Until last night I couldn't understand how swapping the frame section was possibly easier, until I finally discovered the not so common information about the 2nd gen frames being sectional. Now it makes perfect sense and that is absolutely the direction I am going to go.
It has been a real struggle for me to research this project (thank you all for your help!).
I am going to make a youtube video series on the swap and then do a write-up for as many forums as will accept it. I feel this information should be more widely available and in-depth.
I hold no delusions it will still take some time but I will post a link when videos start getting posted

 

I'm not really a fan of cutting/welding frames...... Granted, the factory does it, but, they spent a LOT of money on engineering/equipment, to make sure it was safe. You may indeed have MUCH better welding skills than I, (not that that would be all that surprising. ) still..... I am a big fan of factory welds. And besides, why make it more work than it really needs to be? You are splicing in the most complicated part of the frame, behind that, it's just the box.

 

That's the great part about this procedure, they use the same pattern on all frames. Everything lines up perfectly and after my years of patching together farm equipment and not dieing, I trust my skills frame welding.
​​​​​​​To be honest if the donor truck wasn't so torn up and was a long bed, it would be easier to make that one into a dually. But the body and interior are thrashed. Still... I think we can pull this off.

 

Welding a frame is actually the easiest thing to weld . I plan on boxing the frame under the bed instead of the C channel to stop frame twisting while off road. Also according to me collision book Chrysler only allows the frame to be cut in certain sections and there is a procedure for it, which is kind of long.

Now when I painted my frame call it my OCD or my experience being a weld inspector but I saw some sketchy factory welds that I would have failed

 

Did you get your hands on the procedure for the 2nd gens? I would LOVE to get my hands on a copy!

 

Yeah my local Body Shop allowed me to buy their old books so I did

 

Darn, I don't have a local anything. Closest alignment shop is an hour away via highway, not even sure where the closest body shop would be. What are the odds of getting a scanned copy?

 

I live over 2 hours away from any store. Almost impossible don't have a computer as we can't get internet out here so I use my phone for everything!

 

Just an FYI/FWIW the cad is easy to delete if you don't want it. Pull the actuator off pop the snap ring off slide the plunger reinstall the snap ring on the other side and install, done permanently locked in, course your 4wd light will always be on unless you swap to a tcase mounted switch, not sure how involved that is or if the 241 ever used one/using one from a 271, i forget what my 02 used, but it was a non CAD axle so i assume there was a tcase mounted 4wd switch

 

Sounds like we are in the same boat location wise. Oh well I'm familiar with the idea of the process and understand the importance of the factory staggered welds on the frame boxing. I may just add a couple fish plates when I'm done, make extra sure it never comes apart again.