Skwerly

I’m so excited.

Here is my 1978 Ramcharger. It has a 440 and some other goodies, and a whole lot of project to it. :P

The good:

Already lifted. It has a 4” lift that makes the 35s look small; I’m pretty sure it could eat 38s with minor fender trimming. I’m convinced it’s a Rough Country lift, because that’s exactly how the truck rides.

440. I don’t need to say much more there. Seems to run strong.

The rear gate and hatch work well.

Full cage that actually looks decent.

New Mopar ignition. Brand new, in fact.

Birdbath hood--undecided on this. They look cool and mean as heck, but really, Mopar? Standing water on the hood? I can think of better ideas...

203 case, which is my favorite case in the whole world. I freaking love fulltime four-wheel drive.

I haven’t had the chance to look too much closer, but I’m sure there’s more good. Oh, it already has a nice drop hitch, too, which will come in handy. And a winch bumper--anyone wanna buy it? I just want a stock job on there, I do believe. Make me an offer--I’m in southern CA.

The bad:

I have no clue whatsoever if this thing will smog. My best guess is not a chance. That’ll be fun.

No factory gauges or dash panel. It has a 3-gauge setup mounted below with oil, temp, and volts, though, which is good for now. Like I said, project.

It has some wandering issue, and I can clearly see that the passenger front wheel is askew--I believe it needs one heck of an alignment. Luckily, they are easy to do.

The top has cancer near where it mounts to the body. I’m sure these are notorious for that, and I’m going to have to address the issue ASAP. For now, I’ve started painting it with white rust-stop rattle can, just to prolong the damage and make it look a tad better. My buddy does some decent body work, so I may just buy him beer and have him help me.

The interior is the ugliest thing in the world. The seats are ugly, there’s no carpet, etcetera. I’m going to totally revamp it over the course if ownership.

The dude smashed up the driver door real bad, so I have to source one of those ASAP, too.

I’m sure there’s more bad, but that’s all I can see/think of right now. I’ve only owned it for about an hour.


Because money is slow for me at the moment, this is going to be a slow build. I’m not going to go crazy with a frame-off or anything, but it’s going to look and operate 500% better by the time I’m done.

Wish me luck!


WOOT!

Pictures below.

RacerHog

Good Luck.... Keep us posted..

DodgeAddict

Put a small carb on it & tune it to smog

Kern Dog

I have a 78 Trail Duster with a 440. Lucky for me the engine is all stock and all equipment was on it. It passed California smog testing easily once I tuned it up and eliminated all vacuum leaks.

Skwerly

WOW, yours is in such nice shape! What do you think of the power in your truck? that 440 a dog or does it have a little grunt?

real nice TD, man!

78D200

78 is the last year you could get a 440 in a truck and they were rated at under 200hp. With that being said, its still a great base for an awesome motor build with the right parts.

You'll have a D44 front axle and a 9.25 rear. If you plan on going larger than 35s, buy a set of D60 axles. In stock form, they are stronger than a well built D44, and cost a lot less in the long run.

The 203 is a great case. If you ever want more crawl, you can build a doubler with a 205.

Is the cage tied to the frame?

moe7404

do one of two things. 1. make it into a police twk. OR put a flame job on it. LOL

Skwerly

yea, cage seems to have been done right!

and yea, i'm likely going bigger than 35s. i just love these things on 38s. it won't see a whole lot of trail duty, as it'll mostly be used to pull a camp trailer and get me out into the boonies. my days of running the black diamond trails are coming to an end.

i'd love 60s in the future, for sure.

DodgeAddict

Skwerly, that's cool as all get out!

D60's 4.10's & 38's work well on the street

Skwerly

thanks, DodgeAddict!

it turns out, there are little to NO '70s dodge trucks or ramchargers in any of the local parts yard. a ford-loving friend gave me a ride to a couple of them yesterday and the smirk on my face when there was nothing in the entire yard i could use said it all.

i have one more to hit, but my hopes aren't high. why can't i be a chevy lover? :P

78D200

The chevy and dodge front D60 are practically the same. The size of the wheel studs are different by a 1/16" and I believe the axle shafts are a touch different. With that being said, many Chevy D60 fronts will bolt into the front end of a Dodge.

What parts are you looking for?

Skwerly

right now, i really need a driver door (72 to 80 dodge truck will work), and the instrument panel. mine came with the woodgrain one and still has the side/end panels and gauges, but the center section isn't there.

i'm also going to likely get a carter carb for SMOG (grrr.....) and a few other things. it needs quite a bit, but the door is priority. i haaaaaate driving it like that lol. i got the passenger door on yesterday, and wrangled some cool sun visors in it.

Sonny

I have a 1978 Plymouth Trail Duster Sport
318 CI engine, air conditioning, bucket seats, factory roll bar
Last tagged in 1998. Was experiencing ignition issues when it was parked.
Lost front u-joint. Drive shift is in the cargo area.
Tail gate and rear bumper is damaged and small dent behind driver door.
Aluminum wheels. Body is green with white inlay. Floor pans rusted through. All glass is intact.
I don't want to scrap it, It needs a home. Anyone into projects? Located in N. Alabama.
hboyers@gmail.com

moe7404

i read once about a guy that put a LOT of methanol in the gas. it pass smog test. like 50% it will run bad but might pass smog. or E-85 then fill back with reg gas.

Skwerly

Huh, interesting.

Well, I got the Carter carb, just haven’t had time to throw it on yet. after that, I should be pretty legal. Whether it runs well enough to pass is another thing, but the 440 is strong.

The rig is also all black now, and I’ve done a LOT of little things to it. haven’t kept the thread updated very well because I’m mostly at RCC with the rig.

Skwerly