Dodge Ram Pickup Spotter's Guide - Four Wheeler Network
Dodge started building 4WD pickups after WWII and has since racked up nearly seven decades of providing them to consumers. Many were built under the Dodge name as W-Series pickups and they would later be known as “Ram Tough” and the 4WD pickups would be known as Power Rams. The brand would eventually drop the Dodge moniker and become known simply as Ram trucks. 2nd Generation (1965-1971). By the ’60s, the Dodge pickups had been carrying the “D” designation for 2WD models and the “W” designation for the 4WD models. Wheelbase was 114 inches for the 61?2-foot bed and 128 inches with the 8-foot bed. Dodge started using the LA series engines in place of the previous A-series powerplants. Common transmissions included the A230 and A745 three-speed manuals, NP435A closed-spaced ratio, four-speed manual, or the NP435B geometric ratio, four-speed manual. Axle ratios were typically 3. 54:1 or 4. 10:1. Front axles were Dana 44s, while rear axles were the 30-spline Chrysler 83?4-inch units or the 27-spline Chrysler 81?4-inch models in some trucks. Earlier trucks through about ’68 models ran the cast-iron, gear-drive NP201 transfer case (1. 96:1 low range), with late models getting the cast-iron, gear-drive NP205 transfer case with the same low-range ratio. Source: www.fourwheeler.com
