Sorry to post this, but did a few searches and didn't come up with the right info. I have a '98 2 wheel drive (360), and an 87 4x4 4spd, and my thought is that I want a 98 4x4 4spd, and rid of the old, beat up, rusted out 87.

A: Can I weld spring shackles on these newer frames to hang the older front diff? I've read in several places that welding on these frames can be bad juju.
B: How much trouble is it going to be to get the crossmember/control arms, etc. out of the newer truck?
C: ABS, tranny sensors, etc....what's it going to take to get a functioning speedo, etc. doing this swap? I don't care if I have lights on in the dash, but I need a speedo that works.
D: Front diff is a dana 44 (on the 87), would I be better off keeping the rear diff and just finding matching ring'n'pinion for the front?

Any suggestions (especially those based in experience) appreciated.

That is all.

 

I think your best bet would be to find second gen dana 44 with coil springs.

But if youre set on using the leaf spring one. I wouldnt weld them on the frame. I would drill holes, reinforce, and then use grade 8 hardware. Thats what i did on my rear 60 swap.

As far as taking stuff out, its just ripping it out. Ive never messed with the 2wd. Cant be too hard with a torch and bfh

Speedo sensor is in the tcase or the rear axle. Not sure when they switched to the rear axle. Somewhere around 98. So that's not a problem.

Not quite sure what your last question is about. Im not sure what the old rams had, but the 9.25 is actually a pretty stout little axle. Dana 60s have more gear options though. You have 3.55 gears if youre still stock. Those suck as far as im concerned. Not sure what the 87 would have

 

I'd prefer to use the 44 because I already own it, and don't want to have it sitting around in my yard after I get rid of the rest of the truck, like so many other things already do. I'm thinking it already has 3.55's in it, too, so the swap will be pretty cheap to do.

My thought was that, if we ought not to weld these frames (because it weakens them, so I'm told), I probably ought not to use a torch on it either. Can I, without harming it? If I can, then I should be able to weld it, also.

Cool, that'll keep me from having that particular headache.

I meant that, would I be better off just leaving the rear diff in the 98 as it is, and swapping the front from the '87 into it, and changing gears in that one to match the rear, but as mentioned above, pretty sure I already have the 3.55 in my old truck, which makes the swap easy-peasy, and dirt-cheap.

I don't mind the 3.55's, this is nothing more than a work truck, always will be, and nothing I even pull heavy loads with (I have a '75 3/4 ton IH with a 392 for heavy stuff), just lighter loads on a trailer, hauling lumber, motors too and from the machine shop, tools, etc. And my damned dog.

 

I just dont like the idea of welding hangars onto the frame. But that's just me.

There was a guy on here who converted his 2wd into a 4wd with 2500 drivetrain. He's not active anymore but I think there's a thread around here somewhere about his swap. That would be meow helpful as far as removing the 2wd. I don't have any experience with then.

 

Well, I don't like the idea of welding the frame at all, or torching something as big as the crossmember off it, but unless I can get to all the welds holding on the crossmember with a grinder, I'm probably going to have to. I'm much more comfortable welding on the spring hangers than I am using a torch to cut out the crossmember.

 

Turns out the older truck has 3.23's in it, the newer one has the standard 3.55's so I'm not getting away for nothing, but I guess I can't cry too much about $125 for a 3.55 ring'n'pinion for the Dana, if that's about all it's going to cost me. Frankly, I wouldn't even bother turning this into a 4x4, but I have too many trucks, and if this one is 4x4 then I can get rid of both my 87, and my gas guzzling Durango....I think. That leaves me with my 75 and 53 IH, two isuzu troopers, my 69 Dodge Adventurer, my 98 (soon to be 4x4), my 93 Dakota, 96 Suburban, and a partridge in a pear tree....

 

If you park them too close together, they will breed.......

 

Here's the thread that will shed lots of light for you.... "axle swap" in the search function.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...long-post.html

Good luck

 

I knew it was around here somewhere lol

 

97 was the last year the speedo was on the transfer case. In 98 it was on the rear diff, working with the abs system. That should save some issues for you.

As far as the cross member goes, I believe it is rivited to the frame (no welds). The rivits can be ground off, then chiseled or air-hammered out. The same should go for the suspension parts.