Atl-atl's Dodge Ram 2500 Regular Cab Long Bed "documentation" thread.

[Atl-atl]

Dor also has more then a few complaints when it comes to lead times, communication and assembly error on his part that has given people grief. Worth doing a search on the subject and making a decision after that.

You may be able to use some of Thuren fabrication's 2" soft ride coils. While yes they were designed to yield a 2" lift it is meant for the diesel trucks, your reg can gasser may get you to a little over 3". His website has contact info and he or his other employee can answer any questions.

I bought from DOR and their service was great. Got one of their steering box braces, shipping was free and quick, brace was extremely well made. I will shop there again.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Yeah,Thuren will give you an honest opinion and not oversell.
DOR took 5 weeks to deliver his control arms. No answer to calls or emails. Mysteriously,the arms appeared one day without notice.

Thanks for the info guys.

Unfortunately I have to deal with some maintenance issues before any more aftermarket fun stuff. After driving 1000 miles with the camper out back I developed a driveline vibration. Its very odd as they usually are. Only happens under throttle, starts around 20mph, got worse when I pulled the front driveshaft out. I replaced the rear most u-joint in the rear driveshaft and the vibration is there but it changed a little, I think the new joint is too tight because it squeaks. Im going to replace the front u joint in the rear shaft today and hopefully that fixes it. Im a little worried its something more serious like the transfer case. I also going to try replacing the rear wheel bearing as they seem pretty easy on this axle. I was hoping to go MTBing today but now I get to work on the truck. :/

 

[Buddha.]

Bearings usually make a low pitched growling noise. If you can't feel any moment in the wheel bearing I wouldn't think they're bad.

 

[Atl-atl]

Bearings usually make a low pitched growling noise. If you can't feel any moment in the wheel bearing I wouldn't think they're bad.

Yeah they don't really seem to make any noise. Ive definitely had wheel bearings go bad in other vehicles and it was very obvious. One other thing I saw is the 545rfe trans has a relatively common problem where the torque converter bolts come loose. I haven't read too much about it but since this popped up after driving 1000 miles at 70 ish mph, constantly shifting, with a camper in my bed, following a uhaul with no cruise control I'm starting to worry I might have a more serious problem.

 

[Atl-atl]

So last Friday I dropped the truck off at Dodge, just incase it the drivetrain decided to grenade on me, which it didnt. I get a call saying "The driveshaft needs a complete overhaul which is going to cost $600 because the shaft is aluminum and you have to be careful when you rebuild them." I told the service writer I know the shaft is not aluminum its steel, Ive replaced the u joints in the past it only has two and thank you but Ill keep my $600!"

I absolutely hate it when dealers purposely lie and then try to rip you off using their lies. They wanted $240 for parts and nearly $400 for labor. Unfortunately I just moved back to Illinois and this was the closest Dodge dealership to my new house. So frustrating.

Needless to say I installed new u joints myself for less than $100 which included buying a new grease gun and a can of pb blaster.

 

[Atl-atl]

UPDATE TIME!!!!!

More like unexpectedly-awesome-local-midweek-onenight-beautiful-camping-firstnightinthecamper-hiking-trip-time!

I haven't been completely lazy over the last 3 or 4 weeks (or however long its been) since moving back to Illinois. Today I passed the Illinois real estate brokers licensing exam, first try by the way. In the last 10 days I did that, went camping at Starved Rock State Park, hiked and saw some incredible waterfalls at the lesser known Matthiesson State Park, rode my road bike in Illinois, rode my mountain bike in Wisconsin, went running in Illinois, went to a wedding in Missouri and did a bunch of other honey-do stuff we all have/get to do! Halleluyah Holy ********...wheres the Tylenol :sombrero:

Anyway I have some updates on the camper! I went out on a limb after minimal research and tried a Duracell Platinum AGM battery from Batteries Plus. I like that its made right in my backyard(Wisconsin, its an Illinois joke for the uninformed) and I got a discount for buying it online and picking it up in store. I think it was about $193.04 after tax. 78AH for less than $200 with a 30 month warranty? Yes, please and thank you. Then I went and got the propane tank that came with the camper topped off at a local RV place. When I got home I hooked up the battery and nothing but crickets...

I checked the + cable and the fuse is blown. Its a 20amp fuse, no prob the guy I bought the camper from gave me 3 extra 20amp fuses. They're all blown. Is this a sign of the times? Now Im kinda like "whats going on" am I not going to get this thing powered up? I throw a 25amp spare in and voila she powered up!!! Im ecstatic! All the lights work, propane gas detector and CO detector light up and test. Kill switch engage, all systems go. Im getting quite excited for our trip. (Still slightly concerned about the fuse situation though)

Last thing to do is check tire pressure before the trip, especially since I have D rated 37s on my truck that I normally run at 35F 32R. Lightweight for a 3/4 ton truck, sorry I guess. A few psi can be the difference between 70mph comfortably or 55mph white knuckle. As Im filling the right rear tire I hear a hiss. There is a nail or screw right at the shoulder. NOOOOOOOO the whole trip is a failure, these tires aren't made anymore(pro comp x ats (also knows as egg-terrains)), we cant go on the trip, I need a new set of tires, nobody has 37s in Illinois, a bunch of nancies live here, yes I have a patch kit but I don't want to risk it, we both have to take a test in a few days, I don't even have a job, what am I doing, waaaaaaaaaaaambulance.

I have a full size spare and everything went swimmingly. Starved Rock State Park is along the Illinois river only 2 hours from Chicago and its an incredible place. We camped at the actual park camp grounds. We bought fire wood from the local "Jacks camp store" and we hiked at Matthiesson State Park at the suggestion of the informative, albeit talkative park ranger. What an incredible experience. If you google "starved rock state park" ALL of the pictures you see are actually from down the street at Matthiesson State Park. All the big waterfalls, canyons, arches, bridges, riverbeds etc. Hopefully Im not making any locals mad but don't waste your time hiking Starved Rock, go to Matthiesson. Midsummer is a tropical paradise just outside of Chicago Illinois, believe it or not. There were minimal bugs, perfect humidity and ~70 degree temps in the woods at 1pm! Im getting lost in words. If you read all of this bless you and here are some pics for proof/your enjoyment!

I dont know the actual measurements of these waterfalls but a couple of them have to be at least 50 feet tall and some of the canyons have to be 100 feet plus.

Sorry about the crooked pic.

She loves hiking almost as much as she loves playing fetch.

Pooped out dog loves the camper!

Pack it in for the night

And cleaning up after the trip.

 

[Buddha.]

So the new u joints fixed your problem?

 

[Atl-atl]

So the new u joints fixed your problem?

Yup, in fact I think it was only the forward joint in the rear driveshaft that was the culprit. I did both just because.

 

[Atl-atl]

So Ive been researching awnings for a few weeks now. I saw a build someone did on here where they spent about $100 and that got me thinking. I either need to buy a smittybilt for $200 or make my own and figure out how to do it cheaper than the other homemade one I saw. After coming across batwings and foxwings and getting all hot and bothered about a ridiculously awesome awning I decided I need to just get one done. I have some mountain bike races coming up and hopefully lots of camping beyond that. What better day than July 4th to work on the truck and the camper right! Especially since my party and fireworks happened last night and Im not really up for anything more than tinkering today.

I had been perusing harbor freight looking at tarps and saw they had some pretty decently priced items. Like an 8' x 10' mesh panel with grommets. So I headed over and grabbed a heavy duty 8x11 tarp and 8x10 mesh panel as well as some tent stakes and a grommet tool just in case. Then I went to home depot in search of parts to make my ideas a reality.

What I wound up with is two sticks of 1/2" galvanized pipe that are capped and have a bolt sticking through on either end. One to sink into the ground for traction and the other to stick through the grommet up top. The pipe only came in 10' sections so I had them cut down to 7' and rethreaded the cut end. Then I got 4 caps and 4 1/4" nut-bolt-washers. When I got home I simply drilled a 5/16" hole in each cap, threaded the bolt through and then threaded the caps onto the pipes. There are tabs on the roof of my camper that a previous owner installed that are at the back corner and then 4, 8 and 11 feet. The mesh panel fits exactly onto the 8 foot apart tabs, no modification necessary, just use a threaded d ring to secure it. stand the uprights and tie them off. The tarp had to get some new grommets added but this was simple. I will likely have to cut down the tarp and hem the cut edge but for now it still works perfectly.

I had a 25% off coupon for harbor freight so all said and done, including both a tarp and a mesh panel, Im in it for about $70.

 

[Buddha.]

I tried to do that but with extendable paint roller handles. Problem was they use an odd thread pitch and I couldn't find any kind of nut to hold the bolt on the end.

 

[Atl-atl]

I tried to do that but with extendable paint roller handles. Problem was they use an odd thread pitch and I couldn't find any kind of nut to hold the bolt on the end.

Thats whats nice about standard 1/2" pipe. Ive been considering connecting the two at the top and running a piece back to the truck so I don't need the guy lines. But then the problem becomes two more pieces of pipe and having to screw/unscrew parts every time I set it up or take it down. The two pieces as is are very tight once tied down. I didnt want to deal with extendable handles or anything that would collapse on me without notice!

 

[Atl-atl]

So I decided to reorganize my tool box and camper in order to get rid of the box completely. I liked having the box there but having the weight of the camper so far back really made the steering feel weird and was starting to mess up my front tires. Steering feel should be much nicer and tires should wear evenly again. Plus is looks a lot better, I have a patio outside the back door when the tail gate is down and I can close the tailgate again which is really nice.

After

Before

 

[Atl-atl]

So I have a mountain bike race up in Wisconsin this weekend at which Ill be camping for a night so I checked a few things off my list today. I replaced the plug end of my shore power 120 plug because part of the cable was frayed near the plug. I also added a "front yard" or back yard to the truck, depending on how you look at it hahaha. It looks like astroturf but its much softer and more fibrous. It claims to dry faster than astro turf and its certainly comfier on bare feet. I think its perfect since I have enough room to actually put two folding chairs up there hahaha. Long cab for the win!

 

[Colorado_Outback]

Loving the awning! I may have to steal your design. Ive been having the same struggle, hard to pay 200 plus on something I'd have to cut up and extend the legs on anyway. I also like the porch, being able to shut the tail gate for travel is nice indeed.

 

[Atl-atl]

Loving the awning! I may have to steal your design. Ive been having the same struggle, hard to pay 200 plus on something I'd have to cut up and extend the legs on anyway. I also like the porch, being able to shut the tail gate for travel is nice indeed.

Thanks for the compliments. After camping this weekend and using it all I like it with one exception. Don't use the mesh panel they sell at harbor freight! It barely pulled the thing tight and 3 grommets ripped right out of the panel. Im going to return it today and probably buy something more like a sailcloth panel that is built to handle the tension of pulling it really tight.

 

[Atl-atl]

Went camping this weekend for a mountain bike race. My new "yard" worked wonderfully!