picked up a parts truck today, 2000 B2500. 8 lug axles,5.9.



bought it for some electronic parts and interior pieces for my '98 B1500 conversion,5.2 motor.



am going to use the axle and hubs off the B2500.the one in the conversion currently whines a bit,plus the parts truck has the 3.90 ratio which i want as we do little hiway driving,and the lower gears tend to lug the motor.

looks like the heavy spindles will fit the B1500 control arms with different ball joints...?

i think i'll put this 5.9 in as well,after a timing chain,oil pump,maybe a set of bearings,and the other obvious stuff to swap out with the motor out of the car.

i found this thread very helpful on my computer/hard parts questions.....

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...will-swap.html


anyhoo,that'll be the project,slowly as time and money allow.


thanks for looking,any input appreciated.

 

Are you swapping the tranny as well? This swap of the motor and PCM is very doable but I question which transmissions each one has. If both are identical then the complete swap should be a breeze. Otherwise you might want to overhaul the parts trucks tranny and move it with the engine into its new home. You may need to keep the drive shaft from the parts truck as well to finish this swap. And don't forget to change over the spare tire as well.

On the spindles you may find that swapping both the upper and lower control arms to be to your benefit.

 

yeah,same 46re on both. my van came from the south,this parts truck is native rust belt.pretty crusty. i agree,i may need to but loaded control arms for the front.

same 9.25 dodge rear,just the heavier one in the 2500. got a few bills to deal with first,but i'll be crushing some cars too,so 200.00 a ton will free up some money,so i should be able to do this this summer yet.


on these electronic speedos,is it still a gear change at the sender to change calibration?

 

So, the conversion van has ...

5.2L/318cid with a 36RE tranny and 3.55:1 rear, 5-lug light weight axles.

The donor van has

5.9L/360cid with a 46RE tranny and 3.92:1 rear, 8-lug HD weight axles and HD leafs.

Man, you have a major job and some possible headaches to overcome. If your conversion was one year or more older, it would be physically impossible to do the swap since the 1997 and later vans have 4-inches less in the engine bay.

Is it possible to do this swap? Maybe the engine and tranny. However, after following other Dodge Ram forums, it has been mentioned that the rear axles on the B1500 is shorter in cross-vehicle dimension vs. the B2500, B2500HD and the B3500 and B3500 Maxi.

Also, if you can swap the rear axles, you will need to swap the brake boosters and the lines to the HD setup, else you may blow the hydraulic brake system. You will also need to swap out the eBrake system too for the HD 8-lug system. The rear ABS is different as well, so you will need to swap that too.

When swapping the two engines, verify if the O2 sensors are common between each, else, you will need to swap them too. The exhaust manifolds should mate in the same place.

Once the engine is swapped, it is a good chance that you might need to take off the front wheels and cut some sheet metal to make access for changing the spark plugs.

The PCM should be fine from the donor vehicle if the engine and tranny are moved over. The BCM is the same for both vans.

Personally, I would forget moving the 8-lug HD suspension wheels and rims to the conversion van. The wheels are much taller and may prove unstable for the swap. I own a B2500 HD with 8-lugs on a 12-passenger Ram Van. The tires are LT 225/75R16 Load E per Chrysler's ratings. These tires do not at all allow the steering to turn tight, instead, it offers a ridiculous wide turning radius. A 3-point turn is actually 5 or 6. The taller tires may rub in the front wheel area as well.

The swap of the engine and the 46RE tranny would give you ideal mileage over the 3-speed. In city moving traffic, the OD kicks in from 32-40mph depending on how hard or light pedal you are. The 46RE is very smooth and less harsh operating than the 36RE. I know since owning a 2000 B1500 with the 36RE. The 36RE makes the engine whine at higher RPMs. Something that isn't appealing over the road noise.

Hey, if your donor van has left over parts, let all of us know here on the forums. A few donors have been a blessing helping others stay on the road.

 

the conversion van has the 46re currently. will be just an engine swap.

it has just rear abs,not concerned if it works or not.rear drum brake ABS is a joke. but since the rear abs is controlled by the exciter on the ring gear,and they're both 9.25 rears,can's see why it wouldn't work.

the bigger brakes and bearings on both ends will be nice to have under it.

225/70/16 tires will be 1/2" shorter than the 235/75/15 i have on it now.

225/75/16 would be 1/2" taller. these are Michelin LTX M/S tires,which i have now,and like very much. XL load range will suffice.

yeah,i know what you mean on turning radius,this B1500 isn't real nimble.