Hey guys. So i thought it wouldnt bother me as much as it now does. But the 2wd has got to go. Ive been looking into swapping for the 4wd setup. Heres the break down so far

front axle, (can be had for $1200) plus rebuild
Tough Country LONG ARM suspension lift (ill explain later)$1500
Shock braket$30 each
coil bucket( havent found yet)
Trans with transfer case and the electric setup for shifting




So The stock front axle out of any 03 to 08 2500, will work. The reason for the long arm lift, being i cant make the stock control arm brackets appear on my truck, the long arm gives you the new mount near the trans x member, so thats good. The upper shock bracket can be had from LMC truck, the only thing id need the the coil bucket itself(attaches to the frame). Also i was wondering weather there was a different output shaft so a 4wd transfer case could be mated to the trans, or if i needed a whole trans/transfercase setup already for 4wd. Also the elctronic shifter for the transfercase as well(the switch on the dash)

Anything else, or any problems anyone sees? yet again, Im trying to keep my truck being it only has 33k miles on it. But if it gets over $8K ill sell it for a 4wd...

And ive had many trucks in my life, and this wouldnt be the first suspension setup ive done.. So please no flamming. Ive just been into older fords

 

You are in a dead area and you need to post in your era of year of make.


3rd Gen Ram
2002 - 2008 Rams


~Rustin~

 

These projects always end up costing way more than you think. The vin won't match to a 4wd so the resale will take a serious hit. How many folks will want a homebrew 4x4 setup? It will end up cheaper (and faster) to just sell it and by a comparable mileage 4x4.

 

I am interested in your progress on this project... One of my first thoughts was about the exhaust... I have had to rebuild the transmission in my 06, and while pulling the transmission out the exhaust had been a challenge is where it was located... I am not familiar with how the exhaust is routed on a 2wd. That all being said... Instead of replacing your entire transmission I am fairly certain that for a lot less money you could convert your 2wd tranny to 4wd with the right output shaft, and factory adapter. Transmission work is not as hard as people make it out to be. It would have to come entirely apart, but you would find this job is not very difficult especially on the the 545rfe transmission.

 

If you're doing it because it's cheaper, it's not. If you're doing it for a fun engineering project then it's great, go for it!

 

u should be able to find a wrecked ram 02-05 for a few grand with all parts u need

 

cheaper to trade for a 4x4

 

I agree it is cheaper to trade for a 4x4. I did a SAS on a 98 AWD Astro and it still cost me over $4k. The axle was free as were the leaf springs and all steel for brackets. I already had swapped a 2 speed transfer case so there was no added expense of dealing with the trans and t-case. I did the work myself with a buddy and in the end I was very pleased with the off-road capability. If I could have bought an Astro with a solid front axle, I would have traded it in a second! GM never made one and the Quigley conversions are very rare.

 

If you attempt this re-fit, you'de be better off getting a similar year rolling chassis for all the parts, or save your money and time and trade it in on a factory built 4x4 or even a Power Wagon.

 

You will need a 4wd tranny and a transfer case. There' a bumnch more stuff you will need that is not listed or even thought of until you reach that problem. For starters.....You may need new headers and y-pipe due to fitment issu'es with 4wd.
You will need a TCM for a 4wd tranny as well along with the proper wiring harness.

There's so much more work than I think you realize. Unles you can afford $6k or more for this swap and around a Month for your truck to be parked in a garage....Then i wouldnt even try to attempt the swap. Especially if your not a regular mechanic or don't have acess to a welder and are not any good at it.
Stock 2500/3500's have a problem known as the real true "death wobble". If you don't set things up perfect and get that front axles aligned straight, you may have mor eproblems than just a death wobble??????