Dodge Full-time to Part-time Conversion

    Here's  the info you need to convert your troublesome Dodge full-time Vancharger or W200 /300 front axle to part-time 4wd using GM wheel ends. Blasphemy you say! Pathfinder built all of their 1985 and up  Dodge vans with GM wheel ends, because the full-time wheel bearing failures on full-time Dodge  Vanchargers were a constant problem. Those who own full-time 4wd Dodge pickups from 1975 to 79 suffer the same problems.  You need  to compare the cost of fixing what you have verses changing it to something else. In 1985, Pathfinder Equipment Company made such a change. It was not a big deal for them, because the wheel ends they wanted to use were already in  service on their GM 4x4 K-Van conversions. You will have to do some searching in wrecking yards to find what you need.

What do you have to work with?

    When a  Dodge  full-time wheel end goes bad, it's not usually just the wheel bearing. The wheel bearing floats inside the steering knuckle and is held in place by a bearing retainer. This retainer is held in place by six 12 point bolts (a special  socket is required to remove them). The bolts are accessible through a hole in the face of the hub and rotor assembly. Once the retainer bolts, brake caliper and outer axle shaft retaining nut are removed, you can grasp the rotor  and pull the whole package out of the knuckle. It is rare that it comes out in one piece. The inner wheel bearing will usually stay behind in the steering knuckle, that's bad! It means one of two things, the wheel hub is spun or  the steering knuckle bearing pocket is wallowed out and the hub is spun.

    You can verify that the knuckle is damaged by cleaning away all the grease and grime and inspecting the knuckle. Inside the knuckle  bearing pocket, you will notice a machine mark that is spiral in design. The mark starts at the outer edge of the bearing pocket and spirals approx. two times and ends at the bottom of the bearing pocket near the inner seal. If the  knuckle is wallowed out, a section of the machine mark will be worn away. Why does it happen? The bearing retainer is designed hold the bearing set into the bearing pocket and it has no provision for tightening or setting pre load  on the bearing set. Some retainers have a 90 degree grease zirk that can be accessed through the same hole that you use to remove the retainer. The second problem is, the knuckle is designed to be a snug fit not a tight fit. So  once the bearing set begins to wear or the wheel brgs go dry of grease.It causes a cascade effect of part wearing into part until everything is destroyed. 

    Pull the remaining outer wheel bearing and  inspect the bearing retainer. You will find that it is also damaged. We urge you to pull the other side apart as well. If you find similar damage, weigh your options. Listed below are the average costs of replacement components.

PF00250    Hub and rotor assembly       (Illus. #1&5)                              $245.00

PF20250    Wheel hub only                    (Illus. #5)                                   $149.00

PF05270    Wheel bearing kit                 (Illus. #9)                                   $  85.00

PF77270    Wheel bearing retainer          (Illus. #3)                                  $  90.00

PF05620    Wheel hub seals (2 req.)       (Illus. #6)                                  $  12.00 each

                   Steering knuckle repair,        (Illus. #4)                                  $175.00 per knuckle.***

*** Note: Knuckle bearing surface is machined out and a sleeve pressed and welded in place. A three week turn  is  around required.

The Alternative
                                                                                                                         The Chevrolet 3/4 ton K20 4x4 truck is the perfect donor for the wheel ends you need. But there are some pitfalls to avoid. The truck you are looking for will be a 1978-79 K20 4x4. Earlier wheel ends will fit, but they are of the  Spicer "Big Hub" design. They will fit, but they have problems of their own. The Big Hub style wheel hub is famous for spinning  it's inner wheel bearing race. The wheel hub, spindle and outer axle shaft are no longer  manufactured and service parts are hard to find.  Anything after 1979 will most likely have a GM 10 bolt front axle, the wheel ends will fit, but there is no provision for relocating your Pathfinder steering arm onto the top  of your right side steering knuckle.

Your shopping list.

    Once you find a doner truck or axle,  you need to pull.everything from the ball joints OUT. That includes the  locking hubs, hub and rotors, spindles, outer axle shafts, steering knuckles, calipers and related hardware. Don't be alarmed if the rotors are trashed. GM rotors are only good for a couple of brake lathe turnings before they have  to be replaced, You would probably have to replace them anyway. Crappy brake calipers are good to keep as cores, when you buy fresh caliper at the parts house.

    Before installing new ball joints into the new knuckles, you need to  machine the top of your right side GM steering knuckle to install your Pathfinder steering arm. If you don't trust yourself, this service is also available from Pathfinder for $75.00. You will also need to remove the steering arm  from the left side GM steering knuckle. It will be in the way on your Vancharger.  On a W200/300 pick up, you will want to reuse your OEM steering arm, instead of the GM arm. To simplify removal, drive the lock  nuts to  the outer end of the studs and weld the nuts to the studs. Use an air gun to pull the nuts and studs out together. The alternative is to beat the arm with a hammer until you loosen 20 years of rust and corrosion from the tapered  locking cone washers and studs, and pray the arm falls off within the first 40 to 50 smacks with a sledge hammer.

    The last remaining custom part you will need is a custom tie rod. The original tie rod has a taper that is tiny  compared to the GM taper. The custom tie rod is approx. $225.00. A center to center measurement is required to build the appropriate tie rod for your project after your wheel ends are installed.

    To complete the part-time conversion, you need to install a Mile Marker transfer case part-time conversion kit. It comes with detailed, easy to follow instructions. And it's not necessary to remove the transfercase to install the kit.

Keeping Full-time 4wd with GM Wheel Ends.

    You can still keep your full-time 4wd with the GM wheel ends by installing drive cogs in place  of locking hubs. You can find the cogs, snap-rings and chrome dust caps on 1980-up Traildusters, Full-size Jeep Cherokee & Wagoneer with Quadratrac and full-time 4wd GM trucks and Blazers.

    Yes, it's alot of  work, but you will only have to do it once. Compare the cost of full-time replacement parts to the cost of the GM parts and decide what is best for you. many problems for them. 

Dodge Full-time Wheel End (Exploded View)

GM Part-time Wheel End (Exploded View)