Mountain.Mike's Ram 1500 Build Thread

Mountain.Mike

Mountain.Mike

Rank III
Member

Off-Road Ranger I

771
Pikeville, Kentucky
First Name
Mike
Last Name
Pruitt
Member #

3254

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KO4JNQ
So here it is, my bone stock 2014 Ram 1500 Big Horn 4X4. This rig will have to wear a lot of hats, but I hope to find a balance that allows it to serve as a competent weekend over landing rig. I have a long list of ideas for mods, but I think first up is going to be bilstein 5100s set to 2.1" and some yet to be determined allterrain 275/65 for the factory 20s. I've got some basic camping gear that I have used to car camp out of my old Subaru. I am hoping to update to some more vehicle specific gear as the bank account will allow. But for now I am thinking lift, tires, and recovery gear as a good place to start.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc467/mikepruitt/My Truck.jpg
 

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roamingram44 said:
And like truckerbizz says the stock ucas are junk i know the 14 and aboves are notorius for popping balljoints. So far mine have held up with no sign of the balljoint giving but i have an early in the year 13 and havent really done anything to crazy with it

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Thanks! Yeah, Truckerbizz gave me a pause, but I am thinking it shouldn't be as bad if I set the Billies to 2.1" until I can swing some UCAs. I am only trying to run the 275/65R20, which is roughly a 34" Tire. Thought about the 35x12.50's, but I think that might be asking a little much of the 3.21 rear gear. I know some loss is unavoidable, but I don't want to give up too much performance/MPG.
 
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Yea just keep an eye on your balljoints like i said mine have been fine at 2.8 and i feel ya i have 3.55 but with the 6 speed so im looking into the 275/65s as well in mud terrains

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I thought I'd build out my 2016 RAM 1500 CC eco-diesel only to find there's not much out there to choose from. But with 34,500 miles clocked in 10 months the e-d engine was too unreliable (entire fuel system replaced @ 18k miles, it's been drinking the coolant everyday and been in the shop five times in five weeks b/c no cabin heat while driving in -5 to 38 degree temps) for me to sink anything into mods.

Picked this '17 Rebel today
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OB #2710
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Sweet Rebel! I really like those trucks. Had no idea the Eco-Diesel was so unreliable. I've really enjoyed my RAM so far. Your right, they aren't the most supported truck by the aftermarket. But I think there is enough out there to build a passable weekend over landing rig.


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Swapped my dash speakers to a set of Kicker KS series speakers. It's a really common upgrade for these trucks. If you are going to do it, be sure to use a speaker with a silk tweeter. A cheaper material would be way to harsh coming off the windshield. You can see the difference between the factory speaker and the Kicker unit.

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Titus said:
Nice rig. I bought my 2014 Ram 1500 last fall so my wife and I could overland it. I cant wait to get some better gear for the trails. Something you may want to watch is AEV, I know they're coming out with a full suspension for the 1500s.
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Thanks man! I'm really enjoying it so far. AEV does make some awesome stuff. I was excited to see they are going to start making products for the 1500s. I know they have previously focused on Jeeps and Ram 2500s. I saw the press release on the new Recruit concept. Looks good. If I can ever scrape the cash together, I'd love to have one of their front bumpers and that new 4" lift.

https://www.aev-conversions.com/vehicles/recruit
recruit-halo.jpg
 
Mountain.Mike said:
Thanks man! I'm really enjoying it so far. AEV does make some awesome stuff. I was excited to see they are going to start making products for the 1500s. I know they have previously focused on Jeeps and Ram 2500s. I saw the press release on the new Recruit concept. Looks good. If I can ever scrape the cash together, I'd love to have one of their front bumpers and that new 4" lift.

https://www.aev-conversions.com/vehicles/recruit
recruit-halo.jpg
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Nice! Will they let us purchase items individually, or must it be the $16K pkg?
 
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That's a nice looking rig. I'm working on a F150 but have been seriously thinking of switching to the Ram. My son runs a 2500 and he's in the process of fixing it up an I love the way it looks.
 
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Edward Gentle said:
That's a nice looking rig. I'm working on a F150 but have been seriously thinking of switching to the Ram. My son runs a 2500 and he's in the process of fixing it up an I love the way it looks.
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I really like mine. It has plenty of power and gets great milage for a full size. That said, my biggest gripe is that no one makes a selectable locker for my year. I am looking at putting a Detroit Tru-trac to improve traction a little. The 1500's have huge wheel wells and will clear a 35" with about 3" of lift. However, they are really hard to regear if you feel like you need it.

You'll be puckering up on tight trails with either rig, but the 2500's are a way better overlanding platform in terms of off road performance and upgradability. (It is hard to beat solid axels at both ends). I use my truck for almost everything, so getting the 2500 wasn't worth the sacrifice in fuel economy. I have been very happy with my truck, but there aren't near as many parts available for it as the the F150 you currently have.
 
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