Okla Rams

Matt · 03-19-2013, 09:59 PM

good looking rig man

swirvin21 · 03-19-2013, 11:09 PM

Thanks man!

Here is the start of my front axle swap in the Black Ram. This is a Dana 60 out of a 2004 F450, has 4.88s stock, 35 spline inners, 30 spline outers, is wider than a F350 so I actually have room on the driver side for brackets.

Plan is to use a pair of SOLID AXLE BJ knuckles with high steer arms, with dual piston Ford calipers, chevy spindles, DRW hubs, 35 spline chromo outers, Artec 80's style Ford truss, Artec track bar mount and coil-over brackets, Ballistic radius arm brackets, and installing it stretched forward 4-6".

Here is the F450 D60 with the Artec truss in the first stage of trimming to fit. No one makes a truss for it, so I have to trim to fit and tie in the radius arm mounts. It's sitting high now, so will be closer to axle when done.

I also am getting closer to finishing the rear bumper. I basically cut out some of the middle and will finish welding it back together. This will eventually be tied into the bedside tube fenders after the bed get dovetailed, so that's why it will be a little narrow for now.

Hopefully I will have it together and on the truck soon. Need to finish the license plate lights and wanting to weld in some trailer hitches between the rear rails as a good rear frame cross support for when I remove the old spare tire support and strengthen where the shackle flip brackets will be mounted.

BMRbrnSNRbrd · 03-22-2013, 01:09 AM

I love the look of a lifted second gen on those military wheels and tires.

swirvin21 · 03-24-2013, 07:01 PM

Thanks for the props!!! Be going out to the Tuesday night show at the 71st Fuddruckers here soon I hope! Maybe see you guys there, will bring some suspension seats to try and sell as well.

Right now I'm trying to plan out my axle swaps as I have 3 of them planned!

1) Rebuild rear SRW D80 for white Ram: simple rebuild of new bearings/seals and gives stronger axle w/ 4.10s
Also have a matching front D60 for it that looks good enough on the inside to avoid a rebuild, especially since I will be putting together a hub conversion for it that will eliminate R&P turning in 2wd!

-Stock 1995 Ram 3500 D60 front: remove knuckles out + stubs, replace knuckles/spindles/hubs with set from 1996 F350 to give rebuildable and serviceable bearings w/ DUAL PISTON CALIPERS!!!! F-yeah! Also including a Posi-Lok CAD connect and seal replacement. Simple cleanup and paint.

Trying to decide whether to build custom control arms with adjustable ends or swap in the DT ProFab .5"+ control arms currently in the Black Ram....not sure yet. Also trying to decide whether to get a shackle flip in the rear and remove the blocks to reduce axle wrap and improve ride. Will remove the overload and install a set of mini-packs along with air bags. Need to get custom shackle flip brackets with less lift to do this, so that is the hold up there!

2) Black Ram axle swap: 2004 F450 HP D60 front- needs front coil-over from DOR, coil-over hoops, custom 4 link w/ panhard using Artec truss, Ballistic brackets and some modifications, Ford F450 steering box or flipped pitman arm stock box, Solid Axle knuckles, Chevy DRW hubs and spindles, 35 spline chromo outers and lock-outs. Deciding between Stage 8 X-locks or Jana bearing spacers. Using Johnny Joints on both ends of control arms with DOR long arm brackets on the frame in front. Steering box will be ported for hydro-assist while being rebuilt/flipped, but will likley be plugged until I can afford that setup.

-Rear Dana 80 swap is up in the air. Likely will drop a 4.10 stock LS Dana 80 I have to keep it rolling/driving until I figure out the rear build. Will be running SkyJacker 2" rear leafs and DIY4X shackle flip brackets. Since the front has 4.88s and I can't afford to do the Jana 76 kit w/ Dana 70 5.13s up front right now, I'm planning out the rear. Figure it's best to spend the money on getting the suspensions setup and driving before dropping major $$ on rear lockers/chromos, etc etc.

3) 1999 Jeep TJ swap: taking built axles out of the Black Ram and dropping them into the Jeep using Artec rear 4 link brackets (triangulated uppers, slight out on lowers), Artec truss on rear D60 using Artec TJ conversion buckets and Artec D60 modular truss, combination of Johnny joints and Ballistic bushings. Will be doing a 3 link in the front using a custom truss of some sort and Ballistic brackets. Will keep coil springs front and rear for now and try to accommodate a stretch, but need a stretch tank in rear. Plan is to swap in a Dodge Ram steering box with flipped pitman and ported for hydro-assist to get proper Ackerman angles with D60. I also don't like the tilt brackets for the stock boxes...

Matt · 03-25-2013, 03:32 AM

man i wish i could do half that .. lol hell i'd be happy if i could change my gearing in my tank lol good luck buddy can't wait to see it all done

swirvin21 · 04-13-2013, 12:36 AM

Ended up selling the set of 24 bolts and Bajas to a fellow jarhead in CA, so I had an excuse to see if I could stuff in the 46s.... I actually got the front onto the studs barely. Looks like I'll need about 6" - 12" stretch to adequately clear without lifting too high.

The rear I couldn't even fit into the wheelwell, but I had plans to cut a ton of this out anyways.

I took a set of MT/Rs and slapped them on a set of old school aluminum 5 spokes with 5" of backspacing. Figure these would make for a great set of driver tires that I will either run on the Ram or Jeep.

I will not be changing out the rear axle in the Ram for a while, as I found a cheap D35 for the TJ for $100 that I can use to roll it around on. This way I can focus my dwindling time and funds on doing the front axle swaps.

BMRbrnSNRbrd · 04-13-2013, 10:35 AM

Those tires are HUGE! I can't believe you could even get it to mount on the front.

swirvin21 · 04-13-2013, 03:59 PM

I probably could've put the lug nuts on and had it mounted on the truck if I had strectched out the suspension, but didn't want to damage anything or get something stuck. The tires are Goodyear MVTs from the military, about 46" tall. They are bigger than what I had planned on going with originally, but I got them for a killer deal and really think it would work well. Who knows though, I may change my mind and go for something closer to a 42" if I stumble across something.

swirvin21 · 04-14-2013, 12:42 AM

Thought I'd share my other project while I was at it. Might give you guys more of an idea why the Ram project seems to be moving slow.

Finally had a nice enough day to pull the Jeep out of the garage and actually CLEAN her! I shoveled...yes, shoveled out at least 30 lbs of dirt, rock, sand, pieces of wood and random pieces. I hosed out the frame rails and the fuel tank skid for probably 1/2 the time alone. But it's done now and she looks great! I went ahead and cleaned up a few spots where there was a little surface rust and one almost bad spot in the passenger floor pan, but everywhere else is pretty clean.

I've finally figured out most of the plan on body upgrades:
-Poison Spyder TJ DeFender™ XC (High-Line) - 3" Tapered Flares (Steel)
http://shop.poisonspyder.com/TJ-DeFe.../14-02-093.htm
-TNT HyLine "Zyros" for TJ
http://www.tntcustoms.com/jeep_wrang...ner_armor.aspx
-TJ Boatsides from THE ONE FABRICATION
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/body-...ocker-kit.html

Haven't decided 100% on the rear fuel tank. Considering the Genright, but also found this PureJeep extended stretch tank that is a little cheaper:
http://shop.savvyoffroad.com/product...1&categoryId=4

The next thing would be a good cage. There are a ton of options here, but I'm very interested in these TMR Cage Pillars as they lower the windshield cross bar farther than the others I've looked at.
http://www.tmrcustoms.com/store/inde...roducts_id=489

That's pretty much where I stand right now. A few other small things like rear coil locating buckets from either Genright or Rokmen are on my list as well. That's pretty much it for now. Small steps, but big plans as usual....

swirvin21 · 06-17-2013, 12:00 PM

Still having issues with the rear track bar, looks like the rear springs I have are too tall for a stock rear bar. I have a spare stock one, going to cut in half at the straight area and sleeve it, then weld back together while on the Jeep to make sure it's at the right length. Not worried about adjustable, just considering making it drivable if I find a few cheap brake parts.

Need front brakes to make it safe. Missing front rotors and calipers, no brake lines either. Probably needs work done in regards to MC and lines if they were left open and empty for long. Also need another u-joint u-bolt to attach the driveshaft to the rear axle. Running in 4wd drive now, which is good to know that it works.

Bought a Smittybilt cab cover w/ door flap so I could park it outside. Had a good deal at 4WP and with a warranty came out under $100, if it ever leaks I'll just bring it back and exchange for another.

Need to find some better shoes, these are cracked and look like they couldn't handle anything over 5mph.

Finally I'm going to be ordering a set of boatsides so I can cut off the bad spots in these rockers, build a simple floor cage to mount my suspension seats and have the base for a full cage later.

Here are the few pics I have taken...will get more when I have more to show for it!