HighTechRedneck's Red Dodge Build Thread

Just my High School rig I've been driving and working on lately. Not planning to do anything crazy, just get some more power, maybe a little taller, and something that looks good and is reliable.

Well, here she was when I got her.




And yes, that is chrome duct tape on the rear bumper. When I peeled that off, I could stick a screwdriver all the way through the bumper, so that was the first thing to be replaced. And yes, I doubt this truck lived most of it's life in Arizona, we don't have those issues out here.

First mod was a $12 yard sale set of speakers behind the seat. Not the best, but pretty darn good for the money I have into them. (The extra wiring is so I can stick em out the window and onto the toolbox to listen outside the cab)



Next came off came the steps and bedliner, and on went a toolbox and CB Radio.

Good start... We're partial to red

Then some parts from a neighbor parting his truck out. Brush guard, new sunvisors, and an A Pillar trim piece all for $50!

Relocated the fog lights, and beefed up the mounting a whole bunch. More pics of that later.


Then the most recent mod was fixing the headliner. It'd been that way since I got the truck, so it was great to get it fixed.

Before


Torn Out


Repaired


Finally Fixed


To end the headliner project, I'll take down the overhead console and paint it black. Then maybe tint the lenses and install LEDs.

But here is how she is right now, sitting in the driveway waiting for more money to be thrown at her. XD

What do y'all think? Any ideas, suggestions, tips?

rusties93LE said:

Good start... We're partial to red

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Thank you. Yeah, I've always liked red trucks too, just something about them. But I'm going to have to get this one painted because of the typical 2nd gen dodge paint. I'm planning on getting rid of those steel panels too, they just don't fit the attitude of the truck in my opinion.

Looking goo so far!

Nice got a 94 red top of the line ram it's missing a casette deck then it would be perfect

Thanks REX 2313!
Sounds great Codered! Hopefully I can get this one polished up a bit more, but I'm focusing on the powertrain and usability first though.

Just recently I did the plenum fix on the truck. Turned out pretty good, but the test drive got pretty interesting... More on that later

yeah, I plan to do some things to the truck nothing major though

Most of you all have seen a plenum gasket repair, so I'll skimp on that.

As you can tell, the inside of it was pretty dirty. I steam cleaned it and some of it came out, but I couldn't get all of it, so just left it.
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Here it is in primer
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And here it is in Semi-Gloss Black (Yes, both are high-temp paints)


Plenum Pan on, and torqued
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And it in the truck, mostly together. Didn't bother with the rest of the reinstall because I was pressed for time.
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When I was taking it all apart, I accidentally cut the fuel line between the fuel rails, so I brought the one detached rail in with the line to get another one. The newer kid at Orielly's sold me a hose that wasn't rated for fuel injection, telling it would work. (I had no idea about the difference at the time) So, the fuel hose couldn't handle it, and blew fuel everywhere when I pulled out of Circle K during the test drive. And of course it started on fire, got it out in time for the most part. Here's the damages:

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Sorry for the crappy picture
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Spent about a day's worth of work on it, and got it back running. I got off really lucky though, mostly vacuum lines and that little protective plastic for the wiring. Most of it is fixed, except for the airbox and having no vacuum for the A/C.

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Need a new dipstick and plastics on the cables & throttle body. And those clips that hold the harness onto the firewall.
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Got extremely lucky though on it, and it still runs good! And gives me a reason to get a CAI or 14x3 filter!

And if anyone has a vacuum diagram, that would be extremely helpful, I've got a small hunch that 1 or 2 are hooked up wrong.

well luck was with you

codered said:

well luck was with you

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It sure was. And I'm glad I stopped for that thirstbuster, because I didn't have a fire extinguisher, and they did. Guess what's in my truck now?

HighTechRedneck said:

It sure was. And I'm glad I stopped for that thirstbuster, because I didn't have a fire extinguisher, and they did. Guess what's in my truck now?

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man your dodge tried to turn into a chevy

codered said:

man your dodge tried to turn into a chevy

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I wouldn't say a Chevy bud. My dream truck is a 1985 Chevy K30, crew cab, short bed, with a 12 valve and an Eaton Fuller 8LL or RTO6610. I'll drive most any American brand, depending on the year. So, I'm mostly a 'depends on the year' kind of guy. Haha

HighTechRedneck said:

I wouldn't say a Chevy bud. My dream truck is a 1985 Chevy K30, crew cab, short bed, with a 12 valve and an Eaton Fuller 8LL or RTO6610. I'll drive most any American brand, depending on the year. So, I'm mostly a 'depends on the year' kind of guy. Haha

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had to make that joke just depends on what you want to deal with I've loved dodge trucks all my life even as a toddler according to my grandpa

codered said:

had to make that joke just depends on what you want to deal with I've loved dodge trucks all my life even as a toddler according to my grandpa

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Yep, I've grown up around them too. When I was a little kid we only had Chevys, but then switched to Dodges after my Dad bought his 1999.5 24 valve 6 speed 4x4 Cummins dually. Fell in love with it, and bought Dodges ever since. But we are acquiring more bowties as of lately, sadly he had to sell his Cummins (110,000 miles sold for $12,000. When diesels weren't worth much), and now my Dodge is the only Chrysler full-size.

HighTechRedneck said:

Yep, I've grown up around them too. When I was a little kid we only had Chevys, but then switched to Dodges after my Dad bought his 1999.5 24 valve 6 speed 4x4 Cummins dually. Fell in love with it, and bought Dodges ever since. But we are acquiring more bowties as of lately, sadly he had to sell his Cummins (110,000 miles sold for $12,000. When diesels weren't worth much), and now my Dodge is the only Chrysler full-size.

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man, bow ties are common over here i only see a handful dodge's and they are beat up I saw one 4th gen and many 2nd gens

Glad to see the truck didn't burn down.

codered said:

man, bow ties are common over here i only see a handful dodge's and they are beat up I saw one 4th gen and many 2nd gens

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I'm pretty much only a fan of the straight axle Chevys, only a few of the IFS ones I like. That is one major advantage that Dodge has kept over the years, straight axles on their trucks. Well, 3/4 and 1 tons.

dodge dude94 said:

Glad to see the truck didn't burn down.

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Well thank ya. Major lesson learned though, almost at the cost of my rig. Good thing is that I got a bunch of spare parts along with that intake, so I've got some junk I can dig through to fix most of the issues that are left over. But when I brought it to school today, hardly anyone noticed where the damage was until I pointed it out to them, so that's a plus.

What I really want to know is what is going to happen to that kid who sold me the stuff. Since we are regulars at Orielly's, the manager did what he could to make it right. But when the day comes to sell it, people will see the burn marks and run off... :****sweak:

HighTechRedneck said:

I'm pretty much only a fan of the straight axle Chevys, only a few of the IFS ones I like. That is one major advantage that Dodge has kept over the years, straight axles on their trucks. Well, 3/4 and 1 tons.




Well thank ya. Major lesson learned though, almost at the cost of my rig. Good thing is that I got a bunch of spare parts along with that intake, so I've got some junk I can dig through to fix most of the issues that are left over. But when I brought it to school today, hardly anyone noticed where the damage was until I pointed it out to them, so that's a plus.

What I really want to know is what is going to happen to that kid who sold me the stuff. Since we are regulars at Orielly's, the manager did what he could to make it right. But when the day comes to sell it, people will see the burn marks and run off... :****sweak:

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Well, honestly, it is barely noticeable NOW, so think about what the accumulation of dirt will hide.