D300 to W300 conversion/swap

[rockinj2000]

Hello, I'm looking for input on a project i am about to begin before i jump into things. I have a 68 D300 with the 225 slant 6 that is in great shape body wise no dents and very little rust and it was very well taken care of while it was in service and the motor runs strong and i also have a 68 W300 with the 318 that spent its life as a bucket truck and it was used and abused. What i want to do is either make the D300 into a W300 by using the bucket trucks parts or put the D300's body on the bucket trucks frame in in your opinion what would be easiest? What i want to do is make a good looking farm truck with a flat bed that i can haul a bale or 2 to the cows or go get wood with if i did the body swap would the slant 6 be able to handle all the extra weight and still preform well? i also have the bumper and Braden winch that i traded a local fire dept for when their 68 brush truck went to the forestry dept so add that into the extra load for the slant 6 to haul.

thank you for any input

[MoparFreak69]

Will the slant 6 haul that weight around? Certainly
Will that same slant 6 fly down the freeway at 80 without a care in the world with that weight in it? No way.
For farm duty the slant 6 should be fine. You probably wont see much of 2nd or 3rd gear, but who really goes that fast in that situation anyway?
Will a tired 318 outperform a strong slant 6? Probably not.

I cant remember right at this moment but does your the D300 still have the straight front axle? I believe it does, in that case swapping the axles from the W to the D should be a simple bolt on job. You will need to transfer brake lines and such over, along with the transfer case and drivelines (should be divorced if I recall correctly) and the t-case mount, which I think the D will have holes in the frame for.

Its really just a matter of which rusty bolts do you prefer to fight with? Rusty cab/bed mounts or rusty spring pivot bolts. They are both fairly involved projects but if I were in your boat I would do the axles from the W under the D swap. That way I could go through and install new spring bushings and make sure the suspension is up to snuff enough to at least make the vehicle safe to drive. Just my $.02

[rockinj2000]

Will the slant 6 haul that weight around? Certainly
Will that same slant 6 fly down the freeway at 80 without a care in the world with that weight in it? No way.
For farm duty the slant 6 should be fine. You probably wont see much of 2nd or 3rd gear, but who really goes that fast in that situation anyway?
Will a tired 318 outperform a strong slant 6? Probably not.

I cant remember right at this moment but does your the D300 still have the straight front axle? I believe it does, in that case swapping the axles from the W to the D should be a simple bolt on job. You will need to transfer brake lines and such over, along with the transfer case and drivelines (should be divorced if I recall correctly) and the t-case mount, which I think the D will have holes in the frame for.

Its really just a matter of which rusty bolts do you prefer to fight with? Rusty cab/bed mounts or rusty spring pivot bolts. They are both fairly involved projects but if I were in your boat I would do the axles from the W under the D swap. That way I could go through and install new spring bushings and make sure the suspension is up to snuff enough to at least make the vehicle safe to drive. Just my $.02

yes the fastest i expect it will go is maybe 30mph when i go just up the road and buy gas, The D300 does have the straight axle and i looked at it today and there are holes for the t case on the frame of the D300.

i made one mistaken in my story i discovered today, the bucket truck is a 69 not a 68, and the D300 has the 6 lug wheels where the W300 has 8 lug can i just switch out the rear hubs if i do the front end swap? Also if i remember right doest the W300 have a different steering gear then the D300?

thank you for the reply

[MoparFreak69]

No problem.

I would honestly just swap the rear axle over as well, reason being is that the gear ratios are a matched set and the gears in the D may or may not be the same ratio. You do not want to have mismatched gear ratios and bind your drivetrain severely as you will surely cause breakage.
As far as steering gear, I would think the only difference would be the physical size difference between the two, if that. Everything should, in theory, be the same with the exception of the pitman arm which may be longer on the W than the D. Once again you should be able to move the box over from the W to the D if there is a significant difference. I may be wrong, a side by side comparison with a measuring tape will tell you the real story.
As far as 68 vs 69, I think they shared all the same components so that year difference shouldnt affect your conversion.

Sorry for the very general information. I am not terribly familiar with these particular trucks but am very familiar with just about all swaps in general.

[rockinj2000]

Well after about a week of thought i think i am gonna remove the cab and motor from the D and put on the W and while it is off i will at least primer the whole thing and maybe paint it i don't know i have not decided on a good color combo for it yet, i saw a gun metal gray and black on ebay a few years ago that looked really nice i wish i had a picture of it. Also i got my information on the steering gear from The Vintage Power Wagons Catalog and it shows the D listed under a different model steering gear then the W, I was also wondering if there are any more catalogs or on line sites that sell parts for these model trucks so i can look for the best deals on the parts i discover i need as i dive into this project

Thank you for any help
Rockinj2000

[Aaron S]

Before you start taking things apart I suggest you carefully examine the frames and cab mounts of both trucks and do a critical comparison of the two. W300 frames are unique to that one model and I believe both the cabs and mounts are different. I have heard of several people who have put D series cabs onto a W300, in each case it was reported to have been a major pain in the asterisk. W300s have many components which are model specific and were never used on anything else that I am aware of... including, but not limited to, frames, steering boxes, hubs, and brake drums. I do not mean to discourage you in this endeavor, but I would hate to hear that you got both trucks dismantled only to find that it would take some very in depth fabrication to achieve your desired goal. I may be wrong, but it just might be simpler to swap the W running gear under the D frame than to swap cabs... as counterintuitive as that sounds.

[Marty]

D300-W300 Swap 101 :)

Not sure if you ever went ahead with your plans but I've done both conversions that you're contemplating. Swapping the axles & transfercase under the D300 is fastest...but it will never be proper. The frames have several differences...the main one being the steering box is different & won't swap between frames. The only way to get the steering to work is to alter the D frame to accept the W series steering box, or you need to fabricate a drag link that will work with the frail D300 steering box & your D70 axle. The next important difference is there's a relief cut in the forward crossmember to allow clearance for the front driveshaft. You could modify the D frame & a piece of half pipe gets welded in after the cutting...but why bother...if you have a W frame...the proper way to do this conversion is using the W frame & running gear.
The cabs are identical. The only difference is if you're trying to install a 100-200 cab on a 300...totally different. D300-W300...exactly the same cab & just a matter of unbolting & bolting to your W300 chassis.
I'm just finishing one...I'll post a pic or two :)
By the way...if you do minimal modifications to a slant 6...240hp & 360lbs of torque is easily attainable...but why bother I guess...a good 318 is pretty easy to come by.
Feel free to email if you need any help or have questions.

[Bradf]

Brake drums

What a nice build looks great. I was wondering if you might have any extra parts left over as I'm looking for front and rear 6 bolt brake drums.

Thanks Brad

905 650 9168

[Marty]

Drums

Hi Brad,
I responded to you over on the other PW forum as well. I probably have 4 drums but I'd have to measure them.
Are yours completely ruined? They're very hard to find the 6 bolt W300 drums. I've had mine horded away because I have 5 W300's but that said, I really can't imagine ever running one metal to metal so I'll probably never need them.
Let me know exactly how many you need & I can pull & measure what I have.
If yours aren't way over the limits you'd probably be better to just run an oversize brake lining if there's a good brake shop in your area.
Marty 778-834-1896

[Bradf]

Thank you

Marty , you are a breath of fresh air , I just gave you a call and left a message , hope I didn't wake you as I believe you are 3-4 hours behind us , if that's the case sorry but very happy to have a glimmer of light on my brake drum quest

I can be reached at 905 650 9168 anytime


Thanks in advance

Brad

[Bradf]

Further info

Marty , I require 4 brake drums , 2 frt- 14 1/8" x 1 x 1/4" and 2 rear 13"x 2 1/2" drums , 6 bolt from a 1963 Dodge W300 4x4 1 ton Sweptline , (Vin 6362919250)

The fronts are way oversize and I don't have any rear , and the only thing holding up the certification.

Again thank you

Brad

[Kaegi]

what is the measurement on the fronts? they are not 14 inch when new they are 14.125 new with a max diameter of 14.185. I have run them at just over 14.205 with no over heating issues.

EDIT I didn't see you posted 14.125. Sorry for preaching to the choir.

Marty , I require 4 brake drums , 2 frt- 14 1/8" x 1 x 1/4" and 2 rear 13"x 2 1/2" drums , 6 bolt from a 1963 Dodge W300 4x4 1 ton Sweptline , (Vin 6362919250)

The fronts are way oversize and I don't have any rear , and the only thing holding up the certification.

Again thank you

Brad