OK, I need input here please. I have a 99 Ram with a 318. I can get a great deal on this truck. How hard would it be to install this whole setup in my truck. Mine is a Short wheel base. Also what new parts would I need if any

 

Need to know cab length, bed length, auto or manual, for BOTH trucks.

Why don't you just use the 2500 as a plow truck?

 

The '95 truck uses a COMPLETELY different computer system, so it would require many more parts from a later truck (intake manifold, PCM, wiring harness, sensors, transmission if it's an auto, possibly tcase...). Not worth it. Buy it, keep both trucks.

 

Both trucks are auto, but the 2500 is a rust bucket. It runs great just the body is gone. Would love the power of the V 10 in my ram, but as stated it's a short wheel base and we all know the 2500 is a long wheel base. I may just have to pass on this one so it seems

 

Even though they are both auto's, the transmission wouldn't swap from the '95 to the '99.

 

Yeah, the jump from OBDI (95 and older) to OBDII (96 and newer) complicates things in a big way.

 

You are Right and Wrong

Right - The 95 is OBDI which uses less electronics for the engine/transmission.
Wrong - The V10 Intake manifold doesn't swap with the V8's nor do the sensors/wiring, etc. Its completely different as is the transmission.

See next response below

It really wouldn't be hard and I don't even think you'd need to change your driveshafts as the 47RH and the 46RE are the same length from what I've seen. If anything the transfer case may be the only difference in lengths.

Your 1999 uses a new computer for the guages, engine, and transmission as you already know. The 95 uses a 47RH tranny that doesn't rely on the computer for most of its shifting (only overdrive I believe). The rest of the wiring harness would need to be swapped with the engine as well, including the dash. If anything doing it this way is easier than if you had the older truck and were trying to put parts from a newer truck in it.

Everything would drop in and bolt right up, if you had a donor truck it makes life much easier. There is a guy over at ********* . com who is doing a similar swap now and seems to be going easy.

A lot of nay sayers have never even attempted something like this yet think it can't be done - I had a lot of that when swapping my 99 2500 from an Auto to a Manual and it ended up literally being a direct bolt in and go swap, very easy to do. Yet people made it sound impossible.

I'd say go for it, the V10 has a ton of torque and will make that little truck move well.

 

The trouble with the swap is, the newer truck uses a COMPLETELY different system to drive the gauges. The OBDI computer won't have a clue about most of it, so, a fair few items are not going to work.

Using a PCM/wiring harness from a newer donor, with the same electronic systems would kinda sorta work, but, the PCM would be annoyed about not getting some inputs from the trans..... Using a manual trans PCM would prevent the use of O/D, and TCC lockup.

Sure, the swap is doable, but, it sure ain't gonna be easy.

 

If he has a donor truck, its as simple as swapping the gauge cluster over along with its wiring harness, then everything works as it should. Thats the beauty of having the entire truck - you need anything, you just take it and swap it over.

 

Cluster won't swap though. Would need to do the whole dash..... including the wiring harness. Cluster shape/layout changed in 98.