So heres the deal. I will be honest, I am a computer geek not a mechanic. I can teardown, rebuild, and mod any pc out there no problems but I have no clue how to do anything a to a truck other than change the oil or install a cd player. Last year, while on a assload of painkillers after a knee surgery, I went on to ebay and bought myself a beutiful little 81 Dodge Ram shortbox stepside thinking it would be a fun little project. Turns out it was probably not the smartest desicion I've ever made. Anyways here I am, absolutely in love with my little Dodge built lawn ornament however I would at some point like to see it move from A to B under its own power. I was going to take out the crapped out 440 and throw in a rebuilt 318 for better mpg, install a new transmission (possibly automatic so the wife can drive it too) and various other things she'll require to work before I became overwhelled and gave up.

Heres what I know is wrong with it:
The engine is shot, not rebuildable
The carborator is shot
The air filter is shot
The exhaust ends before the cab does
The transmission sucks badly (1st and 3rd don't even work, 2nd is ok though)
The instrament panels do not work
You don't need a key to turn the ignition

Heres whats right with it:
The interior is custom and great
The exterior is perfect (fairly new paint job, not a single dent)
New tires and rims
Brand new starter, spark plugs, battery, cd player, speakers, and subwooferI managed to install

Heres what I'm wondering:
What is it going to cost to get this thing running? (I got about $4000)
What all do I need to buy?
How hard will it be to do? (I do have acses to a shop and a few people who know there way around an engine compartment)

 

For new, check into the crate engines, and a rebuilt auto.
Rebuilt,a Jasper engine/trans combo.
A little cheaper would be a boneyard motor/trans where you might be able to get all the extra parts (linkage, brackets, etc.).
Or possibly best bet, buy a complete rusted out truck, from '81 to '93 and use all the parts you want, junk the rest. This would be the simplest, and probably the cheapest. Andyou're just moving parts from one to the other,so you wouldn't need to worry if you were missing something.

 

If you like the truck it sounds like the hard stuff is done. You could swap engines and stuff in it with the help of a friend pretty easy. I wouldn't put a 318 in it. Maybe a 360 if you are worried about economy. Most people I've talked to say a 318 and 440 will both get about the same economy...a 440 might actually be better if you drive it nice. A 360 is supposed to do better. Guys that told me that all had older carbureted engines.

You could buy a truck or engine out of a truck for pretty cheap. I just sold a good running '75 Chevy for $511 on eBay and bought a good running '90 350 for $310. Plain driver Dodges don't have crap for resale value. Find yourself an engine that runs good and then install it with a new coil, spark plugs, wires, dist. cap and rotor, fuel pump, and water pump. Put in new gaskets and paint it before installation and it'll probably look and run good for under $1,000.

A local rebuilder could take care of your tranny for around $1200 or buy one from a place like Jasper.

The gauges not working are often just bad sending units and the electrical testing procedures are simple and easy to learn. Or you could put a $40 aftermarket gauge cluster in it that is as easy as a stereo to intall and not worry about the factory stuff.

If the new engine comes with a good carb then they are easy to rebuild. Take everything apart, clean it, and put it back together the same way. Or spend $250 and buy a brand new aftermarket carb.

A new ignition key cylinder is a simple $10-20 fix.

For the exhaust, you could have custom duals put on for $250-300.

For this year of truck everything is pretty simple and can be accomplished with basic hand tools. You have the interest so really the only thing you need is a little mechanical intuition. Everything you'd need to do is pretty simple and can be explained online or find a buddy to help you. Just don't expect to put the money in your truck and be able to make money off of selling it. Hard to do that unless you do things as cheap as possible.

Derek

 

why isnt the engine rebuildable???

 

There is a place that sells a remaned 440 for about $1500.
My computer is dead I think,but if I get it running I will get the company name if interested.

 

look on the bright side. 4000 is actually plenty for the job. plus, you cant evenreally buy a decent set of wheels with 4 grand - but you can pump up this old dodge pretty nice! Maybe even earn a little resale value?
i agree with those saying dont rebuild though. it just ist worth it for what a refurbed crate engine goes for.

 

ps. if your lookin for economy and gonnaneed a new engine anyhow,you can prollyget a refurb diesel for about 2000, and definietly no more than 3 or 4 Gs, which at any rate will pay for itself in a couple years. Frankly, I wish i had the exuse of a blown engine to do this job.

heres a start. no idea if itll cram into your rig.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CUMMI...spagenameZWDVW

 

First off thanks for the help. I'm starting to belive I might actually be able to this.

I can't rebuild the 440 thats in it because according to the dodge shop i took it to it a P.O.S. To be more specific i guess the compression leakage is supposed to be around 12-15% max, the lowest was 25% in one chamber and the highest was 62%. He said a bunch of other stuff I didn't really understand too but basically it wouldn't run right even if I rebuilt it.

I'm thinking the 360 is the best option for me after reading up on it some more. I also think I'm just going to throw together a custom instrament panel. I still have alot to learn but thats the point anyways.

BTW I don't care about resale value. I plan on owning this truck for a very long time.

 

I know it may not be your first choice but you already have the 440 if you get a reman 440 all you need to do is swap over some bolt on parts and drop it in.
If you go 360 you will need the accessories,converter,tranny,drive shaft? and howmuch will all the parts you need cost for that setup.
I know the 360 may be more economical but by how much and when your done will you be thinking I should have kept the 440 down the road?

 

That's true, when I think about it guess that for the price of all little extras I'll have to get to switch over would pay for any differrence in mpg. Plus I wouldn't mind a little extra horsepower.