2014 RAM 1500 Express Crew Cab

[ram1500rsm]

Bought it couple of weeks ago, Bone stock, though it has some Cooper adventurer AT tire in stock size, 275/60/20, that make her sound like i'm driving on very aggressive mud terrains haha.

2018-08-12_08-53-32 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

2018-08-12_08-53-23 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

Bought the mopar skids (front diff, power steering and transfer case), but didn't know i needed a cross member i don't have for the transfer case, and also a different engine cross member needed for the power steering skid to be bolted on.

For now i just added the Front diff skid, i can't hook the power steering skid because the cross member doesn't have the nutsert holes needed for that install. I'll see if i can get that cross member from Dodge that will have them

20180811_153337 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Also i don't have the rear transfer case cross member either
20180811_153426 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Mopar seems to have a kit that inlcudes the skid plate and rear transfer case crossmember that i think will fit ( Mopar 82214497), i haven't been able to confirm if this will work, or if i need just the rear crossmember, which seems to be Mopar 52022046AG. With the 1st option i'll have a 2nd skid plate laying around, but what that heck, at least i'll have a spare, and the kit is cheaper than just the crossmember alone

 

[ram1500rsm]

Decided to also give the truck a little more rumble with a Black Widow Venom 250 Muffler, Muffler is single in 3", dual out 2.5", to match the factory pipes, Part# BWSDV2-32
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

Added a Tonnopro Trifold soft i bought used from Amazon for $170
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

Got my Rancho Quikclift installed today, along with the Zone offroad UCA's, came out great, this are with the factory 20" wheels
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

Also Got the Truck aligned right after the level lift
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

And from there i took her srtaight to Discount Tires to get her new shoes, came out great, zero rubbing so far

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Still full of the goo they put in the wheels to mount the tires, i'll have better pics later on
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[gofishn]

looks nice, so far.
gooo0d work.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Thanks a lot bro.

 

[tidefan1967]

Wow you been busy. I must say that's one clean undercarriage for a four year old truck. I guess its safe to say you don't live up north.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Wow you been busy. I must say that's one clean undercarriage for a four year old truck. I guess its safe to say you don't live up north.

First owner had the truck registered in Socal as well, and i gues the truck never saw harsh winters, i used to live in Holland,OH and make the commute with Dearborn,MI back when i was working for Ford motor Co, so i know how Winters can ruin the undercarriage

 

[ram1500rsm]

Btw i'm running the Ranchos all around in setting #4, very plush ride,i think better than stock i may add, especially considering the weight on the new setup, 71-72lbs before, 99-100/lbs after, and the tires are E rated running at 45psi, zero issues, i'm not expecting this shocks to excel offroad with some speed, as i'm aware they're cheapy shocks, but compared to the Bilsteins 5100 i have in the Silverado and how easy it's to install them (plug and play), they run a lot smoother than the Billies, i figure i can make run a little firmer to match the sport feeling on the Billies, but as of the moment i'm not bothering too much with the adjusters, i may do so next week as a test to see how much firmer they become, this is my 1st time ever running Rancho's, i was a little affraid given the stories, but they're good so far, knocking on wood.

My idea is to run Radflo 2.5 coilovers/rear shocks with RES eventually, and make this the backup setup when the coilovers need to be rebuilt, Radflo is also local to me, that means i don't have to pay shipping

, i've had their coilovers/shocks before in another application, and i loved them, so i'll use them more one time.

 

[BTD07]

Very nice progress in a short amount of time!

 

[ram1500rsm]

Very nice progress in a short amount of time!

Ty sir.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Wanted to address the factory sway bar links after the level lift, don't know how long is the factory link going to hold like this, but i figured it wouldn't be good

20180819_110605 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

So i orderd some longer links from Suspension Maxx, Part# SMX-1300L
20180819_110626 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

and got them installed today
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

Also, i did correct the calibration for the new tire size, error was about 2-3mph, so now it's the same as my GPS.
after that, Washed her and got her ready for Monday:

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[CLOUDL1GHT]

Wanted to address the factory sway bar links after the level lift, don't know how long is the factory link going to hold like this, but i figured it wouldn't be good

any change in ride?

 

[ram1500rsm]

Ride seems to be same so far, though i've only driven her for a couple of miles today, but i'll know more tomorrow on my way to the office. The sway bar angle looks more stockish, so i'd think she'll drive better than having the + angle level i had before.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Got the truck back from the shop today after getting new manifold studs, manifolds gaskets and a new passenger side cylinder head, short story, found two studs broken on the passenger side,and after some thoughts, i didn't want to change them on my own thinking what would happen if i snap one of them phuckers..., Truck was still on the 30 days bumper to bumper Warranty from Carmax, and i decided it was best for them to do the work, i couldn't be any more happier i did so

So this afternoon i took a little time as well to go to my offroad testing spot, mostly to check if the tires were going to rub anything while doing some offroad, i was also expecting the rear to droop a little more, as My Silverado 1500 with the 5100's level lift, kicks out the rear legs a lot more than What my RAM does, i checked the specs on the Rancho shocks i have in the rear compared to the specs in the Billies for the RAM, and the billies are a tad longer. i guess i'd start thinkering a little with shocks specs and see if i can get something longer in the back, but for now this will do.

I have no rubbing so far turning left or right in the front, and the rear tires can tuck well in the fender wells, so i can go out and do mild wheeling with this basic setup and enjoy the truck for a while as i save for mods, she's ready for some pin stripes on the doors hahaha

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Full tuck in the rear
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr


Max droop, want to address this, perhaps dump the sway bar too will see
Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr

 

[ram1500rsm]

Added the Mopar 82214497 skid kit to protect the transfer case, my truck didn't come with the rear crossmember needed to add the skid alone (Mopar 68089777AB), so it was cheaper to buy the crosmember with the skid and the bolts, than just the crossmember alone, doesn't make sense why Dodge does this, but oh well. i'm not happy with this Mopar skids, they're whimpy, but i guess better than naked

2018-09-01_07-04-14 by Wrangler RSM, on Flickr