mods you wouldnt do again ...

[NMC_EXP]

1. The 38s were not the problem I was not in a bind or under hard load I was driving at speed and the truck decided to go pole-vaulting.
2. The tag in the door says E-rated so as I said the truck requires E-rated tires.

1. If the 38" tires and related alterations did not cause you to shuck the prop shaft then can we assume the same things (pole vaulting and prop shaft shucking) would have happened with stock sized tires and factory suspension?

2. The data plate specifies 'E' load range because of the GVW rating. 'E' tires make sense if you are hauling a pallet of beer. If you are hauling a cooler full of beer, not so much sense.

3. The data plate also specifies tire size....you can see where this is going.

Jim

 

[Wh1t3nukle]

Yikes jeryshery! Sorry about your experience with the Dodge and the shop. The 02 a 2nd or 3rd Gen Dodge?

I'd have to agree with Jim (NMC_EXP) point about the tire/gvw rating. What 40" tires come in E rating, assuming stock wheel size (17-18"). Typically you have to get up to 20" wheel size....

 

[jeryshery]

1. If the 38" tires and related alterations did not cause you to shuck the prop shaft then can we assume the same things (pole vaulting and prop shaft shucking) would have happened with stock sized tires and factory suspension?

2. The data plate specifies 'E' load range because of the GVW rating. 'E' tires make sense if you are hauling a pallet of beer. If you are hauling a cooler full of beer, not so much sense.

3. The data plate also specifies tire size....you can see where this is going.

Jim

1. Reason for failure was a slight bend in the tubing from the factory and that threw it out of balance. So yes we can assume that with stock tire it would have done it. Actually it would have been even more dramatic because the shaft would've been spinning faster to propel the truck at the same speed.
2. The trucks a 3/4 ton diesel of course it needs the heavier tires because at some point it's going to have a trailer on it's back and it has so much weight over the front that you need a very thick tire to avoid rock punctures. Yes I understand that gvw determines the tire load rating I'm just saying that with c rated tires it does worse on the highway pulling a trailer and worse off road.

 

[jeryshery]

Yikes jeryshery! Sorry about your experience with the Dodge and the shop. The 02 a 2nd or 3rd Gen Dodge?

I'd have to agree with Jim (NMC_EXP) point about the tire/gvw rating. What 40" tires come in E rating, assuming stock wheel size (17-18"). Typically you have to get up to 20" wheel size....

It's a second gen with the suicide rear doors. My favorite body style. Just a quick online search shows plenty of e-rated 40s they may be for 20"inch wheels but I would've swapped my xds for a set.

 

[Wh1t3nukle]

@jeryshery -- Really the "mod you wouldn't do again" would have been the shop selected for the build/install.

At least by your shared account, they would have been responsible for that driveshaft application. Although, I'm a bit confused now that you say High Angle Driveline (with capital letters), which initially I interpreted as the driveshaft company out here in CA that makes them complete, and then in response to failure reason you said in bend in tubing from factory? I read that as Dodge factory driveshaft. I'm not meaning to poke at ya, but want to clarify.

Reasons being that I've been involved with some built Dodges (e.g., running Toyo MT 40s) and didn't have any front driveshaft issues. I realize all builds are different and yours more so for that tire size put under a Cummins.

Mod I would never do again. Putting a High Angle Driveline front driveshaft in a Dodge I built.

1. Reason for failure was a slight bend in the tubing from the factory and that threw it out of balance. So yes we can assume that with stock tire it would have done it. Actually it would have been even more dramatic because the shaft would've been spinning faster to propel the truck at the same speed.
2. The trucks a 3/4 ton diesel of course it needs the heavier tires because at some point it's going to have a trailer on it's back and it has so much weight over the front that you need a very thick tire to avoid rock punctures. Yes I understand that gvw determines the tire load rating I'm just saying that with c rated tires it does worse on the highway pulling a trailer and worse off road.

It's a second gen with the suicide rear doors. My favorite body style. Just a quick online search shows plenty of e-rated 40s they may be for 20"inch wheels but I would've swapped my xds for a set.

Putting Toyo MT 40s (run truer in size) on a 2nd Gen Standard Cab requires opening up rear wheel well and pushing the front axle forward minimum 3".

Old friend of mine.

Again, just looking for clarification on the DL issue while I'm aware of some issues encountered with going that big.

 

[jeryshery]

High Angle Driveline built the front driveshaft. When I said factory I meant that's the way it was shipped from H.A.D's shop not from the dodge factory. Sorry if that was confusing. The thing that gets me about the driveshaft is A. It was very expensive. B. It wasn't under a lot of stress when it broke and could've broke at any time in 4x4 like on an icy highway and seriously injured someone else or myself. As far as the shop goes you're correct but the real point is if you have the skill to do it yourself don't pay someone to do it for you. As for moving axle forward to fit 40s I would've done that. I'm not above major modification to achieve my desired result.

 

[RMP&O]

This is the #1 on my list and I lived this mistake in a major way. And it's a very accurate statement saying once you go there it's practically impossible to go back the other direction.

I tried to go in the opposite direction with my Tacoma, but it's still a little heavier than I had hoped for.......but still in way better shape weight wise than the Tundra was.

Keep that Taco light, to heavy was why I got rid of mine!

I think it is best to keep a light duty truck light. If you think you will get heavy, start with a platform that can take the weight. In particular in the frame, suspension, axles, trans & t-case departments. Cruiser 60/80 are great platforms since they can handle up and over 6,000lbs in these categories. Leaf springs will always be easier and cheaper to modify for weight and generally easier to fit air bags with them too.

Any ways, whatever you build, start with a platform that can handle the weight of the final product. Otherwise, IMHO you will regret it.

Cheers

 

[88Xj]

I'm actually selling my jeep xj I thought I built into the perfect camping rig. It was 3.5", custom deavers, built gear & locked axles, wj swap, custom steering box, no ac, plated frame, 33x10.5s, rocker replacements. Ect ect. Everything was nice. I then realized its way more than I'll ever need and I got caught up in being the best, never getting stuck ect. When I sat back I realized 75% of, my driving will be on road.
Selling the built jeep and keeping our new stockish 1. 31's basic 2.5" ome lift, 4.10 locked at both ends with skid plates & I just ordered full frame plates to make her last. Simple and effective. Now focusing mainly on interior storage, creature comforts & thing so like that.

 

[Purpledawg]

push to the top

 

[Wainiha]

Things I bought before I knew better. K&N FIPK, Jett TB spacer and UNICHIP.

Could've bought a used supercharger or some sliders or shell or.....

I had not seen Pirate, TTORA, Marlin or this place. Live and learn.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Wish I had never gone with little lifts. Always lose money stepping up to bigger later.

Wish i had never installed an unlocked diff in anything I ever owned. The ability a locker gives is astounding and relatively cheap.

 

[Nasty610]

I can think of a few.
Cheap aux Lights. I got the lights free, but I sunk a ton of time into wireing them. Went with a relay, couldent get it to work. Massive 50amp switch later and I have never used them. The lenses have fallen off now. I might replace them with better, but Not sure if it's worth it.

Modding the exaust, Went from stock( too quiet for a 15 year old me) to A single flowmaster on the stock pipe( did not sound like I wanted)I think full duel's with Flowmaster 40's are what I need. Sounds sexy at idle. 20 year old me thinks they resonate and Drone Like hell on the highway and wish I hadent wasted all that money.

14" round air filter. 15year old me strikes again. Decide to replace good stock filter and snorkle seltup with a $$ polished aluminum edelbrock filter cause it "looks Kewl". Waste of money. Going to go back to stock and sell of the other one.

I couldn't agree more with the 14" round filter being the worst mod ever. I had a 89 Camaro, not an expo rig but still applies, and read some stupid thread about using the 14" open element filter giving more power. Well it did give it more power(while cruising) and it dramatically improved MPG on the highway. Problem was most of my driving was in town and with the heat coming off the engine my MPG drop from 19 to 12. Complete waste of money.

The K&N filters are garbage. I one on my 95 F150 w/ I-6 and had the same results that I got from my Camaro. As long as road speeds were up it worked great but as slow speeds the intake air was ridiculously hot. When I bought my sport bike I looked into the K&N again, turns out that the high flow filters are only good if your engine A)spends a lot of time above 7000 RPMs or B)requires a huge amount of air. For some reason I doubt anyone's Expo rig spends any time above 7000K and if you're engine requires that much air you should look into a larger filter with appropriate housing.

I'll never buy another set of aftermarket springs again. Most have very little engineering behind them and they don't last like an OE spring will. You'd be hard pressed to find a better spring than OE. With that being said it's very easy to find an OE spring from another vehicle that will have the correct length, rate and diameter your vehicle requires. The same can be said for leaf springs but companies like Deaver make it hard to not use aftermarket leafs.

 

[Frisman]

leer cap

Leer cap leaky windows, I will never buy a leer cap again! started to leak the day after i bough it. brought it back to the leer dealer, and they agreed to take it off and send it back to leer to get fix. came back after a couple of weeks, and the same thing happened. brought it back, they took it off again and got it back in a couple of weeks. Same problem. over and over. they said we will send it back to the company to get fix. I sent a complain to leer ( email) with the serial # and they never got back to me. Never ever ever again. I had to do all kinds of fixes around the windows to stop the water. The leak was not as bad after they fix it. but water was still coming in.

.....Maybe not really a mod, but very disappointed with that company.

 

[southpier]

Keep that Taco light....

signature material there!

 

[Clutch]

Nothing I really regret...I keep it simple. Rule of thumb, when components breaks, does the aftermarket has something better, upgrade...if not keep it OEM.

One mod I did last year, that I should of done a heck of a lot sooner...was to fix the lack luster cup holder. The version in my Tacoma is square, so I took a black cutting board,
cut it to shape, used a holesaw to knock two holes through it, secured it on top...no more spilled coffee.

Why didn't I think of that years ago, is my only regret. Went years and years of holding on to the coffee cup, so it wouldn't spill...I might be dumb, but at least I am slow.