1976 Dodge Other Pickups

SUV

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

A10BE6X117645

Biodiesel

1976 Dodge Ramcharger SE with the complete drivetrain from a 1992 W250 Intercooled Cummins Dodge truck. I bought this Ramcharger with the plan of doing a diesel conversion right from the start. After searching all over the country I finally found this Spitfire Orange Ramcharger in Portland Oregon. After arriving here in Missouri I was pleased to find it was every bit as rust free as the owner had represented it (Thanks Rex). Another reason I chose this one is because it had already been modified with EZ Rider lift springs, 35 X 12.50 tires and a 340 engine. I didn't want to modify a nice original survivor Ramcharger but I didn't want an abused rust bucket either. I drove it for a little while in this lifted/modified form. It wasn't very fun. Waaaay too tall, wandered all over the place on the highway, and the 340 wasn't well suited to the overall gear ratio and weight of this rig. But, step 1 complete - found solid Ramcharger SE Step 2, Intercooled Automatic 5.9 Cummins diesel 4 wheel drive truck. A local 4 Wheel Drive specialty shop had a 1992 W250 that they used for pulling a trailer to various 4WD events. The truck had about 180k miles but had been well maintained. A bonus for me was the fact that the truck had a salvage title and the rear main oil seal had recently started leaking. No problem since I was going to have the engine out and replace the rear main oil seal and torque converter seal anyway. Another bonus was that the pump had been worked on and when I stepped on the go pedal it pulled incredibly hard and made 24 lbs of boost according to aftermarket boost gauge. Step 2 complete. Step 3 was disassembly of the Ramcharger. The goal of this project was to have a vehicle that was completely driveable everyday as well as on a long trip. It needs to make lots of torque AND get good fuel mileage and be able to run on biofuels/biodiesel/WVO if desired. Oh yeah, and it needed to look very cool and retro. The end result exceeded all of my expectations. I'm getting a little ahead of myself but I wanted to show that there was a lot of planning, effort and money put into this conversion. I wanted this truck to have as much factory engineering as possible and not be some cobbled up trail only rig. So next I removed the radiator support, fender wells, engine, transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, exhaust, axles, steering column, dash and complete wiring harness. Step 4, Disassemble a nice running/driving Dodge diesel truck that I just paid good money for. Oh well, focus on the big picture right? First, the engine comes out, then trans, transfer case, dash, wiring, steering column etc. Both vehicles were completely steam cleaned before and during disassembly. No sense in getting any dirtier that I have to. I split the engine and trans to replace the rear main oil seal - It's completely dry now. I installed a new torque converter seal. I also had a custom torque convertor made specifically for this vehicle. I noticed when I drove the W250 it seemed like much of the diesel torque was lost to a convertor with a an unnecessarily high stall speed. Its absolutely perfect now - even better that factory in this instance. Step 5, The really important stuff. Reassembling the Ramcharger with all of the 1992 Diesel Truck parts. First the axles went under. Then, the cleaned and sealed up engine/trans was dropped in. The engine mounts went right into the holes already in the crossmember - Thanks Dodge. Same applies to the rear crossmember. Everything was bolting up into existing holes. I did have to make a new crossmember mount. The W250 frame is about 1 1/2" thicker that the Ramcharger. This caused the transfer case to sit 1 1/2" too high in the chassis. I used all of the 92 steering components from the power steering box all the way up to the tilt steering column. Again, all factory engineering. I did delete the rear ABS components and put an adjustable in line proportioning valve to the rear brakes. Before I put any dash components in I completely lined the firewall with Dynamat. I like the noise of diesel but there can be too much of a good thing. Next I intalled the complete HVAC (heating and air conditioning) unit from the 92 into the 76. I just needed a few extra holes in the firewall. I had the windshield out of the Ramcharger already when I removed the old dash. The holes along the firewall for securing the dash lined right up. Thanks again Dodge. After all of the dash and wiring were installed I had a brand new windshield and weatherstrip put in. This is oversimplifying, but basically the entire drivetrain, dash, steering, computer and wiring system is 1992 W250. This Ramcharger will be able to be repaired by any regular shop by using the manual and specs for a 1992 Dodge diesel truck. I basically just used the Ramcharger shell. Next I will go over the current running, driving and condition of the Ramcharger. It has been 100% dependable since I finished it. In fact, the very first time I started the completed project it fired right up like I had just driven it yesterday. It has a straight pipe with no muffler so it's kinda loud at low speeds but not objectionable on the highway. The lock out hubs, 4wd, transfer case and dash indicator all work corrrectly. The amp, temp, oil, and fuel gauge all work perfectly. The speedometer works but the odometer has quit. All of the lights, signals and flashers work. The drivers window regulator must have tooth off at the bottom of it travel. It needs a push down or pull up when it's close to being all the way down. The pass window rolls up and down fine. All of the doors, tailgate and liftgate operate correctly. It has an aftermarket "Flexsteel" bench seat with fold down armrest that is as comforatble as any vehicle I have ever been in. The CD player is the same Sony flip face that was in the 1992 Dodge. The heater and blower work but I have not recharged the AC. After the Ramcharger was all together I bought a set of ProComp Alloy 16 X 8 wheels and Yokohama Geolander 285/75/16 tires. I kept the Tuff Country Easy Rider springs that were installed just before I purchased the vehicle. The axles are the stock 3.55 ratio from the 92 truck. I have driven the truck for almost a year now but I have not taken it on any long trips yet. After the first fill up I have used B20 biodiesel in this truck. I have several friends who work for the National Biodiesel Board - check out nbb.org for any biodiesel question you might have. The body has an older repaint in its original Spitfire Orange color. Just like the pictures show, it has a nice faded patina. The passenger rocker has a some rust bubbles coming through as does the bottom of the passenger door. Both fenders are perfect. Both rear 1/4 panels are perfect. There is no rust or patches of any kind on the bottom of the truck. I doubt a more solid vintage Ramcharger could be found. There are only 3 quirks that I know of with this Ramcharger. Just recently, it has not wanted to crank at times. I either have to tap on the shifter or put it in neutral. The engine starts instantly when it cranks. I assume it has a "dodgy" neutral safety swith. It's very intermittent. Next is when the throttle is in just the exact right position and there is no load on the driverain either coasting or acceleration it has a groan noise. I assume this to be a driveshaft alignment problem with the lift springs. Just with driving habits I almost completely avoid it and don't give it much though. The brake light on the dash is illuminated because I don't have the emergency brake working yet. The pedal is all the down but the e-brake is not applied. The end result is all of the looks of a vintage pop top Ramcharger with the modern convenience and perfomance/economy of a Diesel truck. It cruises effortlessly at highway speeds, gets good fuel economy, is extremely comfortable and runs perfect all of the time. If this sounds like a vehicle you might enjoy then please bid often and generously. If you need any other info or details, please feel free to give me a call at 573-230-6222. Thanks for lookin' On Jul-01-11 at 04:59:38 PDT, seller added the following information: The 76 Ramcharger had 101,xxx miles on it when I purchased it. The 1992 diesel truck had 187,xxx which is the dash and cluster I ultimately used.On Jul-07-11 at 11:01:29 PDT, seller added the following information: I Have Removed The Reserve From This Auction ------------ The Winning Bidder Will Own This Vehicle ------------ Please Make Sure You Have The Finances Available To Follow Through With The Purchase If You Bid. Thanks