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84 dodge rampage restoration/upgrades

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Wildwest 
#1 ·
Alright, finally getting around to posting some of the things I've done, and looking for a bit of insight on my next steps:

Bought the rampage a couple years ago, and while it was in decent condition, in order of fixes and replacements, I:
cleaned out the fuel lines, replaced all filters and vacuum lines
upgraded the carb to a weber 32/36 DFEV (shop did the arm swap out)
redid the wiring to the rear brake lights, replaced the backup sensor, removed the custom light toggles and put back in a stock setup (paid for this, but was never done), new shocks and springs (shop put them in)
traveled 600ish miles to get a topper for it and swapped out the tonneau cover (still have it, and the cargo bars)
dialed in my timings and upgraded my cluster to the rallye cluster, broke my oil sensor and learned how to use an extractor in the parking lot I bought the new sensors from, and put in a new fuel pump
new tires, fixed wiring, fixed the janky fan setup with the stock setup, new clutch pad, lots of shifting corrections (broke the holding bracket, paid a shop to weld it back on)
remade part of the shifting linkage, new alternator, new battery, new voltage sending unit (not the right name, can't remember what it was called, but it bolted into the firewall and looked like a cigarette case (eventually found the fix 800 miles from home, a bad wire connection from the alternator to the battery. I paid three shops to check that connection, and none of them did on that long and awful drive)
fixed a broken bolt on the positive clamp connecting to the battery (coulda been the original issue this whole time with my engine stuttering, and battery issues)
swapped my broken speedometer out with the one that came with the rallye cluster, new CV axles, new motor mount pads, and new ignition coil

Probably some other stuff here and there, like the millions of broken door handles I've gone though (still haven't put the door panel back on for fear that when I do, it'll immediately snap again), but now I'd like to mention my planned updates/upgrades.

New working tach (pretty sure the issue is a bad cap on the breadboard, but there's no info for it in the books, and the cap itself is old and the lingo is impossible for me to decrypt)
installing the center console, replacing the glove box, and installing the shifter arm rest thingie I bought from here
fix the hazard lights (narrowed it down to steering column which means no rush what so ever to fix it), fix the radio (antenna or signal booster issue), seal the shifting rod so water stops rusting and stripping the spline clamp connection, remove the bumper and clean off all the rust and install the caps I found on ebay for it
seal the chips on the topper and redo the rubber seam/upgrade to that super ugly and wonderful topper that sticks well above the body
fix a small ding just behind the driver door, and remove all rust, redo the hood glue that binds the sheet metal to the frame
repaint the bad boy the stock silver, xline the bed and underbody (up to the lower portion of the main body
upgrade engine to the 2.5l and upgrade the transmission to whatever works best with the new motor (and all the hard stuff that i don't quite understand that goes with that)

that's pretty much it. I learned how to tool on this truck. I bought it for that purpose: to learn on, to have a decent little pickup that was fuel efficient, and to have a manual rig. It's been pretty good to me, honestly. Very few times have I been stranded. I have most of the tools on hand to replace most issues that could crop up, and it's surprisingly few.

If anyone knows the magic combinations of engines and transmissions, and harnesses, and fuse blocks that'd work, i'd really appreciate some insight. This kinda came up on the official scamp/rampage thread and I thought it would best left to another post. I'll upload some pictures later. I had to install those hood clamps that all the fast rigs use because a mechanic slammed the hood down on the wooden dowel the previous owner was using to prop up the hood, which warped my hood just enough that anything over 50mph meant the hood would try to recreate the ending to Free Willy. Really wish I coulda fixed that without having to drill into the hood.
 
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#3 ·
Hey silenceissad, could you tell me more about the tonneau cover you removed? Like what color it is and what kind of shape it's in, etc. Might be interested in it since you got a camper shell and won't be using it PM me

BTW, the best investment you'll ever make with regards to restoring your Rampage is get the set of factory service manuals for it. Just do a quick search on eBay and you should find a few available.
 
#4 ·
@Wildwest The tonneau cover is white (painted over the black original plastic) and is in pretty decent shape. slightly bowed from weather but it has a rain gutter that connects to the front bed and moves the water out and over the sides of the pickup. Only has one arm for propping it up in the rear, and there's no securing handles or brackets to hold it down. Not sure if I'm wanting to sell it, but in any event, it's in another state with my other vehicle. I also bought the shop manuals the day I pulled the trigger on getting the little ute. Keep meaning to scan them, but my scanner isn't very big, and it'd take me weeks of consistent scanning till they were compiled, and I still don't know where I would host them at.
 
#5 ·
Silenceissad. The key words here are FACTORY SERVICE MANUALS. I understand the need for economizing, We all do, but you'll go nuts just trying to find things in copy's of the FSMs, Your call of course? Nice intro BTW, Welcome to the fun and games of owning one of these little Trucklets. Their addictive, Jer
 
#6 ·
@bigbarneycars I guess I mispoke? I thought the service manuals were acceptably called shop manuals as well. Anywho, yea they've been life savers, and I'd like to someday scan them for others who can't track them down/afford them, but like I said, it'd take me forever and a day to do so.

Also, does anyone have a readout for the tachometer breadboard? I imagine they want you to replace the whole thing should it fail, but it's lookin' like the R4 slot is the only cap that's bad, and I'd hate to have to buy another untested board if I could avoid it. Added a pic of it in the off-chance someone here knows the code written on it. It seemed to be too old to use the modern coding system, but I'm not much of an electrician either.
 

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#7 ·
Didn't know they'd changed to bar codes on Diodes and Capacitors since Moses was ah corporal? :smile2: You can search this site in the electronics thread or even the Turbo Mopar site the same way. Somebody might be able to help you. If you have a good electronics store in your neighborhood they should be able to identify those little widgets for you...Me, I'd call Jeff Carter in Lynnwood, Wa. and see if they can rebuild it for you or point you in the right direction for what you're looking for.: jcautorestorationsinc.com # is: 425-672-8324 and even if you don't get Jeff personally, his staff is very knowledgeable too.
...BTW, Jeff is not inexpensive but he and his staff have an unblemished reputation on an international level in everything they do. Having said that I will say that most of his work is done on older cars then what we play with, GL with it, Jer
 
#8 ·
Hey silenceissad, thanks for the response. I knew it was a longshot, but had to ask anyway. Doesn't sound like it's in good condition, and I need a black one ( not painted over).

My Rampage came with the "old school" dash, with only a fuel gauge and a big amp meter, besides the special of course. Sounds like you've got the newer cluster with everything. That being said, I have five different A/M gauges. Three are where the radio was and two on either side where the A/C vents would have been, but since it came factory w/o A/C they were just blocked off. Looks a lot cleaner than in a cluster on the drivers side A pillar. I really like my old school approach, it brings back memories of when I had my muscle car.

If you can't figure it out, or it gets too cost prohibitive, there are some dash clusters on eBay where you could just swap the whole thing out.

Hey there BBC! Hope you're doing well these days.
 
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