Swapping the chassis of a 1997 Ram in a tiny one-car garage seems impossible, but one of our members shows how it’s done.
DodgeForum member DodgeItRamIt97 has a great-looking second-generation Ram 1500, but for a very long time, it was a two-wheel-drive machine. He had it lifted, leaving many people were surprised to learn that it wasn’t four-wheel-drive, but he fixed that by adding the front differential via a complete chassis swap. He chronicled the entire process in the “2nd Gen Ram Tech” section, showing us how he upfitted his truck to four-wheel-drive in a tiny one-car garage.
Introduction
The OP began his detailed four-wheel-drive-swap thread by introducing us to his 1997 Ram 1500 and explaining his motivation for the project.
“So Ive had my 1997 ram 1500 for about 7 years now and I’ve poured countless hours into modifying it for no substantial reason. Aftermarket parts and accessories etc. But the fact that it was a 2 wheel drive was always an issue for me. Below is the last pic i took before the conversion. 8 inches of lift on a mix of parts ranging from Fabtech to Accuair.
At first glance people always admired the truck and upon hearing that it was a 2 wheel drive they alway looked confused. lol. So i decided that it would be a fun project to turn my 2 wheel drive into a 4×4.
Started out by finding a guy parting out his 1997 ram 1500 4×4. Sweet! Was able to get the frame complete with wiring, brake lines, gas lines and front axle/steering components for $600.”
He also included the picture above of his truck looking big and bad, but with rear-drive only.
Body Removal
The OP added four-wheel-drive to his 1997 Ram 1500 by replacing his rear-wheel-drive chassis with another frame fitted with two axles. To do this, he had to remove everything from his stock chassis, and he started by removing the cab, engine and transmission as one big, heavy unit.
In the tiny garage, he used bottle jacks to hold the weight of the body while an engine hoist from Harbor Freight Tools was used to lift the weight of the engine and transmission.
Many people with better facilities will surely question the OP’s method of lifting the body, but when you have limited resources and space, you work with what you have. He did a great job of coming up with a plan to lift the body without spending a fortune on extra items.
Once he disconnected all of the wiring and lines connecting the chassis to the cab, transmission and engine, the OP removed the body mounts and lifted the body, engine and transmission up away from the chassis. He then rolled the rear-drive chassis away from the cab and out of the garage.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
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