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Thread: 87 Ram 50 SBC/T5 swap

  1. #26

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    Awesome swap! Loving all of the details and ideas.

  2. #27

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    Thanks, I'm having fun with this. My oldest (12 year old) grandson comes over once in a while and gives me hand, which is always a real pleasure. I let him help me rebuild the 283 last year. he's a little small yet to do much of the heavy pulling, but he does good with the smaller more intricate stuff like rebuilding carburetors, starters etc. He got to run the 283 that's in the truck a couple of times when it was on the engine stand (before and after we changed it from the Tri Power to the single 4 BBL).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2a8j3GsYNY

    He's also figured out that with the seat all the way forward and the steering wheel all the way down, he can reach the pedals and steer it. I suspect that after we get it together and he gets just a bit older this may be what he learns to drive a stick with......and learn how to replace clutches if he screws up just like I did.

  3. #28

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    Sorry about the triple post Josh. For some reason this didn't post for a couple of days and I restarted the thread. This one can be deleted if you want.

    Mike

  4. #29

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    Awesome! Ive built a few SBCs with swap in mind for my 87 MM but always ended up selling before install. I will definitely be watching this build!

  5. #30

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    I got all the odds and ends ready for the drive line shop so that will go in next week. It’s a bunch cheaper for me to provide the needed parts (especially as I already have them) than it is to just say build a drive shaft from scratch.



    The donor shaft (upper shaft in the picture above) provided the right weld on yoke that will fit the stock Ram 50 shaft once it’s shortened. After the shaft is shortened the shop I’ll be using mounts both the differential and transmission yoke and then checks the whole assembly for balance. This will be the first time I’m using this particular shop (the owner of the shop I used to use retired and nobody took over the business). I’ve heard good things about the shop I’m sending this to, so hopefully things go well.

  6. #31


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    nice build diary, keep it coming. my first love is a SBC, blown up a couple (as in completely destroyed). as well as the 4G64 in the current Mitsubishi Mighty Max.
    (cheaper to buy 4 pistons than 8, if you get my drift)

  7. #32

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    "....(cheaper to buy 4 pistons than 8, if you get my drift)......"

    Aw, come on Chevy pistons are cheap




    I got my shaft and parts up to the driveline shop in Tucson yesterday and should pick up the finished and balanced shaft on Friday. I had considered building the driveshaft myself (something I have done in the past) but there were a couple of variables I didn’t know at the time so I farmed out a bit more work than I normally would have.

    For guys who have done an engine swap or two in the past this is probably old news but if someone is considering a swap for the first time, I figured I’d write up what they are going to run into with the driveshaft portion of the swap.

    If you are doing a V8 engine and transmission swap on one of these trucks and retaining the original rearend, it’s guaranteed that you will need a hybrid driveshaft. If you are starting out with nothing but measurements and need a shaft built from scratch, you are looking in $300 and up ballpark (plus shipping if you use one of the on-line places) to get a drive shaft made with the appropriate yokes.

    If the original driveshaft that came with the truck is still around, in good shape and you can find a local shop to do the work (or are capable of doing it yourself) you are probably going to be $$$ ahead.

    Besides the original drive shaft you will need the following to get the driveshaft ready to install (whether you provide them or the driveline shop does).



    If you’re still in the parts collecting stage, when you buy the transmission for your swap, if at all possible try to get the driveshaft from the donor vehicle (or at least a portion of the shaft with the slip yoke). This will at least get you a start on the parts you will need. The differential yoke shown in the picture will be attached to the end of the original driveshaft (it’s the part that bolts to the differential).






    The front driveshaft yoke may be the hardest part to find. Although I’m pretty sure they are available new somewhere, I have yet to find a supplier. As I have access to a large supply of driveshafts at a local mom and pop wrecking yard (a vanishing thing), I usually just find a donor shaft to provide the correct yoke.

    If you’re going to build your own shaft or provide the yoke to the driveline shop, you will need to look for 2 things in the donor shaft. The first and most important is a shaft of the correct diameter. This was one of my biggest concerns as I figured that the Mitsubishi drive shaft was probably built to metric specifications and the donor shaft (from an older American vehicle) would be speced out in inches. I measured the outside diameter of the Ram 50 shaft and came up with 3 3/16th inches (or close enough to that), measured past where the shaft tapers down. I was lucky enough to find a donor shaft with the same diameter. The drive shaft was already out of the car when I picked it up, so unfortunately I don’t know what the original application was.

    The other consideration when finding a donor shaft is that the driveshaft yoke is compatible with the slip yoke it will connect to. In the case of the drive shaft I took apart both it and the slip take a pretty common Spicer 1310 U Joint (used in a lot of GM products). That being said I usually don’t get too wrapped around the axle if I can’t find a driveshaft yoke that takes a common U Joint. If push comes to shove and I find a shaft that is the right diameter but is from say Ford or Mopar, there are conversion U Joints readily available to connect it to a GM yoke (my 500 Cadillac Powered El Camino is a good example, it has a TH400 and a 9” Ford rearend, it’s connected together with a drive shaft from a 1968 Dodge station wagon, it just took the right conversion joints on each end).

    Anyway buying the used drive shaft as a donor will probably be cheaper than having the drive line shop provide the yoke. At this point you can either take your measurements and send both driveshafts and yokes to the driveline shop or save some money by removing the yoke from the donor drive shaft and then sending it out, or possibly building your own hybrid shaft.

    You can remove the yoke from the donor shaft by either carefully grinding the factory weld that holds the yoke to the shaft or send it to a machine shop to have them a lathe to cut the weld. Be extremely careful to grind or cut just the weld. The yoke has a step built into it that bottoms out on the shaft and this must not be screwed up as it is what centers the yoke in the driveshaft tube. When you get the weld cut then it’s just hammer the joint off the end of the shaft (it’s an interference fit). When you get the yoke out this is what it will look like.




    Basically this is where I stopped on the driveshaft for my swap. I got my measurements (discussed below), then sent the Ram 50 drive shaft, yokes and U Joints to the driveline shop. I could have finished building the shaft myself, and knowing what I do now I would have.

    Part of the reason I farmed the stuff out is that this is the first time I was dealing with this particular driveline shop and honestly wanted to see how he shortened the drive shaft (in part to know whether I would recommend him or ever use him again). Then there was the question of whether the inside diameter was the same on the Ram 50 driveshaft as it was on the donor shaft …….the outside diameter was the same but if the Ram 50 shaft used thicker wall tubing the ID would be smaller requiring the yoke to be turned down, which I am not set up to do. As it turned out the ID was the same so that turned out to be a non-problem.





    Anyway had I gone ahead and built my own driveshaft, this is how I would have done it.

    The first step is getting the measurements for the length that you will need the driveshaft to be. You will need this measurement if you are farming out the driveshaft to be built or building your own. Most driveline shops will want the length measured from the center of U Joint to the center of U Joint. However if you are having the shaft custom made check with the shop doing the work first to make sure you know how they want it measured.



    This is the way I've found to be the easiest for me to come up with this measurement for the new shaft.

    First install the slip yoke in the back of the transmission and bottom it out. Then pull the slip yoke out between ¾” to 1 ¼”. The reason the slip yoke needs to have this clearance is so it will slide back and forth slightly as the rear springs compress (get longer) when it loaded or hits a bump. The clearance is also necessary to slide the shaft forward so it can be removed completely from the truck to change U Joints etc.

    Next bolt the pinion flange back on the differential. Line the holes on both yokes so they are parallel to the ground then measure the distance between the center of the hole the slip yoke to the center of the hole in the pinion flange yoke. This is your center to center distance.

    Next measure the distance from the center of the hole in the yoke that you will be leaving on the original driveshaft and mark where the center hole for the new yoke you are adding will be. Lay the new drive shaft yoke next to the shaft and align the center hole of the yoke you are adding with the mark you just made. Where the step on the new yoke is where you mark to cut the shaft.



    The cut you make on the drive shaft tube is probably the most critical part of the whole operation. The cut MUST be perfectly square. There are various ways to make this cut; a very high dollar chop saw can be used, some shops chuck the shaft in a lathe to make the cut, or the method I use which is a large industrial pipe cutter. These are normally found in a plumbers shop. This is basically the large industrial grade version of the tubing cutters most of you have in your tools boxes. As long as the rollers and cutting wheel are tight is will also make a square cut. I think mine do up to 4 or 4 ½” thick wall pipe.



    Once the cut is made, it is simply phase the yoke. Phasing the yoke means that the yokes are parallel to each other so the U Joints run in the same plane. If the joints are out of phase it will cause a driveshaft vibration.

    If you look at the two drive shafts below, the bottom one (the original Ram 50 shaft) is phased correctly. The upper shaft is a factory screw up. If you look closely the yokes are about 45 degrees out of phase……..the reason it ended up on the scrap pile was because it vibrated bad enough to shake the whole car at certain speeds.



    Once you have the yoke properly phased, drive or press it into the driveshaft. The step on the yoke and square cut on the shaft are what aligns it yoke so the shaft runs true. Then it’s simply run a good bead of weld to join the yoke to the shaft…….if you don’t have a good welder, or are not a good welder yourself, leave that part to a professional.

    That’s about it for building the driveshaft yourself. You may or may not have to have the shaft balanced. Normally I just bolt them in if it doesn’t vibrate, great, if it does it gets sent out to be balanced. In the case of this one, I’m having it balanced anyway, mostly because it had 2 weights on one end and 1 weight on the other and one had to be removed to cut the shaft. If you are sending out the driveshaft to be balanced contact the driveline shop first……. some want just the driveshaft, other need both yokes in order to balance them. It’s a lot cheaper for you to remove or install the U Joints than it is to have the shop do them.

    Costs can vary greatly from one region to another, or even from shop to shop. I figured I’d throw up my costs just to give you an idea about cost. The shop I’m using is charging me the following:

    Shorten shaft and install new yoke… ….$45.00
    Install U Joints…………………$15 ea…$30.00
    Balancing………………………..……….$55.00

    So I’m into the driveshaft for $130, plus another $30 for new U Joints.

    The yoke came with the transmission but if I needed one, I can usually pick up good used ones for $10-$20 (swap meets, junk yard, E Bay etc). The donor shaft I also had on hand, but I wouldn’t pay more than $25-$30 for one (even less if it’s bent). So with everything (and fair market value on the parts I had on hand) I’d be into the driveshaft for about $200. By building the shaft myself I could have cut $75 dollars off that ($45 for cutting the shaft, and $30 for installing the U Joints).

    That’s about all there is too it. Hell it actually took longer to write it up that it would take to actually build the driveshaft LOL.

  8. #33

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    The pile of driveshaft parts turned into this.



    I was impressed/happy with the shop that did the work. When I got there to pick the shaft up it was still in the balancer. He had left it hooked up so he could spin it up and show me that it was actually balanced and ran true. I’ve already referred another guy who needs a drive shaft to him.

    You might notice the writing on the end of the shaft. That’s the part number for the U Joint that end takes. I figured that was a pretty good place to record it after having to replace the rear U Joint in the El Camino yesterday (abuse might have been involved ). The El Camino uses an oddball shaft and conversion joints too, so it’s not like you can go into a parts store and tell the computer jockey an application he could find. After spending a ½ hour using the caliper to get measurements then digging thru U Joints charts to get a good part number, I figured it would be a good idea to record it for future reference in a place I could actually find it again.


    I’m trying to finish up the underside of the truck so I can drop it back on the ground. I’m down to running fuel lines and exhaust. Adding the 20 gallon fuel tank adds a couple of issues besides just adding the new fuel lines. I like the way the truck currently sits. The rear springs are pretty soft however (until they compress enough to come down on the overload spring). Full of gas, the new fuel tank will add around 150 pounds to the back of the truck, which is enough to drop the truck 1 to 2 inches. I really didn’t want to add another leaf, hate air shocks and besides having bad luck with the last pair of air bags really can’t afford the space (interference with the exhaust over the axle). I ended up picking up a pair of load assist shocks. It may not be the optimum solution, but it’s the easiest and least problematic.




    About the only progress actually made on the truck this week was just getting the fuel tank change over valve installed. There was no good place to mount it directly to the frame and have it oriented correctly, so a bit of time was spent getting a bracket installed.






    .

  9. #34

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    AWESOME tech article Mike P.! Great writing and photography. Really made everything crystal clear. You may have saved me others a lot of money.

    I had no idea factory driveshafts could be that out of phase.

  10. #35

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    Hopefully I’m done looking at the underside of the truck for a while. I test fit the driveshaft, then pulled it back out and set it aside for a bit so I could go ahead and finish up some more under truck stuff without banging my head on it every 5 minutes. I got the new rear shocks on and then started on the “fun” stuff.

    I got the fuel lines run…….what a PIA. The Chevy fuel pump is on the passenger side and the original fuel lines were on the driver’s side, so I ended up running new metal fuel and return lines from the original tank and the one I added in the rear up to the fuel selector valve. Then I ran new metal lines from the valve up to the fuel pump on the engine. I’m running a non-vented cap on the 58 Chevy tank, so I also ended up running a vent line from the tank up to the charcoal canister under the hood.







    Although I’m planning on the truck being a daily driver, there is also the possibility (probability) there will be times that it could sit for a couple of months without being started. I hate cranking and cranking on the starter to refill the carburetor so I added an electric fuel pump in the line to the original fuel tank.







    The fuel lines were one of those projects that nickel and dimed me to death. Even after having both tanks in and having the fuel switch valve and electric fuel pump on hand I still needed 30’ of new steel fuel line, 20’ steel vent line, 5’ of rubber fuel line, 24 fuel line clamps, 14 clamps to hold the fuel and vent line to the frame, 20’ of electrical wire for the sending units, switch valve and fuel pump and a handful of electrical connectors.

    Next I finished building the exhaust system (also a PIA). I have (had) a bunch of leftover pipes and bends from other projects plus the mufflers I had on the test stand so basically all I had to spring for was a new pair of tail pipe tips. I saved some money building it myself and got everything placed where I wanted it (something that’s sometimes iffy with the local muffler shops) but I’m getting way too old for it to be much fun.

    Because of the original fuel tank and clutch cable, I ended up running both pipes down the passenger side then ran one of the pipes back over to the driver’s side after I got them past the rear end. I like the ability to split the exhaust system without having to cut pipes, so I added ball and socket joints in both pipes so I can drop the head pipes if I ever need to (sorry you can’t see them in the picture).







    Also on the list was building a new wiring harness for the switch valve, electric fuel pump, sending units, and electronic speedometer. While I was under there, I wrapped the exhaust pipes where they run close by the starter and the clutch cable.

    So as of this afternoon it’s finally back on the ground and I think everything underneath is done……..of course you know how that goes. Although unintended, I kind of like where the exhaust tips exit. From the rear you can’t see the exhaust tips because of the bumper (can you say sleeper). It sits just a bit high in the back right now with the load assist shocks, but both tanks are empty. Filling them will add almost 250 pounds to the truck.







    Next week should be getting the dash back in and getting the under hood wiring started.

  11. #36



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    When you start to explode rear ends you should think about putting in an Isuzu Rodeo 1995 Disc brakes and it's a Dana 44
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  12. #37

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    “…..When you start to explode rear ends you should think about putting in an Isuzu Rodeo 1995 Disc brakes and it's a Dana 44……”

    Thanks, that’s nice to know information. I really don’t think exploding rear ends are going to be much of a problem with this one though. It’s being built as more of a putt around truck (with the occasional cross country interstate trip ) in mind.

    The little 283 that’s in it will do OK, but they’re not known as torque monsters. It’s one of the reasons I’m comfortable with the non-WC T5 and tiny rear U Joint. The one change in the rear ends future may be a gear change from the 3.90 to 3.55s.

  13. #38



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    Looking really good, can't wait to see a video of it running. And these rear ends are actually pretty strong for what they came in, there's a few people running a few hundred h.p. through them with no problems, but then again not with V8 like torque.

  14. #39

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    Well one more thing checked off the list. I spent the last couple of days getting the dash in and interior wiring done.



    The truck was originally ordered without a radio, so that was on the list of things to do. While the dash was out I added a couple of 4” speakers in the dash holes and a pair of 6” speakers in the rear of the cab.





    I installed the stereo and then took the original radio delete plate and added hinges and a lock and used in as a door for the storage compartment under the stereo. The CD changer ended up under the passenger seat (not necessarily where I wanted it, but it was too big to go anyplace else). I also added a cigarette lighter and because that wasn’t in a convenient place added a second lighter receptacle next to where a clock would go for the GPS/phone charger etc.



    The tank selector switch and fuel pump switch ended up in existing holes in the dash.



    That just leaves getting the wiring and plumbing under the hood done and it should be able to move under its own power. Then I get to put tires on it, install a new windshield, do the brakes, hook up the AC, get a carpet in it, reupholster the seat………yeah, almost done LOL

    I’ve got some other things I need to take care of over the next couple of weeks, so it may be a bit before I get to that stuff.

  15. #40

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    AWESOME progress!!! Nice to see someone making real progress on their engine swap. Kills me not having a place to actually get any work done on my projects.

  16. #41

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    I’ve been gone for the last couple of weeks so today was the first chance I had to get back to the Ram 50. There were just a couple of things left to do to make it run and I got those taken care of this morning.



    The first thing on the list was getting the radiator hoses on…….I basically found some with the right bends and cut them down to fit.







    Next was getting a battery cable over to the starter. As the starter is on the opposite side from the original starter, I had to go all the way around the engine compartment which took 11 feet of cable. On long runs like this I usually like to use Arc Welder Cable, it’s pricey but you don’t get near the voltage drop that normal battery cables that long have. Rather than have the cable hot all the time and also run a separate solenoid wire to the starter, I used a Ford type solenoid mounted by the battery. At the starter I used a jumper wire between the solenoid terminal and the battery terminal. This way the cable to the starter is only hot when the starter is engaged.







    My go to alternator on most swaps is still the old GM internal regulator 10SI. I’m going to also retain the original charcoal canister mostly as a place to connect the fuel tank vents too, but as that interfered with the alternator I had to relocate it in front of the overflow and washer bottles (I still need to run a section of rubber line from the hard line to the canister).







    Once I had that done all that was left was adding fuel and anti-freeze and starting it. It fired right off (the exhaust sounds really good) and with a couple of exceptions everything worked well. There are way too many cops around to put it out on the street without registration and insurance (something I’ll take care of next week) so I didn’t go any further that up and down the driveway a couple of times to verify the clutch and brakes.


    There were just a couple of minor issues. One was a small fuel leak that just took tightening a fitting. The other was that once the engine started it would not shut off with the key. I’ve run into that before with the 10SIs. The alternator will feedback into the ignition system once it starts charging. The cure is simple….just a diode in the circuit. They make a neat adapter that plugs in line to take care of the problem.







    I’ve actually got a couple of them around here…….I just can’t find them. Being as how I’ve got a couple more on order now, I’ll probably come across them the same day as the new ones show up.



    So anyway it was a pretty good day and tomorrow I can pull it out of the shop to do some cleanup.

  17. #42

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    I finally did the first test drive on the truck this afternoon. Getting the title and registration done took a bit longer than I expected.

    I also didn’t trust the 10 year old tires that were on it. I already know what happens to the rear fenders when one of them comes apart so this morning I picked up a new set of tires for it. The selection of 14 inch tire sizes suck. After hitting 3 of the local tire shops I finally found 4 tires to drag home and mount and balance.

    Anyway I got the tires on, filled the gas tank and calibrated the speedometer. I’ve got to admit setting the electronic speedometer sure beats setting a cable driven one. The road test was pretty short, just about 20 miles. I’m taking it relatively easy on it until I get some break-in miles on the engine and clutch and transmission. That being said, it does run good….and it looks sooooo stock.
    I didn’t set up for any videos, but my friend took a short one of me leaving his shop this afternoon and sent it to me. I’ll get a better video of it later, but at least it proves it will move under its own power LOL.



    I think the next project will be doing the interior (with no floor mat or insulation you hear every rattle in it).

    Not a bad day.



    .
    Last edited by BradMph; 11-07-2015 at 09:51 PM.

  18. #43

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    It was one of those weeks. Monday I got around to putting gas in the tank I added when I built the 87……. and promptly draining it back out because of a pin hole I hadn’t seen.



    After doing some shopping, I found a new reproduction 58 Chevy tank. The good news was it was $93 and free shipping. The not so good was that it’s only 16 gallons instead of 20 gallons like the original tank was.





    Physically the tank itself is identical to the original. The loss of 4 gallon capacity appears to come from the filler neck being placed slightly lower on the new tank. I’ve run into this before on 5th Gen El Camino gas tanks, the factory offered both 16 and 20 gallon tanks…….the tanks were the same but the filler necks were located differently. Although I’m not real sure if it was by design or not the lower capacity does allow for more fuel expansion, which is definitely something that happens with ethanol fuel.















    Anyway getting the new tank in was a pretty simple deal; I had to add the return fitting to the new tank, and then redo the opening where the fill neck is behind the license plate. So I’m down to 30 gallons of fuel……..14 in the original tank (which actually holds a gallon more than it listed at) and 16 in the add on tank. I’ve haven’t checked fuel mileage yet…….I’ve been having way too much fun doing things that are not conducive to good gas mileage or tire life. It should still get me a fair distance down the road.





    .

  19. #44


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    Mike is it possible that the tank is listed in Imperial gallons as 16imp gallons is 19.96us gallons.

  20. #45

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    "......Mike is it possible that the tank is listed in Imperial gallons as 16imp gallons is 19.96us gallons......"

    Hadn't thought of that.....but it's definitely 16 US gallons, I filled it completely after installing it and 16 US is all that will go in.




  21. #46

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    When I was doing the under dash wiring on my truck, I noticed that the fuse for the horn was gone…….when I put a fuse in I found out why, the horn would not shut off. I decided to leave the fuse out and fix it another day.


    The “another day” came yesterday when a non-driving, mouth breather of an old fart ran me in into oncoming traffic when he didn’t check his mirrors or use his turn signal before deciding to occupy the lane I was in. With no horn all I could do was grab a gear and go around him.



    So yesterday afternoon I decided to fix the horn. The first thing I did was check the wiring diagram. The D50 doesn’t use a horn relay, the horn has power anytime the key is on and the horn pad on the steering wheel is used to complete the circuit to ground. With no relay that left the wiring being shorted or the switch in the pad being bad. I figured the most likely culprit was the horn pad, so I took that off first.



    To get the pad off the first step is turn the steering wheel upside down and removing the screw on the bottom.







    With the screw out, you press in on the bottom of the pad and rotate the bottom away from the steering wheel slightly, then pull the pad toward you to release the clips that hold the top of the steering wheel. Unplug the wire and the pad is free.







    Next I worked the vinyl cover over the nylon inner liner with a small screwdriver until the cover was able to be pulled off. If you decide to do this in cold weather, take horn pad indoors or set in the sun, the vinyl is a lot easier to work with when it’s warm.







    With the cover off, I found the problem. There is a thin copper circuit board piece that is what makes contact to complete the ground circuit. It appears that originally there was a piece of thin foam with holes punched under each of the little crosses. Over the years the foam had deteriorated and allowed the plate to make contact all the time.







    In order to hold the plate away from the base that it was grounding against until you pressed on the horn pad, I cut some (1/4” wide) strips of old seat foam I had laying around and put them between the plate and nylon base. I used a thin bead of silicone to hold the foam in place.







    The last 2 steps were to reinstall the vinyl cover working the lip back over the nylon inner liner and check it with an ohm meter.



    The horn now works, but let’s face it the stock horn is pretty anemic and when I use it I want people to hear it. I happened to have a spare insulated horn (you can’t use one that grounds thru the mounting bracket, it has to have separate terminals for power and ground) in my parts stash. So out came the grill and the second horn was mounted on the left side of the radiator support.







    I unplugged the wired from the original horn so I could splice the new wiring for the second horn, hooked them both up and put the grill back in. It pretty much sounds like a small train now.

  22. #47

    Array
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    08-23-2015
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    Location

    Huachuca City Arizona
    Vehicle

    1987 Dodge Ram 50
    Engine

    Chevy V8
    There are probably a couple of cross county trips in the Ram 50s future so I picked up a universal cruise control off Amazon. It’s either a copy of or a re-boxed Audiovox CCS-100 which I’ve used before and had fairly good luck with.

    I kind of like these units because you can run them solely off the tach signal (no magnets on the drive shaft or VSS wire) and they don’t require a separate clutch switch. It also has the style of control switch I wanted for the truck. The down side is that the instruction while good for doing the hookup and wiring leave a lot to be desired as far as setting control switches for specific vehicles. Fortunately as I’ve used these units in the past, the trial and error was pretty minimal for me. I got it figured out this morning and the unit works well.

    The under hood install went easily enough,





    The under dash wiring for the switch gets harder for me every year though


  23. #48

    Array
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    08-23-2015
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    69
    Location

    Huachuca City Arizona
    Vehicle

    1987 Dodge Ram 50
    Engine

    Chevy V8
    I got tired of looking at the bare floor when I get in the truck so now that’s it’s warmed up a bit I got back on the little Ram 50 again this weekend.



    It’s being used mostly as a work truck so as usual I decided to go with a low maintenance interior that is easy to clean up. The seat would be done in vinyl and I wanted to go with a rubber floor mat instead of carpet.

    With the modified trans tunnel I knew a stock floor mat wouldn’t fit (and they don’t seem to be offered anymore anyway). I originally hoped to find a molded mat from a full sized truck that could be cut down to fit. After doing some measuring on a few trucks and not finding anything that looked like it would work I ended up just buying the rubber in bulk and went from there. The seat got pulled and sent out to the upholster Friday and I started on the floor.

    The first thing I did was lay some insulation in.




    Then spent most of Saturday pulling, stretching, trimming and gluing the mat down.



    I didn’t worry too much about the wrinkles at the back of the trans tunnel as they are hidden when the seat’s installed.

    The seat was finally done today and I managed to get it installed this afternoon. Nothing fancy, but a whole lot better than before!!!




    .

  24. #49

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    06-15-2014
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    6,059
    Location

    Adelaide, South Australia
    Vehicle

    1985 Mitsubishi L200
    Engine

    G63B
    Did you use sound deadening mat on the rear of the cabin? I would have a suspicion that noise would bounce up there between the cab and the tray body. The mat will help a lot in the floor. Another thing to add to my 'to do' list...

  25. #50

    Array
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    06-30-2014
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    63
    Location

    U.S.A.
    Vehicle

    1986 Dodge Ram 50
    Engine

    G63B
    Hey...earlier I had noticed a post regarding rear end strength and u-joints....just my 2 cents....as a civilian contractor I rebuild military humvee's down to the bare frame and put it all back together again...the engines are diesel, I've been told they are converted 454 chevrolet motors backed by a GM hydromatic trans, these are 4 wheel drive vehicles and you would not believe the size of the drive shafts and u-joints in these, maybe 2" in diameter at best...the drive shaft diameter in my 86 D-50 is bigger and the u-joints are very similar in size, the u-joint u bolts and saddles are no bigger than the MM/D50...humvee's probably weigh in at about 5,000+ lbs fully loaded and wet...with that being said I'm betting the drive train in the MM will be just fine.

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