crazzywolfie's 81 ram

[rjtx667]

if you can get the truck to warm up past 180 the heater gets warm, but when you start driving it cools back off.

Also realize I am running a cummins radiator in it, so it takes a lot to heat it up 

[crazzywolfie]

even at 180 i find the heater core pretty hot. i think a 180 would be ok even up here in the winter but then again i think i spent the first winter driving my 81 with a 160* thermostat in it. it was a really cold winter driving the truck.

ya a cummins radiator might definitely keep your engine real cool all the time

[crazzywolfie]

well not been doing to much to my truck lately. i did find the 180* thermostat in my tool box when i cleaned it out so i must have a 195 in it so all is good. suppose to have new universal joints showing up for it soon. would be real nice to get rid of the shake i got and i think it is universal joints. it seems to kind of come and go a bit sometimes. was temped to try putting some used universal joint in it but hoping the new ones show up tomorrow. i know i should be taking it easy on the universal joints that are in it right now but i did have some fun today. got to drag a chevy frame out at the storage place in town so that my dad could load cut it up for scrap. had to give it a few tugs to get it out of the spot it was in without getting myself stuck but my truck did good. this frame and most of the other parts trucks there have been there a long time and sunk into the ground a good bit. i might try getting some pics when i go back tomorrow to see about picking up more part. i almost wish i could have kept the truck. the thing is a monster. they got channel bolted to the frame from about behind the front tire to about the front of the rear tire and the cab mounts bolted to that. it also has a 360 4bbl with a standard transmission. this thing would almost be like a tank. it also has the gas tank behind the seat and there was one under the bed. i am taking the one under the bed for my 81 maybe. just need to get the 1 bracket out for that. only 1 bolt left holding that in. got to cut the last one out.

[crazzywolfie]

 been an interesting day. i was helping my dad chop up parts after i was done stripping the dodge and  who else rolls into the parking lot accross the street other than the UPS truck . i went over and the guy on the truck was able to give me my package that i had ordered from rockauto. if i didn't catch him i would have probably not got my truck parts till about 5-7pm instead. managed to get the new universal joint installed. the old front universal joint was all seized up i am a bit surprised how bad it was but it would probably explain why i couldn't get grease into it

i also attached some pics of the truck i was taking parts off of. i have never seen a truck built quite like this truck was. they got the frame real beefed up

[ProjectPW]

We have a '80 model with similar frame  "enhancements" ... future mad max material .... I think it was a cab and chassis/fire truck thing

[crazzywolfie]

ya. if i had a place to store it i would have taken it. it would make a great mad max vehicle. if the front fenders were original to that truck it might have been an army truck in the past which would explain the frame enhancement and why it had 2 gas tanks

[crazzywolfie]

been a busy day working on my 81. my original plan was to just clean and paint the new y-pipe, install it and be done. once i took the old cracked y-pipe off i decided to remove the exhaust manifolds and clean and paint those while i was at it. while i was waiting for paint to dry i decided to upgrade to the newer smaller starter. i thought all of this would go super smooth but apparently not. the transmission inspection cover got bent a tiny bit when i changed starters so it made the most annoying ticking sound. had to pull it out and fix it after i tried changing the starter about 4-5 times trying to figure out what the ticking was. all good now . also looking pretty good. next up on my list is the valve cover. going to paint up the spares that i have and then swap them on. the valve covers are starting to leak pretty good once again. then hopefully i can clean and paint the engine once again and make it look good.

[crazzywolfie]

so any transmission guys around? i got a bit of a question. i got what is left of the 89 d150 in my driveway.  it has a TBI 318 with what i am pretty sure is a A500. the truck looked extremely mint. i think it only had about 40,000 miles on it just because of how clean everything is. the only thing is the transmission fluid is pretty black and i think i remember it smelling a bit burnt. the truck looked like it had been mudded which i am guessing might have possibly cause the transmission to burn up a bit but would it have caused any major damage to anything? i almost want to try the transmission out in my truck if i can get the right drive shaft. i did drive the truck onto the trailer and into my driveway but the truck barely ran most likely due to lack of gas so never got a real feel for it. it seemed to move pretty good but the trans never got warm when i had to move it. would maybe fresh fluid and some new filters save it? i was also possibly thinking about installing an external filter if i do the swap just to catch all the particles. would this be a good idea? i wouldn't mind installing a overdrive transmission in my truck especially since i got this one sitting here but i really don't want to spend a whole lot of money really doing the swap. there is nothing really wrong with my 727 that is in my 81. just my 81 has been my daily driver lately and the better fuel mileage would definitely help until i decide exactly what i am doing. i know it wouldn't work the greatest with my gear/tire size combo(3.23/ 235 75r15) but it would definitely get me closer to being able to cruise the highway at about 1500RPM instead of the 2000-2500 that i currently do with the 727. i was thinking about possibly running larger rear tires but the grimmjeeper gear calculator said that i would almost have to go with 33's to bring the rpm down to where i want which would look stupid in the back.

[ProjectPW]

If the that transmission worked in forward and reverse I would say it is worth a shot to swap it in.  Drop the pan first and make sure it isn't full of mud or debris from internal parts failing. If it looks good just install a new filter and install in your RC. The driveshaft from the truck can be shortened for the RC also. You may have to use the kickdown linkage from your current setup as the tbi stuff may not work. I recommend using ATF+4 fluid, and if everything works out replace the filter again after 500 miles.

[crazzywolfie]

thanks. i was actually thinking about installing it into my 81. the transmission in my ramcharger is just fine and one day i plan on swapping the 318/46RH  out of it into my 81 but i am just not sure if i am done fixing it yet or not. i was just hoping on finding the correct length drive shaft for the job instead of cutting mine just in case the transmission possibly takes a dump. it sucks that we sold the driveshaft that was in the 89d150 but $250 for the drive shaft and trans cross member was too good of a price to pass up.

[rjtx667]

If you asked Noah real nice, he might still have the driveshaft out of the 85 longbed I have. It would not be an exact fit, but give you something to chop on.

You would just need to measure and see what size you need. Granted who knows what shipping on that would cost.

[crazzywolfie]

thanks for the offer but i might know a couple local guys who might have one. i am really hoping i can possibly just find one that will require no cutting or shortening. i just don't like having to deal with the 1 guy because he really don't always know his parts like he should especially since he mainly parts out dodge trucks. he can also be all over the place with his prices sometime. it can make dealing with him difficult but he is the more likely person to have it. he is advertising that he has 2 1990 318/transmissions for sale so there is a good chance he will have one but i think he has been advertising the same engines/transmission for sale for a while. who knows

[SixGun]

I don't what prices are like there but it may be cheaper to get one shortened or lengthened. I've heard that it can from $60-$80 and balanced to boot.  My concern would be the dirty torque converter. Maybe an tc exchange place since it will be stock. Do you have a tach installed?  It seems to me that 2500-2800 rpm is the optimal power band on my tbi 318. I get worried at 3000 or higher since it starts to creep in temp and get terrible mileage.

[taz_man440]

I had one shortened years ago at a local Welding shop. $45 then.  I have since done my own, easy to shorten one....

[crazzywolfie]

i have no clue what it would cost to have one shortened. i know my friend Collin had to have his replaced and i think it cost him $400-$500 to have the tube on his replace at the drive shaft shop near him after he bent it. i am hoping i can possibly find the correct length drive shaft that i need or all else fails buy one that is about the same as the stock one and see about getting it cut. i just don't want to cut the one i got just in case i need to put the 727 back in.

ya i got a tach in my truck. usually when running the highway i run about 2000-2500RPM depending on what speed i decide to do. if i keep at the speed limit and run 2000RPM i probably get better fuel mileage but i don't know if it would be that huge of a difference. the ramcharger with overdrive and lockup torque converter averages about 2-4mpg better than my 81 ever does. i have just been watching the tach in my friends caravan lately and it usually stays about 1400-2000RPM on the highway which is about where i think my truck would do fairly good. i was even possibly thinking i could always play around with overdrive and lockup torque converter to see about getting it to run where it would still have lots of power when i need it.

as far as the dirty torque converter goes. i don't know if i would want to spend too much money on this trans unless i really plan on keeping it. i figure a fluid/filter change and an external in line filter would most likely clean most of the crap out. i would really like to swap the 46rh/318 magnum out of my ramcharger into my 81 eventually but not sure when that is going to happen.