'83 Crew Conversion

[EarlKann]

Not to much more progress. I got my "new" 4. 10 geared D70 installed in the rear, but it had a bad hub seal and the brakes were shot. $200 for new drums/shoes/seals but it's still cheaper than having the other one re-geared.



Thanks to Sam for taking the time to pick up my axle from the seller and deliver to me 5-hours away.



Bill,

I drilled two holes, one above and one below the factory hole, then cut from the top hole to the bottom hole with an air cut off wheel. The engine mount stud actually ended up pretty close to the middle (where the original hole was) but you couldn't have dropped the engine in without the hole being slotted.



Will be down again tomorrow to finish up the brakes, put the hood on, etc. Should be driving it home at the end of the day. I promise some new pics this next time.

 

[HSchroen]

Earl, did you swap out the gas pedal and brake setup from your donor to the Crew? I noticed the gas pedal is slightly different between the two... the toughest part looks like the bolt to the cowl differently. If you did not swap the gas pedal and just the linkage, did it line up correctly and provide the correct travel to get WOT, etc. ?



On the brakes, i had planned to swap the booster, master cylinder, and everything over. Did you do that? Did you swap any of the brake lines as well? It appears there is a proportioning valve on the Diesel brakes that bolts onto the studs where the master cylinder goes.

 

[EarlKann]

I did swap out the gas pedal, but I am still not happy with it. The top where the cable attaches is lower than where the cable comes through the firewall causing a sharp angle. At first I did not have WOT so I made a litte spacer to put in there. It still isn't right so I think I am going to cut up the pedal and weld some more pieces in there to get it to line up right. Will try to get some pics up tomorrow.



I left the booster/master that was already on there. It looked the same as the one from the diesel so I didn't mess with it.

 

[HSchroen]

Earl, what did you do for a gas tank? Did the one out of your donor fit? My donor is a Club Cab and the gas tank does not seem to fit right. Of course, the old one is differnt, does not have the threaded top where the fuel pump, etc. go.

Wonder if I need to get one out of a regular cab diesel??

 

[EarlKann]

Wanted to tell everyone that I went to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (SMOG) Referee today for my conversion to diesel inspection. It went very smooth. They looked at the truck, verified the vin, asked what make/model/year/size the engine was from. They said that they sent the info directly to the DMV and gave me a hard copy printout. Just need to go back to DMV to turn in my weight/smog and pay fees. Oo.

 

[Chris and Sam]

good deal, you'll get a "D" in the section for fuel type of the title, and that is all you need!!

 

[EarlKann]

OK, now you guys are going to think that I have completely lost my mind. After months of work and countless dollars I finally have my crew running & driving under diesel power and I’m already thinking of selling it.



The #1 reason for building this was to tow a travel trailer for family fun/vacations. Well, we recently picked up a cheap older Class C motor home for our trip to Texas. After 10-days and over 2200 miles everyone has decided that they like the motor home much better than they would the truck/trailer. So I’m thinking of selling the crew as well as our cheap older (Ford) motor home and getting something like this. CTD Motor Home



I haven’t quite decided 100% yet, and I don’t want to turn this into a classified in violation of the site rules, so right now I’m looking for opinions. I have nearly 10,000 invested in the crew, mostly because I started out with a bit more expensive crew than most, and I’m not quite ready to take a huge loss on it. I’d be happy if I could get $9,500 but I don’t know that I could get anybody to go that high with it needing a little bodywork and paint like it does. So has anyone on here purchased a completed conversion?? Do you mind saying how much you paid?? (PM me if you like) Anyone interested in a [mostly] completed crew conversion??



Thanks,



Donald

 

[EarlKann]

Well I went ahead and posted a classified. Here



I wrote up this huge thing at work today, but the classifieds here limit you to 300 words so I had to cut it way down. I'm going to go ahead and post the whole long thing in here, but I'll take out the parts that make it sound to much like an add. Moderators please let me know if this is over the line and I'll take it down.



Will also try to get some more updated pics of it back together up soon.

 

[EarlKann]

I built this truck to [#1} Replace my ’99 quad cab (gas) Ram as my kids were getting to big to fit in the back seat, and [#2] To tow a travel trailer/toy box trailer that we intended to get for family vacations. Since the truck was not completed in time for this summer’s trip to Texas, we happened to come across a used class C motor home for cheap and picked it up for the trip. Now everyone likes the motor home so much that we aren’t getting a trailer anymore and I no longer have the need for this big of a truck. But, I have put a lot of time and $$ into it, and I don’t really need to sell it either, so I am going to offer it for sale but I expect to be fairly firm on my price. If it doesn’t sell then I’ll just keep it.



On to the details.



1983 Dodge W-350 crew cab, short bed, 4x4 This truck was purchased in Arizona (no rust) and was converted by the previous owner to a 92 5. 9L Magnum fuel injected gas engine. The PO also swapped in a 92 grill, dashboard, and power windows/locks/and door panels on the front doors. He installed a pair of nice aftermarket leather bench seats of unknown origin. They are starting to show some wear but are quite comfy and a vast improvement over stock or even 2nd gen bench seats. It also has a 5. 5” SuperLift suspension lift with 315-75-16 BFG all terrains with plenty of tread left.



1992 Dodge 5. 9 Cummins Turbo Diesel engine with A518 automatic transmission and NP205 transfer case. The engine has 282k miles. I received a stack of maintenance receipts from the one and only previous owner and the thing runs great and doesn’t really smoke at all. The auto trans was rebuilt by the previous owner (I assume to stock specs, receipts available) and has approximately 40-50k miles on it.



Front axle is the Dana 60 that was in the crew when I got it. Rear axle is a Dana 70 from a different 91 CTD donor truck. Both axles have 4. 10 gears and open diffs.



Things that were added/changed during the conversion process:

Killer Dowel Pin (KDP) fixed. Includes new front cover gaskets.

New genuine Cummins water pump and serpentine belt while messing with KDP.

New 16cm turbo housing from PDR.

New DTT torque converter built to this truck’s specs (gears/tire size/engine mods/intended use). This thing alone cost $700

New SFI flex plate to go with converter also from PDR.

Replaced rear main seal while flex plate was off.

Replaced both sides, rubber isolator engine mounts.

Radiator was re-cored.

New 3"/4" Aluminized exhaust system. 3” downpipe with 4” from the dp back. Includes a standard muffler. The stock hangers from the crew cab were relocated used in combination with some other commonly available aftermarket hanger pieces.



A few cool things that I will include with the truck but I have not yet installed.

A set of DiProcol gauges. Boost, EGT, and trans temp. The EGT and trans temp sending units have already been installed on the truck. All of the wiring and install kit for the boost gauge is included. These were purchased used from the TDR classifieds and came with a dash top mount for a 2nd gen truck. You will either have to trim it to make it work or buy a 1st gen mount for them.

A set of used but working power mirrors from the donor truck. The crew doors are set up for the power mirrors with all of the wiring and controls already.

A good used class V hitch from the donor truck. Comes with two different drops with balls on them, don’t remember the sizes.

A set of rear overload airbags from the donor. They have the brackets but will require some fabrication to install effectively due to the suspension lift.



Some of the not so good stuff.

I did my best when re-installing the front clip. However, some of the gaps on the fenders and hood are not the greatest. The only one that really looks bad right now is the back of the hood to the cowl piece and I intend to work on that some more to get it better.

There were problems with the crew cab bed so it was replaced with one from an 81 that a friend had available. It is also running the 92 donor tailgate with a nice “Dodge” finish panel on it. All of the body parts that were put on were the best ones available. There is a bit of surface rust on the bed but nothing that can’t be sanded off. The bad part about this is that it is now several different colors and needs to be painted. There is a little bit of body work that I’d do before it gets painted if I were going to paint it, but nothing major at all. Your opinions may differ.

The air conditioning system was opened up during the conversion. Everything has been re-assembled but it will need a Freon recharge at a minimum. I also noticed that the heater/vent controls aren’t working. I expect that I missed a connection of the vacuum supply hose in the engine compartment. I haven’t completely finished re-assembling the dash as I was waiting until I could buy a new stereo system to install. I will work on remedying these problems.

There are no front or rear bumpers. I may be able to provide an 83 style (chrome) front bumper in fair condition. I prefer the look of the 92 style bumper but the one on the donor truck was damaged beyond use.



I’ve been driving the truck for a little while now and the more I drive it the more I like it. If I end up keeping it I will be doing the BHAF and probably replacing the injectors. It feels as if it’s not running quite as strong as it could, but I have little experience driving a CTD to compare it to. I have just completed the registration/conversion to diesel process with the Ca DMV including having it inspected at the referee station. I have the plates and registration and should receive the title in the mail shortly.



As I mentioned, I do not have any pressing NEED to sell the truck, but nor do I have the NEED that prompted it construction. For now I will only be advertising here at TDR, but I may decide to put it out more places later.

 

[EarlKann]

Found this one for comparison. eBay

Mine is 100 times nicer.

 

[bgilbert]

All this time we've been calling you Earl LOL, sorry Donald! Question for ya. What does Jed think of you wanting to sell?

 

[EarlKann]

All this time we've been calling you Earl LOL, sorry Donald! Question for ya. What does Jed think of you wanting to sell?

:-laf :-laf :-laf Not a problem... I don't always sign my posts with my real name so there is no way you could have known. Besides, I'll answer to either name on the internet.



Jed is used to the buying and selling game. In fact he's the only one I know that does it even more than me! I've lost count but I've owned about 40 cars since I was 16 and Jed has had even more than that. :--) I think that we are the type that enjoys the buying/building/selling more than the driving.



Donald

 

[EarlKann]

Few new pics. It was a bad time of day so sorry about the shadows.



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[EarlKann]

Found this one for comparison. eBay

Mine is 100 times nicer.

Auction ended... $2,550 for a complete pile 'o crap.



Went and looked at a new house today. If I decide to make an offer I'll be needing some cash. Open to offers.

 

[EarlKann]

BTT



Big price reduction for TDR members. PM me.



Donald

 

[MDeems]

did you sell it yet?

 

[EarlKann]

did you sell it yet?

No, I have not sold it yet.



FYI and update for everyone. I received a few calls about the truck. A couple of people I called back but never got a hold of. My apologies if I missed your call or didn’t get back to you. A few others I explained the following situation to.



A couple of weeks ago I noticed that there was a small puddle/stain under the front of the truck where I parked it. At first glance I thought that the power steering was leaking and didn’t think much of it. A few trips later the puddle/stain got bigger and I noticed my fuel mileage had gone to hell. A closer inspection found that the fuel pump was leaking. :{ My research here has led me to believe that it is the KSB piston cover o-ring on the back side of the pump that is leaking. The now out of control fuel leak combined with a lack of both time and money to have it fixed has resulted in the truck sitting in front of my house for a few weeks now. Since it was not really drivable I let my TDR classified expire and I haven’t put any effort into trying to find a buyer.



This morning I finally dropped the truck off at my local mechanic shop. They aren’t a “diesel specialty” shop, but they knew what I was talking about and weren’t afraid to work on it. I am only having them do the minimum required to fix the leak. I can’t afford $850 that the local diesel shop wanted for a reman, and I can’t afford the down time to send it to Greenleaf . I hope to get it back sometime this week, at which time I will begin to advertise it much more aggressively, including putting it up on ebay. My wife has found a new home that she wants to buy, so we need the cash soon to spruce up the current place so we can get top dollar when we try to sell it.



It still has the problem with the overdrive not staying engaged at freeway speeds, but I do have a toggle over ride installed that makes it drivable. The fact that the toggle works makes me believe that it is an electrical/sensor problem and not an internal problem with the transmission. I just don’t have the time or space to work on it anymore.



I would love to see the truck go to a TDR member who can appreciate all of the work that has gone into it, but starting next week I’ll be putting ads out everywhere I can think of cause keeping the missus happy is even more important.



Anyone that is interested can PM me here, email me at -- email address removed -- or feel free to call me at (909) 648-0752



Donald

 

[EarlKann]

Bringing this back up top. The truck has been down for a looooong time cause I didn’t have the cash to get the pump rebuilt. Well, it is finally out at the shop getting rebuilt (stock) and I hope to have the truck back in the next few days with a fresh new VE pump. Oo.



Anyway, I have found a new toy that I would really like to purchase so I’m gonna give the TDR crowd another first shot at buying this rig. Once I actually get it back from the shop I’m putting it up on eBay. I’m thinking that I’ll try about a $6500 reserve with a buy it now option of around $7200. TDR members can get it for the low low rock bottom price of $6200. The condition is still pretty much as described above, except it will have a fresh rebuilt pump. I have a bunch of parts that I’ll be throwing in as well that won’t be included in the eBay auction (like the gauges, some new weatherstrip, etc. )



Please email or call me on my cell if you are interested or have any questions.



Donald

-- email address removed --

(909) 648-0752

 

[HRDROKN]

Donald,



Sent you an e-mail.....

 

[EarlKann]

Possible sale pending.



Anyone know an auto transport that will ship an oversized truck across country??





Wrknrott, I don't see any email from you. Try again or PM me here in case the shipping above can't be worked out.



Donald