Project: PolarRAM

[6DoF]

vent door seal:
so i ended up using a 1/2" wide, 1/4" tall, 'very soft' peal n stick. tried a firm foam first and it was not good.

shift tower had all the bolts loose and was spilling fluid down the side of the trans. scared me when i saw a huge puddle of trans fluid, but easy fix. added the dual valve cover vent to hopefully huff less oil on the highway, tired of having to clean it off my tailgate n bumper. plus the engine was 3qt low ...

just got the heated seats wired into switches finally ... during the hottest week this year

door sill trim i ordered when i installed the new carpet has just been sitting around so i decided to also install that. why did i wait!??!!?

power steering pump went in a weird way, it just slowly reduced assistance until it finally started to cavitate at lower R's. big bumps would basically shove the fluid back up i think ... maybe the relief valve died? threw in a 2nd gen pump with the dual returns in case i ever swap to hydroboost.

both tabs for the map light finally broke off using them as a cell phone mount, so i redesigned things to clamp to the dash bezel. way way better solution it turns out.

in an attempt to reduce cabin heat and sound, i popped the down pipe out to wrap real quick. while doing that i found where the exhaust was hitting the floor and fixed that too! quick 'titanium' wrap, and back together where the turbo outlet v-band stripped... and this is where i sit currently waiting on shipping for that thing to show up.

and the best update yet, the one i cant' freakin wait to try out as soon as that v-band shows up, the one-pc drive shaft. getting rid of the absolutely TORCHED carrier bearing, and any possibility of it failing ever again. 1410 CV required a new flange yoke for the 205, that is actually a junk yard find front yoke from an np241 Cummins truck. had to get a new output seal since it had a smaller OD on the yoke, but that's easily available. by FAR the cheapest option was to buy the complete CV from Denny's drive shafts and have it built locally, was only $610 total. club cab/long bed, 5600/205, d80, is only a 70.5" shaft.

[6DoF]

HOLY CRAP!! it's like a whole new truck.

either the 2nd gen steering pump is that different, or the pump i had has been failing since before i bought this truck. everything about the steering is just clean now. well, and i greased everything up there

then the drive shaft, fawk, even the clutch is smoother. i knew the carrier bearing rubber was blown out, but would have never expected it to create excessive clutch chatter. i could drive around it, but now i don't have to. again, i've known it was fubar for about a year, but it's obviously been bad since before i got the truck.

[xj_man_646]

that is awesome!

[6DoF]

you ever do something and then instantly regret it? not cuz it's bad, but because it's going to cost you more money?

so i wanted to try the 35" ATs from this truck on my street rod jeep. same 8-lug, just thinking the lighter 35's might hoon around town better. so while i try that, i threw the 37's on the Ram ... and now i don't know that i can take them off.

if you look back at post #102, i confirmed i could spin the wheel in the tire while towing up my driveway. it takes serious initiative to tow 10,000lbs up. the prior wheels were "street locks" with just decorative rings, the racelines are for realz. so that's a plus. the 37's ride a touch better actually, but mostly they stretched out the gears juuust a little. with the 6spd it's really pretty good. i need to try towing and see how they do, but i feel like that'll be all fine. then it just looks right. slightly wider tire, slightly less backspacing, the MT, the machined face with the chrome ... if i'm going to have a big truck, it might as well just be proper big.

and the nitto's don't pick up and hold stones from the driveway to later throw at the paint when i get on the highway! so i took the mud flap off, it was never right but helped protect from the stones. i'll redo something different this winter maybe.

[MBood82]

If you decide to keep 37s on the truck would you stick with the mud terrains or would you go with something more street friendly for towing?

37s look good under it, kind of like they belong on it. How well do they clear the wheel wells? Looks tight in the front at least, surely you don't want to start getting into cutting on that minty machine...?

[xj_man_646]

Yeah the 37's look great. I'd love to do 37's on my truck someday...I think it needs the 4.30 gear option for that though.

Only down side (for me) is the hit to fuel economy and tire replacement costs. Sure does look good though!

[6DoF]

ya know, i really think i'll stick with the MT's. truck had MT's when i got it and i went to AT's for all "the right reasons" ... but MT's might just be the correct choice. just sux these tires are dated 15th week of 2015 so i'll have to get new in the spring before towing season

[6DoF]

so these pics are at worst case turning clearance, still should be fine for daily/tow mode. it's actually mid- steer, at full lock it's way more room too. it would need clearance before i went crawling with it, but that's not going to be any time soon.

the TJ however has not faired well in this ... ew ... BUT, what i wanted to try that started all this was trying the lighter 35's on the TJ. would that be better for general hooning around, and it is. she holds the road better, a tiny bit quicker, and the gears feel a little bit closer. maybe these tires but with less stupid wheels?

[xj_man_646]

Yeah, I do not like those wheels on the TJ. When is it getting an 8 lug front end?

[Dennis]

I don't like those wheels on a KIA Telluride.
The 37s look great on the Dodge. The racelines are great wheels. Neighbor has them with black centers and the silver ring on his red Silverado, looks awesome.

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

Yeah, I do not like those wheels on the TJ. When is it getting an 8 lug front end?

i actually started designing a light weight fabricated 9" last week!

[xj_man_646]

Niceeeee!. 05+ SuperDuty D60 outers? Get that sweet sweet steering angle!

[wrath]

I think I could fill all the potholes in Washtenaw County with the gravel I have stuck in the tread of my Wildpeak ATs. I pull my arm in the door when it gets above 20mph so I don't take a hit from an escaping stone.