Lady Godiva: 2017 Ram 3500 CCLB Build

[Adventurous]

DSC_3956 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

Why hello again ExPo! Welcome to the build thread for my 2017 Ram 3500 4x4 crew cab long bed single rear wheel 6.7L Cummins! Phew, that's a mouthful...

What is the motivation for this build thread?

We all dream about going on a true expedition or road trip in our lives, in my case, this is quickly becoming a reality. While the wife and I have greatly enjoyed our time in CO, we have decided to put our stuff in storage, sell the house, and hit the road while we are still young, child-less, and have the opportunity and funds to do it. The stars don't always align like this and I want to seize the opportunity while it exists.

This build will be pretty mild in comparison to my Tacoma (https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...p-jones-2015-tacoma-dclb-build-thread.132721/). After all, it is a full size crew cab long bed pickup truck, not exactly a trail smasher, but that doesn't mean it has to be uncomfortable in the dirt or incapable of taking us off the beaten path. I have a pretty good idea of where this build thread will go, but minor suspension modifications, proper A/T tires, and on-board air compressor are in the plan.

2017 Ram 3500 crew cab long bed, Tradesman trim, Delmonico Red
6.7L Cummins turbo-diesel engine, 370 HP, 800 lb*ft
6-speed automatic 68RFE transmission
4x4 with electronic shift on-the-fly shift
U-connect w/5" touchscreen display
Cloth seats with 40/20/40 beat seat up front and 60/40 bench seat in rear
5th wheel/gooseneck prep package
Cold weather package
Protection package

DSC_3962 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

DSC_3951 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

DSC_3949 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

DSC_3974 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

DSC_3976 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

 

[Ravenmad]

Welllllllll, looking forward to seeing the build and your vision for how you want to use the platform.... (Im a fan of the platform for sure)...

 

[Tex68w]

Should be interesting to see how you utilize that 8ft bed. Definitely going to be watching this build closely.

 

[Adventurous]

Welllllllll, looking forward to seeing the build and your vision for how you want to use the platform.... (Im a fan of the platform for sure)...

Should be interesting to see how you utilize that 8ft bed. Definitely going to be watching this build closely.

Thanks fellas! Looking forward to getting this rolling, but at the same time I'm still in the 'honestly evaluating needs' phase. I only have a few months before we hit the road, so I'm trying not to get too crazy.

Still debating a suspension lift. I'll have a truck camper in the bed, so I don't want to go too high and compromise stability, but it still feels like with the long wheel base it could use a bit of help so I don't get high centered on waterbars. Waffling back and forth at the moment about just getting some good shocks or whether to step it up into a full lift kit. Tires are on the list, but I'll more than likely stay near the stock size as I'll need to carry the spare under the bed and it doesn't appear that there's a whole lotta room to get a bigger tire in there.

 

[LimaMikeMike]

Thuren or Carli suspension should be on your short list for suspension mods. Talk to Don Thuren about your suspension needs regarding the camper, he’s good people and will be honest with you.

 

[Boz]

Thuren or Carli suspension should be on your short list for suspension mods. Talk to Don Thuren about your suspension needs regarding the camper, he’s good people and will be honest with you.

This, all day every day.

 

[Adventurous]

Thuren or Carli suspension should be on your short list for suspension mods. Talk to Don Thuren about your suspension needs regarding the camper, he’s good people and will be honest with you.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll contact the folks at Thuren and get their recommendation. *Goes off to the Thuren site*

Only Thuren and Carli were on my list and, to be honest, I found their kits much more attractive than the 3" offered by AEV for several reasons. AEV supplies Bilstein shocks with their kit which feature digressive valving; having run Icon (digressive) and King (progressive) on my Tacoma, I found the progressive valving much better for my needs. Not to mention I have the challenge of finding something that rides well both unloaded, and with 3,300 lbs of payload, a tall challenge for any 2.0 shock, nevermind without reservoirs.

 

[Gibby56]

Hey now, you have to give credit where credit is due! AEV is great for the mall and fire roads

Another +1 for Thuren and Carli.

Also, Synergy is finally starting to release a bunch of stuff they have been working on for the past couple years. So keep an eye on them too

 

[Ravenmad]

Don at Thuren is great. I spent a bunch of time talking to him. In the end I went with that "mall and fire roads" suspension because it was the only one to fit a 41 inch tall tire properly. We will be upgrading the rear springs and rear track bar with thuren pieces as well as king shocks all the way around. I really wish I could have run their springs in the front to soften the ride, but I can't stand the thought of springs bowing and not being positioned properly.

If you run the Thuren suspension you will be VERY happy...

 

[Adventurous]

This is all super valuable feedback! And to think my buddy was trying to sway me to the AEV kit cause it relocates the wheel forward in the wheel well, all while the other guy we are having lunch with has to have his passenger side knuckle replaced cause the drag link insert wallowed out. No thanks.

 

[Ravenmad]

This is all super valuable feedback! And to think my buddy was trying to sway me to the AEV kit cause it relocates the wheel forward in the wheel well, all while the other guy we are having lunch with has to have his passenger side knuckle replaced cause the drag link insert wallowed out. No thanks.

Machine the knuckle, bevel the shoulder top and bottom, heat the knuckle, tig weld the insert in, grind / machine flush and assemble.... I've seen it before, guys drill a hole in the knuckle with a standard drill bit and a hand held drill ( which is impossible to actually produce a round hole ) , then they drop the insert in and wonder why it eggs out the whole even more over time....

 

[Ravenmad]

Forgot to say, if your only going to run a 35 -38 inch tire, it does not seem like there is any reason at all to buy an AEV kit. The Thuren is a far better riding kit and will do everything you want it to do. The wheel wells on these trucks is great and easily accommodates those tire sizes with a little trimming. Problem arises for those of us who want to run a 40 plus inch tire. Me Im not going to be running my truck at high speed and I wanted the bigger tire, so it will cost me more money to make it right.

Lookin g forward to your finished product, will be good to see another RAM platform out there on the forum...

 

[Adventurous]

Forgot to say, if your only going to run a 35 -38 inch tire, it does not seem like there is any reason at all to buy an AEV kit. The Thuren is a far better riding kit and will do everything you want it to do. The wheel wells on these trucks is great and easily accommodates those tire sizes with a little trimming. Problem arises for those of us who want to run a 40 plus inch tire. Me Im not going to be running my truck at high speed and I wanted the bigger tire, so it will cost me more money to make it right.

Lookin g forward to your finished product, will be good to see another RAM platform out there on the forum...

You are right, not sure I'll ever end up running anything larger than 35s, partially because options for an all terrain get limited once you get much bigger than that, and partially because, well, I just don't need it. If there's terrain out there that a crew cab long bed truck needs 40s to traverse, chances are you won't find me there.

Speaking of which, I haven't run all terrains in years...what have I been missing out on? I'll be carrying a 3,300 lb camper (wet & loaded), so I really need a tire capable of handling 3,600+ lbs (based on rear axle weight bias of 2,900 lbs unloaded, per literature, not a scale). Something that's not too loud on road, is good in rain and snow, and decent off road. I was initially looking at BFG AT KO2s, but I'd be pigeonholed into the stock size, 275/70R18 due to payload considerations, none of other's provide much if any margin.

Additionally, does anyone know of pre-fabbed mounts to get an ARB compressor into our trucks? Not sure I can live without OBA at this point, especially if I end up needing bags.

Sorry for the bombardment of questions, this thread is as much learning at this point as it is a build. Being new to a full size solid axle vehicle, I'm doing my best to come up to speed.

 

[Tex68w]

Speaking of which, I haven't run all terrains in years...what have I been missing out on? I'll be carrying a 3,300 lb camper (wet & loaded), so I really need a tire capable of handling 3,600+ lbs (based on rear axle weight bias of 2,900 lbs unloaded, per literature, not a scale). Something that's not too loud on road, is good in rain and snow, and decent off road. I was initially looking at BFG AT KO2s, but I'd be pigeonholed into the stock size, 275/70R18 due to payload considerations, none of other's provide much if any margin.

Additionally, does anyone know of pre-fabbed mounts to get an ARB compressor into our trucks? Not sure I can live without OBA at this point, especially if I end up needing bags.

In regards to the tires, look into the offerings from Toyo, more specifically the Open Country RT. The RT is kind of a mix between an AT and a MT, but it is extremely smooth and quiet on the road and the 35x12.50R18 is E load range so should come close to handling your load out. Nitto carries the Terra Grappler G2 (325/60R18 and 35x12.50R18) and the new Ridge Grappler (cousin to the Toyo RT) in a 35x12.50R18, the Ridge Grappler is a F-load range so nearly 4,000 lb capacity.

I too am also interested in a pre-fab ARB twin-compressor mount for late model Ram trucks. I am struggling with where to mount mine and I don't really feel like messing with designing and fabbing something one-off.

 

[Boz]

Are you keeping the stock wheels or upgrading? This is Thuren's personal truck. 2.25" coils and 38x15.5r20's. Personally, I think I'd use those coils, his 2.5" Kings and run Toyo R/T's in the 37x13.5r20 (20's only for the load rating). I run the Toyo m/t's on my truck in a 37x13.5r17 which have a 4300lbs rating.