2001 Ram Van

I’m thinking of converting my 01 an back to a 94. From what I see all of the nose looks the same. I just like the dash and more room up front around seats. Any issues? I have the 94 conversion van sitting here. Only difference is mine is a 360 the 94 is 318. I also like the vent windows too.

The easiest thing to do is swap the 360 into the older van, the frame is different, oil pan, transmission, computer, wiring, motor mounts... about the only thing that is the same is some external sheet metal. The 360 will bolt up to all the 318 stuff including oil pan.

I have 2 of the 94 style, 1 of the 01 style and one of the 92 style.

Might just do that but I’ll have to get a title. Looked at frame and it has a few rust spots but nothing major, will have to strip out the insides (cat van) and leave the 318 but 230,000 miles. 360 has 215,000. 94 say it’s a 250 but has 5 bolt wheels. 01 is a 350 but I don’t need that heavy of suspension and tired of fixing it (wiring now and can’t find the problem) I need a dependable work truck.

If you are referring to the front sheetmetal it is all different. The '94 fenders are welded to the body while the '01 fenders bolt on. Hoods are different,01 looks longer but is actually shorter but on a steeper angle.Bumpers and brackets are different,and as Dave said frames are different.Steering box location/engine mounts and floor for the forward engine positioning. I have a 2000 and a '95,I prefer the look and feel driving the '95,it is more like my '77 Tradesman in driving feel.

I have an 01 and an 02 the 02 the frame is rusted out completely around the steering box, no rust at all in the rest of the frame. My 01 has two holes in the frame near the steering box and the drop downs in front of the fenders are gone! The rest of the van is rust free. Bad move on Chrysler changing the frame design...

My 01 is rusted on the pass side from the AC drain. That drip even rusted the spark plugs to where I couldn’t get a socket to grab the hex. I looked at all three vans again this morning, hood-grill-bumper-lights on 94 & 01 are the same. But the steering box is angled on the 94 but 92 and 01 are straight..? Still not sure which way I’m going on this. Biggest thing I hate is the lack of room getting in the 01 around steering wheel and door opening because dash is moved back into the cabin (airbags) then the 94 has a rear gas tank and the spare tire would be in the back of box I guess and the 01 has it under in back. Pros and cons on both.

Frame rot around the steering box on all the early 90s and newer B vans is a concern. There are no parts (patch panels) available to fix the area, and there are a lot of compound curves. It is a major pain to repair the area around the steering box. The frame of any B van in the rust belt (or near it) is susceptible to the rust near the steering box.

I would go at both van frames with a welders pick and be sure the frame structure is still good before I would even consider what you are looking at doing. The frame there should be at least 1/8" steel, you can hit that pretty hard with a sharp point and a pretty hard swing of the welders pick hammer and do nothing but a possible small dent. If the pick blows through at all, the frame is too weak for the van to be driven on the street. Gene

Thanks for reply’s, many heads are better than one for info.

No info about your question but back in 2001 I use to work for a Dodge dealer that had the contract to supply the vans + paint them for a conversion company that turned them into B-class motorhomes. Usually I would just run them to the factory painted, then bring ones back in primer to be painted but the odd time I would have to drive the gutted ones pre-conversion and OMG were they ever a treat to drive. They had no weight in them so they were surprisingly quick (for the era) and the huge brakes would put you through the windshield if you weren't wearing a seat belt. I was even warned by the body shop manager each time I had to deliver one. They had to be one of the quickest things Dodge was building back then, felt like it anyways! (shorty ones with the 360)

I know what you mean, mine has a 360 magnum and 3.92s and I can make all 9 of my kids sit down real fast from a dead stop. On the other side of the coin it has no top end.

I've had a few vans too and turning wrenches for a living every "250" Dodge van I have ever seen has had 5 lugs. Gotta get into the 350 series for 8 lugs.

My 2002 250 van has 8 lugs...