A friend of mine has a 1992 Dodge Ram with the Cummins turbo diesel. The overdrive unit has destroyed the case in the tail of the transmission. As near as we can tell, that is a common problem with the early Ram diesels. I went to Dodge to check on a replacement part and it is discontinued and no longer available at any Dodge dealer. I am trying to help him decide on what to do to get the truck back on the road, and have a few questions. I tried doing a search of this forum on the subject, but only got 5 responses from the search function none of which had anything to do with diesel pickup's automatic trannys. I may have worded my question to the search engine wrong when I worded it "1992 Ram diesel + automatic transmission."

Does anyone make a replacement case for the original tail shaft for early model 2 wheel drive Dodge Ram diesels?

If we can find a transmission from a later model truck with the Cummins diesel, will it bolt in and work wthout major electrical system modification or extensive fabrication being required?

He is also willing to consider converting the truck to a stick shift. Are there problems or pitfalls we should be aware of if we decide to convert it to a stick shift?

 

I would call a local reputable transmission shop and see what they can find through their suppliers and that will at least give you your options for repair of that tranny. Your local junk yard should be able to tell you what alternatives you have in so far as switching away from that tranny.