BoldAdventures - 2010 1500 Laramie 4x4 - Adventure/Tow Rig Build

2010 Ram 1500 Laramie CC 4x4 3.92


Mission:

We purchased our Ram primarily to tow our Airstream, and haul us + our stuff around the country, full time on the road. We live to travel, and also like to explore off pavement just as much as we do on pavement. Because of this, we are trying to create a balance of a capable full-time tow vehicle with enough capability off-road to tackle trails like The White Rim trail in Canyon Lands, Engineer’s Pass in Colorado or blaze out to Sublime Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Most of my mods have been aimed at supporting this mission.


WHERE IT STANDS




SUSPENSION / AXLE:

• Toyo Open County AT/II 275/65R20 Load Range E
• Mag-Hytec Diff Cover
  
• Front:
  • Bilstein 5100 Adjustable Shocks @ 2.8”
  • Suspension Maxx Lifted Sway Bar End Links
• Rear:
  • Bilstein 5100 Shocks
  • Tufftrucks TTC-1223
  • Airlift 1000 Bags

ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN:

• VaraRam Air Grabber
• BT Catch can
• Mufflex DOD14M

ELECTRICAL / LIGHTING / COMS:

• RetroShop 2013+ RAM Projectors w/ retrofitted FX-R Projectors
• HID lows at 55W & 5000K temp
• HID fogs at 35W & 5000K temp
• weBoost Drive 4G-M (Wilson Electronics)
• Surecall 12” magnetic LTE band antenna
• 4’ FireStik Firefly CB Antenna
• Cobra 18WXSTII CB Radio
• A118 B40 Audiovox Dash Cam

APPEARANCE:

• Debadged except for Hemi badges
• 20% Front Tint 15% Back Tint
• AVS Vent Shades
• WeatherTech Mud Flaps
• BakFlip G2
• BOLDANDADVENTUROUS.COM rear deck lid decal
• Hood Stripe Kit w/ custom “Air Rig” cut out

ACCESSORIES / MISC:

• Bayou Goat Mount Dual Disk Mount
• x2 Koomus Dash Slide Universal Smartphone Cradle
• Dodge Ram RamBox Cargo Management Kit
• x2 Noogles on rear vents (We have kids, google it, laugh)
• x2 RECARO ProRIDE Convertible Car Seat (Highly recommend this carseat if you have kids)

RECOVERY & EMERGENCY GEAR:

• 60” Hi-Lift Jack All-Cast in Red
• 30’ ARB Recovery Strap
• ARB Tree Saver Strap
• x2 ARB D-Ring Shackles
• Fire Extinguisher
• Road Flares
• ARB Tire Repair Kit

Planned Mods:

• VIAIR Medium Duty Onboard Air System
• LED Tail lights
• LED 3rd Brake light
• LED License Plate Lights
• TruEdge Painted Pocket Flares

Where it began...

Where it began

We bought our truck in July of 2014 after my wife and I decided to commit to our dream of traveling the country fulltime in an Airstream. Naturally, we would need a tow vehicle. We looked objectively at Chevy, Ford and Ram. Both 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons.

Because the Airstream is lightweight we opted to see how we'd do with a half ton.

Chevy & Ford both disappointed, but Ram won us over for the needs of our family. For me, the truck just looked more masculine than the Ford or Chevy. For my wife, all the storage inside the truck was a plus as we'd be bringing a long two kids and spending a lot of seat time in her. So comfort and storage are a plus.

I was drawn to the utility of the Ramboxes for our lifestyle.

And we manged to score all of the options we where looking for.

4WD
3.92 gears
32 Gallon Tank
Ramboxes
Leather Heated/Cooled
Bucket Seats with center console
Sunroof
Premium Sound, Navigation
Tow Package w/ Mirrors
Heavy Duty Transmission Cooler

Here she was with our first adventure mobile the day we brought her home.

First Mods

I'm a car guy, have owned several Camaro's, a Mustang ( don't judge me ), a Corvette and Pontiac G8 GXP lastly, so when we bought the truck, the first thing I wanted to do was intake and exhaust.

So the first thing I installed was a VaraRam Air Grabber I picked up off another forum member here.



After that I snagged a Mufflex DODM14 and proceeded to install it.

Added AVS Ventshades



And had the truck tinted with 20% on the front and 15% around the back.

TOWING UPGRADES

When I did all the fluids on the truck, I also upgraded the rear differential cover with a MAG-HYTEC to keep things cooler in the rear while towing and to preserve gear longevity from the serve duty. I ordered from Moe's a site vendor who has never let me down. Will continue to do business with them.



I also decided to add a catch can to improve engine life. Say what you will, but I'd like to not worry about the upper intake.




Random Rig Shots

Projector upgrades!

Lighting Upgrades - Retro Shop Experience

Long story short, I have poor night vision, even after lasik. I contacted Jeremy at the Retroshop about purchasing a set of his 2013+ Factory Projectors with Morimoto FX-R projectors replacing the OEM's and having Morimoto LED strips and halos installed.

I added 55W HID ballasts with 5000K temp bulbs to these, and needless to say, I have been one happy camper ever since. These not only look damn sexy, the light output is perfect.

Also put 35W HID's in the fogs with similar 5000K temp bulbs.

I'd recommend this over ebay halo's all day long if you are on the fence. I have owned ebay halo's in the past, and the difference in both the halo's and the projectors is the difference between a Civic and a Porsche.

Front Level - version 1.0

If I wasn't going to be towing across the country moving from place to place every other week, I'd probably go with a 4 inch lift kit on 35's. But, because we are towing, we decided to settle on the leveling realm.

Purchased the Hellbent Steel 2.5 kit.



Install was a b//ch, not so much the removal, but the compressing of springs, and when the spacer is on, it's even more of a b//ch to get back in the truck.

I will say however, that with my WD hitch setup correctly, I didn't have to worry much about the nose being in the air.

Saw those lights on Jeremy's instagram. Love the halos!

Truck really came together and is set up very nicely! Im a little envious it really must be a dream come true!

Love this thread and your truck!