9 Gas and the Cummings. So now I also have the bell housing on the way but it doesn't have the throwout bearing fork :-( .

Transmission: After having chosen the NV 4500 and shopping around, Autozone has them for comparable prices, and the bonus is : I don't have to pay freight. Manager says I can use the R 46 as a core because it makes more sense to them as most have automatics. I might order that this weekend. or i might shop around a little more see if I get lucky!

What is left: Throwout bearing fork. Midwest said the bell housing they are selling me doesn't have one, I believe they are available from places like Smart Parts.
Drive shaft: Dorman has a good selection, but I am looking at 900 or so bucks for a new one. I tried matching one up. The R 46 is 39 inches, the NV 3500 I have is 34, I have a 4 door with 6 ft bed and current drive shaft is 82 1/2. I don't know how wheel base is measured, but I appear to have 140 " from center of front wheel to center of rear wheel. Dorman has a 137. 7 or something close, I forget, so it might be right, but I do not know where to measure from. I also do not know the length of an NV 4500. Or if the splines will fit!
 
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Skatulaki

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2002 1500
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Parts are arriving stay tuned! However Rock Auto has disapointed me! Sent me cheaper substitutes claiming the manufacture has since substituted the desired Item. I think its scam, but what I got should work, and not worth the trouble to cry about it at this point!
 
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Skatulaki

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I think I had a stroke of luck. I found a 2003 Ram 1500 about 3 hours away, that was in pretty nice shape. While it has a weak NV 3500 that needs rebuild, it came with an NV 4500 with bellhousing for $3000. Since I was about to shell out $1500 for a rebuilt 4500 this looked like a really sweet deal to me. I now have everything for my original project except a driveshaft. With it also came the first half of a 2 part driveshaft from a 2500 which appears to have a larger knuckle at the U joint. I am not convinced however that the portion of the shaft I have can be mounted to current frame. Since I have a NV 3500 I got from a junkyard I can rebuild, I can do a direct swap in the 03, and come out of it with 2 Ram 1500's. A 4 door with 5.9L gas, and a 2 door short bed with 3.7 six!
 

Ram_Man34

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1998
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Magnum 5.9
I have wanted to do the swap but heard it is a real hassle, it is good to hear that it is not as bad as you initially though. Or is it now at this point? I have a 98' with the v8 5.9 which I think is the same engine, the transmission will most likely go out if I keep driving it like I have.
 
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Skatulaki

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Ok Ram Man , I'll share what I know at this point. You have a Gen 2, which is actually easier than my 02 Gen 3, 4 door, which was never made with a manual trans. Ram 1500's in 02 never had manual trans, but the Ram 1500 03 I just bought did come with manual trans.

So ok, the 5.2/5.9 Gas and 5.9 Cummings both came in Gen 2's, The 5.9 gas and 5.2 gas, 360 /318, apparently came with the NV 4500 manual trans option as I have aquired the bell housing to do so, as well as an NV 4500. ( I will not speak for the Cummings, but it would not make sense for it to not work also )
My 03 Ram 1500 Shortbed 3.7 came with an NV 3500, which was previously paired up with Dakota's for years with their V6's and 318's, the V6's a 2 cyl chopped off 318.

Now the manual trans for the 02's only came with the Ram 2500's, So I have got the Flywheel and Crank position sensor for the Ram 2500 5.9 Gas, clutch plate, pressure plate, and bell housing to bolt up to the 5.9 gas ( basically pretending its a 2500) got the NV 4500. It's all going to bolt up.

All of this has gone better than I thought. The biggest obstacle is going to be the driveshaft !
The NV 4500 is heavier duty so it has a bigger output shaft and u joint knuckle than the 1500 Ram, and is 5 inches shorter than the R46 automatic, so I am probably going to have to have a custom driveshaft made. ( remember mine is a 4 door ) . I might have to have the ECM reprogrammed as well, but i expected those things.
 
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Skatulaki

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Now Ram Man getting back to you. If you are running an auto that you want to transfer to manual , there are more steps. You will need to swap, steering Column, pedals, and mount the clutch system. Everything ( mounts ) and the parts are there, you just have to install them.

2nd Gen which you have is easier, its not that bad. it should be easier for you to get a driveshaft, and ECM.

I also know where there is a Gen 2 5.9/5.2 2wd with a manual and the owners want to sell!
 
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Skatulaki

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UpDate! The weather has cleared up and warmed up so I have been able to get back to work on this. As I write the manual for this from scratch, this is what I have thus far accomplished. I have replaced the auto shift steering column with a manual one from an 03, and I have replaced the pedals from same 03. This was not particularly difficult, however it was hard to get in a position where you can do it. I have installed the clutch hydraulics for a Ram 2500, however this is not going work. ( it will actually work but the piston rod pushes the clutch pedal up too high), so I'm going to get one for an 03 1500 manual.
The wiring of the steering columns, appears to match up and the connectors connect right up, Hopefully won't go up in smoke when I get to the point of hitting the key.

Next, because it seems to leak a bit of oil, I decided I was going to pull the oil pan before doing anything else since it was going to be a lot easier with trans completely out of the way. With this thing up on stands I can pretty comfortably sit up underneath and work on it. ( I'm a short guy ). What I found here, is that you cannot get the oil pan out without removing both the crossmember and the exhaust crossover, and oil pump. However you can change the oil pan gasket if you remove the crossmember and the oil pump. Since it was too much trouble to remove the exhaust crossover for no purpose other than to clean and paint the oil pan, I settled with replacing the gasket.

Next: I installed the pilot bearing in the end of the crank, using a piece of 2x4 and a persuasion tool. That is where I am at this point. My next step will be to remove the auto trans dip stick assy. Zip tie and or tape all the old auto connection wires out of the way. ( they get in the way) Then I will probably cut the holes in the insulation, floorboard, and carpet. After that I will begin installing the flywheel , the evil CPS, and cp, pp, and bellhousing.
 
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Skatulaki

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2002 1500
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5.9 liter 360
I have since cut the hole in the insulation between transmission and deck, then peeled back
the insulation to access the trans tunnel. It's easy, two thumb screws, gets the insulation freed and able to be peeled away temporarily. The Hole to cut is actually outlined. I removed the former auto trans dipstick assy, and there is a cable that goes from the auto trans to the
acceleration assembly, that I need remove, as well as the auto trans cooling lines.
I have also had to remove the cup holder assy as the one in the auto trans truck is not the same as the Man truck, and is in the way.
I also received the 03 style clutch hydraulics, and installed them, and these fit properly
 
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Skatulaki

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2002 1500
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5.9 liter 360
This transformation would not take a lot of time, I'm just doing it at my leisure, cleaning and painting "everything", consumes large amounts of time ! Not to mention I work 50 hours a week, and am not able to spend lots of time.
 

Ram_Man34

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Magnum 5.9
Wow this is an old thread! Did you finish your project? I still have the same truck and yes the transmission, torque converter or something is making noise when it hits a certain amount of torque on accelerator.
 
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