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Ramcharger, Trailduster & Power WagonGrrrr!! Tough Trucks! The Dodge Ramcharger and Plymouth Trailduster were full size SUV's that had good looks and brute strength. The Dodge Power Wagon was comparable to them in toughness, but came in pickup truck form only.
I recently bought a 78 Trailduster out of Az. No rust but had a bent frame that the previous owner failed to mention. I'm assuming he didn't know. I bought a rolled 2012 Ram 1500 with the intention of doing a hemi swap in the TD. New plan since discovering the bent frame. I will install the TD body on the Ram frame. I like the idea of modern suspension and brakes. Shortening the frame was a piece of cake. Ram uses the same front ant rear frame sections for all wheelbases. The length is adjusted by a smaller section of tubing that slips inside the front and rear sections. I cut the weld out where the intermediate tube is welded to the front section using a cutoff blade for a smooth cut. then slid the frame together to get the correct wheelbase. The biggest problem is that the Ram frame is 4 inches wider than the TD which means that all the mounts have to be removed from the Ram frame and new mounts fabricated. I am now getting ready to lower the body onto the frame to see what modifications I will need to make to the bottom of the body. It appears that I will have to raise the floor a few inches from the seat back. This is a 2wd so I don't want a lot of ground clearance. I have installed lowering springs on the chassis. I was able to leave the gas tank in place which will provide the correct fuel pump. The sending unit is 20/220 ohms. I would prefer to use a set of aftermarket gauges but have not found a gage that will work with that resistance. This is not my first rodeo. 30 years ago I did a Ford unibody on a Scout chassis. Made a great farm truck. My most recent build was a 53 chevy truck on an S10 chassis with LS power. Gives an 82 year old man something to do. Looking forward to trailering my 34 Plymouth behind the TD to the orphan car show in Branson.
Rust free Arizona car. But frame was bent behind the left front tire. Frame from 2012 Ram 1500 donor vehicle Process of shortening the frame. Relatively easy. Cut ont a portion of the center section, slide together and reweld. Completed frame with the engine, transmission, fuel tank and rear axle back in their original locations. Lifting the body off to move over to the Ram chassis with a skytrack. Body sitting on the Ram chassis. At this point I fabricated new body mounts. All the old mounts had to be removed Amp Research retractable running boards for a two door Jeep Wrangler. Not too difficult to adapt but Amp Research will not honor the warranty because they are not installed on a Jeep. Go figure.
There was rust in the floorboard. Result of bad windshield gasket. Replaced a portion of the floor pan on both sides. Totally rewired from bumper to bumper. Power seats from a Denali. Part of the rewiring process. I used a Painless chassis kit with the fuse panel mounted in the original location. Engine harness by Hotwire. Fired up and ran great the first attempt. Gauges are Dolphin. Modified original panel . Wired it so I can unplug 3 plugs and remove.. steering column is Chevy blazer tilt. Used that because I have a nice wheel that fits. Every thing sets in place really nice. Modified Injen fresh air intake.
Last edited by streetrod don; Jul 21, 2021 at 05:50 PM.
Hey did you see how old I am. I can build a car or a class 8 truck but my computer skills are seriously limited. Seriously, I am taking pictures and will enlist the assistance of my grandson to post. Since I am mostly retired (I do still pastor a small church) I work on this about 30 hours per week.should be driving it by late summer.
Hey did you see how old I am. I can build a car or a class 8 truck but my computer skills are seriously limited. Seriously, I am taking pictures and will enlist the assistance of my grandson to post. Since I am mostly retired (I do still pastor a small church) I work on this about 30 hours per week.should be driving it by late summer.
I am WAY to familiar with that tactic. Not me personally, I do computers for a living. But, a fair few of my customers bring their kids/grandkids in to talk to us, so we can actually get to the REAL problem. I had one lady that called in, (in a previous job...) that was having issues with her internet connection, but, she was in her 80's, and had no clue. Would I talk to her granddaughter? She is 6. That was one BRIGHT girl. She knew what I was talking about, where to go, and what to do. We had grandma fixed in about 10 minutes. I told grandma that I was VERY impressed with her granddaughter.
I actually got to meet her some time later. Grandma brought her in specifically to meet me. (she had told her that I had been singing her praises) I don't think I have ever seen a bigger smile on a kids face. That one made my week.
I have a '92 Ramcharger that has a blown 318 and worn out suspension and steering. I would like to put in on a '06 Ram frame I have. You have great photos of your swap. Would you have photos of the mods you did to the floor?
Zero mods to the floor. This is my daily driver that I have now put over 10k miles on. If you will email me at doncochran1829@hotmail.com I will be glad to answer any questions or send any pictures you might want.
Body swap
But, a fair few of my customers bring their kids/grandkids in to talk to us, so we can actually get to the REAL problem. 
That was one BRIGHT girl. She knew what I was talking about, where to go, and what to do. We had grandma fixed in about 10 minutes. I told grandma that I was VERY impressed with her granddaughter.