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Gladiator265

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  1. Hey guys, I did do a similar build up that I completed a few months back and have been happily driving since! I used a 07 Ram 1500 chassis w/ a Hemi so dimensions may be a little different but in terms of overall build it is possible! I shortened the frame by carefully cutting the factory welds separating the front and rear sub sections. When they build these in the factory they have common front and rear sections that they use and wheelbase in determined by the intermediate straight rails they weld between the 2. Luckily for us that makes it much easier to shorten since we can cut the welds and using the same straight section bring the frame together and reweld it exactly like the factory would. Gives you piece of mind knowing it is supported the same as the factory. Track width is spot on which is a blessing. As for the frame width/ body mount locations, the original j series body mounts are almost right on top of the frame so you will have to get creative as to how you want to build the body mounts. Nothing that can't be overcome though. Also depends on how you want the build to look in the end. You had mentioned above that you were thinking body lift which might help you with some of this. I tried to keep the body as low on the frame as I could so you wouldn't see the frame but that has it's own set of problems. I ended up having to cut a portion of the floor out of the truck (behind the seats) and welding in a new closeout to clear the frame. It all depends on how nice the J series truck is and if you are ok with doing a little hacking and slashing. As for the radiator and fan I used the stock Hemi fan and a 87 Chevy radiator which involved cutting out the stock rad support and creating my own. Like you mentioned above it depends on what kind of clearance you have with the big cummins as to how you would go about mounting it. Hope some of this helps and if you have any questions feel free to ask! Initial cut done on Drivers side, passenger side has initial cut as well as the excess frame section removed. You can see the factory C shape that will glove over the intermediate section and provides the factory designed weld/support. Not the greatest picture but you can see where we rewelded the frame after pulling it together and getting everything lined up. Shot of the cab floor where I had to cut out a section to clear the Ram Frame. This is just the patch panel tacked in place, I ended up going back and finishing the job up later on. Finished product! (Thanks for the nod Moses, sorry it took me so long to post this up!) Until I get a chance to transfer all the posts to this site of the build up here's a link to it on ifsja. http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=172148
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