Desert Dawg 2020 Ram Rebel Build

Spent the last couple of evenings reading through this entire thread...awesome build!
Several years ago, some friends and I did a mt bike trip from Telluride to Moab so I actually recognized some of the views.
The attention to detail on your truck is amazing and it's turning out great! I'm looking at a shell now as I really like the semi lifted, shell and meaty tire look you've achieved.
Great job!

Desert Dawg said:

Took the Rebel off-roading up to Yankee Boy Basin at the base of Mount Sneffels (Elevation 14,150 ft.), Colorado for the day after spending the previous day trailing over to Silver Jack Reservoir. The Basin is pretty easy to access for most 4x4 trucks/SUVs with good tires although the further in you go, the rougher it gets (heavy rock trails). I finally had to turn around at the point where access is limited to highly lifted, short-wheelbase, 4x4s. While I have no issue with my suspension and tire setup along with my off-roading chops to go further, I couldn't risk damaging the truck or getting stuck trying to get over the the high breakover ridges. Nonetheless, was a great time!

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Nice

rzims said:

Spent the last couple of evenings reading through this entire thread...awesome build!
Several years ago, some friends and I did a mt bike trip from Telluride to Moab so I actually recognized some of the views.
The attention to detail on your truck is amazing and it's turning out great! I'm looking at a shell now as I really like the semi lifted, shell and meaty tire look you've achieved.
Great job!

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Thanks for hanging in there that long...lol. And thanks for the compliment!

Jondog said:

Nice

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Thanks!

Beautiful build. I have the same lift on my 2021 rebel. I believe min sets higher in the front and lower in the rear than yours though.

BrandonH1 said:

Beautiful build. I have the same lift on my 2021 rebel. I believe min sets higher in the front and lower in the rear than yours though.\

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Thanks Brandon. Yeah, mine has certainly settled a little in the front over time. I might dial it up just a tad but was waiting to get my hidden winch installed.

Well, it's been a while due to my hectic work and travel schedule, but finally decided to replace my silver Rebel skid plate with my new powder coated replacement skid plate. I had decided to split the difference between the silver and black selections of my survey (where results favored the black skid plate) by going with a gun metal grey color and glad I did! I think this color better suites the overall color scheme of the truck.

First off, I decided that all I wanted to do this weekend was get the new skid plate installed as seeing my self-inflicted damaged skid plate every day (from bouncing around in the desert several months back) was driving me crazy. I didn't have time to do the full hidden winch install since that would have necessitated another day without the ability to use the truck, but I can add the winch anytime (especially since I now know what it takes to remove the whole bumper).

I also imagined that it would be a simple job to just unbolt the skid plate and replace, so I initially didn't bother taking off the entire bumper. While I spent a couple of hours prepping and getting most of the bolts undone, I could not remove the skid plate as there are additional bolts that are hidden and cannot be accessed unless you remove the whole bumper assembly. And that stressed me some more as I had to undo all of my off-road lights' electrical connections as well which added more time to my simple project. I finally got the bumper off (after dealing with the lights, loosening the wheel well fender liners, disconnecting the front bumper wiring harness, and removing the 6 frame mount nuts of which 2 were not easy to do). So, I wasted a half-day in the process.

Damaged plate:

Bumper removed:


All done for now until I get the hidden winch installed; the change is subtle, but I think looks perfect with the color scheme.

Hey, Desert Dawg. You've inspired me to keep my 2019 Rebel. I was thinking of swapping it out for a Gladiator, but you have changed my mind. I'd love to see an update on where you are with it now. Keep up the good work!

DuoMax1400 said:

Hey, Desert Dawg. You've inspired me to keep my 2019 Rebel. I was thinking of swapping it out for a Gladiator, but you have changed my mind. I'd love to see an update on where you are with it now. Keep up the good work!

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Thanks!

I have a confession to make too as I have been seriously toying with the idea of swapping out my Ram as well! Now that I don't have much need for a truck bed anymore (except for constantly hauling other people's stuff...lol), higher gas prices (getting 11-12 mpg around town or 14-15 mpg highway gas mileage at best due to the lift and additional weight of all of my mods), and fact that I still want to do a lot of moderately-difficult off-roading (which requires beating up my heavy full-sized daily driver truck to go where it has no business going), has me second guessing myself on keeping the truck.

So, I have been seriously considering going back to a Toyota 4Runner as that really met most of my needs; comfortable daily driver, enough interior cargo space for dogs, luggage, and Home Depot runs, plenty of towing capacity for my haul trailer, better City/Highway mileage even after adding extensive modifications, and just a lot more fun and convenient to drive in the City while providing a ton more Jeep-like off-road capability (post mods). It also doesn't help that my kid is getting his brand new Toyota 4Runner Off-road Premium soon and will be modifying it for more serious off-roading excursions with my brother in his insanely built FJ. And then, to top it all off, Magnuson just released their new factory supercharger for the 2022+ 4Runners that totally solves the anemic performance of the 4.0L engine (Magnuson sourced the original TRD superchargers when Toyota still offered 4Runners with the option). What's a boy to do?

But in the end, I couldn't ask for a more comfortable, safe road trip vehicle with great looks inside and out and enough mods for increased off-road capability (just need to tone down my trail selections...lol). I am still not happy with my suspension setup so definitely have to dial that in more (the Dirt Logic coil-overs have settled more than expected and are tuned for a stiffer on-road ride feel than I wanted but great for improved handling overall and high speed wash board runs). I might change out the suspension totally if I can figure out a high quality coil-over system that will net 3-inches of true lift over the Rebel's factory ride height (so add another 1-1.5 inches over my current setup to provide improved ride comfort with extended wheel articulation for 34-35 inch tall tires). The only solution so far will be a custom King setup but the wait time will put me into the 2024 model year. I am also thinking of adding a more aggressive wheel setup, more off-road lighting, and design or purchase some in-bed/topper storage solutions for trail gear and extra fuel. And if I am still not satisfied, a wrap and supercharger might have to be considered too.

In the meantime, I should be installing my hidden winch system soon. I am also coming up with a custom in-bed storage solution for my extra fuel and trail gear when off-roading so hope to be posting more soon!

I'm looking forward to that next update! The 2019 Rebel is my second Ram (I had a 2014 prior to this), and aftermarket suspension has consistently been Ram's Achilles Heel. Very limited options there for a real build. I made a mistake with mine and bought the RamBox version. While it is handy, it severely limits the options for a quality bed rack at a sane price.

DuoMax1400 said:

I'm looking forward to that next update! The 2019 Rebel is my second Ram (I had a 2014 prior to this), and aftermarket suspension has consistently been Ram's Achilles Heel. Very limited options there for a real build. I made a mistake with mine and bought the RamBox version. While it is handy, it severely limits the options for a quality bed rack at a sane price.

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Yes, it is surprising that after 3-years on the current Gen, we still don't have a lot of aftermarket options (at least for body and suspension upgrades). Part of the problem is that Ram decided to make some changes to the frame from 2019-2020 but the other is that, unlike F150s, not too many folks are trying to turn their full-sized vehicles into bona fide off-roaders. Being such a long vehicle, especially in Crew Cab guise, one needs a bit more than 2 inches of lift for approach/departure and breakover clearances. But you're right about the RamBox limiting bed options; my 2009 Laramie had the RamBox and I absolutely loved it, but I knew I wanted a topper on this one so I had to pass.

@Desert Dawg, I know you posted your pre and post lift ground to fender heights somewhere but I cannot find them. I have had my new Rebel for a month and half now and I am still trying to figure out what to do for a lift/level solution. I just read your Dirt logics settled more and I am curious of what your current ride heights are sitting at.

THnaks,

Racing Woody said:

@Desert Dawg, I know you posted your pre and post lift ground to fender heights somewhere but I cannot find them. I have had my new Rebel for a month and half now and I am still trying to figure out what to do for a lift/level solution. I just read your Dirt logics settled more and I am curious of what your current ride heights are sitting at.

THnaks,

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Hi there @Racing Woody; sorry for the delay in getting back to you but been away on travel and work.

Here are my initial measurements after the lift install:


I just measured the driver side and I am now sitting at about 40-15/16 so the front has settled almost 1/2-inch over the past 2.5 years of use.

However, I can no longer recommend the Fabtech/Dirt Logic setup as I just realized that I have a blown shock on the passenger side which really surprised me. I think I must have fatigued/cracked the piston rod when fully extended during a rock crawl and then it finally sheared off. The rod is hanging on the lower control arm while the coil is deformed and touching different components. I didn't notice much of anything until today when coming home and hearing a bunch of thunks and grinding noise. For the cost of this system and Dirt Logic bragging about how well built the shocks are for this application, I am not impressed considering how much I abused my King and Icon systems on my Tundra and F150 builds.

I think I am going to return the Rebel to stock as I can't see paying over $4800 for a BDS 3-inch Fox 2.5 full system (that only nets me 2-inches of lift on the Rebel so not high enough) or about $5700 for a 6-inch Fox 2.5 system (too high for off-roading); there are just not too many options for high quality systems that will give a true +3-inches of lift for the Rebel and take a beating.

Edit: Removed my emotional comment about changing out the Rebel to something else with more aftermarket options...lol. Talked with my shop, Desert Rat Off-road Centers, and decided that we will see if Fabtech has a single coil-over that they will send over and Desert Rat will work me in to get it installed ASAP. They were shocked too as they sell a lot of Dirt Logic applications and never ever had an issue like this, so I really must have dropped the Rebel on some rocks a lot harder than I realized. I will also have Desert Rat thoroughly inspect everything under the truck once it's up on the lift. I am just hoping Fabtech has one in stock that they be willing to sell separately from their ktis.

Thank you very much. After 5 months of research and debate I finally decided on the Icons and I just received my Icon 2-3" stage 2 coilover kit. Pretty excited to get started on install this weekend. Your thread was extremely helpful in my research.

Desert Dawg said:

Hi there @Racing Woody; sorry for the delay in getting back to you but been away on travel and work.

Here are my initial measurements after the lift install:

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I just measured the driver side and I am now sitting at about 40-15/16 so the front has settled almost 1/2-inch over the past 2.5 years of use.

However, I can no longer recommend the Fabtech/Dirt Logic setup as I just realized that I have a blown shock on the passenger side which really surprised me. I think I must have fatigued/cracked the piston rod when fully extended during a rock crawl and then it finally sheared off. The rod is hanging on the lower control arm while the coil is deformed and touching different components. I didn't notice much of anything until today when coming home and hearing a bunch of thunks and grinding noise. For the cost of this system and Dirt Logic bragging about how well built the shocks are for this application, I am not impressed considering how much I abused my King and Icon systems on my Tundra and F150 builds.

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I think I am going to return the Rebel to stock as I can't see paying over $4800 for a BDS 3-inch Fox 2.5 full system (that only nets me 2-inches of lift on the Rebel so not high enough) or about $5700 for a 6-inch Fox 2.5 system (too high for off-roading); there are just not too many options for high quality systems that will give a true +3-inches of lift for the Rebel and take a beating.

Edit: Removed my emotional comment about changing out the Rebel to something else with more aftermarket options...lol. Talked with my shop, Desert Rat Off-road Centers, and decided that we will see if Fabtech has a single coil-over that they will send over and Desert Rat will work me in to get it installed ASAP. They were shocked too as they sell a lot of Dirt Logic applications and never ever had an issue like this, so I really must have dropped the Rebel on some rocks a lot harder than I realized. I will also have Desert Rat thoroughly inspect everything under the truck once it's up on the lift. I am just hoping Fabtech has one in stock that they be willing to sell separately from their ktis.

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Wow, ill be quite honest a failure like that has to be an anomaly. I bet they're gonna want to get their hands on that C.O for some r&d as to why it failed. Looks like a clean break where the threads start on the shock shaft.

hodge-xj said:

Wow, ill be quite honest a failure like that has to be an anomaly. I bet they're gonna want to get their hands on that C.O for some r&d as to why it failed. Looks like a clean break where the threads start on the shock shaft.

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I thought so too but very hard to tell if the design and/or manufacture of the coilover contributed or I just hit a rock just right with enough force to crack it and took this long for the piston rod to fatigue out but it is a clean break for sure.

I was surprised that Fabtech didn't inquire at all about the circumstances or ask if Desert Rat would send them the coilover. Their only response was "we only sell the Dirt King coilovers in pairs so I have to repurchase the entire front setup". My response to Desert Rat is scr#w them; I am having them purchase a set of Bilstein B8 6112 adjustable coilovers for now until I decide what I am going to do.

Along those lines, I may even just leave it at that. In the back of my mind, I am sort of toying with the idea of going back to a Toyota 4Runner since I enjoy the off-roading so much. This is the last year of the current GEN as the new models will hit next summer with more powerful but more complex engines, features, etc. The current Gen is bullet proof and functionally works so very nicely for both daily driving and off-roading. The 4.0L engine will last 200K-300K miles and really is quite adequate but not very good for passing on mountain inclines or exciting to drive in general; nothing a Magnuson supercharger won't fix. But everyone is scrambling to buy these things before the next Gen comes out, so they are hard to get and are being priced at a premium (especially the TRD PROs). We'll see but in meantime I think I am done modding my current beast (for now...lol).

Desert Dawg said:

I thought so too but very hard to tell if the design and/or manufacture of the coilover contributed or I just hit a rock just right with enough force to crack it and took this long for the piston rod to fatigue out but it is a clean break for sure.

I was surprised that Fabtech didn't inquire at all about the circumstances or ask if Desert Rat would send them the coilover. Their only response was "we only sell the Dirt King coilovers in pairs so I have to repurchase the entire front setup". My response to Desert Rat is sr#w them; I am having them purchase a set of Bilstein B8 6112 adjustable coilovers for now until I decide what I am going to do.

Along those lines, I may even just leave it at that. In the back of my mind, I am sort of toying with the idea of going back to a Toyota 4Runner since I enjoy the off-roading so much. This is the last year of the current GEN as the new models will hit next summer with more powerful but more complex engines, features, etc. The current Gen is bullet proof and functionally works so very nicely for both daily driving and off-roading. The 4.0L engine will last 200K-300K miles and really is quite adequate but not very good for passing on mountain inclines or exciting to drive in general; nothing a Magnuson supercharger won't fix. But everyone is scrambling to buy these things before the next Gen comes out, so they are hard to get and are being priced at a premium (especially the TRD PROs). We'll see but in meantime I think I am done modding my current beast (for now...lol).

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Why am I not surprised at that response from fabtech. I guess its too much to ask for a manufacturer to stand behind a product. Even more so since you're using DR as a direct vendor. You'd think it would help mitigate nonsense....but alas obviously not. The 6112s will surely suit you well, though not gonna knock your socks off. I liked mine while I ran them and would still have them had I not wanted more height.


Wanting a different platform is something that's all too common. The aftermarket just really hasn't taken off for the Rams. I still find this odd but I guess with so many trusted platforms out there im not surprised eithrr. I drive a built XJ as my 3rd "fun" vehicle for now so I know the pains of slow and not exciting without power adders. The price and electronics is what's always steered me away from the yotas....mostly price.... especially here in the north east. Maybe prices will drop once the new gen is released and more folks hop on the bandwagon. I myself am just sitting on my Ram and don't really intend to do much more as well so what you're feeling all resonates with me. Current state of the world is way too expensive so im just maintaining and enjoying what I currently have and am looking at what the next one will be. 100% want something with better aftermarket!!!

hodge-xj said:

... I myself am just sitting on my Ram and don't really intend to do much more as well so what you're feeling all resonates with me. Current state of the world is way too expensive so im just maintaining and enjoying what I currently have and am looking at what the next one will be. 100% want something with better aftermarket!!!

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I think that is the conundrum I feel I am in too. It makes sense to keep my Ram as it only has 18K miles on it, spend some money to fix the suspension, and maybe reconfigure some options, but use it as intended (so in other words, stop beating it up on the trails). Then maybe find an older Jeep, 4Ruuner, etc. for my off-road excursions. Buying something else, totally new and then adding mods again, is like buying a home high and selling low...lol.

So how much height did you get out of the 6112s? Did you max them out and if so, how was your ride? I am thinking that if I max mine out to almost the full 3-inches, that will really give me just under 2 inches of lift on the Rebel, so I am considering a .5 inch top hat spacer to make sure I can clear my +34s and wheel offset without having to trim. It will take down my off-road performance some but then I think I am committing myself to limit where I take the Ram after all of this. It should still be good for hitting forest trails and softer desert runs (at slower speeds) but rock trails will definitely be a thing of the past for me (my wife will appreciate it too if I avoid those anymore...lol). If I still have the Rebel in another year, and if aftermarket starts catching up (unless Ram makes more changes again), then maybe rethink my setup.

Desert Dawg said:

I think that is the conundrum I feel I am in too. It makes sense to keep my Ram as it only has 18K miles on it, spend some money to fix the suspension, and maybe reconfigure some options, but use it as intended (so in other words, stop beating it up on the trails). Then maybe find an older Jeep, 4Ruuner, etc. for my off-road excursions. Buying something else, totally new and then adding mods again, is like buying a home high and selling low...lol.

So how much height did you get out of the 6112s? Did you max them out and if so, how was your ride? I am thinking that if I max mine out to almost the full 3-inches, that will really give me just under 2 inches of lift on the Rebel, so I am considering a .5 inch top hat spacer to make sure I can clear my +34s and wheel offset without having to trim. It will take down my off-road performance some but then I think I am committing myself to limit where I take the Ram after all of this. It should still be good for hitting forest trails and softer desert runs (at slower speeds) but rock trails will definitely be a thing of the past for me (my wife will appreciate it too if I avoid those anymore...lol). If I still have the Rebel in another year, and if aftermarket starts catching up (unless Ram makes more changes again), then maybe rethink my setup.

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Right now is just ridiculous for vehicles. Parts and prices are bananas. I have a 2000 xj built up that we use for fun. Not that the ram can't, but finding and replacing parts is much easier on an older 3rd vehicle I don't need every day. That being said my ram still gets abused on work access/lease roads so the icon/fox setup is worth its weight in gold imo. Just lends itself to less stress if something breaks on the jeep vs the Ram. It took weeks/months to get a rad for my ram, I can literally get whatever I want for the jeep in a normal business week.


So in regards to my 6112s, I have the ECODIESEL, so height of all my lifts have been less than advertised. I personally only got 2" (ish) out of them maxxed out. After going to ready lift UCAs my lift height was dropped from 2.75" roughly. It's way early in my thread, but it was something like .5" and after trying a bunch of combos and over extending my cvs I conceded that a little rake was ok if it meant reliability. Its the same with my icons maxxed as well. Adjustability is the only reason I went to true adjustable coilovers. Max preload rode just fine, certain speed bumps felt a little harsh/snappy but this is also over a year ago so I may be embellishing a little.

My best friend has the same truck as me, including ecodiesel, and my 6112s on his truck had to be set to a much lower clip height, say 2-4 settings lower. So it's a totally crap shoot what you may net from them. I loved them and will be honest there's no discernable difference to my butt dyno between them and the icons in overall feel day to day. Travel is stock extended and a bit more compression side. Imo they're a home run for the price. They'll take a beating without a doubt. I don't have a long enough area to really need reservoir shocks, but I have a few spots I can get my rear 2.0s spicy and 6112s always ran as cool as my icons per my hand thermometer. Not scientific but again I think the 6112s will surprise ya. They most definitely aren't true tuned coilovers but i never felt "undergunned". Just needed to drive accordingly.

I have a set of 1/4" thick top hat spacers I ran on my 6112s. My buddy didn't need them for his truck. They net about 1/2" lift. Shoot me a message if that's a direction you're definitely going and I can send you pics. Cover shipping and they're yours if they're what you're looking for.

hodge-xj said:

Right now is just ridiculous for vehicles. Parts and prices are bananas. I have a 2000 xj built up that we use for fun. Not that the ram can't, but finding and replacing parts is much easier on an older 3rd vehicle I don't need every day. That being said my ram still gets abused on work access/lease roads so the icon/fox setup is worth its weight in gold imo. Just lends itself to less stress if something breaks on the jeep vs the Ram. It took weeks/months to get a rad for my ram, I can literally get whatever I want for the jeep in a normal business week.


So in regards to my 6112s, I have the ECODIESEL, so height of all my lifts have been less than advertised. I personally only got 2" (ish) out of them maxxed out. After going to ready lift UCAs my lift height was dropped from 2.75" roughly. It's way early in my thread, but it was something like .5" and after trying a bunch of combos and over extending my cvs I conceded that a little rake was ok if it meant reliability. Its the same with my icons maxxed as well. Adjustability is the only reason I went to true adjustable coilovers. Max preload rode just fine, certain speed bumps felt a little harsh/snappy but this is also over a year ago so I may be embellishing a little.

My best friend has the same truck as me, including ecodiesel, and my 6112s on his truck had to be set to a much lower clip height, say 2-4 settings lower. So it's a totally crap shoot what you may net from them. I loved them and will be honest there's no discernable difference to my butt dyno between them and the icons in overall feel day to day. Travel is stock extended and a bit more compression side. Imo they're a home run for the price. They'll take a beating without a doubt. I don't have a long enough area to really need reservoir shocks, but I have a few spots I can get my rear 2.0s spicy and 6112s always ran as cool as my icons per my hand thermometer. Not scientific but again I think the 6112s will surprise ya. They most definitely aren't true tuned coilovers but i never felt "undergunned". Just needed to drive accordingly.

I have a set of 1/4" thick top hat spacers I ran on my 6112s. My buddy didn't need them for his truck. They net about 1/2" lift. Shoot me a message if that's a direction you're definitely going and I can send you pics. Cover shipping and they're yours if they're what you're looking for.

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Great input, thanks!

I wish I knew about the top hat spacers earlier as that is exactly what I wanted to do but couldn't find any. The truck is already at Desert Rat getting the 6112s installed so I guess I will wait to see how it sits and rides. But if I feel I still need the extra .5-inches that I initially thought I wanted, then for sure I see if you still have them.


Thanks again!

I need to check here more lol. The spacers are sitting on the shelf in the same spot for over a year so 100% chance ill still have them if you need. Curious to see how the 6112s go for your 5th gen. Hope it all works and you have no more frustration