Project: Doitall Dodge

[dieselcruiserhead]

Photos from the build (unreal)...

 

[Metcalf]

yeah, that's a good one. Too complicated for me

 

[PapeCAT]

I have a few months on the shaft as I am writing this. It doesn't vibrate at all. I wouldn't suggest going 100mph in 4wd but I feel very comfortable going 60 mph in 4hi. In all reality this truck is heavy enough and has a long enough wheelbase that I don't use 4wd over about 30mph in most cases.

I really like the fact that one spare 1410 u-joint will fit either the front or rear drive shaft at either the transfer case or the pinion. The slip yokes will also swap front to rear if I ever need to do that.

One quick question, since the dodge D60F front axles were made to work with the CV style shaft, the pinion was rotated up to point directly at the shaft. I've got a fully divorced np205 and a 1990 W250 D60F on my crew cab and am just considering lengthening the CV shaft for that purpose. Did you stick an inclinometer on on the tcase and front axle yokes? What was the difference in angles? Currently I wouldn't consider running a standard shaft up front on my rig due to the yokes being out of phase. But the idea of having 1410 pieces on all of the driveline is nice...

 

[Metcalf]

My truck was slightly lifted in the front so the pinion angles where not stock.

I would say my t-case U-joint has a few degrees (2-3) more angle than the pinion U-joint. I haven't noticed any problems at all with it like that. I have run 50-60mph all day with the front hubs turned in without any issues. Other than a slight loss in power from the drag of the front axle turning, its not a big deal. Generally if I am going to be going over 60mph I turn the front hubs out.

Its not 100% perfect, but it works very well. I like the ability to have the 1410 front drive shaft for strength. Being able to use one u-joint for a spare is very nice also.

I really wish I could stop driving this dang thing so I could work on it more! This weekend is the first Moab trip of the year and its going to be the tow/haul/camp rig.

 

[PapeCAT]

Cool thanks for the reply. I'm sure you wouldn't notice any vibe issues when the t case isn't engaged even if the front hubs are locked as long as your shaft was balanced. Even though the yokes are out of phase by a few degrees, the tcase side will just spin unevenly (freely) in the case with no issue as there isn't a constant velocity driving the yoke when it is in 2wd. But engage the tcase under load and you might feel a vibe? I guess the worst case scenario would be front wheel drive only up a long grade at highway speed with a load, that would be the test... :Wow1: Nice rig, have a good Moab trip, I went there a couple years ago but haven't been able to make it out since.

 

[Metcalf]

I've run the truck up to 50-55mph towing in 4wd without any issues. You can feel the front end is engaged, but I don't get any big vibes. My shaft wasn't balanced, but I used seamless tubing and it was only 0.005 out at most after welding. The yokes where also aligned on a VERY flat surface.

I would go with the simple shaft and not worry about it too much. Its very nice not having to worry about rebuilding a CV in the field.

I also upgraded to u-bolt style yokes on the t-case and from axle which gives me a little more peace of mind. I will be adding u-bolts to the rear yokes when I get a chance.

With the dodge np205 I have the front and rear yokes are both 32 spline units so that part is also common front to back. I think I can even use the front slip yoke on the rear if I needed to. Its REALLY nice having strong and common parts on the truck, it just gives me that many more options in the back country if something where to go wrong.

 

[PapeCAT]

Well I checked the angle on the pinions again and guess what, the thing has about 8 Degrees difference between yokes! :Wow1: But the good news is the axle pinion is pointing straight up towards the transfer case front output. So I guess the normal shaft option is out for me. I don't want to rotate the perches on the axle because then my steering will be off, and rotating the knuckles or tubes is way too much... CV shaft it is...

 

[Metcalf]

If there is zero angle on the pinion U-joint you might be able to get it to work well enough.

 

[Snafu]

Ok, I think this gives a pretty good idea of the two pieces I want to add. I am having a Solidworks moment right now and cannnot get the 3D planes to work like I want.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p60/Metcalfphoto/Dodge project/solid9.jpg

I think with these two plates added in this would be pretty strong. I could always run another plate to the main frame brackets.

I do worry about these 'buckets' collecting mud and water. Some drain holes are going to be in order I think.

Hopefully I can go to the junkyard this weekend and get another fuel door to french into the bedside for my aft auxiliary tank. I may try and use a Ramcharger fuel tank if I can find one ( and the 3 rear most crossmembers you need to install it ). I may also just build the tank so I can taper the back more and have clearance for my new exhaust.

Thats all for tonight....

Personally, I find that even the free version of Sketchup is perfect for conception drawings. You could even render the model and insert lighting using another freeware program called Kerkythea.

Drawing is what I do for a living so I'm all about putting my ideas on paper in exact measurements :sombrero:

 

[Metcalf]

Does anyone watching this thread have a 2wd 1992ish Dodge (D250/350) pitman arm laying around that they want to sell?

Oh boy do I need to fix the steering. The stock steering bracket is cracked in at least 2 places.

I am planning on moving the steering box to the 2WD position on the 4WD frame. Then use a 2WD pitman arm on the 4WD box ( this tucks everything nicely ). Next, I am going to bolt on a passenger side hi-steer arm on the D60 knuckle. Then build a new crossover drag-link using some Chevy TRE's. I'm also going to replace the stock steering shaft with a Borgsen unit.

Any last thoughts?

 

[lstzephyr]

I'd try cumminsforum.com or dtr and see if anyone is parting out a truck. If no one is I can drop by the junk yards around here, I think there was a 2wd in one place.

 

[ntsqd]

4WD linkage is push-pull?
Both are Saginaw boxes, are they not? I'm reasonably certain that some 2WD years were Saginaw's as I worked on one such truck. Should not be too hard to find a Saginaw box that would work. 2WD GM trucks would be very, very similar if not the same box.

 

[Metcalf]

The dodge 4wd box works great. I just need the 2WD pitman arm on it. The 4WD box can be moved back to the 2WD position on the frame once you remove the stamped bracket that stands it off from the frame.

The 2WD pitman arm points back instead of out, and tucks the TRE very close to the bottom of the frame.

 

[flexiheep]

Hey Brennan, after watching your thread for a year or more, I thought I would comment:

Those doors look better on your truck than mine.

I got my 2wd pitman arm from parts.com. It was a factory Mopar part, I think it was about 60 bucks a year and a half ago. I didn't have time/want to find one in a yard and pull it out. Since you have a couple inches of lift like I do, I might actually recommend something with a little drop to it to flatten the draglink out and get a little more room under the engine cradle.

For reference this is what mine looks like with 2.5" softride springs, a pass side high steer arm and a 2wd dodge pitman arm.

If nothing else it will help you visualize the angles and whatnot.

I keep remembering things, I had to ream out the 2wd pitman arm to fit the Dodge TRE in it (I used the same ones as were on my tie-rod so it was all common). I also had to add a hole to the high steer arm because the 2wd pitman arm was a length that was right between the two stock holes in my High steer arm.

BTW did you see the pictures of the truck once it was on the road (still need to paint it)

Dale

 

[Metcalf]

Thanks Dale, your steering system is what I was going after. Few questions if you have a minute. What was the length of the 2wd pitman arm? I'm wondering if I can find a shorter steering arm. Any ideas on what might make a good pitman arm that would give just a hair more drop. I would love to be able to use a straight drag link. Any idea what taper the dodge TREs are?

I think I need to paint my truck worse than yours!