Arghh frustrating. I found out the only leveling option on my year truck is torsion keys. I kinda wanted to avoid that because of the extra stress it puts on the suspension. So my options are now bigger tires and maybe cut away some plastic to deal with rub, or a 6" fabtech lift with 35s. I am leaning towards the later but the cost is way higher. Anybody used torsion keys?
Arctic Ram
- Thread starter calebwat
- Start date
angusdevil
Adventurer
Don't waste your time getting keys, that'll be throwing money down the drain. Just crank your torsion bars and call it a day. Trust me, they'll last.....
CB install
I picked up a midland portable cb as backup comms and decided to use the car kit till I get my in dash unit.
I have removed the tray in preparation for the in dash system I am planning.
Here you can see the coax I have run behind the dash.
My midland portable cb and the mess of cords that came with it.
Here it is installed temporarily till I get the in dash unit.
10-4 good buddy over and out.
I picked up a midland portable cb as backup comms and decided to use the car kit till I get my in dash unit.
I have removed the tray in preparation for the in dash system I am planning.
Here you can see the coax I have run behind the dash.
My midland portable cb and the mess of cords that came with it.
Here it is installed temporarily till I get the in dash unit.
10-4 good buddy over and out.
Wow sweet ride. Is this with just torsion bars cranked? I love the blacked out nose too I am not a big chrome guy.
angusdevil
Adventurer
Yup, just a tbar crank with some 35's. Suspension in those pics were just some whitebody shocks, moog lowers and CST uppers. Got serious about the suspension so I had to get rid of the 1500.
So any tips on painting chrome flat black. I may give that a shot next weekend.
angusdevil
Adventurer
Well if its the grill shell, thats just plastic so scuff it up and it'll be good to prime. Even with a scotch bright pad, the "chrome" comes off after a few swipes.
If its your bumpers, you can sand it off by hand but it'll take forever. Best bet is to just get it media blasted as it'll be worth it in your time. Bumpers are about 40 bucks each to get done here in PHX. From there, just prime, paint, clear (if thats your thing) and wet sand.
On my 2500, it originally had SLT trim so lots of chrome. I actually found ST bumpers and painted those as they already are a dark grey color. Primed and painted and they were done. Sold my chrome stuff for a lot more than I paid for the ST bumpers and came out with a could hundred bucks and the truck looking how I wanted.
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Craig's got a lot of good advise on the 1500's. I suppose if I was in your shoes, I'd be asking, "Should I upgrade to a 2500?" How much weight in "expedition bling" do you intend to add? Will a 1500 stand up to the roads you intend to drive? How much will you need to sink into a 1500 to get it to the basic toughness of a 2500? Would the extra torque of a diesel be useful?
Not trying to poo-poo your plans... plenty of guys here do great things with with Tacomas. And the 1500 is a great truck. Just saying to take a realistic look at the end product you want and start with the correct platform.
I have mentioned a few times in this thread some of the gear I currently have and some of the gear I am looking to purchase. One of those pieces of gear I currently have is an 3G iPad that I am planning on using for GPS maps and tracking. I am also planning on having a handheld gps as a backup unit, and of course real maps and a compass. I have downloaded several topo maps apps and will give my initial impressions.
iTopo Maps
Crap
This interface is just horrible. It does do tracking but I can't figure it out and I am a web developer not some technophob.
Topo Maps
I like this one overall. I am disappointed it doesn't have the ability to store tracks.
GPS HD
I like this one too. The maps aren't as accurate as Topo Maps but it does do tracking.
I am planning a trip up to the mountains up forest road 70 outside of Ennumclaw, WA on Saturday so I can get some real world testing on these apps, and to get my truck a little dirty. These are just forest roads so nothing extreme as my truck is still all stock at this point.
Look for a post on these apps soon.
iTopo Maps
Crap
This interface is just horrible. It does do tracking but I can't figure it out and I am a web developer not some technophob.
Topo Maps
I like this one overall. I am disappointed it doesn't have the ability to store tracks.
GPS HD
I like this one too. The maps aren't as accurate as Topo Maps but it does do tracking.
I am planning a trip up to the mountains up forest road 70 outside of Ennumclaw, WA on Saturday so I can get some real world testing on these apps, and to get my truck a little dirty. These are just forest roads so nothing extreme as my truck is still all stock at this point.
Look for a post on these apps soon.
GTABurnout
Explorer
I am in Tucson, I have a 07 2500 with the chrome. Care to tell me where I can get the $40 bumpers? thanks
angusdevil
Adventurer
$40 was the average from when I was calling around a year ago. Don't remember any place specifically but I remember I got the numbers from just googling.
It's a lot easier to just find someone with ST bumpers and swap them out. From there, you can paint it however you want. People are always looking to upgrade stuff to chrome so with a little research, you can find someone. Post up on the dodge forums as there are plenty of us rams in AZ.
redthies
Renaissance Redneck
i believe the $40 was for MEDIA BLASTING, not a complete bumper...