There is no question that 1st gen Dodge Ram (and the Dodge D Series trucks before they became the Ram) look awesome when dropped. While they have very upright lines, a slight drop goes a long way in making the earlier Ram trucks look like sport trucks but those old school Dodge truck owners who want to lower their truck will find a distinct lack of aftermarket support for lowering their trucks. Fortunately, DF member GLHS592 has put together an awesome DIY on how to lower your early 1970s Dodge trucks by using parts that can be found in many junkyards.
Using components from an early 1970s Dodge Ram Van, you can lower your Dodge D Series pickup by a couple inches and while it isnt literally a direct swap, changing the lower control arms from the truck to those designed for the van can bring down the nose of your pickup by some 3 inches. Also, to lower the back end of the truck to match the front, flipping the rear differential allows you to safely lower the rear end without spending big money on new components and GLHS592 has included the how-to for the rear end as well.
Finally, GLHS592 has included pictures of his great looking early Dodge D150 before and after performing his lowering DIY. As you can see in the image above, his truck looks amazing.
"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.
