Hey all,

I was just wondering if anyone has done or heard about a diesel conversion on a second gen Ram truck, ie. swapped out the original gas engine for a diesel engine (any make or model of diesel engine). If so, what engine and transmission combination did you use, and how did you go about doing this? Just wondering as I've seen old Chevy and Ford diesel swaps done, but never a Dodge. Just an idea I was toying around with for when the 3.9 V6 in my 97 1500 dies.

Thanks for any help!

 

This has been discussed here a few times and the end result is always the same. Sell your truck and buy a diesel.

Edit: Put a 5.9 gas in your truck or 408,410,412,426 magnum.

 

a guy over on pavement sucks converted his 2nd gen 1500 auto to a 12 vavle cummins manual iirc, also turned it into a dually with rockwells. but the jury is still out and weather or not a 1500 frame can handle the stresses. it can be a pricey swap and its an extreme amount of work and custom fabrication. you were probably expecting to hear this but sell your v6 and buy a straight 6. alot cheaper and easier

 

I wasn't necessarily thinking of putting a Cummins in, I know a guy that put a little Isuzu diesel in an 80s Dodge truck and absolutely loves it. Of course it required a lot of fabricating and custom modifications. I don't want to go to a heavier truck (2500 or 3500) to get a diesel, and I got my truck for next to nothing so I wouldn't mind investing in the parts for a diesel swap.

 

Might be an interesting project, but like you say, a lot of fabrication whcih is time and money.

 

a non cummins diesel in a dodge????? thats blasphemey

 

Perkins 3cyld diesel, Used to work on a couple of houseboats with them. Things would just not die, trany swap would be interesting.

Edit: I don't think they make more than 50hp lol

 

I'm into alternative fuels, primarily oil burners. The problem is ones around here are so expensive used (Rarely less than $10,000 for a 2nd gen, $7500 for a first-gen) and they are inexplicably ragged out by the young diesel crowd, one which I would equate to the ricer crowd, who overfuel good trucks and beat on them then have the ***** to ask an arm and a leg for it.

That being said, I would like to pull a 4bt from a bread truck and stick it in my 99 2500 and junk the increasingly weak 5.9 gasser. Of course everyone says "it's stupid" and "just sell your truck and buy a real diesel lol" but as I pointed out above, that's not always possible.

Good luck with what you do. Several guys have put 4Bts in their half ton second gens. The 4Bt only weighs about 150 pounds more than the stock gas 360, so weight shouldn't be an issue so much as trans fittment. The stock computer can be made to work on the diesel engine if you can machine timing marks on the flywheel(?).

 

I just looked through all the local classifieds, and came across several 2nd gen diesel trucks. Most are in fairly rough shape and would need a lot of work to safety, have high kilometres (average of around 350 000) and the sellers still want $8000-$10000 for them. Figuring that I would probably have to spend another $3000-$5000 on body work and mechanical to get one of those trucks through a safety, a conversion is starting to look pretty good lol.

 

It's a relatively easy swap. The frame will hold it just fine. There's a number of converted 1500s with 12v Cummins' in them putting out anywhere from 600-1000+hp.

The frame is very much like the 2500-3500 frame. Get the mounts from a 25/3500, weld them onto your 1500 frame, and it's a direct bolt-in. Run fuel, power to the pump solenoid, starter obviously, and you're up and running.

The easiest swap would be a 12v Cummins or 4bt Cummins.