Planktons 2017 Rebel Mods

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Plankton

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A build thread for my truck. I'm keeping it mostly stock, since it already has quite a few goodies and there really isn't much left to do mechanically, but who knows what my old-man-brain will be looking for down the road. It's always something.

I bought it completely stock from a local dealer with 80k. One previous owner, which was a corporation so this was most likely a fleet vehicle of some sort and my guess is that those miles were mostly highway.

Original window sticker

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The first mods: 285/70R/17 Duratraks on AR Baja's, ProComp black lugs, and an Access Vanish tonneau cover:

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I also built a small wooden storage rack, which has worked out great so far.

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The next mods were a K&N CAI and a Pedal Commander:

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Living up to it's name, these CAI's really come alive with the colder winter weather, and combined with the PC, it's almost a completely different vehicle.

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Next up was some debadging, removing the REBEL & 4X4 from the tailgate and the RAM 1500 from the doors:

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A .50 Cal Bullet antenna from VMS Racing:

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It does cut some of the reception, but I don't listen to local radio much.

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5" Carven Black Tips:

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I think I hear a slightly deeper rumble with those, but that just might be my imagination. lol

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The latest mods to date were powder coating my Rebel rims to match the Brilliant Black Pearl on the two-tone paint, and my 'custom' (lol) bullet valve stem caps. I also went with my original Toyo's but switched back to the Duratraks:

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That's it for now. I'll be tackling brakes and some 100k PM stuff down the road and I have a few more small cosmetic mods to get to next spring. I've been playing around with some graphic ideas in the meantime though:

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Plankton

Plankton

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The paint on those bullet valve stems didn't last through the first snow, so I grabbed a set of these to keep with the 55B MOS theme.

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Some serious mod'ing going on over here.
 
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Plankton

Plankton

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Playing around with some Cuda stripes.

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Plankton

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Bravo! Looks good and original!

Thanks! I was watching some car shows and thought 'what if', but the body lines don't quite flow like a Cuda, so finding a happy medium between the two is what I was going for. Looking at it again, I could probably snug it up closer to the bottom window line now that I've stepped away for a minute. I don't think I'd ever actually pull the trigger on something like that though. Just having some fun with it.
 
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Plankton

Plankton

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This version follows the window lines a little better and plays with the angles a bit.

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Plankton

Plankton

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Z23 Power Stop brakes all around today with some help from my friend and his tools and garage since it was raining all morning. Much easier with an impact. Those 100k rusty rotors were still in decent shape.

What they looked like before we started:
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The install:
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All finished up and looking a lot better behind those PC'ed rims:

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I'll clean her up and snap a better pic when the weather dries up a bit.
 
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Plankton

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Better pics:

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I also just got my front chin/skid/brush plate back from Scorpion lining. It appears I'll need to remove the entire front bumper assembly to swap it out, so I might wait until I get a LED light bar for behind the small lower grill before I do all that.

Gave her an oil change recently too. PUP 5w20, Mobil 1 Premium filter and a bottle O Lubeguard.

Reminder to self: Get those plugs changed ASAP! Oy!
 
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Plankton

Plankton

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The paint on those bullet valve stems didn't last through the first snow, so I grabbed a set of these to keep with the 55B MOS theme.

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Some serious mod'ing going on over here.

I'll tell you what, I'm never using aluminum caps again. They're all seized up. I can either dremel those suckers off or have Discount Tire get them off for 10 bucks a pop. Oy vey. Lesson learned.

I have a couple of new mods coming up soon. One of them being my new skid plate and the other being some new blade style steps. I'm just waiting on getting the steps Scorpion lined to match the plate.
 
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Plankton

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I finally got around to installing the brush plate. Also needed new rear upper and lower control arms, along with a new track bar while trying to find the reason for the rear end being lose. That tightened everything up real nice and it drives like it's new again.

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Plankton

Plankton

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Modification List (on the vehicle to date):

Pro Comp Black Wheel Lug Nuts
Feb 28 2020

Access Vanish Soft Tonneau Cover
Feb 28 2020 9:58AM

K&N Cold Air Intake
May 13 2020

Pedal Commander (Throttle Controller)
May 14 2020

Bullet Antenna
Jul 24 2020

5" Carven Black Exhaust Tips
Aug 28 2020

Powder Coated - Color Matched OEM Rebel Rims
Brilliant Black Pearl Color Code PXR/AXR
Order Date: Sep 25, 2020

Diehard Platinum Battery
Dec 28, 2020

Power Stop KC2164A Z23 Evolution Sport Brake Kit with Calipers
Rotors/Calipers/Pads
April 19 2021

(4) Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac LT285/70R17 Tires
Nov 19 2021

OEM Front Brush Plate - Scorpion Lined Black
Mar 08 2022

Precision Rear Upper/Lower Control Arms
Mar 08 2022

Precision Track Bar
Mar 08 2022

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Plankton

Plankton

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I had to let her go yesterday. I couldn't justify $600+ a month in gas just to get to work and back, so I traded her in for a 2013 Chevy Cruze. Something cheap so have some breathing room for a couple of years and I can save for something fast again. Man, this was one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. Solid all around.

Here's the last few pics taken:

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Gonna miss her.

Take care good folks of RF.
 

rule18

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@Plankton Wow that sucks but I get it. It was a nice truck but I'm sure there'll be another down the road. Don't be a stranger.
 
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