What did you do to/with your second gen today?

[Joe w.]

I used double sided tape on mine

 

[DodgeLady]

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[nathantc]

well what did i do today, i got the final bolts in my transmission,,, now its fully mounted in my 1996 ram cummins,,, why is that special, well because i converted the truck fully to SAE 3 and bolted in a spicer 3053a from a M35A2 deuce and half military truck.

https://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94-98-powertrain/2502599-doing-auto-spicer-3053a-swap.html

 

[DodgeLady]

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[El Huapo]

Took it around back loaded with tools, chainsaws, propane flamethrower, etc. to drop and burn more dead oak trees. I hate to do it but they need to be gone for fire safety around here. Old truck saves my back again. Been burning most of the day, I'm tired. Happy trails y'all

 

[dodge dude94]

Hey y'all.

Been a bit.
I see traffic is down but still see some new faces. That's good.

I also see my sig is gone......damnit

 

[justtruckn]

scored a new box for the 01 this weekend ..... 350 bucks and not a scratch in it .......

x for the 01

 

[El Huapo]

Moving wood. Actually it was yesterday, gonna R&R the cracked dash today. At least that's the plan. Took the trash and recycle to the dump this morning. Exciting, huh? That's life in the woods.

 

[justtruckn]

went to the landfill with a load of junk and clean out the bed. took out the factory bed liner so its ready for thursday's bed swap. put led's in it and now the radio don't work. never had the happen before. led head lights ain't doing it ... it seems to be the orange led marker/turn lights.

 

[El Huapo]

Installed new dash & bezel. First pic is old dash, had a carpet cover over it, but it failed more every day. New dash went in fine, new bezel not so much, had to add 3 screws to the top, plus some trim adhesive to be extra sure, now OK. Even did the wet sanding and clearcoat to my badly-frosted instrument panel cover, big improvement.

 

[El Huapo]

So it's now Saturday and it was time to find the "grumble" I hear and tiny vibration in the steering wheel *mostly* when coming uphill. At least it was that way, now it had started doing it going down the road at 50mph or more. I had had a sloppy u-joint on the left front axle but it was grease-able so I did that and I could no longer feel any looseness. Thought that would be it. So I decided a $20 part wasn't going to ruin my day, so I "borrowed" a ball-joint puller from O'Reilly's and changed that u-joint out. A messy job still, but that fixed it. No more grumbles. Turns out the old grease-able joint's center tunnel that should let new grease go to each bearing cup was petrified so no new grease went to the other 3 bearing caps when I greased it before. I'm better now. You can see the black dust that came out of this one....

 

[Mazi]

New here to the forum, and thanks for the great site. Started rebuilding my Gen 2 today. My uncle who was like a second dad passed it down when he passed. In his honor I am resurrecting it.

I stripped the exterior, interior, and hung and wired some Laramie trim auto window doors from the junk yard. Lastly had the windows tinted, ceramic film with 20% on the sides and limo in the back. Grabbing a bed tomorrow from the local pick a part and hopefully soda blast her next week. She’s rough and needs a ton of TLC.

 

[justtruckn]

looks solid ..... good start.

 

[El Huapo]

I repainted mine outside with bedliner---white also. I have painting talents but it came out OK---at least to me and only cost $200 from Amazon, paint, hardener and little splatter gun. It didn't make a big mess either.

 

[DodgeLady]

I drove it to work and home. [emoji38]


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[justtruckn]

checked on mine yesterday ... bed is on it and thay got the old engine out of it. she had a rod or 2 makeing noise and pulled the pan to put bearings and oil pump in it but the crank was kinda beat up so dropping a used mill in it with 30k on it. that will last untill i figure out how to mate my hemi to the 5 speed ....

 

[justtruckn]

To me any gains are good. The power on this truck sucks balls. Even 20 to 30 more overall would be good. Spending several thousand to put a turbo or blower on is just about as possible for me to afford as a trip to the moon. The same goes for putting a cam in. I can’t do the kind of work myself so that is out as well. Also what is done has to be done in one weekend because I have no backup vehicles and need it everyday nor can I afford a different vehicle. The MSD boxes keep firing up to max rpm and instead of getting sparks every few turns you get one every time. I am not expecting 15 hp just by putting an MSD on. What I am looking for is the gains after everything is done.

For example: cold air intakes don’t do anything by themselves. Where they work is when an intake manifold, TB, headers, and exhaust are also done. I am planning on doing a programmer as well. So don’t think I am just throwing a few hundred at it expecting 45 hp. I know better than that. I am not just installing an MSD ignition. I am also doing new cap, rotor, performance wires, and higher output coil. This goes along with everything else I have planned.

I am not ok with the 75 hp at 2000 rpm. I have seen dynos of low mileage 5.2 1500 rams and that is the power. To climb a hill in my town I have to drop 3 gears and no nothing is wrong. Everything is functioning fine. So unless I sell a kidney or one of my kids I won’t be able to get a turbo or blower or a cam. If I can’t do it myself I most like won’t do it.


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thats strange ... i have no problum at low end with mine. 5.2 5 speed 3.90 gears. im happy with the way it pulls at low end. i mite have to drop into 4th on a long steep grade to keep it around 2500 with my trailer on but im happy. .. all i have is a cold air intake shorty headers 3 in single pipes a good set of tune-up parts and a stock tune. .... on a side note. ... adding the 3 in pipes did nothing for low end. but from 2500 up you can realy feel a difernce and went from 15 mpg to 19+ on the road. im putting a new mill in it now and was thinking on dropping in a 360 .. but why?? the 5.2 make 230 hp and lets face it ... 360 mpg sucks. and you can make up the 15 hp and more with a few bolt ons and get even better milage.

 

[justtruckn]

I'm going racing today.


Calling me an *******....pfffffft really? If that's the best you can do it isn't good enough. I've been called far worse by far better strangers.

I hope I never "grow up" but growing old isn't an option. I have something you lack though, hard experience.
When people asking for information question that or my integrity, I can get a bit bristled. You obviously have as well...I mean you called me an ******* right?

People of integrity expect to be believed, and when they're not, they let time prove them right.

This forum doesn't have enough bandwidth to post all my builds, to list all the mistakes I made, and the hard and expensive lessons learned. Or the fun!
But to put things in perspective, when you were barely a gleam in yer daddy's eye, I was tooling around in this...
View attachment 185070

...and that's just a 20 year start. All experiences that bring me to today. I have over 18 years invested in my current and Second 2nd gen. Where are you at? Are you zen with your Ram? I am!


Yer right... it's your money junior, so spend away.

And with that, I'm going racing. We'll see if the big bucks were well spent.

i feel your pain ... lol . built my first mill on my own at 7 .... was working as a heavy line mech at my local dodge dealer at 16. have built alot of cool rides for other ppl but evey time i start one for me something happens. .... there is a big differnce in building a ride and bolting on a bunch of parts and tuneing with a lap top. raiding a junk yard and building a 10 second car is alot more work (and fun) than the way its done now. if ya wanted a stroker you had to make one. there were no kits. ... not saying the new way is bad .... but its alot easyer than the way we did it. ..... i don't think i should be beleved because i say so. but being told by some kid with only a year or 2 of hands on and alot of book lernin that i have no clue kinda sucks. if thay would shut the mouth and open the mind .... thay would probly learn a thing or 2. .... jmo

 

[Neo299]

thats strange ... i have no problum at low end with mine. 5.2 5 speed 3.90 gears. im happy with the way it pulls at low end. i mite have to drop into 4th on a long steep grade to keep it around 2500 with my trailer on but im happy. .. all i have is a cold air intake shorty headers 3 in single pipes a good set of tune-up parts and a stock tune. .... on a side note. ... adding the 3 in pipes did nothing for low end. but from 2500 up you can realy feel a difernce and went from 15 mpg to 19+ on the road. im putting a new mill in it now and was thinking on dropping in a 360 .. but why?? the 5.2 make 230 hp and lets face it ... 360 mpg sucks. and you can make up the 15 hp and more with a few bolt ons and get even better milage.

Mine has a 3.21 in the back. I have to drop to 3 gear or have a good speed going into the hill to go higher.


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[justtruckn]

Mine has a 3.21 in the back. I have to drop to 3 gear or have a good speed going into the hill to go higher.


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3.90's will probly make ya happy. gears of all upgrades will make the biggest differnce. ..... jmo