2014 RAM 1500 Express Crew Cab

[ram1500rsm]

I have the tradesman with the 2 piece, but the options aren't much better. The ones that do look ok from A.D.D only mount with 2 bolts per side! Not gonna cut it if I get hung up. I'd like to stuff a winch, id rather not need it than be stuck without one. I'm thinking I will prob build my own, it's been a minute since I played around fabbing things so I need to get back to it. I really liked the idea behind the road armor one that's a plate center and tube outer section, wasn't super gaudy, so I may go for a hybrid like that. 2k plus is a lot of coin for a bumper. Body armor had one i didn't mind, but again, cheesier mounts and wasn't too sold on the look. I want to avoid a big plate bumper on this truck they get heavy and ugly quick.

I feel you on letting the wallet cool down, my suspension snowballed from 500 to a 1500 expense quickly. Plus the lady needs a ring, so I have to reel back on spending. Might do a Minotaur style stock chop, reinforced with a hidden winch for now.

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I thought removing the front bumper all togther to see how it looks, this Taco dude did something super simple and i kind of like the ugliness of it , i'll do the same if removing everything wasn't super involved so if i didn't like how it looked i could put it back quickly.

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[hodge-xj]

Quite the color scheme on that one lol

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[ram1500rsm]

Yeah the color is a litte off hahaha.

 

[hodge-xj]

I don't think our trucks will look ok without a bumper. They have such a big nose to them it might look ridiculous. I'm sure you'll figure something out, I can across a few options i might run with, westin outlaw bumper doesn't look terrible, and id figure out how to retain oem hooks, and retrofit a hidden winch. It's pretty cheap too

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[ram1500rsm]

Always wear your trail pin stripes with pride

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[bruiserRAM]

I can't find anything I like for bumpers that's affordable, everything is like 2k or mountedon like crap.

Check out the ICI Baja series bumpers. Relatively fair price, and mounts to the end of the frame rails as well as the lower vertical frame arm that extends down (the same attachment points as the OEM tow hooks).

No recovery points (or winch spot?) But I think one could still bolt OEM tow hooks on with minimal modding of the OEM tow hook bracket...

I'm probably gonna get one...just seriously concerned having all the suspension stuff unprotected....? Their Magnum series is the most low profile of the bigger bumpers I can find, too.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Hodge, here you have a bumper you could use since you have that lower valance thing in the front
https://dirtkingfabrication.com/pages/13-4x4-ram-1500

 

[hodge-xj]

You the man! That is nice and simple butbthe mounts are beef! Double tie ins into the tow hooks mount!

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[revitupmoto33]

The route I went was buying just the upper fascia portion of the bumper (from rock auto), hundred bucks or so for primed or black texture. Didn’t look all that bad before I built the bumper. I favor the look of the ADD single tube bumper

 

[ram1500rsm]

The route I went was buying just the upper fascia portion of the bumper (from rock auto), hundred bucks or so for primed or black texture. Didn’t look all that bad before I built the bumper. I favor the look of the ADD single tube bumper

View attachment 153090

View attachment 153091

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That looks pretty cool, do you have the part number of that front fascia?

 

[hodge-xj]

Thanks for the pics. After seeing it with lower bumper removed it really doesn't look like it would be hard to build a bumper at all. A little patience and creativity. Idk why all these plate bumpers look like duck bills on these things

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[hodge-xj]

That looks pretty cool, do you have the part number of that front fascia?

Just Google "tradesman upper bumper cover" I got about 6 hits on products available from parts warehouses. About 80-100 bucks. If you don't like the black I'm sure you can find someone to vinyl wrap it to color match for cheap while it's off. I think that's what I'm gonna do. My truck has chrome, black and white and nothing looks like it belongs, like I wrecked it and never painted it after.

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[ram1500rsm]

Just Google "tradesman upper bumper cover" I got about 6 hits on products available from parts warehouses. About 80-100 bucks. If you don't like the black I'm sure you can find someone to vinyl wrap it to color match for cheap while it's off. I think that's what I'm gonna do. My truck has chrome, black and white and nothing looks like it belongs, like I wrecked it and never painted it after.

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Cool i Googled that and that's what i was looking for, i want it black to match the offroad theme, if it just black plastic even better so that way i don't have to paint chit off to match the factory color, and with that fascia thing i could run the Body Armor tube bumper that supposedly have a winch mount available.
I just need to see and decide how to spend the least amount of money

Gor Racing came back to me in email that if i order with them, they'll have the sliders ready in 2 weeks, and i can pick it up in Azusa which is about 1 hour drive from where i live so i wouldn't have to pay shipping.

White Knucle is also here in Socal, about 150 miles away, so i could also avoid shipping as well, about $900 if i go with their thicker steel, plug and play. Gor Racing are a bit smaller in lenght as i didn't see the same coverage the White knucles have just judging by pictures in both web sites, they're about $630, and i'd guess about $200-$300 to get them welded. I've been trying to get them on the phone and see if they're also selling bumpers for our trucks, but that's been a challenge so far.

 

[hodge-xj]

I attached a super close up so you can see the texture. It's grainy more than anything but pretty much smooth, should contrast with your monochromatic paint scheme well.

As of now I'm torn on the body armor front bumper or the westin outlaw. Like anything im sure I'll end up modifying it eventually, but I just don't have the time to spend fabbing truck stuff when it gets warmer. My time needs to be focused elsewhere. So I'll spend the little bit and get something I can just bolt on. I like the look of the westin a bit more, but the body armor has everything on it, recovery points, winch mount etc. Prices aren't bad for both either.

Slider wise I'm looking at the white knuckle or the randy Ellis designs. GOR are nice but I want longer sliders and they just didn't jump out at me. The white knuckles are a sure thing, but the randy Ellis sliders caught my eye. I like the high profile and I've had some rocker mounted sliders on my old xj that took a pretty good beating. That being said, drilling into my rockers in the rust prone north east isn't inticing, but frame mounted sliders trap just as much crap against the frame as well. Being in Cali you don't have salt issues so those are my own issues. I don't intend to drag my truck across it's belly on a regular basis so for "just incase" protection they might be worth a look. They hold up to a bunch of reviews in the 2500 power wagon crowd so I cant see them surviving just fine under our rigs. I like to try different things tho, but they may be worth a look.

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[revitupmoto33]

That looks pretty cool, do you have the part number of that front fascia?

The very first one on the list, says gray but it’s actually black textured. Pretty sure shipping was around $60

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ram,2016,1500,3.6l+v6,3353661,body,bumper+cover,1344

 

[revitupmoto33]

I attached a super close up so you can see the texture. It's grainy more than anything but pretty much smooth, should contrast with your monochromatic paint scheme well.

As of now I'm torn on the body armor front bumper or the westin outlaw. Like anything im sure I'll end up modifying it eventually, but I just don't have the time to spend fabbing truck stuff when it gets warmer. My time needs to be focused elsewhere. So I'll spend the little bit and get something I can just bolt on. I like the look of the westin a bit more, but the body armor has everything on it, recovery points, winch mount etc. Prices aren't bad for both either.

Slider wise I'm looking at the white knuckle or the randy Ellis designs. GOR are nice but I want longer sliders and they just didn't jump out at me. The white knuckles are a sure thing, but the randy Ellis sliders caught my eye. I like the high profile and I've had some rocker mounted sliders on my old xj that took a pretty good beating. That being said, drilling into my rockers in the rust prone north east isn't inticing, but frame mounted sliders trap just as much crap against the frame as well. Being in Cali you don't have salt issues so those are my own issues. I don't intend to drag my truck across it's belly on a regular basis so for "just incase" protection they might be worth a look. They hold up to a bunch of reviews in the 2500 power wagon crowd so I cant see them surviving just fine under our rigs. I like to try different things tho, but they may be worth a look.

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For sliders, frame mounted is a must. I still scratch my head when companies sell ones that bolt to your body. It’s never intentional when you hit em but it’s a great piece of mind. I cut the inside of a trail and there was about a foot drop, i slammed down on my passenger slider. Only a minor gouge in the tube, can only imagine the body damage if they weren’t there.

 

[ram1500rsm]

I've been going back and forth between the two, White Knucle and Gor and the White Knucles while more expensive seem to be the best deal because of their lenght, their kick out feature and they seem a lot beefier in paper and pictures. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if they can give out a discount. I've been unable to contact Gor by phone for the past 2 days as i keep getting their voicemail, so i'm giving up, Gor came back to me almost a week later to answer the question, but won't pick the phone. Lets see how White Knucle customer service looks like tomorrow.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Got tired of looking at busted up used caps for almost 6 weeks., didn't have any luck finding anything in good conditions for around $500-600. Found a couple of them at that price but they were in such a bad shape i couldn't justifty paying that much for them. They needed a little bondo here and there, they needed paint as one was was red, the other blue and they needed a good overhaul inside, not counting the extra hands to install/remove.

So i just ordered a brand new Softoper black today, $824 shipped to my door. I need a little more cargo space than what i have, thing is super easy to fold on the fly so i can use the bed fully open when needed and it goes well with the adventure vehicle scheme that i'm looking for.

Still thinking about if i want to spent $900 on the damn rock sliders. Found a kit for about $200, 1 3/4 x .120 DOM steel but i need to call to see how much welding is involved to put them together, the Gor Racing kit needs to have the legs welded and it's cost $630 without paint, by the time i get the sliders/legs welded to the sliders and truck frame, i'd have probably paid the same or more than the White Knucles, so financially it wouldn't make sense for me to go with those when the White Knucles are plug and play, longer and cover a little of bed area + for sure more beefier, i'll pain them myself as well. We'll see, i'll be looking for a shop that can do custom steel fab with good prices.

 

[hodge-xj]

Do you have the length you need offhand. I keep considering these as an option with minimal mods
http://www.chassisunlimited.com/rock-slider-kit.html

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[revitupmoto33]

I’d sell you my current set of sliders for 400. Paint is in rough shape so could use a fresh coat of bed liner