j1877p Build Thread

Well I decided to create this build thread as all do to keep a log and show off my vehicle. She is a 2014 1500 Standard Cab Bighorn 4x4 with a 3.6L. I bought her 9/12/15 as a leftover 2014 which I got a good deal on (10k off MSRP). She only had 25 miles on the odometer. I had a choice of silver or black. Since my last truck was silver......black it was.



Here she is the day I bought her off the lot. Unfortunately I did not get to take her home that day. There happened to be a recall, the dealership had just received the week before, dealing with the wire harness and airbag in the steering wheel. I was to say the least.....disappointed. I was even more.....disappointed when I saw the loaner they were sending me home with.



A Dodge Journey! Well at least I didn't have it too long, just 2 days. I got to use their gas and if I'm honest it was more comfortable than I thought. Boy was it slow though. It must have had the base 4 banger. The following Monday afternoon they called and informed me it was ready to pickup. So I pick her up and have her 1 day then I notice this....



WTF! It's hard to tell in the picture but that is a knick out of the front bumper. Needless to say it had to go back to the dealer to get fixed, which they took care of no questions asked. So finally I get the truck back after another day and loaner and so far so good. I'm hoping this isn't a sign of things to come. Anyway here she is and I hope all goes well from here.



I am planning some mods here and there of course time and money are always lacking. Stay tuned and thanks for checking her out.

First mods tint & de-badge

So this weekend I had her tinted. The windshield was tinted with 80%, the two side widows with 30%, and the back window with 15%. I wanted to go darker on the sides but I'm at the legal limit and don't feel like being harrased by my friendly law enforcement. I have previously gone darker on other vehicles but the last time one gentleman officer in Georgia decided he would take a razor blade to my tint. I was furious but what could I do. i just abide by the law now but ride it to the edge. I also took the "Ram 1500" badges off the doors and the "Big Horn" and "4x4" badges off the back. I go next weekend to get a 15% strip on the windshield.




There are plenty of how to's and videos explaining the process of removing the badges online but I have a tip to help you out. When I was using the fishing line to saw through the tape on the back of the badges my hand were getting worn out from the fishing line. I decided to make some handles to make it easier. I just tied each end onto a bolt I had lying around. It helped immensely.



Once I removed the badges there was a ghost effect in the paint where they were. Probably because my truck has already had a year of being out in the weather before I bought it. once I cleaned the areas I polished the areas with this product below and now you can't tell they were there.



I also took off the front license plate holder because I do not want to put a plate on the front and want it to look clean in the front. Unfortunately now I have these 4 holes in the bumper. I'm not sure weather to put it back on or what to do with the holes. Anyone got any ideas?



Stay tuned I have Weather Tech wind guards going on once the tint dries. Also, I have some N-fab steps coming in the mail that will hopefully be here by weeks end.

Looks good! Keep the posts and pics coming!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can't go wrong with black...

very nice truck

Update....

Ok it has been a bit since I have updated and I have a few things accomplished.

As of 10/4/15

First of all I have installed some Weather Tech All-Weather Floor Mats.

2014 RAM Ram 1500 | All-Weather Car Floor Mats by WeatherTech - traps water, road salt, mud and sand | WeatherTech.com

Also I have installed some Weather Tech Side Window Deflectors.

2014 RAM Ram 1500 | WeatherTech Side Window Deflectors, Rain Guards, Wind Deflectors | WeatherTech.com

I had the 15% tint on the front window installed.

I installed an iOttie phone mount. This thing is awesome. My iphone is not going anywhere.

Amazon.com: iOttie Easy One Touch 2 Car Mount Holder for iPhone 6s Plus 6s 5s 5c, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus S6 S5 S4, Note 5 4 3, Google Nexus 5 4, LG G4-Retail Pack: Cell Phones & Accessories



I ordered and received from Amazon some Bolt Locks for my hitch receiver and a pad lock as well. Locks aren't so special except these use your truck key to lock and unlock them.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FNKFY8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Amazon.com: Bolt 7018520 Padlock: Automotive

I did also receive the steps but they were manufactured incorrectly. The rear mount bracket was 10" farther forward than it should have been. I contacted N-fab and the confirmed they had a batch that were set up on the wrong jig. They assured me that all the ones they currently have in stock are correct. So I'll have to wait to install these until I get them replaced.

P.S. Thank you all for the kind words.

Update.....As of 10/11/15

Ok so I finally got the replacement N-fab steps on. I got the textured ones.

http://www.n-fab.com/products/sfID1/67/sfID2/83/sfID3/68/productID/399

A couple things to keep in mind. 1st off the instructions want you to install 3 bolts on each bracket (2 at the bottom, and 1 at the top middle) with nut plates. The 2 on the bottom work as the pictures show but the top middle one does not at least for my application (2014 standard cab). First of all they want you to put the bracket on and tighten it. Then trace out the "U" portion of the bracket so you know where to align the nut plate for the top bolt. Unfortunately the nut plate will not go on fully because there is not enough room (see second pic down). The area where the plate fits into stops short. Besides that, even if you got that to work then you have to drill a 1/2" hole at the location for that bolt. You would be hard pressed to fit a drill in there. You would need a 90 deg drill and either a stubby drill bit or a uni-bit.







What I did instead was use a self-tapping screw in place of the bolt with a fender washer and lock washer for that location. They also include 2 other holes in each bracket for optional self-tapping screws. I opted for this option. See below pic for the self-tapping screws I used. There is a small amount of adjustment up and down you can move the steps prior to putting any of the self-tapping screws in. Although it would make it very difficult or even impossible to get the upper middle self-tapping screw in. I opted to hold mine down as far as possible. Reason is I am relatively short (5'6") and have a bad knee. I will be doing a level on the front with Bilstein 5100's eventually so this was a no brainer for me.



So now that they are installed......how do I like them? Well, so far I love them. Being a large man as I am (350ish), if they can hold my big a$$ I'm happy. Well they do hold me and I'm not worried in the least of them coming loose or moving. I'm ultimately happy with the way they look as well.

A couple more shots.







A word of caution to all my forum brethren...
I originally ordered my steps the first time on Amazon from 4wheelonline.com. I do not blame them for having a part with a manufacture defect and there shipping to me was actually quite fast. The problem I had was that once I had an issue and needed to return the part, receiving a return authorization and also receiving credit once they had received the bars back seemed to take forever and had to get Amazon involved in order to get the credit because it had taken so long. I also had called their customer service department and did not receive any service let alone customer service. I ended up ordering straight from N-fab. I had to pay approx. $100 more that way but I'd rather pay more to a company that actually does give you good service. I had called N-fab directly on the first set of bars to make sure I wasn't missing something. They were knowledgable and friendly and provided the service I was looking for.

Stay tuned I am looking at getting a Retrax cover soon.