To Buy or Not to Buy

[TLadd]

Found a 1993 Dodge Ram D-350 Club Cab 2wd, long bed, diesel, 5 spd. , 200,000 miles. Original Owner in florida, but the twist is that the owner of the truck started to have trouble with the 2wd front suspension and decided it would be cheaper to junk the 4x2 set up. He removed all the 2wd components and bought a front axle and all needed pieces to fit the front axle from the same year 4x4 at a junk yard. No drivetrain modifications were made. To look at the truck at a glance you would think it was a 4x4, because he put the front and rear leaf springs from the junk truck and the blocks for the rear axle into the 4x2. He also had trouble with the clutch and installed a pilot bearing instead of the bushing. The body is in good condition, no rust, dually bed in great condition. The truck comes with a NP 205 divorce transfer case. He's asking $5,000. So, my question is; Is it worth the money?

 

[Simplysmn]

If you Like a Biggggggggg Project then yeah go for it swappin to 4x isnt that hard on our trucks but if it was me I would offer him less then 5 grand

 

[dpuckett]

If I have this right, he has done everything except put in the front driveshaft, and maybe the shifter handle? If so, then go for it, esp if the rest of the truck is in great condition. I'd think the hard part would be getting the drivetrain set up; after that, it's a cake walk.



What kind of pilot bearing was it? If the later stock style, they are almost as bad as the bushing. If it was a ball bearing, then it is a definite plus.



Daniel

 

[TLadd]

He installed a custom setup with a ball bearing which to install it, required machining. He didn't install anything but the front axle. The drivetrain is still 2wd with the engine and manual transmission, then the driveshaft to the rear axle, no tranfer case. He has the transfer case which was a future project to install, but never got around to it. I'm sure a true 4x4 conversion would be quite a project, but the truck drives fine without it.