DODGE RAM FORUM banner

DarthRam's 2013 Ram 1500 Sport Quad Cab 4x4

23K views 78 replies 21 participants last post by  DarthRam 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I blame you...and you...and especially you for this. When I joined I just wanted to lurk and glean some knowledge. But NOOOO, you had to show me all these cool things called "mods" and then it was all over except the buying.

I was seriously only going to level the truck. Then I figured I might as well ad Bilsteins instead. An upgrade AND it leveled the truck. Then I discovered PlastiDip. CRAP! And then, and then and then...

If you haven't figured it out yet this is where I plan on putting pics to all my mods. I will collect them from previous posts to place here.

Here is the not so blank canvas:







Shall we begin?

First mod I did was the adjustable Bilstein 5100s on the front:









This was done at a local shop. The owner ended up being the cousin of one of the guys who works for me. No, I didn't get a discount. It took about an hour and a half all total. They were set at 2.8"
 
See less See more
6
  • Like
Reactions: RogerRamJet
#2 ·
Well, I blame you...and you...and especially you for this. When I joined I just wanted to lurk and glean some knowledge. But NOOOO, you had to show me all these cool things called "mods" and then it was all over except the buying.

I was seriously only going to level the truck. Then I figured I might as well ad Bilsteins instead. An upgrade AND it leveled the truck. Then I discovered PlastiDip. CRAP! And then, and then and then...
Uh, you were on here before I was, so it is you that I should be blaming.:LOL: Gawd, I love this site! Reps for the good laugh!
 
#6 ·
I finally took the plunge and dipped my badges. Oh, and I don't want to hear any crap about using shooting targets for the masking/over spray. They were defective anyway. They had some kind of bullet repellent sprayed on them. Unevenly too. It seemed to be heavier towards the middle.

Anyway, I sprayed the grill RAM and the tailgate RAM as well as the two HEMI badges. I took off the door badges as well as the 4x4 tailgate badge. I couldn't bring myself to take off the HEMI badges because HEMI means kickass!

I masked off the red 5.7 liter lettering because I liked the red/black contrast.

A few tips:

- Take your time. Mask well, spray well. It will make things easier.
- Have a small disposable paint brush on hand. I used paper towels but the brush would have made things easier.
- Start pulling masking tape CAREFULLY about 5 minutes after the last coat. This will make the de-masking an easier process. This will also pull up the edges of the Plasti Dip and will make final Plasti Dip removal easier.

Now, I didn't do some of the above steps because I always try to get shit done quickly. This is where the brush comes in. I masked the 5.7 liter lettering as I said above BUT I didn't realize the Plasti Dip wouldn't rip clean on the tape edge since it was completely covered. I scored it with a razor blade but I had some of the chrome get exposed.

Take a scrap piece of the masking paper. Spray the Plasti Dip in a large dot for a couple of seconds. Take the brush, dip it in the Plasti Dip and carefully "paint" the exposed chrome. You will need to do this in layers just like the original process. I did this right away so the Plasti Dip on the badge still wasn't 100% dry. Feather and/or blend the new stuff with the old. This may seem a little OCD but I hated the chrome showing through. To avoid this step: TAKE YOUR TIME.

Pics because it DID HAPPEN:





Tailgate:



The after:






The angle and light make the badges look grey but they are black. I also debadged a little:



 
#12 ·
I finally took the plunge and dipped my badges. Oh, and I don't want to hear any crap about using shooting targets for the masking/over spray. They were defective anyway. They had some kind of bullet repellent sprayed on them. Unevenly too. It seemed to be heavier towards the middle.

Pics because it DID HAPPEN:

Oh, come on Dave, you know you're gonna catch some crap about the "used" targets. Well, at least you hit what you were aiming for... this time.

Hey, um, about the picture... is that a HEMI in your pocket or are you just happy?
 
#14 ·
Thanks everyone. Especially Brandon for all the annoying wheel and tire questions I have asked him. I should have new to me wheels and tires (And pics!) next week.
 
#17 ·
I purchased a used Vararam Air Grabber from member stryker291982 (Jason) last month and was finally able to install it today. Either I have been working or it has been 85+ degrees with 90% humidity. Not conducive to any kind of work in the sun on a black truck. Anyway...pics:





Thanks to Jason, who trimmed the Air Grabber already, install went pretty smooth.

Some tips from others on here and from personal experience:

  • Position the screws on the clamps to the right (Or left if you are left handed.) before you place Air Grabber on engine. This way they will be accessible when the Air Grabber is installed all the way.
  • Before tightening the clamps all the way for final install close the hood slowly to seat Air Grabber.
  • Be very careful inserting Air Temp Sensor in the Air Grabber tube. I snapped off the clip for the original intake. This has no bearing on the Air Grabber but if I ever want to return my truck to stock I will need to buy a new Air Temp Sensor.

Some observations I had right away:

  • This does have a "flimsy" feel but once installed you won't be feeling it anyway. The hood and clamps should hold it in place.
  • I wish Vararam would have added a OEM socket for the Air Temp Sensor. It is held in by pressure/friction.
  • A lot of people have said they really didn't use the 10mm socket mentioned in the directions. Well, I did on the negative battery cable.
  • Like most people have pointed out, I didn't need to move any of the harnesses.


Now the big one. Is there a difference?

Shit, I don't know. It sounds deeper by a couple of octaves. It feels a little more responsive. All this from the butt dyno of course. I am just glad I got a good price on a used one.
 
#20 ·
Since it was such a nice day yesterday I did another mod. I added a set of used Go Rhino! Dominator II SideSteps. I also bought these from stryker291982 (Jason). The cool thing about this set is he had them coated in bedliner so no matter where someone steps they will have some traction.

There is no other way of saying this. Installation was a pain in the ass. I could have used the car hoist and air tool method but since I had neither I went ahead and used the crawl underneath the truck and swear a lot method. I also had to pull my truck up on to the front sidewalk since I live on a busy street and didn't want to get run over.

So just so we are clear. I am obviously not a mechanic. I can do some basic stuff but leave the bigger things to the professionals. The first step took about an hour and a half. You can laugh now. The mounting hardware took some getting used to since it went in the existing factory holes. The issue was the mounting bolts had to be slipped in and held while you put the bracket on. You had to do this while maintaining pressure on the bolt so it wouldn't slip down in the rail. Once I got the system down the second step took 45 minutes.

I was surprised how easy placing the step, and holding it, on the brackets was. I thought this was going to be the worst part of the job, holding a heavy step up awkwardly while trying to slip the bolts in. It went pretty well since each bracket had a small ledge on it. One of the better designs for this system.

All in all it was just tedious. There are three brackets with five bolts apiece on each side. Having a hoist would have made things so much easier and faster but I don't know anyone who would let me use theirs.

Since I didn't want anyone to deny all my hard work:






 
#21 · (Edited)
Today I had three milestones. I rolled over 2000 miles. I rolled over 2500 miles. I added wheels and tires that are new to me. Just a teaser pic of mine and caseykerner's rigs. I will let him post the odyssey that was today.

By the way the tire guys parked them just like this. I asked them if they were positioning them for a photo op. Then I took the pic:



More info and pics to come on these wheels/tires...

Also, I can't say enough about Discount Tire in Madison, WI. They swapped our tires for free. They also do free rotation and free flat fixing if it can be fixed.
 
#26 ·
Maxliner Maxfloormat (http://maxliner-usa.com/maxfloormat-product-information/) custom floor mats "mod" and review. So I purchased these awhile ago. When I "installed" them the retaining ring popped out and needed to be popped back in. It is underneath the slot (Second pic) where the floor anchors go. Other then that install was less then 10 minutes. It took longer to pull them out of the massive box then actual install.

I am not sure what I was expecting. Let's face it, floor mats aren't that sexy. They are pretty thin and have a "cheap and flimsy" hand feel however once installed they are pretty rock solid. They actually look stock in the dark interior of my Sport which is a bonus. I have tried to move them around while driving. They won't budge, which is a very good thing. They may be flimsy so they can be easily installed and easily emptied and cleaned. Either way you can't tell their thickness and feel once they are installed anyway.

Pros:
  • $50 cheaper then WeatherTech
  • Stock look in my truck anyway.
  • Don't move at all.

Cons:
  • They scracth way too easily. I have had one passenger since install and he had sneakers on. The passenger side is really scratched. Can't be seen unless the light hits it but it is there.
  • Flimsy, cheap feel. Not sure if it is normal for the Husky and WeatherTechs also.

So, in conclusion I am pretty sure I wouldn't buy these again. I would buy the Husky's just to see what they were like.




 
#27 · (Edited)
Here are the pics as promised of the new to me wheels and tires. They are XD Series 795 Hoss wheels with LT305/55R20 Nitto Trail Grappler M/Ts. Smaller then I originally wanted but I couldn't pass up the deal. The center caps all have the chrome peeling. I'll just Plasti Dip them. I went to Discount Tire this morning to get the wheels re-torqued and everyone their said what an awesome truck it is. I couldn't agree more. It just looks pissed off all the time now.

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Sorry about the 700 miles worth of bugs on the front but it is going to rain here and i thought it would be pointless to wash it.












They are definitely louder then the stock tires but I knew that going in. The first time I came to a stop I thought the engine was going to die on me. The vibrations felt like the shudder an engine gives right before it dies.

All in all I am very pleased. Now I can't wait until winter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brandonjansen
#31 ·
I love your truck! Well done. The tires/rims and shifter I think are my favourite. Nitto trail grapplers are what i'm going for next, I'm assuming 35s are the biggest that will fit? With the bilstein anyways.

Looks awesome!
 
#35 · (Edited)
Vararam Update

Today while trying to figure out the hose size for a catch can I noticed a few things. In my original Vararam mod post I said I didn't need to move anything. Well, I was wrong. I saw a harness (Pic 1 here and Step 5 in the Air Grabber Install Instructions) tucked up against the front wing resting on the radiator. Obviously, the amount of air this disrupts isn't critical since my truck hasn't shown any signs of air depletion. However, just by it's location it does disrupt some air so I tucked it underneath the front wing. I did need to disconnect the hood sensor (Pic 2) to wrap it around the other way since it is on this harness.

Pic 1


Pic 2


Final Results:




The second thing I noticed was the wear pattern from the Air Grabber on the hood insulation. Is this normal wear and tear?



 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top