◇NTD◇ 1982 Dodge Ram50 Custom

Well, this was already a journey before I even got it home. Somehow I wondered if it was even worth saving.
Anyway, after a hellish 3 days here is my 1982 Ram50 Custom longbed.

It came with a 2.6, that supposedly will run with a carburetor.
Not really worried, because I am swapping a 2.3 4d55 into it tomorrow.

I already have a new fuel tank, will add new lines, and wire it up.
For some reason, I just like a 1st gen truck, but earlier Ram50/Arrow trucks dont seem to be around very often.

The bed, and rocker areas will need some work, but it looked as though it needed to be saved.
Feel free to follow along through thread. Thanks, Josh

Some pics...

I know a picture tells a thousand lies but it doesn't look that bad at all. The red interior patch up is loud lol. From what you've described the rust is fairly typical of a Gen 1 and shouldn't be that bigger ordeal to fix as long as there isn't something really bad hidden under the floor or in the frame.

I will take some better pictures tomorrow. Okay next big question.
Onto the transmission. Can I theoretically use the cable clutch transmission, or will i need to use a hydraulic transmission?

I have this extra one, but I am unsure of its internals like the original cable trans.
Would I just swap tailshaft sections for my 4wd set up? Josh

So, it has been a few days into the swap, and there are a couple small problems, mainly being that my hydraulic clutch transmission is 2wd, and I need a 4x4 set up.
Hopefully someone can help me understand that I might be able to swap over the internals from my 4wd cable clutch transmission, to the 2wd hydraulic transmission to get the right set up??

This would solve 99% of my problems considering the PO used a set up that I dont want to try.
I am likely going to use the LSD out of my 2nd gen auto truck. Both are 3.909, and I would rather have it with a manual 5 speed.

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts? After reading the thread on KM132 and KM145 differences, I might be confused a bit. Thanks, Josh

Well, since I had some down time, I removed the engine and transmission. The transmission is at the shop. Hopefully things are a sucess, or this build may take awhile.

Then onto the fuel tank, and rear end. I have a new 1st gen fuel tank from my 84 donor truck, and decided to use my 2nd gen LSD rear end from my 87.
Right now I am using my 15's from my 87MM, but I am worried about the clearance for the front fender. I wonder if I should adjust the torsion bars, or leave them alone.

Things seem to be slowly coming along. Hopefully next week there will be some progress to report. Josh

Pics... Sorry about the dark lighting.

Add the old tank to the truck and double your fuel capacity :grin: I'm planning on doing a twin tank on my Gen 1. I'll have to take the tank hanger frame from my donor wreck and mount it up between the rear axle and the bumper. Should be easy enough to rig up with a couple of 42S fuel pumps and an extra fuel level gauge. I don't know how you'll swap the hydraulic clutch to cable but be aware that the firewall may flex where the cable mount is located. Depending on the clutch it could even crack the sheet metal.

I took the 2wd hydraulic clutch transmission, and the 4wd cable clutch KM145 transmission to see if the shop can make 1 good transmission that I need.
Not too sure that they can use the hydraulic transmission case and swap the KM145 gears over.

We'll see in the next few days I suppose. Josh

The new wheels really church it up.
I wish I could help you with the transmission question. I know the innards are the same on the wide and narrow block for the two wheel drive, but not sure what is happening with the 4x4 transmission. Let us know your results.
The hydraulic swap I did with an existing transmission, so I just took the mechanical clutch from a 1st generation gas truck and installed a hydraulic clutch in it. It by far was the worst part of the entire build. Getting the clutch in there and lined up properly was a real pain in the rear. I used a hole saw drill bit and then tapped a dent where the bolt holes go through for the master cylinder. So far its held up just fine without any flexing or cracking.

Thanks for the responses. Tomorrow I will actually photograph the hydraulic set up from the donor 84 truck. He used a bracket, welded to mount the pedal, and a plate welded in the engine bay for the master cylinder.
I will most likely use the set up for the time being, but want to bolt in rather than weld in.

Tomorrow, I should have the rear LSD axle fully swapped, along with the fuel tank/lines.
Still trying to figure out my rear shocks, as I would like to use the Bilstein shocks, if somehow possible.

Since I has just purchased the tires 900 miles ago, it would be a sin to not use them.
I have a 1st gen tach pod, but since the diesel gets its signal elsewhere, it might be useless anyway. Josh

Wow. Rusty suspension parts are just fighting me until the end. I finally got the rear end out, but the leaf bolts are just damn near seized.

The rear end looked like it had about 30 years of oil, and dirt mixed in. It must have taken hours just getting it remotely clean.
Tomorrow I will get everything cleaned up, and painted. It definitely could use a reseal while i am around there.

Things seem to be coming along pretty slow. Perhaps it is because I am trying to get winter ready, really fast. Josh

Pics... Also, pics for the hydraulic setup. As always, pardon the lighting.

Suspension parts get pretty crusty. I'll be investing in a media blaster off ebay when I can. Something that can handle sand, beads and soda would be the ticket. I gotta know - what is that duct running through the steering column mount? I'm trying to rig up 4 way A/C in my Gen 1 but ducting everything from the blower case is proving to be a challenge...

Haha. No worries. I would be happy to photograph a few things for anyone.
It looks to connect to another duct piece that appears to possibly travel up near the defost vent area. Tomorrow I can double check after work.

I definitely could use better tools, etc. Most of my travel tools are crusty, and rusty also.
A blast cabinet would be a dream, maybe this upcoming year. I still need to improve my welding skills as it is, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mowgli5555

Haha. No worries. I would be happy to photograph a few things for anyone.
It looks to connect to another duct piece that appears to possibly travel up near the defost vent area. Tomorrow I can double check after work.

I definitely could use better tools, etc. Most of my travel tools are crusty, and rusty also.
A blast cabinet would be a dream, maybe this upcoming year. I still need to improve my welding skills as it is, though.

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Thanks. The vents in Gen 1's are very basic and the only places that seem to be fan forced are the centre ducts and the floor. Even with the afterthought of the AirInter A/C that was fitted to my truck they should've added duct controls to the sides. I am in luck with not having to invest in a welder as my relatives have a MIG and stick welder. I need to make some seat mounting frames (and a mod or 2 to my steering column mount...) and if I'm game, do some body repairs. Been a loooong time since I've welded anything, it's gonna be ugly :lmao:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mowgli5555

Pics... Also, pics for the hydraulic setup. As always, pardon the lighting.

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I'd just cut those welds that the master cylinder is attached to and then transfer it directly over to the new pick-up. The pedal I used an air chisel to detach the bracket where it had been spot welded and then welded it into the new truck. In your case, they have already manufactured a nice strong bracket, so I'd try to recycle that as well.

So yesterday was a rollercoaster day. I was almost finished derusting the LSD rear end, and forgot I had taken my glasses off for 10 seconds.
Needless to say, I caught a shard of metal into my eyeball, and had to make a trip to the eye guy. Learned a valuabke lesson yesterday.

Today I will finish a few things up, then I am starting the hydraulic removal, and set up.
The transmission shop said the transmission would be ready tomorrow, but I will continue to cross my fingers.

Having a hydraulic clutch, 4x4 turbo diesel small truck is exaxtly what I am looking for.
Also, I went with the Bilstein B6 4600 series rears, so we'll see how they work out. Josh

Yikes. Metal in your eye is bad to start of with, but grimy metal is another world of nasty. It only takes a one second lapse and it can end badly. Hopefully you got it flushed out before it could scratch your eye up and they got everything. Nearly got the trucks' rear sorted out. Good stuff :thumbup:

Yes. It was embedded in my eye, and had to be buzzed out. Luckily my eye was numb, or I might have been in some real pain.
My other eye already has incredibly poor vision, so I try to protect my good eye as well as possible.

After trying to wash my eye out 7 times, it need to be left to a professional. Josh

Okay.....Back to work. So I got the hydraulic set up out of the truck, but still am working on cutting the brackets out.
It is a very tight spot, and I will have to be more creative to cut them out well.

The leaf springs have officially done me in. Am I just going to have to cut the bolts off?
I worry that I wont be able to find the first gen bolt set up for my truck. The bolt looks like it fits the bracket perfectly, and doesnt look the the 2nd gen bolt/washer set up.
Also, the rear shackles look pretty bad, is there a replacement for them??
I just want to finish the rear end and move on to other things. Josh

☆I called the axle good enough, I just want to drive the damned thing.

If you can get the one side off of the shackle - take a drill with a 1/4 inch bit and drill the bushing and then run it around the hole until the bushing lets go of the bolt.

Okay. So, for those who actually have a 2wd hydraulic clutch transmission, and also a 4x4 cable clutch transmission, then it works.
The transmission came back today, and it is nearly ready to go in.
This has been a lot of work so far, but I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The hydraulic brackets are also about ready to go in, but how do I remove the old clutch pedal?? I have been looking for the diagram.

Hurried and painted the springs, but still need to cut the metal ring inside, leftover from the bushing, ugh...
Still quite a bit to do before it can be driven, especially since it will be a daily driver. Josh

*After 30 mintues of scrubbing the Southern Utah red dirt.*

Small update.

So I ordered the Energy leaf bushing kit, and it should be here early next week.
Tomorrow I will officially pull the 4d55 for the swap. The transmission is back near its place, and ready to be bolted up.

Tomorrow I will finish the hydraulic pedal set up, and I am hopefully it all bolts up smoothly.
I purchased a clutch kit, and replaced the release bearing. Monday, or Tuesday I am looking for the first start up. Stay tuned. Josh

The light flare in the pics looks like photos from inside a cathedral. Good luck with the first start up :thumbup:

Another quick update. Got the 4d55 engine out of the 87, but I got lazy today, and broke the fan blade a bit.
I have a couple 2.6 donor engines, so we'll see if a fan from one of them fits.

Still have to switch the pilot bearing, install the clutch kit, and throw it back in there.
Going to clean up that filthy engine bay, clean the interior, and work on the wiring.
Somedays I really need to practice more patience. Or just learn to step away from the project for a short bit. Josh

So... Today was a bit of a long day with very little actually done.
The engine is finally sitting in the engine bay, and I have already started wiring things up.
However, I still need to attach the pedal brackets, and make something for my fuel filter housing.

For some reason, the engine bay really feels tight. Also, there is a difference between the 1982 firewall, and the 1984 firewall.
Mainly for the clutch master cylinder area. On the 1984 firewall, it is flat and offers plenty of room for adjustment.
The 1982 firewall is more precise, and has angles near the mounting area.

Everything still went in pretty smoothly, but it could have gone better. Haha. Josh

A couple more for the fun of it. I also had to remove a little material from the clutch pedal bracket to fit.

Not much going on as I wait for the leaf spring bushing kit. I finally got the starter wiggled in there, the fuel system is 90% complete. Exhaust is in, glow plug set up mounted...

Tomorrow I will button up the transmission, and finish wiring the engine.
Getting pretty close now, I can almost taste it. Josh

It will taste better if you run vegetable oil instead of diesel...lol

Haha, very true. Just smelling the diesel while transfering fuel tanks got me a little excited about everything.

The bushing kit arrived yesterday, so I am in full push to finish up, and drive.
Everything still needs fresh fluids, plus a variety of other things need to be tightened up. Literally.

Here is the plate that I made for the interior side of the clutch master cylinder to add some strength.
Since it is pretty much an exact fit, the pedal and plate took longer than expected.

Unless anyone says otherwise, I was just going to go for the Pennzoil Syncromesh gear oil for the transmission.
Any recommendations for the transfer case, and rear diff??

Well, as always... Stay tuned. Josh

I'm using Castrol axle limited slip 90 in my 2nd gen LSD for the last 12 months or so. (Diff was in a twin turbo ecotec 3800 2nd gen, and now my Buick powered 1st gen, and it's holding up without issues)

It's worth the effort to get custom modified parts to fit as close to perfect as you can. It'll be less likely to cause you grief later and it's good for your feng shui. Say no to the ghetto fix :thumbup:

Monday after work, I decided to see if the 4d55 would run while I await the final parts.
Everything went smoothly, unfortunately I got a little bit sick this week.

Hopefully I will be able to take the first drive this weekend. Stay tuned, Josh

It feels like a month has passed, but I am still working to make the truck roadworthy.
The suspension continued to give me grief all the way until the end, but it finally is done.

Tomorrow will be the first maiden voyage for the Ram50, it wont be anything special, I just want to see how things go on the road.

My tire clearance up front is an issue. It is either find new tires, or crank the torsion bars for some clearance.
Does anyone have some recommendations if cranking the bars will actually help?

Hopefully this puts another Ram50 on the road. JoshAttachment 21404

Ugh, couldnt say first maiden voyage. One of these days I will donate to the site, purely for the edit feature. Haha. Josh

Good luck with the road test. When you start digging into an older vehicle a bunch of small things pop up - drive shaft rebuild, brakes, bad suspension, a tyre or 2, a sketchy exhaust... It all adds up. I've got a stack of spare parts waiting to go into my truck but it has had the crap beaten out of it and I want to fix what I see are the weak links in it before it's anywhere near road ready. I have a long way to go yet.

The testing of the transmission is most important to me at the moment, especially since I have never used it.
While the truck was stopped in gear, I pressed in the clutch, rolled the truck around, and everything felt pretty good, it reengaged solidly.

Perhaps I am still a bit timid, especially given this truck hasnt been on the road in decade or so.
Over the next few weeks, I intend to work out the kinks, and do what is needed to keep everything running cool.

Already another project is coming to mind, and I am going to jump in again with both feet.
It is time for me to build my 4g63 Mighty Max. This time, I am going to be very patient, and wait for the right 2nd truck to come along. Macrocab, 5 speed manual, just something I can build up, and enjoy. Stay tuned, Josh

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mowgli5555

...Perhaps I am still a bit timid, especially given this truck hasnt been on the road in decade or so.

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I did a drivetrain swap in a Galant/Colt wagon for my very first build and it died on it's initial road test. I got caught out by a ton of sediment in the fuel tank and in a moment of enthusiasm, dislodged 25 years worth of it straight through the fuel lines. Luckily I'd replaced all the fuel filters before that had happened... but that's all part of the game.

So... Today went pretty well given everything that went on. I put about 30 miles on the truck today, and it feels pretty solid.
Even drove it home for the evening. This week/end I will go over various areas, and make sure everything is how it should be.

It feels so good to drive a 5 speed manual again. Plus, it feels so much better than the 1st gen donor truck that most things came out of. Josh

Driving the truck has been pretty good so far. After about 5 minutes of trying to find an AM radio station, I quickly realized that I need some form of entertainment, besides static.
After removing the dash, it hit me on the head that a single din deck wont fit into the spot without some modification.

At the moment, I am torn over whether I should build a little console, or modify the opening a bit.
My donor truck has door cards with cutouts, so I will just set my door cards aside in storage for awhile and use those.

I started waxing the truck, and the red is really beginning to pop. This weekend I will take some pics of the good, bad, and the ugly.
It is a great truck for a project, but there are probably much better survivors to keep 100% OG. Josh

Truck is looking good, can't wait to see what it looks like with a good wash/wax. What do you have of the interior so far? I might have a few OE center console parts lying around if you want to go that route, and a set of the factory bucket seats too

I can get shots of the interior today. It is rather complete, aside from a center console, of course.
However, I went the direction of trimming the dash for a stereo deck. It will take patience for everything to look factory, but it is worth it in the long run.

I have had a MM/Ram50 with bucket seats. That sounds pretty luxurious.
This weekend I will try to wash, and wax it. The weather has been pretty poor this, and possibly more snow on the way. Josh

Today I couldnt finish what I wanted to on the interior. Work got too busy, and I basically just gave it a quick wax.
Here it is next to its sister. I have been trying to get my hands on this one, also. So who knows what will happen in the future. Josh

Just a quick update. Got the stereo mounted up the way I intended. It isnt a butthole tight fit, but will serve my exact needs.
The Dual HU came from my donor truck, it will be nice to have BT, and such shortly.
Plus, I dont feel like cutting the holes for 6.5 speakers, so I will order some 6's this week.

I am running a single JL 10, a little 500W amp, and the sound is starting come along at a budget.
Sadly, after wiring up the electric fan I came to find out that it didnt even fit. It was too deep, so back to the drawing board for that. Josh

These little 4.5 speakers came out of a Freightliner I had years back, they are temporary, as I needed something to cut the holes.
You can still see the black marker surrounding the speaker, I got lazy and forgot to clean it off.

The centering is dead nuts 100%, but is very close considering I drilled it out by hand, and filed it to fit.
A saw hole cutter did nothing but slip, and just me a rough time.

I think I will go with a Kenwood HU, since I dont know too much about modern single din HU's.
Sitting in my storage are a pair of 1,000 watt amps, but I really wanted to keep things simple.
Now to put the dash back together, and find something else to work on.

Lastly, I wasnt able to find a constant 12v from my stereo harness.
Using multiple testers gave me nothing. Since I have wired this truck, I know the accessory wire well enough. However, to avoid splicing the harness, I just decided to wire to the battery with an inline fuse. Josh

If you can find the plug for the factory clock, you have a constant 12V source right next to your HU. Yeah, don't install a pair of 1000w amps unless you plan on liquifying your organs. The biggest issue with putting huge audio into a truck cab is the inherent lack of space to work with and surfaces to install speakers and a sub (slimline internally powered subs are your buddy when getting a fuller experience from your audio gear in a confined space and you can get reasonable quality sound on a budget) Don't be scared of new gen audio gear. +DAB digital radios are freaking awesome and USB lets you carry a ton of tunes wherever you go, but I still prefer a disc player as an option. Kenwood is a good go-to for a HU but I can't stand Pioneer or Sony stuff (once they both started cheaping out by moving to Malaysia & Indonesia, it turned to crap)

Looking good!!!

Okay. To keep things rolling while I slowly get the Ram50 updated into the 21st century, I decided to merge my thread.
This is my 1987 Mitsubishi Might Mits, and it is getting a diesel swap.
It will need quite a few things, and is very far from being finished, however I needed a place to document its build.

Here is when I picked it up, the PO blew the engine up, and I didnt think this truck would be worth rebuilding to factory specs.

It originally came with a 550cc 3 cylinder engine, and a 3 speed manual transmission, with 4x4.
It will be getting a 1 liter diesel engine that I plan to turbocharge, and likely run a 5 speed transmission from a later mini truck.

This one should take me all spring, and summer given that I have about 4 non running projects at the moment.
However, the engine, and transmission are already out. The gas tank has been removed, and most of the wiring is out.
It will be a great test for my skills, and the size of the truck should make things interesting.

The engine I am going with is a Mitsubishi 3 cylinder, 1 liter L3E indirect injection diesel engine that I found used.
I like the idea of the original truck, so I plan on using the original transmission, and transfercase setup, with the original driveshafts.

At the moment, I am in the process of designing engine mounts, basically based off the original mounts, reangled for the new engine.
I found a local company to help make my engine converter plate, and flywheel adaptor ring.

Due to these engines being pretty high revving, I tried to chose the highest rpm diesel engine I could find.
Even so, 3500 rpms is a far cry from 6500 rpms, and the gearing will make things a bit difficult.

I will be running pretty large tires to combat this anyway possible, but these trucks arent that kind to lift kits more than 2 inches.
That being said, the more gears the better. I am unsure of the rear diff/front diff ratio, and what types of options there might even be available.

Here is the engine I will be going with, the L3E. Reasons I chose the L3E are because I wanted to keep it Mitsubishi, and couldnt afford the 1.3 Mitsubishi diesel.

At $800, the little L3E will help this truck live on, and be unique.
Plus, I might just blow this thing up at some point pushing its limits;)

Here I am just testing some angles. It will be mounted slighty slanted to sort of match the angle of the original engine mounts.
This way I can cut the engine subframe, and reangle the mounts to offer a more vertical engine mounting position from the original engine.
Realistically, the engine could possibly be mounted completely vertical, but we'll see what I decide.

At almost double the engine capacity, this critter is going to chase goats off mountains all day long. Good luck with the swap. This is such a great little truck project :thumbup:

So... I have really been thinking about my Ram50, and having a flatbed might be better for my longterm needs.
Maybe it is the crazy in me, but I would really like to find a dual rear axle setup, and have a 4x4 flatbed Ram50 truck.

Dual rear axle options are pretty limited here, unless I can convert a Toyota motorhome dually rear axle to my truck.
If anyone has any thoughts at all, I would love to hear them. Just trying to make this truck as useful as possible as I go. Josh

I meant dual rear wheel axle setup. Anyway, here is the little guy working through the mini snowstorm.

Seen some l300 vans with dual rear wheels. Should bolt on too

No LSD? An LSD will get it putting power down no matter what. A mod on my to-do list...

I would take either LSD, or an open diff rear end. For some reason, I cant even find any examples of Mitsubishi L300 DRW axles online.
My SRW axle at the moment has LSD, and I enjoy it much. It would definitely be worth it for me to find a LSD DRW axle.

For some reason, I feel like I will have to build a bed from scratch. Especially since I dont even know the complete width of the DRW axle.
Let me know if anyone has anyone info that might help my search??

an alternative is to find a 10+ inch wide wheel and put really wide single tire on the rear, like the super singles some truckers run now. No need for axle swap, and the offset can give you the width you are looking for. Finding mini dually fenders may be tough, but with a flatbed you don't need them...

Be careful on how you design your flatbed. I had an 'associate' on another site that had built a flatbed for their Gen 1 RWD and it was lowered. He found out that it would bottom out if he had a load on it and the tyres would hit the underside of his bed...

then you put wheel wells in the floor of the flatbed...

So, after thinking things over a bit, I have decided to stay with the single rear wheel axle, and slowly convert to a flatbed.
I thought of putting wheel wells in, but I like the bed flat, and will likely go for that.

It would be nice to use the factory mounting points, for poly bushings.
These next upcoming weeks, I will try to get serious about this.
Someone made a flatbed project locally, nearly to my dimensions, but I just wonder if it is worth starting from scratch.

Either way, I cant get this out of my mind, and have to do it. Josh

Okay... So, I decided to pick it up, hopefully I can make the flatbed into something useful for the Ram50.
It still needs quite a bit, but seemed to fit my frame rails pretty well.

Most flatbed that I have had, have just been U bolted to the frame along the flatbed.
Is that acceptable in this situation?? I would like to make things reversable, as I am still keeping the bed.

It seems pretty heavy, not really sure what I can do about that. Let me know if anyone has any thoughts?? Josh

I imagine I will have to make front mounts. Realistically, the truck will need some decent down time to get this done.
Maybe I will try to tough it out, and ride my motorcycle to work for a bit.

Can't see why the U shackle bolts won't be up for the job. If you want it to be as light as possible, you'll need to get it fabbed out of alloy. Only way to do it. Maybe find an alloy drop-side tray and tweak it a bit to do the job? :shrug:

Alloy dropside. Very easy to modify. Mate cut one down with a skill saw and bolted it all back together and nones the wiser. Well apart from laying it on his picnic table when cutting. It used to seat 6. Now it seats 4

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tortron

Alloy dropside. Very easy to modify. Mate cut one down with a skill saw and bolted it all back together and nones the wiser. Well apart from laying it on his picnic table when cutting. It used to seat 6. Now it seats 4

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He could've fixed it with duct tape... :thumbup:

Just getting things mocked up to see how it might look. It can definitely be lowered a little bit more, and I still might try to shave a little weight in certain areas, so I can add it back on in other areas.

It would be nice to have it a bit longer, but it will do fine until I can build something more ideal from scratch.
Mainly it will be to carry my motorcycle car camping, and also be able to sleep on the back. Haha. Josh

Oops... I forgot the pic.

Hmm, looking good so far. One or 2 of those under tray tool chests would be handy to add onto this build...

Storage boxes would definitly be the plan. Right now I am just figuring out my next welder.
After some reading, I think I will go with the Hobart 140. Standard household power is mostly needed, even though 3 phase is available at work.
Plus cost is an issue, I dont have $1,000 for a machine this year, just too much going on to figure it in.

I found an old piece of roll bar that I will use for a temporary headache rack.
Also, realistically the flatbed is built more stout(heavy) than I need. Next year I will build something different(lighter), but this should work for now.

The way the frame rails line up with the flatbed rails, I shoukd be able to make quick mounts for the rear end, however it is going to take a little more creativity to make front mounts, since the rails basically sit on the mounting pad.
The bed is pretty much sitting near the height it will be mounted to. Josh

Well, it took a little longer, but I came to the conclusion that I would need a welder capable of more power.
Couldnt really swing the Millermatic 211, so I went with the Hobart 210MVP.

Tomorrow I will look into some 75/25, and this weekend get welding.
Sadly, it made this project more expensive in the end, but I needed a better welder than the cheapo that I currently had. Plus it will come in handy with the mini mini truck.

Now, back to work on the truck. It has been 14 days since I last drove the truck, and I am already missing it. Haha. Josh

The welder is an initial cash outlay like all tools. But as with all tools, it will earn it's keep the more times to you use them. The tray is coming together nicely :thumbup:

Okay... It has been a short period since my last update. After much thought, I couldnt leave the flatbed on the truck.
I decided to build something entirely from scratch.

Honestly, I am the furthest thing from a professional welder, but really have had the desire for years now and needed to start.
So, I will give it a shot. I decided to build it wider, and longer than the other flatbed. It was supposed to be designed with c channel for the cross members, but I went with tube steel in the end(I may regret it due to the extra weight).

It will be a wood deck, but I am ultimately unsure why. There was supposed to be weight savings, but I am getting closer and closer, everyday.

Anyway, it is mostly just tacked together to understand my math better. Not using a jig, or anything, I tried my damnest to keep things rather square, but imperfection should be expected. Continued.....

Just another small update. Got it at least up and running again. Although, there is still plenty that needs to be added over time.

It is sitting with 1/2 inch polyurethane body mounts. It doesnt have a headache rack, or even tie down bars. Hopefully I will figure out something pretty quick.

Anyway, I like it more than the traditional bed. It is exactly what I was looking for, but couldnt find. Now to get to work on the rest of it this spring. Josh

Looks good. Maybe add some concealed tie down loops so you have something to anchor ropes or ratchet straps to. No turn signals?

Solid eye geezer101. I have the lights, but havent yet made the cut outs. Since my reverse lights have a wiring snafu, I just wired the turn signals to each, temporarily. It was a quick decision just to get it out of a warehouse that was being torn down.

I did like the idea of the bars, like most rollbacks have, but I might just do traditional weld on pockets for wood sides.
It would be nice to weld some receivers for tubes that could double as tent structure for a good canvas, while camping. Josh

Well... Small update. Got the sides, and headache rack on. Given the chance to do it again, I would have changed a few things, but it will do.

It still needs a few things, add ons, and such. Although, I am pretty pleased with its versitility already.
The bed will come off this summer, and I will spray the truck frame to make it look better.

Now, onto some engine mods. Plus, my steering, and front suspension is about due for some work.
This has been the ongoing project truck, but I mostly enjoy it all. Josh

Looks awesome - all business. You did a great job of fabbing up the deck, now for the endless stream of 'friends' needing something moved on the weekend :lmao:

Thanks... A flatbed makes it so my tow truck doesnt have to do as much work.
Just a lot of odd things that need to be strapped down, I suppose.

Well, it didnt take long for me to get sick of the bench seat. It is so limiting, that the back bar wont allow me to put my subwoofer back there.

So out with the bench. Now, I have been reading about seat upgrades, but I didnt really want to have something too shitty.
I read somewhere that Montero seats can be made to fit with some fab work, so I decided to look for Montero 1st gen seats, or Montero Sport seats.

Off to the junkyard I went. They had 3 Montero Sports, and no 1st gen Monteros. I didnt really want 1st gen Montero seats anyway.
Well, the Montero Sports were pretty much stripped, and the seats were all junk.

Knowing I might have to recover the seats, I decided to pull the trigger and check the fit.
Well, 3 mounts on the drivers seat line up, and 2 from the passenger seat.
That was enough for me. Oddly enough, they only had a Limited model with leather seats, so I decided screw it, lets try it.

Well, I still have some mount work, and the driver seat needs repair. Here it is, Montero Sport seats in a 1st gen Mighty Max. Josh

Wow that drivers seat is thrashed. Bucket/sports seats are so much nicer to live with. Worse case scenario you can put a cover over them for the time being (shag pile door trims?) Wonder if the front half of Monty floor carpets will be any good to replace the stuff in a Gen 1...

So you got your seats from a Montero, and your door cards from a mountain goat... I see what you did there, nice touch

You should see the sheep skin type covers that I have lying around. Straight vintage from the 80's, and still smell great.

Well... Until now the Ram50 has been great for hauling to and from work, but it hasnt been tested at distance.
This weekend I am driving out neae the Moab area, and we will see how it handles the journey.

Recently just changed fuel filter, about 1500 miles into an oil change, plus with good tires.
Transmission oil has about 1500 miles on it, clutch is the same.
There are still plenty of things that needs to be tackled for my creature comfort reasons, but I am eager to see it accomplish the trip.

No motorcycle this time, so the bed will be less than half loaded. It will be a good chance to see how it functions during a car-camp trip vs being loaded up. Josh

I like your truck & the seat trick :thumbup:

Edit: Did you reuse the original seat belts..? Thanks for sharing the Montero seat information...

Okay.... So, it has been more than 4 years since my last post. I've decided to give some updates on the Ram50 and share some ideas for the near future.
Later this week, I will take some more pics to show what a few years of wear and tear feels like. Josh

I know it's been a few months since your last post on here about updates but I would like to hear about them. As I am getting ready to fab up a flat bed for my truck in the very near future here.