Ramcharger questions

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RTom

RTom

Depressingly A-Bodyless..
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So, I've been doing a lot of reading and research on this matter and am posting this here because of the vast wealth of knowledge FABO represents I know I'll get a lot of good input O:)

I've found a solid bodied (non-running) small block late Ramcharger with the fully removable hard top. Plan is to get it running reliably/efficiently, use it as a summer cruiser to the lake/beach/mountains/etc. I already plan on modifying/expanding the roll bar into a more complete roll cage, cleaning up the interior but nothing fancy since it will be topless most of the year. My question comes in regards to engine/trans...

I want something that is turn key, that I don't worry about cold starts in the mountains in the winter, something that gets (relatively) decent mileage, not have the full time 4WD, etc.

I originally thought that I'd just swap the body onto the frame of a 90s ramcharger and keep its running gear but the body mounts are different. I haven't had a chance to crawl under one and see how different and if it would be easily modifiable.

Would it be better to swap in a 360 and trans out of a late 90s ram? Try to tackle the differences in body mounts and just swap bodies?

Just curious what your guys input is...
 
Well, the issue is, fuel mileage. Had a '79 with a transplanted 400 built for low end torque, 727, full time 3:23's in each end. Got 14 miles to the gallon.

Had an '89, TBI 318, NP435, NP 205, 3:23's in each end. Got 14 miles to the gallon.

Personally, I'd build the 360. Good low end grunt to get that heavy body moving and keep it moving, keeping your foot out of it will help. No big deal to put an a518 in it and run the overdrive. Keep the lock out and get an even further rpm drop.
 
Is there a particular year combo I should be looking for? Like early 90s vs late 90s?
 
What year ramcharger did you find?

Many differences in years, the later ones the top were not removable and the early ones the whole entire top came off, and the tops are heavy.

The older ones most likely have 3.55 gears, but you could get them with 4.10
Newer ones had between 3.23 and 2.76 gears and overdrive.

Older ones are a pia with the front wheel bearings, full time front ends, you can put a mile marker part time kit in the transfer case for like $50, but the axles and drive shaft are still turning, it frees up the front end from jerking on tight turns.

Newer ones are much more refined, but have alot electrics that could cause issues.

I see all newer Dodges in your signature, any ramcharger is going to be crude and ancient compared to what you are driving now.

In your situation I would look more towards a Jeep wrangler, with a soft top, you can still pull a decent size trailer if you need more hauling capacity.
 
I agree with ramenth. The newer Magnum small blocks got minimally better mileage despite the EFI and OD. The cost and complexity of swapping to a Magnum would take a lotta miles to become cost effective. Build what you got, maybe throw in the OD trans if you plan on using some steep gearing.

I love the old removable top Ramchargers. Just a word of warning- check and see if the gasket for the top is still available. I dont know if they are or not, but it seems like something that would be hard to find.
 
Cummins 6BT out of a leaf sprung front axle CTD 4x4 pick-up; solves the mileage and grunt problems all at once. Use the donor's axles, engine mounts, etc. It's nearly all plug & play. 250 HP & 600 ft-lbs is a $100 worth of easy. May not sound like much compared to gasser numbers, but it pushes an ~8k lbs. pick-up with pop-top camper in it around with authority and returns 15 mpg in that truck IF I do my part.

i-kWbgXgn-M.jpg
 
I had an 87 Ramcharger and loved it. I have newer Dodges currently but have had a lot of older A-bodies, so working on them doesn't scare me. I thought about the newer Wranglers but we've got 4 kids so we need a 6 seater (which to the best of my knowledge the Wranglers don't come as, just 5 seaters). A Ramcharger I could put in a front bench in place of the buckets and be able to take the whole family.

The one I've seen locally is a 77. I imagine I could swap over the whole front end from a 80+ Ram/Ramcharger to get around the full time front axle? I'm not sure what the rear gearing is on it right now. I'd have to check.

I thought about diesel but was concerned more about the noise of a diesel...
 
The diesel noise is the worst at idle. As soon as it is off-idle the noise is considerably diminished. It is still a mechanical pump diesel. My wife does call our truck "Tank".....
The later model diesels are considerably quieter at the expense of being considerably more complex. It's a love it or hate it thing. If I could I'd put a diesel in everything that I drive.

Can only claim familiarity with the NP203 transfer case's as used in GM's, not Dodges. I'd assume that the basics are the same for both with minor mfg-related differences. In the GM's they used a drive slug in the wheel hubs under that chromed cap. Removing the cap and the drive slug allows the installation of a typical locking hub.

Being full-time the NP203 transfer cases have a differential in them. It's located inside the large, round rear aluminum casting of the transfer case. The cheep part time kits have "square spider gears" that obviously won't rotate, which locks the diff from working - much like one method of building a "Lincoln-Locker". There is an issue with just selecting the locked position on the t/c shifter, but the years have claimed that from my memory.

Those two mods make the truck a part time 4wd, but I'd suggest not spending any money on that 203 unless creating a doubler (see below).

A word about that NP203, it is freakin HEAVY and still has a chain for the front drive. An NP208 or NP241 (preferred) is a good replacement that weighs 1/2 or less of what the 203 weighs. Hard core rock crawlers don't care for them as much, but the rest of us they're a good option and somewhat plentiful too.

The only thing that the 203 is good for is creating a doubled-up transfer case with two sets of low ranges (low & stupid-low). There are kits out there to put another whole transfer case behind the "range box" portion of the 203.
http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/doubler.htm
http://www.northwestfab.com/NP203NP205_c_77.html
 
Wow - thank you ntsqd!

That was a lot of good info on stuff I had no clue on - thank you!!!
 
You're welcome! Since about '97 the large majority of my own vehicles have been 4WD's.
 
Had a '77, 360 4spd. Still have a 9.25" LSD unit and some quarter patch panels laying around.
The top was a 3 person lift off / on, heavy, and a bit awkward. Nice to have the top off occasionally although looked kinda funny with the door tops and roll bar.
Look for rot at the roof line / wind shield bolt up area.
As far as a seal, if not available, you might look at the foam garage door bottom seal. Never tried, it just a thought.
 
I would not be afraid of a 203 transfer case, ran one for years with 44" tires on my 77 ramcharger.
 
It's certainly not weak, I just wouldn't spend any money on one. For the cost of the good part time kit (there's a cheap one too) you could have an NP 208 or 241 in there instead, and those have a lower low range ratio (2.62:1 & 2.72:1 respectively vs. 1.96:1 or close to that). I had a Suburban with the 241 in it, 700R4, 3.73's and ~32" tires (285/75R16 A/T's). With that trans' 3:1 first gear it worked extremely well. So much so that I frequently had that truck in places it had no business being in, and it came thru perfectly.
 
I guess I would wonder what you mean by acceptable mileage. You can spend a bunch trying to accomplish that then drive it 2000 miles a year and need 30 years to even come close to making it worth it based on fuel economy savings. I had a 1985 Ramcharger with just 32 bfgs, a stock 360 with a 1406 Eddy carb, hedders, and an aftermarket ignition and it got over 10 maybe as high as 14 going easy. My 2008 Hemi Aspen on similar tires gets at least 13 around town and at best 19 on the highway keeping it 65 or under.
I've had good luck with carbs in the winter but do like modern FI for my daily driver. I can't remove the top (that wasnt an option with the 85 anyway) but the Aspen is so much better then the Ramcharger ever dreamed of being. We crawled the Aspen 5 miles up a seriously rutted and boldered primative road that hasn't been maintained in 50 years to a ghost town at 8500 feet last week with 6 people aged 9-75 in comfort. Just the normal washboard stuff is absorbed like it isn't there, the Ramcharger was a covered wagon in comparison. The Aspen cost $11000 this winter from a dealer's lot in Post Falls, ID.
 
RTom said:
I had an 87 Ramcharger and loved it. I have newer Dodges currently but have had a lot of older A-bodies, so working on them doesn't scare me. I thought about the newer Wranglers but we've got 4 kids so we need a 6 seater (which to the best of my knowledge the Wranglers don't come as, just 5 seaters). A Ramcharger I could put in a front bench in place of the buckets and be able to take the whole family.

The one I've seen locally is a 77. I imagine I could swap over the whole front end from a 80+ Ram/Ramcharger to get around the full time front axle? I'm not sure what the rear gearing is on it right now. I'd have to check.

I thought about diesel but was concerned more about the noise of a diesel...
Click to expand...

If you end up putting front bench in it, pull one from a club cab dodge truck, seat backs fold down individually to allow access the the rear of the Ramcharger.
 
Damn, where did all you guys come up with dodge ramchargers that got 14 mpg

My 84 360 4 barrel auto got 12 mpg at best

Unless this is going to be a daily driver would put a magnum 360 in it and hope for the best.

If you don't mine the work and want bett mileage the cummins is the way to go. Find an old clapped out truck with good drivetrain and swap it all over.

Have seen a few Ramchargers with cummins diesels. Too bad that the factory didn't off it, but the engine is really heavy for a 1/2 ton frame and suspension

Have had 3 full size Broncos, a 79 Trailduster, 84 Ramcharger and a 77 Blazer, not a one of them got better than 12 mpg some as little as 8 mpg. My 95 2500 with cummins has gotten up to 21 mpg but due to the speed I normally drive it is is a good 19-20 mpg average on the road by its self.

View attachment image.jpg
 
Hersbird - I should have clarified the MPG I was looking for. Anything really over 10 is good to me. My Mega Cab gets about 10 MPG and I'm used to that, so that's the neighborhood I'm aiming for.

Sireland67 - Thank you! I'll have to start looking in the bone yards for some club cab bench seats!

I know if I were to hop in a newer Durango/Aspen I would have a much more comfortable ride, better MPG, etc. but what I really like about the older Ramchargers is that they are more unique (not like every Jeep, Bronco, Blazer you see around here) and topless. The topless part is really what has me looking at the Ramcharger to build. Something that would be fun to cruise to the beach/lake/mountains in the summer time. Kind of my convertible and truck mixed all into one. If there was a newer Mopar product that was also topless and could seat 6 safely, I would probably look into it.
 
Glad I could help with the seat, buy one out of the same vintage so it will bolt in.

I actually have one out of my dads 78 power wagon he bought new, and still has that truck with over 250K on the motor with out ever being rebuilt.
Trans, transfer, and axles have never been out of the truck, pre-80 ones are tough but crude.
Ramchargers also came with 4-speed standards but they are real rare.
 
WildCat said:
Damn, where did all you guys come up with dodge ramchargers that got 14 mpg

My 84 360 4 barrel auto got 12 mpg at best

View attachment 1714818473
Click to expand...

A lot has to do with how you drive and where you drive. I can get great mileage or crappy mileage. My wife it seems can only get crappy mileage. I will drive the minivan around town after she has driven on the highway and improve the average MPG readout. If I drive on the highway I get 25% better then what she does. I always drive when I'm in the car so I don't know what she is doing but whatever it is uses more gas. She gets similar to what the window sticker says, but I often beat it.
I was reading about a CTD Ram owner using every trick in the book who got 57 MPG over a tank and averaged 47 over a whole year. His results were carefully documented on ecomodder.com so I believe it.
 
Considering the weight of the vehicle......

If I myself were to be working on this project, (rear wheel drive only) and a engine needed to be replaced, I would be looking for a 5.9 Magnum as well as a O.D. Trans.
The engine will bolt up no problem. You'll need to work (fab up) a trans mount and then shorten the driveshaft.
Basic engine bolt on parts will do fine. A small carb like a Thunder AVS 650 is all it will need.

A 4WD set up should not present a bolt up and go. Just a possible balance issue solved by a B&M flex plate.

This sounds like aot of fun and hard work to do.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Considering the weight of the vehicle......

If I myself were to be working on this project, (rear wheel drive only) and a engine needed to be replaced, I would be looking for a 5.9 Magnum as well as a O.D. Trans.
The engine will bolt up no problem. You'll need to work (fab up) a trans mount and then shorten the driveshaft.
Basic engine bolt on parts will do fine. A small carb like a Thunder AVS 650 is all it will need.

A 4WD set up should not present a bolt up and go. Just a possible balance issue solved by a B&M flex plate.

This sounds like aot of fun and hard work to do.
Click to expand...

Which side does the front drive shaft come out on the newer magnum and od with transfer case?
I thought they were on the drivers side vs a 77 Ramcharger that is on the passenger.
 
I just swapped out a 318 with a 360 in my 86 4x4 RamCharger on 33's last weekend and it was like night and day in terms of power across the board.

went from a freshly rebuilt 318 with a Comp Cam 252H flat tappet, edelbrock intake, 600cfm carb, and stock exhaust manifolds
to
360 LA roller motor with a 262H roller, edelbrock intake, 600cfm, and full-length headers

I did alot with the 318: pulled countless cars on trailers, downed trees, etc, but it was always a slug..

driving it with the 360 makes it feel like my small block Duster...I could probably surprise some mustangs at the light with it...lol
 
Sireland, I do not know but a Magnum engine swap for the LA is what I was trying to say. It is only a B&M flex plate away to fix the balance issue.
The best I can do to find out tomorrow morning is look at my '03 Dakota's V6 4X4 set up. It is probably the same as the V8's. I see no real reason it should not be.
 
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