Expedition 2011 Gen4 Cummins- An Off-Road "Do Anything" Diesel

[Rhino11]

Expedition Gen4 Cummins- An Off-road "Do Anything" Diesel
The Why:
Don’t Get me wrong, I love the good old recreational camping scene as much as the next guy. Sometimes though, you just need to get out away from all that. Away from the crowded public campsites, giant trailers, screaming kids, boats cluttering that pristine lake, and that really obnoxious guy that parked just way to close to you. I have found myself, as well as some of my closer friends, wanting to explore more of the wilderness that is out there. To sleep, hunt, fish, and just plain enjoy some of the places that few often venture. Take some extended time in more of the “Remote” places of the world. So begins this new project to... "Get The Hell Out Of Dodge! In A Dodge!"
The Mission:
To build a 2011 Ram 2500HD 6.7 Cummins 4x4 Crew Cab Short Bed that can go just about anywhere, at any time, safely, with reliability, and still make it back to drive to work at the end of trip. To carry all necessary (and some unnecessary) tools, water, food, fuel, and "entertainment" to sustain an extended trip into Nature's great big backyard. Yet, all without defeating the purpose of having a 3/4 Ton Diesel truck. Still need to pull that giant trailer, haul those screaming kids, dump that boat in that lake, and camp with that obnoxious guy, (who is my friend by the way). In turn, creating well balanced "Do Anything" truck.
What I started with:
Straight from the dealer.

Towing to the lake.

What it looks like now:

Currently:
Suspension & Steering
- 3" Carli Backcountry 2.0 Lift

• Custom Bilstein 5160 Remote Reservoir Shocks
• Multi-Rate Coils Springs
• Rear 5-Leaf Progressive Spring Pack
• Zinc Plated U-Bolts
• Stainless Sway Bar End Links With F.K. Bearings
• Limit Straps
• Adjustable Track Bar
• High Misalignment Spacers
• Reservoir Mounts

- Carli Long Travel Helper Air Bags
- Carli High Mount Steering Stabilizer
Wheels & Tires
- 17" Wheels BMF M80s (Custom Powder Coated)
- 35x12.5x17 Nitto Trail Grapplers
Bed Cap/ Camper Shell
- Bestop Supertop
Currently this truck spends it’s time hauling the boat to lake, cruising the sand dunes in Pismo, and occasionally surviving the extreme Costco load out my wife takes it on,(good thing I bought an HD).
So, How do I get from here to “The Hell Out of Here?” Well…
Potential Goodies:

Suspension & Steering-
- Carli Full Rear Leaf Packs
- Carli Control Arms
- Carli Dual Steering Stabilizers
- Carli Torsion Sway Bar
Wheels & Tires-
- 35x12.5x17 Toyo Open Country M/Ts
- Full Size Spare
Exterior-
- Custom Front and Rear Bumpers
- Skid Plates and Diff Armor
- Cab Roof Rack
- Bed Cap/ Camper Shell w/ Roof Rack
- Exterior LED Lighting Bumper to Bumper
- Fender Flares
- Roll Out Awning
- Roof Top Tent
- Adjustable Mounting Solutions for Bikes, Kayaks, Fuel Cans, Spare Tire, Hi Lift, Axe & Shovel
- Cab Rock Rails

Cab Interior-
- Navigation/ GPS
- CB/ UHF Radio
- Firearms Safe/ Lock Box
- Small Fire Extinguisher
- Interior Storage Solutions/ Under Rear Seat Storage
Bed Cap/ Camper Shell Interior-
- 12 Volt Electrical System
- Lighting
- Adjustable Rail System
- Pull Out Bed Storage Drawers
- Small Fire Extinguisher
Gear-
- Recovery Gear: Winch, Pull Pal, Hi Lift, MAXTRAX, ECT.
- Tire Deflators
- Axe & Shovel
- Extra Fuel Cans
- Onboard Air System Capable of Air Ups and Running Air Tools
- First Aid and Emergency Survival Gear
- Minimalist Cooking/ Kitchen Supplies
- Camp Table & Chairs
- Fresh Water Tank Plumbed for Heated External Shower
- Larger Fuel Tank

Updates and pictures to follow soon!

 

[chilliwak]

First off I would like to say welcome to the site Rhino! It looks like you have an excellent platform for a good Expo vehicle. You will also find many helpful people here at Expo who can answer most of your questions. Keep posting pics of that fine rig and the travels you get up to. Cheers, Chilli.

 

[Glenn C]

welcome to the site Rhino , that is a smashing rig you have there , im still getting used to the size of US full size trucks lol :victory: love the colour also BTW

 

[ToolBox Guy]

Nice set-up.

Sometimes I wish that I still had the stock bed, so that I could put on a soft top or shell.

 

[High_Country]

Well first off - great job. The build is looking great. Secondly - you STOLE MY FRICKIN' IDEA!!! Haha...

I have a 2011 Crew Cab Outdoorsman with a bestop super top and all.

AND, I have been looking at the Carli suspension system - the Backcountry - that same one you've got. So, since YOU did it first:bowdown: I have to ask: How do you like it? Did you install it yourself? How does it ride now?

I too have been doing some light research on cab top roof racks but haven't had much luck. I sent Garvin an email about a year ago and still have heard nothing back about availability of one of their racks. I probably need to contact Baja Rack or one of the other rack companies on here.

Anyways, would love to hear some feedback on your suspension and your other mods.

Lookin' great!:luxhello:

 

[High_Country]

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't seen this article here yet, check it out:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/veh...le-feature-of-the-week-dodge-power-wagon.html

This was one of the vehicle features on here AND it was featured on Carli's website (he's running a Carli suspension as well).

Yes, it's a Hemi-powered Power Wagon not a CTD, but, it's the same platform and really fun to look at and think about.

 

[DoMiNiC1]

Your truck looks AWESOME! Great platform and what a difference some wheels and tires make!

 

[Warn Industries]

Great looking rig. I dig those Supertops.

- Andy

 

[Halligan]

Nice truck. I have a similar setup exept mine is Hemi powered. I'm running the Carli starter kit to which I added the adjustable track bar and Carli/Bilstein steering stabilizer. Next up will be control arms, air bags, steering stabilizer and bigger tires.

 

[Rhino11]

Well first off - great job. The build is looking great. Secondly - you STOLE MY FRICKIN' IDEA!!! Haha...

AND, I have been looking at the Carli suspension system - the Backcountry - that same one you've got. So, since YOU did it first:bowdown: I have to ask: How do you like it? Did you install it yourself? How does it ride now?

I too have been doing some light research on cab top roof racks but haven't had much luck. I sent Garvin an email about a year ago and still have heard nothing back about availability of one of their racks. I probably need to contact Baja Rack or one of the other rack companies on here.

Anyways, would love to hear some feedback on your suspension and your other mods.

Lookin' great!:luxhello:

See, Great minds do think alike. So far, I like the Backcountry Kit. There are still some bugs to be worked out though, but I'll get into that soon with another post. Overall though, can't go wrong with Carli product.

Wish I could say that I did the install by myself in my driveway... But I can't. A Buddy of mine owns a shop and most of all the work will be done there.
Not quite sure what direction I'll be going with the roof racks yet either.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't seen this article here yet, check it out:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/veh...le-feature-of-the-week-dodge-power-wagon.html

This was one of the vehicle features on here AND it was featured on Carli's website (he's running a Carli suspension as well).

Yes, it's a Hemi-powered Power Wagon not a CTD, but, it's the same platform and really fun to look at and think about.

I love this truck too, it has already been to a lot of the places that I want to take my truck. I just want to do it without that cab over camper, still want to be able to use some of my truck box.

 

[High_Country]

Front Receiver Hitch

Specific to your truck, here's a front receiver mount I'm planning on making for my 2011 Ram. I intend to use it primarily for a mobile winch mount (so I can move the winch around to the back receiver or onto my other 4x4 when necessary). However, you could also use it for all sorts of items designed for a 2-inch receiver - trailer balls, carriers, racks, etc. I saw it in a thread on cumminsforum.com. It appears our trucks are set up pretty well for this. I am trying to do a little research on cooling issues with blocking airflow to the condenser and intercooler but everything I've read so far (not much) indicates there are no issues. There's even another product out there made by Bodiak (www.bodiak.us) that is similar. The ones in the thread below are home-made.
http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2010-general-discussion/331801-receiver-winch-mount.html

 

[Rhino11]

Thanks High Country. I have definitely been rolling the idea of a front mount hitch/winch around as well. I like the idea of being able to move a winch to the rear as well.

 

[chilliwak]

HighCountry, that front reciever hitch set-up for your winch looks like an awesome:Wow1: idea!

 

[Saiyan66]

Welcome to the board Rhino11, where in nor cal are you at? I have a 2012 Cummins that I am currently working on getting set up for similar adventures. Some things that I have already done that you may be interested in are: trimming the lower front valance level with the bottom of the bumper and removing the sway bar. The lower valance just looks wrong hanging that low and you gain alot of approach angle by trimming it. Its about a 20min job start to finish. There is even a molding line on the backside that works to let you cut it nice and straight. As for the sway bar removal, I did it just to see what it was like and ended up keeping it that way. This is something you obviously do at your own risk, but it does allow the front end to move properly and doesn't really sacrifice much in drivability. I towed a 10k 32' bumper pull trailer over 400miles with it off and it wasn't an issue. However my truck is not lifted yet. That may change things. Anyway happy modding and welcome to the Cummins family.

 

[racerjb]

Nice Rig. This is a cool thread as I also have a gen 4 Dodge Cummins that I am slowly building. I fabricated my own front winch mount just like the thread above and it turned our great. I plan on using it mostly for hauling the winch. In my experience the winch is most useful in the back receiver for pulling out backwards, but nice to have the option of both.

I think in order to be fully prepared off road with a 8000lb rig then some lockers would be needed. You may want to consider adding those your "ultimate" list.

I don't have one yet but I think the Thuren sway bar with quick disconnect would be the best of both worlds for on and off road use. I plan on getting one after I do my control arms and rear springs. I'm currently running Thuren fox 2.0, 3" springs, and rear shackles.