The Stembridge 2021 RAM Classic "Warhawk" Build Thread

[stembridge]

Figured I'd roll up all my mod posts into one thread like I've done for other cars on other forums.

My '21 succeeded my former '15 2500 Tradesman 4x4 that I bought when we lived on a small farm prior to my retirement in early 2020. When used truck prices popped up so high, I decided it would be a good time to sell it and get into a 1500. My wife suggested a Quad Cab, otherwise I would have done another RC/LB.



The 2500 sold for $27,500 and I got a great deal ordering my new truck through Aaron at Mark Dodge. With incentives, I ended up with 18% off sticker. My order-to-delivery dates worked out really good, too, given this was in the middle of plant shutdowns and chip shortages:

Ordered: 6/24/2021
VIN populated: 6/28/2021
Build Sheet populated: 7/08/2021
Window Sticker populated: 7/17/2021
Shipped (after a ten-day delay waiting for a rail car): 7/31/2021
At Dealer: 8/13/2021
Took Delivery: 8/16/2021

I specced it out with: Quad Cab • 6'4" box • 3.6l V6 • Olive Pearl Metallic + Tradesman Black Package • 3.55 anti-spin rear axle • 32 gal fuel tank • Trailer Tow Group • Protection Group • All-terrain Tires • Electronics Group • Popular Equipment Group

First pic of my truck, sent by Aaron at Mark Dodge after it arrived:



And a few of my own pics after I drove 10 hours in a one-way rental to take delivery:







I did my first mod on the way home with about 50 miles on the truck, swapping out my wheels for OE DG55 Rebel replica wheels in 17x9+18:



Continued in the next post…

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[Nick@GotExhaust]

Looking forward to watching your progress. Let us know if we can help with anything. We offer most brands, send me a message for a quote on anything.

 

[Graygoose]

Looking forward to pics as you build!

 

[stembridge]

The next mods were fender flares, mud guards, side steps, Mopar bed step, tonneau cover, tailgate strut and matte black American flag decals on each side above the RAM 1500 badging (that was a full day's work!):



Since I wanted to "look like" a Warlock, I then swapped out my grille for one that fits the Tradesman-style bumper:



I'm an industrial designer by education, and the typography used for the RAM lettering on these cheap eBay grilles is incorrect and bugged me. So I ordered a set of letters from an OEM grille and swapped those out, then added the submariner dolphins plate that was on my Dad's truck when he passed a few years ago:



Next up was to design my "Warhawk" artwork and have matte black decals made up:







As a believer, I didn't care for the 'Warlock' association with sorcery, and thought Warhawk would fit nicely with the military theme I had in mind.

The next mod was addition of a cab spoiler:



I'll end this post with a photo taken after I installed 1.5" spacers to get the wheels & tires out more flush with the fender flares:



Continued in the next post…

es

 

[stembridge]

Moving to the interior, I bought a cheap tablet and AlfaOBD and then set about installing Keyless Enter-N-Go, Remote Start and Pushbutton Start:



The open cubby in the dash was replaced with a proper glove box with light:



The practically useless tray under the center stack was replaced with a storage drawer like the one my 2500 had, and I also sourced the floor console used in diesel trucks. Sharp-eyed readers will also note I swapped out my switch bank for one with the AUX switches and replaced my shift knob with a billet aftermarket unit:



While I had the interior out, I also swapped the lower half of my jumpseat for one with the lower storage compartment:



I then sourced a folding flat floor for a Quad Cab and installed that. I later added a rubber mat sourced from Lowe's, as everything kept sliding around on the metal floor:



I had a leather steering wheel with audio controls I had purchased and never installed in the 2500, so that was another mod done one rainy weekend:



I also installed a CarPlay2Air dongle which gives me wireless CarPlay.

Continued in the next post…

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[stembridge]

Adding a Sport Hood was a spendy mod, but it looks so much better than the standard hood:



And of course, I had to add matte black stripes, too. I had also added a bull bar and fog lights prior to doing the hood decals:



I still wasn't happy with my wheel & tire setup, so I bit the bullet and ordered a set of Yokohama Geolandar X-ATs in 295/70R17, which fill the wheel wells much more nicely. AlfaODB was put to work adjusting the wheel size, and I think I nailed the setting on the first try as my speedo was in agreement with my GPS when I took it out on the road:





That's where it stands as of right now. I have some wiring to do to hook up the fogs (using the factory harness and switchgear), AUX switches and a few other electronic mods. Just need to block out a day or two and get 'er done!

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[RJL1]

Looks great! Keep it coming.

 

[Matt Franklin]

You replaced a sharp looking truck with another.

Any details on that center jump-seat with the storage underneath? I didn't even know that was an option.

 

[stembridge]

Any details on that center jump-seat with the storage underneath? I didn't even know that was an option.

AFAIK, the lower storage comes on higher-trim trucks or trucks with a CD-player (which is in the lower tray). I read through a lot of posts here on replacing the jump seat with the full center console, and that's where I learned about the special jump seat and decided to go that route instead.

Sourced it off eBay, took a bit of poking around to find one without the CD-player. Wasn't hard to install, other than disassembling the upper from the lower in order to keep my original seat back and arm rest.

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[Matt Franklin]

Thanks for the notes.

 

[Burla]

One Sweet Truck

 

[stembridge]

INTERLUDE: The Trucks of My Life

First up is the 1969 Ford F-100 on which I learned to drive. Dad bought it used in 1970 and it had a 240 six/automatic. Just a good old basic truck. Bought it from Dad when we moved to the farm in 2001, and sold it off about ten years later after both my sons learned to drive in it. Was in the family 42 years. It was a Southern truck, and the IL winters weren't kind to the sheet metal. Pic is from early on in the 18+ years we lived there.



The F-100 was succeeded by a 1995 F-150 4x4 with an aftermarket lift kit, powered by a 300 six/automatic. This was a midwestern truck, and other than the bulletproof 300, was a disaster. Spent more time underneath it than behind the wheel. Rusted-out brake lines, both fuel tanks rusted out, lift kit wallowed around with every bump. It finally committed suicide and I sold it for slightly more than scrap.



A "sidebar" truck that I owned but never really drove is the 1950 International L-170 I purchased out of a storage lot with intent to use as a hay hauler. I actually got it running at the lot, but it needed brakes and much other sorting. It sat in the back of the machine shed for a few years until a tornado took out most of the shed. Got an offer from someone driving past for a few hundred more than I paid for it, and decided to shorten my project list.



The rustbucket F-150 was succeeded by a 1999.5 F-250 4x4 Powerstroke/automatic, which was an impulse buy (I was really frustrated with the F-150 at that point). A beast of a truck from a power standpoint, but age had taken a toll and almost everything electrical in the cab had intermittent gremlins. Heat and a/c both worked fine, but only blew out the defroster vents, despite numerous attempts to find leaky vacuum hoses, etc.. When Dad's dementia got to the point we knew we would be moving him to a care facility, I decided I would need something more reliable for making the 16-hour one-way trip to drive down and clear out his house. Sold it to a local guy I knew who was looking for a snowplow truck.



That brings me up to the 2015 RAM 2500 from the lead post in this thread. I went back to gas because I was always on pins and needles expecting a $4K repair on the diesel engine. The 5.7 in the RAM got pretty much the same mileage as the Powerstroke, and pulled what I needed it to pull without drama. It was the perfect truck for my use case at the time.



After retiring and selling the farm to move back South, I really didn't need the ¾-ton truck (and its poor mileage) any more, and sold it around the peak of the used truck price bubble (assuming it doesn't peak again with the current supply chain mess). Ordered my current RAM Classic and it's been working out really well for my current use case.



Will it be my last truck???

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[stembridge]

Will update with pics later, but I got my fog lights wired up and operational today using the Mopar bumper harness, Mopar light switch with fog capability and an extension harness from M2Mods.

Activated with AlfaOBD and they're hot! The lights also have DRLs on a separate hot wire, which I will hook up to my main headlight power so they're on any time the headlights are on.

es

 

[stembridge]

Finished wiring the fog and marker lights today, including installation of the relay bank for my aux switches. The marker lights come on with ignition in "run," and the DRL portion of the fogs is set up on one of the aux switches.



The main fogs are switched off the factory headlight switch.



Haven't tried them in the dark yet, they probably need aiming.

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[YeeterLee]

Very well done Sir. Very nice

 

[j-b]

Looking very nice! That is my favorite color that RAM makes right now. Have you thought about doing the rebel/warlock bumper swap?

 

[stembridge]

Looking very nice! That is my favorite color that RAM makes right now. Have you thought about doing the rebel/warlock bumper swap?

That was what I intended to do originally, but I think I've about reached my limit for any more expensive mods. Unless I happen to run across a complete front clip for under $500.

es

 

[Fatbob Frank]

I like it!
Reminds me of my Fatbob that I call Warhog...

 

[stembridge]

This is the second military-themed vehicle I've created. The first was a '71 VW Campmobile I bought just before my wife and I got engaged in the late 1980s. It became the star in a home movie my college buddies and I made called The Mayfield Belle (spoof of the 1990 movie, The Memphis Belle).





Owned her for eight years - she was my daily driver for six. Got pulled over more times than in any other vehicle I've owned, but never got a ticket for some reason!

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[WigSmeN]

Awesome looking rig. Where were you able to source the rear seat fold out floor I’ve only found really expensive options.