Does anyone truly know what the difference is between the Ram 1500 frames and the 2500/3500 frames?? Obviously the suspension s is different but what about the frame over all?? The Mega Cab 1500's have eight lug wheels/suspension and all but still listed as a 1/2 ton?? Are they 2/3 tons, lol?? I have thought of eventually upgrading to a 3/4 ton suspension with 8-lug wheels because of the better selection.

I know sell the 1/2 ton and get a 3/4 ton. This will probably be my last truck, unless I hit the jackpot and get a SRT-10, yeah!! So this will happen over a long period of time. Can the 8-lug upgrade be done??

I’ve been watching “Trucks” on Spike TV and they upgraded a 3/4 to a dually with all the bells and whistles, but still waiting on the finished product on that one.

Plus anyone heard of or done a non-Viper V-10 swap into a 3rd gen?? I sure there are a lot of people out there that would be interested on that one but a 24 valve diesel is probably the way I’ll go in 5+ years for the durability and MPG’s. A guy up near Atlanta did a swap and claims 500+ hp and 45+ mpg's that's in 8-lug or Diesel Performance last month.

 

I'm pretty sure the 1/2 ton mega cab is a 3/4 ton with the 1500 badge on it.

To swap a 3/4 ton axle in the rear wouldnt be very hard. Leaf springs are easy. The front would be the PITA. You would have to gut the entire front supension. Then bulid coil buckets, control mounting points, trackbar mount, and countless other things in there for it.

The reason they converted a 3/4 to a 1 ton is because they are basically the same truck, but a 1/2 to a 3/4 is drastically different.

The truck V10 was offered in the 3rd gen body style truck. It was only for the 03 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. It is a very rare truck to find since by the time the 3rd gen came out the days of big gas engines were obsolete due to the cummins.

The 500 hp? Thats easy from a cummins. The 45+ mpg is very doubtful to me, but who knows.



You will be so much better off finding a 3/4 ton truck with a cummins. I'd hate to see you go through a bunch of head aches. Good luck to you man.

 

Huge difference between 1500 and 2500. 2500-3500 is just diff. rate leaf springs in back. But the 2500 frame is completely diff than a 1500 in size/weight and mounting points for 2500 specific axles, suspensions....etc...

Also, you can either get a MPG saver diesel or a high HP diesel. Not both! The guy must have a MPG tune as well as a HP tune. Those diesels all have it, but the best MPG's out of a diesel that I have come across was 30mpg. (2wd)

 

Thanks all just dreams of upgrades to my Brandie some day, Hhhhmmm might have to see about turning her into a faux SRT-10. Probably an easier to do switcheroo.

 

the 45+ mpg is true. dunno if its quoted right but I did see it on front cover of magazine a month ago. dodge cummings hybrid. guy had it doing 750+ hp and im thinking it said 45 mpg. ill have to try and find it