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W350 Crew Cab - The ultimate first gen - Pics and history

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911 guys spacer on end of crankshaft cant get rear main seal off?

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Shadrach said:
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<a href="http://s447.photobucket.com/albums/qq195/shadrach1984/?action=view&amp;current=DSCN1495.jpg" target="_blank">#ad
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Or a real project that you don't have to disassemble. You can weld in your own late model firewall with all the correct holes and VIN if that's allowed in your area. I have 2 rear doors and a 165" D350 frame also. I'll even throw in the bucket seats. :) Some assembly required - batteries not included.



<a href="http://s447.photobucket.com/albums/qq195/shadrach1984/?action=view&amp;current=DSCN1440.jpg" target="_blank">#ad
</a>



Shadrach
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Sweet! Love the blue truck. The second truck can look good too. Needs a few hours and all its issues can be buffed right out! :-laf;)



DVolk said:
id like to see that 340 Neon im thinking of a simular project they used to make a kframe forsale but not any more
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You will have to wait a little on that one. I have three other smaller projects before that one. :(



MMeier said:
Oh, something tells me Bob will be doing a similar recap of that project here as well... . right Bob ? !! :-laf
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You know it! I also have pics to still upload of the 1990 build! That has changed alot over the last 8 years! :)
 
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Id shure like to talk to the guy whom hung the axel on that frame to know were it mounts . Ican say unless some one is a lot better welder than the sttop whom messed up on the cab i got cutting the fire wall is not the thing to do as it leaks water , I think it be best to use the holes in the fire wall that are there and maodify to fit . Has any one in a gen 1 truck converted to the gen 2 hydraulic assist brake booster ? Not that im woried about that there are diffrent sizes of boosters but since im wanting to up grade to a gen 2 engine Does any one have a good one for sale ?
 
DVolk, check the 1st gen forum for for posts on 2wd to 4wd. I rememeber articles and post on this subject. If I remember correctly the factory rivets are cut or drilled out and the 4wd parts bolt on in the correct holes that already there. I have a friend about your age that has done severla first gen conversions he normmally takes the 4wd and takes it out and puts 2wd front on. Currently he has a ramcharger he converted to 2wd and cummins with getrag. he is not computer savy but if you pm me I can get you his contact # if you want some one to talk to about the holes. He also used to be aowner operator too. as fro the 2nd gen hydroboost swap. I think most guys use the 70-80 chevy hydroboost setup. Do a search for hydroboost and there are threads on it. I plan on doing it on my truck. also 1stgen.org has a thread on it too.

Thanks,

Deo
 
DVolk said:
Id shure like to talk to the guy whom hung the axel on that frame to know were it mounts . Ican say unless some one is a lot better welder than the sttop whom messed up on the cab i got cutting the fire wall is not the thing to do as it leaks water , I think it be best to use the holes in the fire wall that are there and maodify to fit . Has any one in a gen 1 truck converted to the gen 2 hydraulic assist brake booster ? Not that im woried about that there are diffrent sizes of boosters but since im wanting to up grade to a gen 2 engine Does any one have a good one for sale ?
Click to expand...



Might I suggest you try posting this on the main 1st gen forum page? I know there are other people who have done this. Asking the question within a thread is not the best place for question exposure. If you put it on the main page, it will not get lost like it will on a thread of this size.
 
OK. Back to the subjectof this thread. So where did we leave off. Oh yes. At the cracking paint. Right.



So, while the paint debate was going on as to if it needed to be painted, the general feel was it was just that drivers door. I thought nothing further of it and continued to assemble the truck minus that door.



The interior before the sound deadening:



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Then I proceeded to add 200 sq/ft of sound deadner!





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Yes. It is cold in the garage! LOL That is my hat! And no. The tar does not stick well without a lot of force at that temp! ;)



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As I now have a 1997 motor, some engine harness needed work! Mating 1993 and 1997 together!



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Cant remember if I showed this or not. This is the location of the new rad core supports. Notice the ground away paint for welding...



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Now the interior wiring begins..... I have 22 gauges to wire and 25 overhead toggle switches mounted on a custom made overhead console.



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Now, at this point I fully added the second turbo. As I felt there needed to be a turbo support so all of the weight would not be hanging off the manifold, I added a bracket:



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You can see the bracket here. It mounts to the 2nd gen motor mounts and to the bottom 3 compressor bolts of the HT3B. The bolt that is in the center of the two brackets is slotted for adjustment of support:



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Now, this is where I developed my next issue. All this power that I never planned on having. Brand new Con OFE South Bend Clutch is in there. It is rated for about 400 ft/lbs under what this monster is now going to make! After a call to SBC, they told me as it was never used, send it back and as long as it passed their check and it was in good condition, I could put it against the cost of a new Dual Disk! How is that for customer service?? And people wonder why SBC has such a good reputation!



Around this time I also got confirmation that the truck would need to be repainted - All of it! So I decided now was the time. If I ended up scratching it, it would not matter. As the 5600 is so wedged into this truck, we decided it was easier to go up than down!



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And in the event any of you wondered how a DD clutch works and looks like... .



Flywheel:



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First disk:





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Disk separator:



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Second clutch disk with alignment tool:



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Pressure plate:



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Motor with wiring:



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The exhaust is VERY tight!!



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While it was in the air, I thought i would make a bit more clearance. The red is the first layer of primer I put on just to be safe and ensire no rusting.



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For anyone wanting to make a 3rd gen transmission mount work in a first gen, this is how it is done. This is off a 2004 if memory serves. The rubber isolater is mounted to an adapter plate I made up. The outer holes are the same space as the first gen crossmember hholes. This allows me to use the first gen donut isolaters on the bottom and the 3rd gen one so it will bolt to the trans! The 1/4" plate on the top of the 3rd gen piece is to give my driveline the correct angle. It is a shim so to speak.



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So with the clutch done, it was off to paint. All of the windows, dash (yes it was in already - cant find pics of it in from before paint - will keep looking - Should also have pics of the seats int he truck), some trim, etc was removed. As they had extream difficulty moving the cab and box around last time, it was decided to leave the truck frame attach to the body. As that was the case, all of it would be at the painter for a astounding 6 months! From October 31 to April 2010. Little did I know this would be a bad thing in more ways than one!



Winter in Canada got to me and I got itchy. I could not handle it. I was bored. Then I looked at the 1990. I thought it might be a good time to fix a thing or two on it. You know small things. Wiper blades. Light bulbs. Interior vacuum. Getrag swap. Good wash and wax.



LOL Yeah, it got out of control! I ended up tackling the daily driver (DD) and it was not driveable for 12 weeks! I have issues!! It was the DD. The thing I said I would never touch! But I had that nagging little voice inside me since 2003 telling me to change things. But I couldnt! I had another project - The crew cab! I saw what happened when I was just going to "fix the transmission" on the crew and so I said I would leave the DD as is. But that stupid little voice kept telling me it was a good idea. There was nothing to do outside. It was cold. I was bored. THEN I CRACKED!!! I admit it! I failed!! I touched the DD and I FAILED TO FOLLOW MY HEAD AND I CRACKED IN JUST TWO WEEKS!!! TWO WEEKS I TELL YOU! That is all it took for that dumb little elf on my shoulder to convince me this was a good idea!



I will have to create another thread about that, but I ended up swapping the 727 to a Getrag (yup, the one that was picked up and was destined for the crew but then decided the 5600 was better), full 4" exhaust, sure grip, new Alcan leafs all around, Pac Brake PRXB ( heck, I now have a stick so why not!!!) Bilstien 5100's, etc. And you know what? It did not stop there! Come summer I was still playing with it! Yes, I got the crew back but liked working on the 1990. It was instant satisfaction and I was greedy! None of this waiting 5 years to try driving it business! Come summer I added the HX35 from the crew! Yes, I pirated that top turbo off the crew and now it is on the DD! Why? Because I wanted a bigger one for the crew and the pyro on the DD was tickling 1450!! I told myself this was a good diea as I have the clutch in the crew to handle it so why not get a modified one that can actually support the HT3B like it should?



So over the summer I did a timing advance to 1. 79 MM lift, rad recore, interior redone, seat lift kit, seal repairs (rear main, vacuum pump, etc), 3 pcs manifold, valve adjustment, added a Gear Vendors to that too (3. 07 rears have a HUGE gap between 3 and 4), tires, gauges, sound deadened it too, 5" stacks (the 4" ones always bugged me), and intake!





Then yu know what happened? I tuned up the pump. Again. Then I went to our Ontario dyno day. Know what? My clutch that I put in last fall ( SBC 0090 that is rated at like 500 ft/lbs as I was not going to mod it anymore) started to slip. I was putting down 750 ft/lbs!Out comes transmission again in August. Out comes 9 month old yet blue 0090, and in goes Con OFE 13"! I am mad I tell ya! MAD!!!!



What did you say? Crew cab? What? Oh oh oh! Right! Oh yes. I am so sorry. This is not a thread on my mental issues, or the "no longer close to stock" daily driver that I refuse to modify. It is about the crew cab. Right.



Lets carry on. Shall we?





This is what it looked like when I picked it up this past spring:



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So that brings us to current! This is where the truck is still at. When I got home with it, I started with the dash a bit and maybe put another 5 hours or so into cleaning the body shop dust off and a bit a wiring on the interior. Other than that. , I was too busy this summer playing with the DD.



However snow is now on the ground again. The DD is mostly finished minus installing of the fuel tank (mostly lit it on fire! ;) See other thread or search Stranded in WY!), and needing the AC core replaced. Once that isdone int he next week or so, back to the project. I want it done this year period! Will see how that works out in actuality though! ;)
 
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Wow!!! Looking great!!!

So, did you have to remove all the Rattle Trapp sound deadener for them to repaint the interior as well?

new Alcan leafs all around, Pac Brake PRXB ( heck, I now have a stick so why not!!!) Bilstien 5100's,
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Could you post a few thoughts on how this truck rides with the Alcans? Do you know what spring rates they used front and back?

Keep up the great work!

--Eric
 
Cool. Will be watching and waiting for the next set of pics.



On another note, I might be crazy but I'm considering putting a CTD (12V) in my old Ford truck, maybe a Ram frame swap would be easier. Anyway, what do you all think?



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Shadrach said:
Robert you may as well do this for a living and at least get someone to pay you for all your work :) Shadrach
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I like it but it might not be wise.....



Customer: Can you please change my oil?

Robert: No problemmo! Will call you when it is ready!



4 weeks later... .



Robert: Hello Jimbo? Your truck is ready!

Jimbo: What they heck took so long?

Robert: Well, I decided you needed to change the suspension, turbo, clutch, and I also added 15 gauges... . Oh, also your bill no longer applies at the $50. You now owe me $10,000... . :-laf





ENafziger said:
Wow!!! Looking great!!!



So, did you have to remove all the Rattle Trapp sound deadener for them to repaint the interior as well?







Could you post a few thoughts on how this truck rides with the Alcans? Do you know what spring rates they used front and back?



Keep up the great work!



--Eric
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No. Rattle trap had to stay on. Could not remove the stuff. WAAAAY too sticky. Was left on and the interior paint was left.



Here is info on the Alcans:



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...222334-new-srpings-shocks-installed-pics.html





As for the thoughts, I love them. No more sag when towing. I went with basically 350 springs with a custom 1" lift. When I add the 1" lift with the amount of sag the truck had, it was closer to like 3-4".



As for ride, I did not want a progressive smooth spring. I went for 10 leafs on each rear! :-laf It is no where close to smooth, but when I have a trailer on, it is like a dream. Smooth, no sag, and handles great!



If you want smooth, give them a call. They can do it if that is what you want. I was more concerned about sag while towing. Sorry. I do not remember that exact rates I specified but believe they were 1750 per side. You can always get him to look um my info if need be. he can tell you.



gtoli said:
Cool. Will be watching and waiting for the next set of pics.



On another note, I might be crazy but I'm considering putting a CTD (12V) in my old Ford truck, maybe a Ram frame swap would be easier. Anyway, what do you all think?



]
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If you want to do this easily and cost effectivelly, do swap the frames and drop the body on. Will save you alot of time and money, and the parts down the road will be easier to find.
 
While going threw folders for pics of the W250, I came accross another folder that had a few shots from when I first started on the crew!



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This sign was on the truck the day I bought it from BC Canada. I never removed it as I thought it was funny!



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Turbo Diesel Register
Issue 128 – Digital Version
Digital Magazines
FREE!
TDR Test Drive - Digital Edition
Renew
Subscribe
Gift Subscriptions
Back Issues
Subscription Status
Address Change Form
Buyer's Guides
Ram Diagnostic Trouble Codes
The Perfect Collection
The Perfect Collection Vol. II
TSB Updates
Dodge/Cummins Historical Overview
Cameron Collection
What Makes Us Tick?
Product Showcase
Advertising



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