CatButt
Observer
This build was delayed a couple of years. I bought basically this same truck in 2017 (2018 model), however, it ended up being a lemon and over almost a year in the shop Chrysler bought it back. While this was happening I bought a super cool JK with an Ursa minor, on 37's, long arms, etc. It was SUPER capable offroad, had ALL the amenities...BUT was not super fun getting to the dirt. I live in So Cal currently and I have to drive 3 hours to get to dirt without a horde of people...and really, I like to get WAY AWAY from LA area. I ride MTBs and ADV motos and I like to ride new stuff. So...I have no problem putting in some road miles to get to rad, new trails and areas. That is really my thing..new, cool stuff to see.
So, flash forward a bit, I find the right deal on a 2019 Ram 3500. Had all the bells and whistles I wanted, yes I want to spoil myself with gadgets that are probably gonna break, but damnit I work hard and I want it.I didn't wait long to get the build going. Within a month I sent the truck to Carli to be the prototype for the 5th Gen Carli kits. They knew most of their stuff was gonna work just fine, but Ram did make some changes that needed to be addressed and verified. So, Carli installed a 2.5 pintop kit with all the goodies, minus the rear springs. I still didn't know what I was gonna do in the bed for my sleep/live/haul demends.
CJC Offroad are the ones that hooked me up with Carli. CJC have been really helpful to me over the years. They are super knowledgeable and helpful. They had Raceline make a custom offset wheel for Rams and I decided that would be the perfect wheel for what I wanted to do. I needed to have 5 wheels and a 37 will not fit in the stock location so I contacted Rigd to buy one of their Ultra Swing Out tire carriers. These carriers are SUPER beefy, with virtually no bounce or shake...remember the wheel alone is 120ish pounds. I opted for the table too...I had one on my JK and really liked it. The Rigd also allows me to run my 1Up bike carrier. On the front, I picked a Chassis Unlimited winch bumper. I knew I was gonna want a winch bumper and I wanted one that gave me maximum clearance in front of the wheels but didn't stick out too much from the front of the truck. This bumper ticked all the boxes pus I could run a 12k winch. Ultimately I would like a 16k winch but the bumpers that fit a 16k were just too big for my liking. I have used snatch blocks and I think I will not have issues with the 12k. I chose a Smittybilt winch for various reasons...size was a big part of that. There are as many opinions about winches as there are about what oil to run. I also really like the Factor55 closed system a lot and I use quite a bit of their goodies.
For now...and likely forever...I decided on an FWC Hawk with a rollover couch. I hindsight I would get the side dinette...BUT, I found my Hawk used (used for 5 nights), pretty close to home and at a great deal. I actually prefer the slide-in over the flatbed...I know I am giving up a little storage space, but that might be temporary as I am contemplating a flatbed with jokey boxes. I would have WAY more storage than a flatbed Hawk at that point. I need storage for offroad gear, not for living space.
The truck, besides suspension and wheels is totally stock...plenty of lovely diesel power, so need to mess with that...while it's under warranty. However, I have added some electronic goodies...some for safety some for fun and some to control systems.
The safety goody is my Yaesu FT400 radio. I finally decided to get my HAM license and get a mobile radio. The test was easier than I thought, but I did buy a prep course to help me out. I was working 80 hour weeks at the time I decided to get my license and I know I am not a good self-motivator. I mounted the head unit of the radio in the overhead sunglass holder. I wanted it to be stealthy but still be easy to reach. I also went with a shorty antenna. When I go to the wide-open desert I run a longer antenna...but for the city and for the canyons I run the shorter antenna most of the time.
The fun goodies include the SwitchPro mounted to a 67Designs mount and Baja Designs lights. I wanted some offroad lights for the obvious reasons...but I didn't need to light up the world. This is not race or chase truck, I am not bombing across the desert. So, I wanted lights to illuminate my peripherals, cut dust (living in SoCal we play in the dez a lot), cut fog and snow (common destinations for me) and be complementary to the aesthetics of the truck. I also run a Samsung table for nav, music, monitoring various systems, etc. I made a temporary mount using a Ram clamp...but will soon be mounted to a Ram rail. The tablet is super easy to use offroad, easy to see to for navigation...it is just a no brainer in my mind. I will likely add a cell booster of some sort, but as of yet I have not felt the need for it...so it is on the back burner.
For system control, I run Victron battery monitors, solar controllers and chargers (soon). I like the fact that I can view everything on an app on my tablet...which is always mounted in the truck when moving. I upgraded the FWC batteries to 205ah AGM batteries and I put the Victron shunt in at that time. Now I can monitor my usage and battery condition. I will likely upgrade to lithium batteries, but my AGMs are so new I just don't feel the need quite yet. I just added 350w of Renogy solar panels to the roof, so the Victron MPPT was added to control those electrons. Again, all via Bluetooth I can see what is going in and out of the batteries. It's pretty amazing really how simple it is.
Rounding out the inside of the truck is the Goosegear seat delete and drawer system. Brian at Goosegear used my truck to design and build the system for the Rams and it was quite a bit of work. I have been around systems being installed, but to take a new truck, tear it apart, and build a system from scratch takes a lot of time and effort. The end results on all Goosegear products reflect all that time and effort. This seat delete and drawer is a work of art. It is super bomber, fits the truck like a glove, it actually looks like the factory built it...super cool product. I also such the ARB twin compressor under the passenger front seat.
I am really stoked on the truck and how it is coming along. I am still working out some details and evolving the build, but it is currently super capable, reliable and super fun to go out and play with. I owe a big thanks to WiredbyGreg for all the wiring work, he is a master of 12v stuff and a great wealth of offroad knowledge. I am fortunate to have some great friends that helped along the way.
Pics... https://photos.app.goo.gl/HsNja2DFoqW84Fw29
So, flash forward a bit, I find the right deal on a 2019 Ram 3500. Had all the bells and whistles I wanted, yes I want to spoil myself with gadgets that are probably gonna break, but damnit I work hard and I want it.I didn't wait long to get the build going. Within a month I sent the truck to Carli to be the prototype for the 5th Gen Carli kits. They knew most of their stuff was gonna work just fine, but Ram did make some changes that needed to be addressed and verified. So, Carli installed a 2.5 pintop kit with all the goodies, minus the rear springs. I still didn't know what I was gonna do in the bed for my sleep/live/haul demends.
CJC Offroad are the ones that hooked me up with Carli. CJC have been really helpful to me over the years. They are super knowledgeable and helpful. They had Raceline make a custom offset wheel for Rams and I decided that would be the perfect wheel for what I wanted to do. I needed to have 5 wheels and a 37 will not fit in the stock location so I contacted Rigd to buy one of their Ultra Swing Out tire carriers. These carriers are SUPER beefy, with virtually no bounce or shake...remember the wheel alone is 120ish pounds. I opted for the table too...I had one on my JK and really liked it. The Rigd also allows me to run my 1Up bike carrier. On the front, I picked a Chassis Unlimited winch bumper. I knew I was gonna want a winch bumper and I wanted one that gave me maximum clearance in front of the wheels but didn't stick out too much from the front of the truck. This bumper ticked all the boxes pus I could run a 12k winch. Ultimately I would like a 16k winch but the bumpers that fit a 16k were just too big for my liking. I have used snatch blocks and I think I will not have issues with the 12k. I chose a Smittybilt winch for various reasons...size was a big part of that. There are as many opinions about winches as there are about what oil to run. I also really like the Factor55 closed system a lot and I use quite a bit of their goodies.
For now...and likely forever...I decided on an FWC Hawk with a rollover couch. I hindsight I would get the side dinette...BUT, I found my Hawk used (used for 5 nights), pretty close to home and at a great deal. I actually prefer the slide-in over the flatbed...I know I am giving up a little storage space, but that might be temporary as I am contemplating a flatbed with jokey boxes. I would have WAY more storage than a flatbed Hawk at that point. I need storage for offroad gear, not for living space.
The truck, besides suspension and wheels is totally stock...plenty of lovely diesel power, so need to mess with that...while it's under warranty. However, I have added some electronic goodies...some for safety some for fun and some to control systems.
The safety goody is my Yaesu FT400 radio. I finally decided to get my HAM license and get a mobile radio. The test was easier than I thought, but I did buy a prep course to help me out. I was working 80 hour weeks at the time I decided to get my license and I know I am not a good self-motivator. I mounted the head unit of the radio in the overhead sunglass holder. I wanted it to be stealthy but still be easy to reach. I also went with a shorty antenna. When I go to the wide-open desert I run a longer antenna...but for the city and for the canyons I run the shorter antenna most of the time.
The fun goodies include the SwitchPro mounted to a 67Designs mount and Baja Designs lights. I wanted some offroad lights for the obvious reasons...but I didn't need to light up the world. This is not race or chase truck, I am not bombing across the desert. So, I wanted lights to illuminate my peripherals, cut dust (living in SoCal we play in the dez a lot), cut fog and snow (common destinations for me) and be complementary to the aesthetics of the truck. I also run a Samsung table for nav, music, monitoring various systems, etc. I made a temporary mount using a Ram clamp...but will soon be mounted to a Ram rail. The tablet is super easy to use offroad, easy to see to for navigation...it is just a no brainer in my mind. I will likely add a cell booster of some sort, but as of yet I have not felt the need for it...so it is on the back burner.
For system control, I run Victron battery monitors, solar controllers and chargers (soon). I like the fact that I can view everything on an app on my tablet...which is always mounted in the truck when moving. I upgraded the FWC batteries to 205ah AGM batteries and I put the Victron shunt in at that time. Now I can monitor my usage and battery condition. I will likely upgrade to lithium batteries, but my AGMs are so new I just don't feel the need quite yet. I just added 350w of Renogy solar panels to the roof, so the Victron MPPT was added to control those electrons. Again, all via Bluetooth I can see what is going in and out of the batteries. It's pretty amazing really how simple it is.
Rounding out the inside of the truck is the Goosegear seat delete and drawer system. Brian at Goosegear used my truck to design and build the system for the Rams and it was quite a bit of work. I have been around systems being installed, but to take a new truck, tear it apart, and build a system from scratch takes a lot of time and effort. The end results on all Goosegear products reflect all that time and effort. This seat delete and drawer is a work of art. It is super bomber, fits the truck like a glove, it actually looks like the factory built it...super cool product. I also such the ARB twin compressor under the passenger front seat.
I am really stoked on the truck and how it is coming along. I am still working out some details and evolving the build, but it is currently super capable, reliable and super fun to go out and play with. I owe a big thanks to WiredbyGreg for all the wiring work, he is a master of 12v stuff and a great wealth of offroad knowledge. I am fortunate to have some great friends that helped along the way.
Pics... https://photos.app.goo.gl/HsNja2DFoqW84Fw29
