Ch. 1- In Which Recon Gets His Forever Truck

‘Bout two months ago, I began looking for something I could enjoy driving more than the current appliance, which was an ‘04 Ford Escape. Looked at old Toyota Pickups, old Fords (was a 78 ish with a 390 and a 4 speed),old  station wagons... but nothing fit the budget that was both running and driving. My wife (who is a total keeper, btw), at this point somehow managed to locate a (Driver quality) vehicle that has been at the top of my list since high school- a Dodge Ramcharger. They’ve got strong running gear, good motors, they look cool, and they wear the pentastar. This particular model is a 1990 vintage, relatively clean body wise, and had a new shortblock put in 5,000 miles prior to my purchase of it.

In reply to Recon1342 :

I'm in for more of the story.

So, here she is- 

It’s been established that the grille is out of an older truck; the ‘90 had the now familiar “crosshair” style grille. No biggie. As she sits her #1 need is just TLC (and maybe some primer?).

First thing to do with an old truck? Make sure it’s safe to drive, of course... inspected fluids, brakes, lights, etc.. New tires were acquired and mounted. From this- (Hard to see, but very dry-rotted)

To this- (Brand new and not dry-rotted at all)

Next up? Fix annoying stumbles and misfires!

 This poor old Dodge sat for about a year prior to me taking it home. Since I got it, I’ve run seafoam through the engine and fuel system, which made a difference, but it still wasn’t  quite up to snuff. I was doing some sensor checks with the engine running, and chanced to brush against a plug wire. Lemme tell ya, that kind of voltage hurts, really bad. So, plug wires are bad, got it. I ordered a set from Summit, they shipped that day and arrived at my house the next day... 

Said plug wires are now inhabiting the engine bay of my RC. Runs much better now, but I feel there are still some gremlins to work out.

That brings us current, and leads to the active (but slow) part of the build. Tune in for more Mopar shenanigans!

Nice AW150.  


The front bumper is earlier, as well.

Sweet! More of DodgeTruck Motorsports!

Awesome RC

Cooter said:

Nice AW150.  


The front bumper is earlier, as well.

Thanks! Didn’t know about the bumper, but that doesn’t matter either. It’s going away because I are welder; I’m gonna build one. Also, it’s tweaked.

The grille was used from 1981-85. Pretty sure the bumper was '83-85. No matter what year the bumper, they all have a tendency to bend at the ends, as there is no support outboard of the frame horns.   I would recommend some bracing angled to the ends of the bumper if you build one.


Here is my '81 Trailduster from a decade or so ago with a custom built front bumper, cutout flares, and a bit of a lift.

Oh, and check to see if there is any other damage to the frame, especially if the front fenders were also replaced.  (The paint looks a bit off)

In reply to Cooter :

The frame is straight. The front quarters look weird because the PO sanded them down a bit to prep for paint. He passed away and I bought the truck from his wife.

In other news, the center console that came with these is a bit of a joke; it’s a large plastic box, lid doesn’t latch, the cup holders don’t, and it’s got some major cracks. Thankfully, I’ve a friend who’s a cabinetmaker, and he currently has my console to use as a pattern to build a custom console. I’m excited to see what he thinks up...

The consoles had an optional cooler that went inside, and the later ones had deeper spots to hold cups.   From that era, nothing had cupholders.  They had places to put your cup when you were at a drive in.

Those wheels clean up super nice and look great without the center cap.  I think they are called "Western Turbines"

Sean

Tbi 318?

In reply to smokeysevin :

The wheels aren't aftermarket.  There were a factory opton for the Ramcharger and Dodge trucks.

This is what the front end would look like, as well.

Dusterbd13-michael said:

Tbi 318?

Nope. VIN code is Z- 360 cubic inches of mad Mopar powah!!!! 

Ish... TBI runs good, but power wise it’s a bit of a turd.

Cooter- sent you a PM

Just noticed you have the same wheels as my W150. Neat!

In reply to Recon1342 :

Got it.  

 

Don't know how I missed this until now, but nice RC! Welcome to the GRM Old Mopar Trucks Club!

My uncle had a near-identical RC when I was growing up. His was the same color scheme and a Royal SE, and I wanted it BAD. Looks like yours is in good shape body-wise. Looking forward to the build!

In reply to Tony Sestito :

My first truck ever was a ‘77 Power Wagon. Love me some old Mopar iron... 

Probably gonna go to a single color paint scheme, and do it up as a “Sport” package. Flat black hood, “Ramcharger” lettering on the lower body panels, etc. 

In reply to Recon1342 :

I bet those stripes will work on yours.

Tge tbi trucks were truly bastards. Hated every inch of that system. .

I solved them all with an aftermarket 4bbl intake and carb, and stick electronic ignition swap. They ran better and made more power and were more reliable 

Nowadays, though, i honestly think id convert it to the gm tbi from about a 94-95 silverado wuth a 5.7. Would be close enough for the 360 out of the box with FAR better knowledge and parts availability. 

Tony Sestito said:

In reply to Recon1342 :

I bet those stripes will work on yours.

They would, indeed. I’m going to do something similar, but instead of “Four by Four” it’ll say Ramcharger in that lovely ‘80s-90’s Dodge Font.

Well, not a ton of progress to report. It’s still running, still drives... 

I think my next step will be to get some primer over the bare metal. Having a singular color might be nice as well. What do you guys like for a self-etching primer?