Updated 25 August 2003
The Truck
Purchase Date: 02 October 2000
Purchase Location: Bonham Chrysler, Bonham, Texas.
Trade-in: 1996 Ford F-150
Problems: None (other than a minor wreck)
Traded in at 51,800 miles for a 2004 Jeep Wrangler X.
Window Sticker:
2001 MODEL YEAR
RAM 1500 4x4 ST
Price Information:
¤ Base Price: $20,945
¤ 1500 Regular Cab 4x4 119" WB
¤ Exterior Color: Patriot Blue Pearl Coat
¤ Interior Color: Agate
¤ Interior: Seat - Deluxe Cloth 40/20/40 Bench
¤ Engine: Engine - "Magnum" 5.2L SMPI V8
¤ Transmission: Transmission - 5-speed HD Manual
Standard Equipment (Unless Replaced By Optional Equipment)
Functional/Safety Features
¤ Air Bags - Front, Next Generation
¤ Air Bag On/Off Switch - Passenger
¤ Shoulder Belts - Front Height Adjust
¤ Head Restraints - Integral to Front Seat
¤ Brakes - Pwr Disc/Drum, Rr Anti-Lock
¤ Steering - Variable Assist Power
¤ Suspension - Rear, 60" Leaf Springs
¤ Stabilizer Bar - Front
¤ Transfer Case - Shift-on-the-Fly, 231HD
¤ Battery - 600 Amp Maintenance Free
¤ Alternator - 117 Amp
¤ Fuel Tank - 26 Gallon Polyethylene
¤ Frame - Carbon Steel 36,000 Psi Ladder Type
¤ Windshield Wipers - Var Intermittent
Interior Features
¤ Seat - Extra-Wide with Extended 7.5" Travel
¤ Storage - Behind Seat Modular System
¤ Instrument Cluster w/Tach
¤ Gauges - Fuel/Volts/Coolant Temp/Oil Pressure
¤ Radio - AM/FM Cassette
¤ Power Outlets - 12V and Cigar Lighter
¤ Assist Handle - Passenger
Exterior Features
¤ Sheet Metal - Exterior, 100% Galvanized Steel
¤ Bumper - Rear, Bright w/Step Pads
¤ Mirrors - 6"x9" Black
¤ Wheels - 16x7 Steel/Bright Trim Ring
¤ Tires - P225/75R16 BSW All Season
¤ Spare Tire - Full Size/Winch Carrier
¤ Cargo Box - Double Wall w/One-Piece Steel Floor
¤ Cargo Loading - Bed Dividers and Cargo Tie-Downs
¤ Lamp - Cargo
¤ Tailgate - Removable, Caliper Latches
Optional Equipment
¤ Seat - Deluxe Cloth 40/20/40 Bench ($110)
¤ Convenience Group ($390)
¤ - Speed Control
¤ - Steering Column - Tilt
¤ Wheel Plus Group ($890)
¤ - Wheels - 16x7.0 Chrome
¤ - Tires - P245/75R16 OWL On/Off Road
¤ - Window - Rear, Sliding
¤ Floor Covering - Carpet ($110)
¤ Air Conditioning ($805)
¤ Molding - Bodyside ($105)
¤ Emissions - U.S. 50 State (No Charge)
Destination Charge: $675
Total Before Discount: $24,030
TX/OK/LA/AZ/NM Bonus Discount: -$805
Wheel Plus Discount: -$400
TOTAL PRICE: $22,825
BF Goodrich Tires: Don't ask me why auto-makers insist on putting street tires on a 4x4 pick-up truck, but they do. With 3300 miles on the 245/75/R16 Goodyears, I traded them in on a set of LT285/75/R16 BF Goodrich All-Terrain/KOs. This greatly enhanced the appearance and the stance of the truck, but it adversly affected highway performance. If driving into a strong wind or up-hill, accelleration is rather sluggish with the stock 3.55 gears. One of these days, I'll upgrade to 4.10 gears... Hopefully. On a good note, the BFGs beat the Goodyears hands-down in the hills of Southeast Oklahoma. These tires ran around $155 each. Update: With about 25k on the All-Terrains, I broke down and swapped 'em out for a set of BFG's new Mud-Terrain/km tires. They're noisier, but they're much better in the sticky stuff. They're expensive, though, at about $195 per tire.
Ranch Hand Rear Bumper: The rear bumper was purchased directly from the local Ranch Hand office in Dallas, TX. This is one tough, welded steel bumper with a black powdercoat finish. Not only does is offer greater rear-end protection, it provides for a very strong towing platform and a wide step area, unlike the whimpy little factory rear bumper. After 45 minutes, I was $368 poorer. I also added a set of heavy-duty shackles to two of the trailer-ball holes. I don't know what their rating is, but they are tough. I freed a 1-Ton Ram Dually up-hill out of a serious mud-hole one night with these and my recovery strap. Even after serious tugging with a logging chain and my strap, the shackles and bumper were unphased.
Bed/Tailgate Caps: The black diamond-tread bed and tailgate caps were purchased from a truck accessory store in Denton, TX (Mesa Productions on Loop 288 - now out of business). Installation was easy. Screws were included with all pieces, but I had to buy some double-sided tape so the bed caps would lie flush with the rails. No tape was needed for the tailgate cap. Bedcaps: $69. Tailgate cap: $20. Installation time: 10 - 15 minutes.
Westin Nerf Bars: Along with the bed caps, I ordered a set of black powdercoated Westin nerf steps. Installation was easy with all hardware and instructions provided. Cost: $145. Installation time: 1 - 1.5 hours (I can do it in about 30 minutes now).
Stull Industries Billet Grill: I purchased the Stull billet aluminum grill from the Earl Owen Company store in Sherman, TX. Strictly for looks, it was a fairly easy installation. Detailed installation instructions and all hardware is included. Drilling on the factory grill frame is required. Once you remove the factory grill inserts, kiss 'em goodbye, as you won't be able to reinstall them. $110 (*gasp*) plus tax. I decided against purchasing the bumper slot inserts for various reasons - mainly just in case I end up having to use those holes for steps or for accomodating a winch mount.
K&N Air Filter: Somewhere in this mix, I stuck in a K&N Air Filter. I purchased it from AutoZone for around $50, and it was a direct drop-in fit. Getting the filter housing back on was a task, though.
Mopar Tow Hooks: I purchased these from Jim McNatt Dodge in Denton. I had to remove the brushguard I used to have, but got the hooks installed in around 1½ - 2 hours using existing frame rail holes. Alot of that time was spent removing the brushguard & mounts and getting the bumper straightened back up. The installation itself was pretty straightforward. (Total = $150 or so.) I finally got the brushguard back on with some minor mutilat... Uh... Modifications. Click here to see the result.
Hi-Lift Jack: I picked up a 48" Hi-Lift casting & steel jack from the Plano 4-Wheel Parts Performance Center. I mounted the jack along the inside of the bed rail using Hi-Lift's Loc-Rac mount. Took me about 20 minutes to install the mount (required drilling holes in the bed rail). (Total = +/-$70)
A.R.E. Z Series Cap: I ordered this cap from the D/FW Camper Corral on I-30 in Mesquite and had it painted to match. It features a full glass rear hatch, frameless windows, pop-out screened side vent windows, dark tinted glass, sliding front window, and automotive grade lock and latches. I had the cap on my truck within 2½ weeks of ordering it. Total cost after tax & installation was $1650.
Husky Floor Liners: I picked these up from the Truck Accessory Superstore in Denton. They have a nice lip around them that helps keep liquids off the carpet, and they have a lot of nibs on their undersides to keep sliding to a minimum. Cost was around $70.
American Racing 767 Wheels: I decided to do away with the stock chrome wheels and opted for these black powdercoated wheels. They come with new chrome centercaps and new lug nuts. The 16x8 rim has 5" of backspacing and an offset of +13.97mm. They stick out slightly more than the stock wheels. I ordered them from the local Discount Tire and had them installed the same day. Total cost was approximately $314.
American Eagle 16x8 589 Wheels: The American Racing 767s didn't seem to be balancing very well, and I should have said something about this the day I bought them after seeing how much lead they used on a couple of the wheels. I went back to Discount Tire again to pick up a set of American Eagle polished aluminum 589s. Not only did they seem to balance better, they are much lighter. I've only driven on them one day, so far, as the DD4x4 is in the body shop after a recent traffic accident. First impressions seem to be favorable, although I'll miss having the black wheels. Total cost OTD was $416.31.
Warn HS9500i and Trans4mer Mount: I found a good deal on this winch on eBay - $790 including shipping (New and in the box, by the way). The lowest price I could find locally was $895 + Tax from the Plano 4-Wheel Parts Performance Center. The Trans4mer mount came from Earl Owen in Sherman and was $486 after tax. Click HERE for more information and photos.
Sony 444RF 10-Disc CD Changer: I picked a Sony FM-Modulated CD changer from the local Best Buy. It works through the stock radio antenna and a preset FM station (88.3). The kind folks at Best Buy wanted $70 to install it and said they could "squeeze me in next week." I was ready to turn around and walk off when I decided I'd install it myself. I knew nothing about wiring stuff like this, and I surely knew nothing about the wiring in one of these new-fangled trucks. :-) I won't get into details now, but I dived in with an "Ain't Skeered" attitude, and installation turned out to be pretty simple. A child could probably follow the wiring insructions, as there are only two wires that needed to be spliced. Thanks to an old post over at Fritz's Ram Page Tech Board, I quickly determined which wires on the back of the stereo were the power wires (Constant + & Ignition +). The CD changer was around $216 after the gubmint got their share, and installation took around two hours.
#024 & #225AA Off-Roadster Coil Springs: To help out with the added weight of the winch and winch mount, I picked up the heavier-duty Off-Roadster coil springs from Huffines Dodge in Plano. They weren't cheap ($264 all together), but I couldn't find anyone who wanted to get rid of theirs. Thanks to the advice given to me by the fine folks on the DiRT Email List and Fritz's Ram Page Tech Board, the project went without a hitch. I first jacked up the truck by the axle and set it on jack stands. I then jacked up the frame just behind the control arms and set the frame on another set of jack-stands. Once I removed the wheels, I removed the shocks and shock towers. I was advised to unbolt the track bar, so I did. In addition, there were brake-line brackets that were disconnected (one on each side behind the axle). Once everything was unbolted, I jacked up the passenger side axle with a bottle jack and removed that jack-stand. I then lowered that side of the axle paying special attention not to kink or stretch any hoses or wires. Once the axle was lowered enough, the old #019 spring slid out and the new #024 went right on in. I reassembled everything, set the passenger side back on its jack-stand, and moved on to the driver's side which follows the same procedure. The only difference on the driver's was that I found it helpful to use a bottle jack between the axle and frame to spread the two apart. This helped the #020 spring come out and the #225AA spring go in without a bunch of cussing. I put everything back together, double-checked, and then triple-checked all the bolts, and went for a test drive which proved to be pleasant. No more nose-diving at the red lights, no bottoming out at the dips, and a nicer ride overall. At first, I was apprehensive about taking on this project, but it turned out to be pretty dadgum easy. If you can remove bolts and operate a jack, you can do this one.
Xenon Fender Flares: Don't get me started... Actually, the installation went okay with the exception of the first flare I attempted (left rear). I'll have to go back and fix that one when I get a chance, as I didn't get lined up perfectly at the rear. They mount using screws on the fender lip and double-sided 3M foam tape between the flare's edge and the body. I picked 'em up at 4-Wheel Parts for around $325 (OUCH!). Had 'em installed in a couple hours.
Rough Country Rear Add-A-Leaf Kit: J.C. Whitney had a pretty good deal on an add-a-leaf kit claiming to add 1.5" to 2" of height to the rear end. The kit was around $35 plus shipping, so I decided to give it a go. Installation turned out to be a pain in the butt. The instructions supplied with the kit were not vehicle-specific, so I had to post questions on Fritz's board and on the DiRT list. Before I got the answer I was really looking for, someone said to install each leaf directly on top of the factory lift block. So I did. Well, the next factory leaf up from the block is the overload spring, so the add-a-leafs were simply trying to push up on this relatively flat spring. I realized something was wrong when I had a stiffer ride but no lift. Well, that night, someone posted excellent instructions on the DiRT list, and these instructions confirmed my suspicion that I installed the leaves incorrectly. So the next day, I did it all over again. C-Clamps are a must. When you install the add-a-leaf between the overload spring and the main spring pack, a couple of C-clamps allow you to squeeze the whole pack back together. Do not compress the pack by tightening down on the new centering bolt. This will strip out the bolt. I found this out on my second venture when I had to remove the bolts that I had installed the previous day. I ended up snapping one of them, but luckily, the kit comes with two sets of bolts - one thick, and one thin. I ended up using the thinner centering bolts this time around and made sure to use the C-clamps to compress the pack. As I'd compress, I'd tighten the centering bolts as I went. I'm not sure if using the thinner bolts is considered safe, but I figure that the main U-bolts do the work of keeping everything together once tightened, so I don't think that the centering bolts are load-bearing at this point. All in all, installing add-a-leaves is pretty easy. It was just a pain in the butt as I went through the learning experience. I finally ended up with the lift I wanted. I'm back to the factory profile rather than the level look. They don't quite match the height of a factory Off-Roadster, but after pricing the factory Off-Road springs at damnear $700 at the dealer, I'll stick with the add-a-leaf kit.
Buckstop Truckware winch bumper: Click here for info.
