My Ram

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I bought this truck as-is from a body shop in Feb. 2001. The shop had already done some work on it including a little frame pulling, some front end parts, a new driver door, mirror, hood, front bumper parts, grille, lights, windshield, left fender (defective) and another bed, which also needed work. I replaced both front fenders among other things and finally got it painted after nearly four years of driving around unfinished!

I put 265k miles on the truck from February 2005 to July 2007 transporting Jayco RV's from the manufacturer in Middlebury Indiana to dealers all over the US and Canada. See some pictures of my road time here. Currently the truck sits most of the time since I resurrected an old Honda Civic as a daily driver.

Please feel free to contact me any time with your comments or questions.

Modifications Page
More truck related pictures

Current Mileage as of 1/31/2010: 403k
 

     Original specifications

• 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 Quad Cab SLT
• Cummins Turbo Diesel (215 HP 12 Valve)
• 5 Speed - 3.54 gears Dana 60/ Dana 80
• Camper/Tow Package
• Long bed

     Upgrades and modifications I have made - See full details of some of these mods here.

• Installed the Rock Solid Steering bushing. Rock Solid Ram Steering
• Installed the Transfer Case Saver. Drivetrain.com
• Installed grease fittings in front wheel bearings and lower ball joints
• Built custom control arms using Johnny Joints
• Windecker Machine Steering Brace (DSS)
• ARP head studs 12 valve p/n 247-4203
• Putnam XDR class V receiver hitch 15k alone and 16k with weight distribution.
• Upgraded steering from inverted "Y" style to HD crossover style used in '98 and '99.
• APC headlight wire harness - Powers the headlights directly from the battery through a pare of relays taking the load off of the light switch, which saves the switch from possible meltdown and makes the headlights a little brighter. This harness can be purchased here according to your headlight type, which in this case is 9004.
• Mopar splash guards
• Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller
• Bestop extendable power towing mirrors
• Air Lift rear air bags
• BD Exhaust Brake
• B&W turnover ball gooseneck hitch
• B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch
• South Bend Clutch - MU 13"-1.375" Con OFE
• NV5600 6-speed transmission conversion
• BFG 33x12.5x16.5 A/T KO Tires on 9.75x16.5 aluminum wheels - I also have a set of 265/75R16 load range E tires on stock 2001 Dodge Ram 16x8 alloy's. I had to have the outer rim of the rear brake drums turned down a little in order for these wheels to fit. Some trucks also need some minor grinding up front on the steering arms but mine didn't.
• Amsoil air filter (EaAU4510) installed inside my custom cold air induction box
• Auto Meter  Ultra-Lite Gauges - Pyrometer, boost, fuel pressure
• DT Pro Fab Trac Bar
• Tuff Country 2" leveling kit
• Rancho RS9000 rear and RS9000X front shocks
• Optima red top batteries
• Amsoil bumper to bumper
• Amsoil bypass filter - BMK-11 mount with spin on filter BE-100
• Jardine 4" exhaust system
• Killer Dowel Pin retained - tab method
• Fuel gauge sender custom fixed
• Custom ground stock fuel plate in stock position - Less than perfect trace of a TST #5 plate
• AFC  housing full forward with medium AFC spring from PDR
• Timing set at 16º

     Links

• Killer Dowel Pin retention instructions - tab method
• Killer Dowel Pin retention instructions - drill jig method
• Turbo Diesel Register
• Diesel Ram Forum
• Cummins Forum
• Dodge Ram Tech
• Performance Diesel Research
• TST Products, Inc.
• How I built my stacks - I took them off later but they did sound awesome.
• Modifications page with lots of pictures

       Wish List

• Larger turbo, maybe
• ATS  3 piece exhaust manifold
• 3000 RPM Governor Spring Kit
• Traction bars
• BD 2WD Low kit - Allows you to disengage the front axle so you can use low range in 2 wheel drive, which is good for backing trailers among other things.
• LineX bed liner

This is my over saturated photo appearing on the August page of the 2007 TDR calendar!

Ready for some fun in the desert on the old Honda XR600R.

Setup for RV Transporting with 115 gallon fuel tank, B&W 5th wheel hitch, low profile tool box, weight distribution hitch, large towing mirrors, mud flaps, etc.

RV Transporting - Beach, ND headed to Ellensburg, WA with a 34 ft. Jayco toyhauler.

Before the body work and paint were finished.

400K miles reached on 08/01/2008