patrick_g
Elite Member
This is the truck that I have demoted to #2 when I replaced an '89 Dakota with a Super Duty F-250 with PowerJoke diesel, a crew cab short bed 4x4.
This truck, partially hidden in this morning's fog, is a '97 Dodge/Cumins diesel extended cab with Stahl Grand Challenger service body (customized) and Reunel custom front bumper with dual receiver hitches, 12,000 lb Warn winch, twin driving lights, twin fog lamps, light guards (1 1/4 inch solid round bar) and solid stainless steel push bars (keeps the BMW's out of the radiator.) The front bumper with winch weighs 500 lbs and the metal is custom formed 1/4 inch plate. It has 6 custom spring sets. Front coils are formed from elliptical rods for variable rate, rear leaf packs and overloads are all custom. There are 10,000 lb air bags between rear axle and frame so you can adjust the headlights to where they should be when hauling a heavy load. The schrader valves for the air bags are under the fuel flap next to the fuel cap. The bags may be aired independently to accomopdate an uneven load distribution. I bought a twin dial pressure gauge and HD 12 volt air pump but never got around to installing them. IT turns out I don't "play" with the air bag pressures all that much and I do carry a smaller 12 volt compressor which works just dandy.
The wheels are 19.5 inch Alcoa aluminum and the tires are 245R19.5 Michelin steel belted radials in Mud and snow tread with max inflation pressure of 110 PSI. The fuel tank was replaced with 65 gal after market tank. There are 2 each 220 AH 6 volt golf cart batts in custom boxes in the rear wheel wells (in series you get 12 volts for extra storage of solar electricity when the camper which has roof top solar panels is on the truck.)
The automatic tranny (Aftermarked BD HD tranny) is assisted by a Gear Vendors Over/Under drive aux tranny for 8 forward gears (in 2x4 or 4x4 hi range only) The injector pump was swapped out for a much higher pressure unit and the injectors for units with much finer holes. This gives more HP, torque AND slightly higher MPG at the same time by burning fuel more efficiently. There is an EGT pyro to monitor temps so you don't melt anything racing up a grade with a heavy load. On the flat it is hard to overheat the EGT but it is possible up a hill with a heavy load/tow if you keep the pedal to the metal long enough.
There are dual gas charged front shocks (Bilsteins) and there is an exhaust brake to assist, especially on long and or steep down grades. The receiver hitch (rear bumper) is replaced with a Class V assy rated at 14,000 lbs. I have an extension/adaptor that allows towing a trailer behind the truck while carrying an extended camper. This downsizes the class V receiver to a standard 2 inch drawbar and down rates the carrying capacity to 6000 lbs while extending the drawbar a few feet behind the standard ball location.
The rear dock bumper is boxed in for greater torsional strength as the rear camper tie downs are weld-on pad eyes on the bumper. I have replaced the mandated People's Republic of California intake manifold with poor distribution due to an EGR arrangement with a "Free States" intake manifold with much better flow and distribution.
I carry a 4 ft long 600 lb-ft torque wrench for use as a breaker bar for the tire lugs as well as to set the torque on the wheel lugs (450 lb-ft)
There are lots of other minor little mods like the CB, VHF and UHF ham radios, GPS, (rear view camera coming soon), and after market mirrors that extend/retract electrically as well as adjust and have breakaway mounts that ONLY WORK GOING FORWARD (unfortunately) but the above is the bulk of the changes. There are little touches like mud flaps at the front of the front wheel wells which if you have seriously off roaded a Dodge like this you will understand. The muffler was replaced with a larger HD unit just slightly louder but way less restriction in keeping with the performance of the 4 inch exhaust. The turbo spools up much quicker so less response lag. (Still, the F-250 with totally stock engine will smoke the Dodge off the line and through a quarter mile as it has much more acceleration. However, loading the tractor onto the trailer attached to the F-250 and the truck nearly goes airborne and towing a heavy load behind the F-250 DOES NOT FEEL NEARLY AS SECURE.
Pat
This truck, partially hidden in this morning's fog, is a '97 Dodge/Cumins diesel extended cab with Stahl Grand Challenger service body (customized) and Reunel custom front bumper with dual receiver hitches, 12,000 lb Warn winch, twin driving lights, twin fog lamps, light guards (1 1/4 inch solid round bar) and solid stainless steel push bars (keeps the BMW's out of the radiator.) The front bumper with winch weighs 500 lbs and the metal is custom formed 1/4 inch plate. It has 6 custom spring sets. Front coils are formed from elliptical rods for variable rate, rear leaf packs and overloads are all custom. There are 10,000 lb air bags between rear axle and frame so you can adjust the headlights to where they should be when hauling a heavy load. The schrader valves for the air bags are under the fuel flap next to the fuel cap. The bags may be aired independently to accomopdate an uneven load distribution. I bought a twin dial pressure gauge and HD 12 volt air pump but never got around to installing them. IT turns out I don't "play" with the air bag pressures all that much and I do carry a smaller 12 volt compressor which works just dandy.
The wheels are 19.5 inch Alcoa aluminum and the tires are 245R19.5 Michelin steel belted radials in Mud and snow tread with max inflation pressure of 110 PSI. The fuel tank was replaced with 65 gal after market tank. There are 2 each 220 AH 6 volt golf cart batts in custom boxes in the rear wheel wells (in series you get 12 volts for extra storage of solar electricity when the camper which has roof top solar panels is on the truck.)
The automatic tranny (Aftermarked BD HD tranny) is assisted by a Gear Vendors Over/Under drive aux tranny for 8 forward gears (in 2x4 or 4x4 hi range only) The injector pump was swapped out for a much higher pressure unit and the injectors for units with much finer holes. This gives more HP, torque AND slightly higher MPG at the same time by burning fuel more efficiently. There is an EGT pyro to monitor temps so you don't melt anything racing up a grade with a heavy load. On the flat it is hard to overheat the EGT but it is possible up a hill with a heavy load/tow if you keep the pedal to the metal long enough.
There are dual gas charged front shocks (Bilsteins) and there is an exhaust brake to assist, especially on long and or steep down grades. The receiver hitch (rear bumper) is replaced with a Class V assy rated at 14,000 lbs. I have an extension/adaptor that allows towing a trailer behind the truck while carrying an extended camper. This downsizes the class V receiver to a standard 2 inch drawbar and down rates the carrying capacity to 6000 lbs while extending the drawbar a few feet behind the standard ball location.
The rear dock bumper is boxed in for greater torsional strength as the rear camper tie downs are weld-on pad eyes on the bumper. I have replaced the mandated People's Republic of California intake manifold with poor distribution due to an EGR arrangement with a "Free States" intake manifold with much better flow and distribution.
I carry a 4 ft long 600 lb-ft torque wrench for use as a breaker bar for the tire lugs as well as to set the torque on the wheel lugs (450 lb-ft)
There are lots of other minor little mods like the CB, VHF and UHF ham radios, GPS, (rear view camera coming soon), and after market mirrors that extend/retract electrically as well as adjust and have breakaway mounts that ONLY WORK GOING FORWARD (unfortunately) but the above is the bulk of the changes. There are little touches like mud flaps at the front of the front wheel wells which if you have seriously off roaded a Dodge like this you will understand. The muffler was replaced with a larger HD unit just slightly louder but way less restriction in keeping with the performance of the 4 inch exhaust. The turbo spools up much quicker so less response lag. (Still, the F-250 with totally stock engine will smoke the Dodge off the line and through a quarter mile as it has much more acceleration. However, loading the tractor onto the trailer attached to the F-250 and the truck nearly goes airborne and towing a heavy load behind the F-250 DOES NOT FEEL NEARLY AS SECURE.
Pat
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) and 20', 10,000#. I have visions of adding a skid loader sometime in the future.
