1st gen ram Project less junky

[6BT 56]

Soi guess I had start a thread for this ol girl . I have been hijacking other threads asking questions but really need to have my own thread . I took my old black 93 ram apart a few winters to make its heart live on in my 56 4x4 . I really miss that truck , around the farm Plowing snow , and just general abuse that I don't want to give my daily driver .

Truck is abt what you expect for a Ontario ram. Above the windshield is junk. P o filled it with bondo. Bottoms of front fenders are in need of some patchwork.

Drivers side floor pan is MIA and passengers has a few small holes to deal with .

Brake lines are rotten f to b .

Also the eng won't shut off when you turn the key if your foot is on the brake pedal. Lol. Figure that one out . Lol.

Honestly there is a bright side . This thing runs like a top . Drives and shifts well. Tires are good . That's abt it . Lol.

Plan is to fix the big stuff . Brakes , leaky trans lines , floor etc. Put some k's on it make sure trans is sound and go from there . My 9 ft acetic Plowing will find its way on here as well. The main purpose for this truck is to replace our family hauler . Our 2002 suburban that has served us so well had a catistrophic frame failure . 400 km on it body looks good but the rear frame fell out towing our camper trailer home . I run a boat hauling business so a truck that can't tow is of no use to me .

So I will start rambling and sow some pics .

[6BT 56]

More pics

[6BT 56]

The blue has to go!

[6BT 56]

More

[TheCougarine]

I've always liked first gen rams

[6BT 56]

Ya there a good old truck. If you can keep the body from falling off that is.

There is a wrecker around the corner that has a truck with a mint roof on it . Un heard of for these trucks . I will go,look at it closely this wknd and see if its all bondo. May consider putting a roof on this one . It needs a windshield for sure . May be too rusty to swap

[6BT 56]

These wheels are on it now . Rub on the running boards a bit . I may remove them or add a,leaf for the Plow.

[6BT 56]

So I took some time on the wknd and tore in a bit. Floors on drivers side worse than expected. Passengers side no holes but soft for sure. You guys to the south are so luckey. Hers a few pics

[6BT 56]

Rims are nice

[68shortwide]

Was never one for dodge trucks 70-00 but this one looks pretty good.

[6BT 56]

Originally Posted by 68shortwide

Was never one for dodge trucks 70-00 but this one looks pretty good.

Thanks . I like it too. Lol. My standards must be really low .. I plan to,do,the bare min to put it on the road and make it safe . If driveline is healthy in another year or so maby then it will get a cab ? Or maby driveline will just find its way into a nicer truck . I'd love a 80's 4dr short box 4x4 chevy with this driveline in it .

[Maxxd07]

I picked up a 90 from a co-worker that came from Nevada that now probably has 400,000 miles on it. It isn't pretty and not a lot of paint on it but it is rust free. I bought it for the drive train since it runs pretty good but haven't had time to part it yet. The cab is so much more roomy than my 70 since I am 6'4" and I don't mind driving it even though it rattles and leaks wind like crazy. I know I will part this one but would love to find one with more options and less miles someday to make a project out of. The first gens are the best pickup dodge made in my opinion. Good luck with the plow truck!

[6BT 56]

Originally Posted by Maxxd07

I picked up a 90 from a co-worker that came from Nevada that now probably has 400,000 miles on it. It isn't pretty and not a lot of paint on it but it is rust free. I bought it for the drive train since it runs pretty good but haven't had time to part it yet. The cab is so much more roomy than my 70 since I am 6'4" and I don't mind driving it even though it rattles and leaks wind like crazy. I know I will part this one but would love to find one with more options and less miles someday to make a project out of. The first gens are the best pickup dodge made in my opinion. Good luck with the plow truck!

Up here your truck is like gold. Everyone is getting on the 1gen bandwagon. I like em too. They do seem to have good leg room too . Maby that's cuz my feet can poke thru the floors on this one. Lol. This is my third one. The one before this I never should have sold. I got it all fixed up and decided I needed some cash flow. I look back now and only wish the line of credit had 5 k on it and the truck was in the lane still. So far all of my dodges have been good trucks, these 1st gens. My 99 3500 was good to me And my 05 3500 is at a t 365 k and does nothing but make me $. It is by far one of the best trucks I have owned .

[6BT 56]

Off topic but does anybody know if they make backwards letter and number punches ? Think as if you were trying to stamp something that would come out like brail on the other side. Make since ?

[68shortwide]

I'm sure someone does. Do a quick google search. What are wantin to do?

[Luther Grimace]

I like this truck! I'm assuming it has an automatic? I had the same problem with my donor truck for my 55 Chevy. It was more of an issue with the mistreatment though. The previous owner was a farmer and I'm pretty sure it had been used as a farm truck for a long time and put up wet. Mine had minimal rust. My biggest issue was the wiring was all trashed on the inside. It had no dash or gauges left. It made me frustrated because these old Dodges don't require near as much of the wiring as is provided. That was my main reason for the cab swap to the 55. I had no desire to redo all the wiring to make the Dodge electrically reliable. Sometimes I miss the look of the Dodge but I like the 55 look better.

[Luther Grimace]

Do you think it would be worth finding a good donor cab to swap out with your existing cab? I know the paint color would be off but it seems like it would solve your rust issue.

[6BT 56]

Hey Luther. You have tracked down my other gong show. I may actually have some more pics tonite. I got excited once the weather got here and got motivated again. I got the steel in for the new floor pan last nite. Just a few finishing touches. And I'll slap,the rubber floor back in. In wouldn't go to the extent to,put a cab on it. Rest of the truck isn't nice enuff . I'd kill for the flat bed that was on your truck tho. That was cool. I may blast this truck army green . Will see. I may be getting a new dually for the business I would keep my 2005 so I could keep the new one off the road for a few of our harsh winters. If I do that I will no longer Ned the 92 for a second truck. I may give it to my boy. He has 2 years to deserve it . We will see. He's a long way from it now. That's for sure. I f I'm going to let him have it there's no sence putting any nice work into body etc as I'm sure he will put a ding or two or three in it.

[6BT 56]

So I just reinvented hillbilly floor pans on the cheap. Left over steel off the front of the washing machine and screwed down with used self tappers out of a steel building I took some gutters off. $0 investment lol. I did t say nice. I said cheap. Lol.

[6BT 56]

The hillbilly floors

[Luther Grimace]

Originally Posted by 6BT 56

The hillbilly floors

Git er done!!

[brimc]

Just found this. Great job on the oil heater.
The 1st and 2nd gen Cummins are getting harder to come by. They still pop up on kijiji but most people mistake the rust for gold and get the price wrong!
Looking forward to seeing what you do to get this old truck back is service.

[6BT 56]

So I have to say my crowning achievement this winter has been my waste oil heater. It's a old fire place . I put a burn pot in the centre of it and converted it to forced induction. Lol. Naturally aspirated fireplaces are for wussies Lol. It burns abt 1 L pr hr of oil. A bit less if you want to turn it down to leave it unattended for a short time Stove temp usually sits at abt 650 to 700 deg I have a fan mounted behind it. Works awesome. So much more satisfying working in there when you know it not costing you a fortune

[6BT 56]

Hot hot hot....

[6BT 56]

It uses a gravity drip. Just open the valve a bit. Dump a bit of gas in the burn pot, turn the fan on and away she goes.