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2nd Gen Ram Tech1994-2001 Rams: This section is for TECHNICAL discussions only, that involve the 1994 through 2001 Rams. For any non-tech discussions, please direct your attention to the "General discussion/NON-tech" sub sections.
Got my cam in right before Christmas. One thing I really like about Powell's operation is that they cam doctor all their cams and include that sheet in the box. Much more detailed than most places.
Block still not done yet, but the machinst did call the other week to ask if I wanted him to order the head bolts and use those same bolts to fasten the torque plate for honing. Since I didn't have them yet I told him to go ahead. Should be ready real soon I'd guess.
Looks like I got lucky on the driver side with the coil bucket. It wasn't all rotted like the passenger, so I'm gonna run it.
While I've got that fender off, I think it would be a good time to tackle the steering. Now, this truck doesn't steer bad for it's age/mileage (175k roughly). Presumably because I've stayed on top of tie rods and the like as they've worn out and I never ran huge tires. But it's not completely new, so I'm doing what I can to restore it to as good as it can be.
To start off, let's look at the lower steering column bearing. I have the assembly apart here, and apparently these are a common issue. The spring rides on the steering shaft against a little metal retaining clip, providing preload to the centering ring against the bushing to center to the shaft. I found it odd that the retaining clip didn't have a groove in the shaft, meaning it's not only just held on by it's own deformation pressure, but also there's no standard depth of installation. So I suspect that a lot of guys who've had steering slop issues in this area (the reason the rock solid ram steering thing exists) is because that retaining clip wasn't installed tight enough, or backed off slightly over time causing the spring to lose pressure.
My upgrade solution here, thanks for fellow forum member Keith_L is to install a full groove bearing in place of the ring bearing used in the stock setup. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...n-bushing.html
I like this solution much better than the rock solid ram bushing, and it's substantially cheaper.
The proper bearing is 25mmx42mmx9mm. I found a high quality Japanese made NSK bearing in that dimension on ebay for under $15 shipped. Part number 6905DDU.
Image below and above courtesy of Keith:
While I had the intermediate shaft out, I didn't pay any attention to wheel position, so had to go in and remove the clockspring to recenter it. Turns out it's an easy proceedure, laid out in the service manual. Depress the tabs, rotate clockwise until it's tight, back off 2.5 turns, install.
Planning on cleaning up and re-using my steering shaft with a new rag joint. I like the vibration damping of the joint, and frankly mine is still alright at 175k, I'm just replacing it because of the age on the rubber.
Next is tackling the steering gear.
I've got it all apart now and inspected. Disassembly was a bit of a pain, in particular the large lock ring in the big end, it was rusted in place pretty good. I also didn't have the proper tool to back off the adjuster in the small end, and snapped my cheapo needle nose trying to break it free, but got the job done with a hammer and punch. Probably need to order the right tool for re-assembly though. Very messy job this.
Fortunately it all looks pretty good inside. I don't see any excessive wear on the gear teeth or the *****. I'm going to install a new pitman arm shaft bearing, as it's got a little play it in, but otherwise things look good.
I didn't suspect this to be worn out given the truck still steers pretty good, but new seals and a paint job are in order. Also, I made some adjustments to the preload a few years ago trying to eliminate the slight bit of on center slop. I did it in the truck which the service manual says not to do, and didn't get it quite right, so it was a little twitchy on center after that. Having it out gives me the ability to do both adjustments properly on the bench. Should be good to go.
Last edited by Skeptic68W; Apr 16, 2025 at 04:03 PM.
Chipping away at it some more. Got the driver side of the front axle and things cleaned up and primed. I also drilled some drain holes in the coil bucket since the other side rotted out so badly. Too bad I didn't have a before photo because they were crusty. Basically my proceedure with this stuff is as follows:
1. Air chisel any chunks or scale
2. Use an angle grinder with a knotted cup brush to hit everything you can see
3. Use a handheld wire brush on whatever you can't get with the grinder
4. Pressure wash (to remove any grease, I use lanolin undercoatings so this stuff is everywhere)
5. Apply phosphoric acid rust converter
6. Wash again
7. Prime
8. Paint
Last edited by Skeptic68W; Apr 24, 2025 at 11:32 AM.
I noticed while doing the above that there are some channels in the upper shock mount that were rotting. Turns out only one side has a drain (which was plugged up anyway). So I made a drain for the other side and cleared both out well. I'll treat and paint in there as well.
From the shape of the mount I thought perhaps there was a hole in the frame that let it drain into the frame itself, but it appears not.
Welp, I added another Mopar to the fleet. The skills and experience from this ram project definitely set me up to tackle the rust repair on this XJ in the future.
Been experiencing a lot of burnout lately, so haven't made much progress on the truck. A while back I did get the driver's fender painted on the inside and installed, alongside the refreshed steering gear so I could use it to make a menards run for some large material. I also picked up a about a half complete tan interior for it, but that was probably a mistake because it's rougher than I had hoped. May or may not end up just reselling it.
Been experiencing a lot of burnout lately, so haven't made much progress on the truck. A while back I did get the driver's fender painted on the inside and installed, alongside the refreshed steering gear so I could use it to make a menards run for some large material. I also picked up a about a half complete tan interior for it, but that was probably a mistake because it's rougher than I had hoped. May or may not end up just reselling it.
Hang in there. It's not uncommon to encounter some burnout with long running repair/restoration jobs. The finished project will make all of the hard work worth it in the end.
