Dodge Ramcharger

The Ramcharger was a full-size SUV introduced by Dodge in 1974 and was largely based on a short-wheelbase Dodge pickup chassis. The model ran in the USA for two decades until the last '93 Ramchargers rolled off the production line. The Ramcharger's cousin, the Plymouth Trailduster, was offered in parallel but production of the Trailduster was discontinued with the '81 model.

By the mid-1970s, the Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco and International Harvester SUVs all had a foothold in the car market for those looking for a backcountry camping vehicle or a big SUV that was different from a pickup. With seating for five or six adults and healthy power, the Ramcharger offered Mopar fans their own full-size SUV.

1. Generation (1974-1980)

The first Ramchargers were very similar to the Dodge pickups of the time, but had a shorter 106-inch wheelbase. When introduced in 1974, all Ramchargers were permanently four-wheel drive. Dodge quickly added a rear-wheel drive version to the lineup a year later.

First generation models had a removable hardtop and a fabric top with roll-up side windows was also available from the Mopar dealer. The suspension consisted of traditional leaf springs at the front and rear, with optional recirculating ball power steering. Braking was disc at the front and drum at the rear, servo-assisted of course.

Five different engines were offered in the years of the early generation: A 225ci I-6 and V8 engines in 318, 360, 400 and 440 cubic inch variants.

The standard gearboxes included the synchronized three-speed manual gearbox A230, the four-speed manual gearbox NP435 or the NP445 four-speed manual gearbox with a short ratio. The three-speed Torqueflite 727 transmission was used for the automatic version.

Dodge varied the final drive ratio over the years to accommodate the different engines, transmissions and tire sizes. Commonly available axle ratios were 3.21:1, 3.55:1 and 3.90:1.

The 74 to 79 models used full-time four-wheel drive with a cast-iron NP203 transfer case with chain drive. The NP203 used an internal differential to allow different speeds between the front and rear axles on harder surfaces. The transfer case had five settings: High, High Loc, Low, Low Loc and Neutral. In one of the Loc modes, the center differential was locked and delivered equal power to both axles.