A Dodge Registry "Dark Thunder"

A friend of mine gave me this 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The transmission wouldn't get out of 2nd and it needed some basic maintenance. He wanted to give it to a junkyard, but he called me up at work and asked if I wanted it. I said "Hell, yeah!" and brought it home a week later.


Specs:

5.2L V8 (230HP @ 4400RPM / 300 ft.lb. torque @ 3200RPM)
46RE 4-speed Auto
2WD
Single Cab Long Bed
3.55 Gear Ratio
9.25 Chrysler Rear Axle
ST w/ Cruise, A/C, and fogs
126K miles
Towing Capacity of 8000 lbs
Exhaust cut off after Cats
Class IV Hitch 10,000lb GTW

When I brought it home:

Now:

Flexing

Future Mods

Powertrax Lock Right Locker
Dual Battery setup
Better seats

That's pretty much it. I want more MPGs out of it than the measly 10-12 it has around town. The Scan Gauge will help with logging MPG gains and RPMs, and the filter will allow the engine to breath a little better.

Why is the truck jinxed, you say? The answer is simple. I cannot go 2 weeks in a row without something going wrong, be it my fault, general maintenance that's been ignored, or paperwork that's not been done right.

1. Title and Registration issues kept me from driving the truck for 6 months.
2. In trying to get the truck running, the battery craps out
3. When I finally get the truck legal, the radiator blows out on the highway.
4. That same week, I hit a guy who didn't pay attention to traffic, crunching in the fender and destroying the signal lens.
5. While that is being hashed out with the insurance company, the ball joints decide to do the rumba with my steering.
6. Took a while but got the joints done and then did a slide into "home" at 45, because the wheel fell off due to my negligence in checking the lugnuts.
7. With a destroyed knuckle and lower balljoint, I get the pleasure of fixing it in one of Houston's coldest winters.
8. Engine overheated. Nearly zero coolant in reservoir.
9. Transmission slipping out of gear randomly due to Powertrain module
10. While pushing the Explorer up on a trailer, the Ram gets a nose job from the trailer hitch when it kicks off the front rail.
11. Took the Ram on an unscheduled detour and while hopping a curb, I got stuck on the tranny cross member. Getting off required turning the the cross member into a pretzel.
12. Water pump blew out right before I left for Austin to get the part to fix the Explorer.
I know I should be getting the hint now, but I can't get over my attachment to this truck.

Maintenance 'n Mods

Interior
Replacement cup holders
Dash cover

Sound
Two 6x9 Kenwoods
Sony CD/USB/Radio head unit

Suspension/Steering
New Ball Joints
Refurbished driver's side steering knuckle
New inner and outer tie rods
New Gabriel Ultra shocks
New Pitman arm

Brakes
New Rotors and Pads

Drivetrain
New Governor and Governor Sensor for transmission
4 qts Valvoline Synth ATF w/ 1 qt of Lucas Tranny Fix
New Filter and Pan gasket for the Transmission

Engine
New Spark Plugs
New Filter
Oil Change every 4k
New Belt tensioner
New Belt

Exhaust
Cut off after Cats

Body
Fixed floppy antenna
New Wipers

Cooling/Heating
New Radiator
New Water Pump
Drier replaced
Liquid Line replaced

Wheels
265/70/16 Michelin LTX's
Chrome Stars

Lighting
Sylvania Silverstars Headlights
Fog Lights

Accessories/Mods
A.R.E "V" Model Bed Cap
Two 10k lb. Reese Tow Hooks
12v Power Socket in Truck Bed
CB Radio
Scan Gauge II
AEM Brute Force Cold Air Intake

 

[rookieshooter]

Now you can go camping and sleep in the back.

Better get that exhaust fixed before anybody or pets get in the back
Does look sharp

 

[MrQ]

Yeah, I do need to do that Rookie, but I am just going to put a down turn on it pointing to the passenger side of the truck and call it good. The exhaust that I pulled out was spot welded in places, pieces were missing, rust was everywhere and there was really no good way to fix it without running something completely new. I'll probably just cut the muffler off of it and see about getting it put on whats left and then dump it out the side.

Also here is a pic of a little flexing I did.

 

[MrQ]

Did some maintenance on Thunder today. I decided to go ahead and replace the cap and rotor about a month ago and just never got to it. Well, after I did, now I know why I should have.

I also reran the spark plug wires as there was a TSB from Chrysler about problems with the current setup.

Next up I tackled my FIRST ever oil change. Yeah, I know. A guy who has pulled trannys and converted a truck to 4x4 has never done an oil change till now. Anyways, I picked up an official MOPAR oil filter and used Valvoline High Mileage 10w-30 oil. It went pretty fast and there were no problems. I almost didn't need to put it on the ramps.

Here is the oil after, maybe, 2000 miles:

Not pretty, but the guy before didn't take really good care of the truck and probably didn't change the oil as often as he should have. This is only the second oil change since I have owned it. I hope the first one flushed most of the gunk out.

 

[reapereviltwin]

Yep, that rotor button is a tad worn!!

A guy who has pulled trannys and converted a truck to 4x4 has never done an oil change till now.

A lot of people can say they did an oil change.
But how many folks can say they converted a 2wd to a 4wd?

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

 

[rookieshooter]

I would replace the spark plug wires if they're still the original or at least run an Ohm's/per ft. test on them to see if they're within specs.

 

[MrQ]

So far the truck is running like a swiss clock right now, but I do want to get those wires replaced, its just a matter of having the money to do it. I also need to get new tires sometime this year, the ones I am running have about 5-10k left on them and are getting a little worn. I also want to change out the gear oil as well.

I'm thinking a locker would go nice in that rear axle, for when I hit the beach and do a little off-roading of my own. Unfortunately, Aussie doesn't make one for the Chrysler 9.25" So, I am going to have to look elsewhere, I guess.

The a/c also went out again. Apparently, somebody wrapped tin foil around the fluid line to repair a leak. Turns out foil doesn't hold line pressure very well. So, that's next on my list of todo's along with replacing the fog light bulbs, getting that headlight replaced, and repairing the dash.

You know I would also would really like a set of those clearance lights that come on the larger models...they just look so freaking cool!!

 

[cybergasm]

.
You know I would also would really like a set of those clearance lights that come on the larger models...they just look so freaking cool!!

:thumbdwn:

Sorry not a Fan

Nuff said

 

[MrQ]

Says the man who drives a rig all day with such lights...:

Anyways, staying on the lighting topic, my truck didn't come with an under hood light. Seriously, what penny-pinching vehicle manufacturer wouldn't provide a single dollar light under the hood, just so you don't shock yourself on the battery posts at night?

Chrysler did.

But that is now corrected! I grabbed a under hood light and the wiring harness off an older Dodge for a $1. I also dropped by AZ to pick up a bulb and a switch for it (I was going under the impression that this would be a full install job) got home, popped the hood, and guess what I saw? This nicely bundled wire with connector shoved behind the wiring harness. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Moving on, I clipped the harness to the hood, cleaned the light holder, and changed the plug on the harness (later models used a different connector, don't ask me why :scratch and then promptly blew a fuse.

With the fuse fixed, I got my light working, so no longer do I have to drag out the extension cable and my work light to check my oil at night.

 

[cybergasm]

Says the man who drives a rig all day with such lights...:

Only cause it is Required by the DOT

But given a choice in the matter i say

Carry on

 

[MrQ]

So after the fishing trip last weekend and an event that occurred on said trip, I decides some modifications were in order.

I removed this:

Added two of these

and voila!

Thunder looks sooo, much better:

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

uh oh, you got the ram stuck on the beach?

 

[cybergasm]

Tree 1 Ram 0:

 

[MrQ]

uh oh, you got the ram stuck on the beach?

Nope pulled out stuck jeep. Just want to be ready if another opportunity comes along

Tree 1 Ram 0:

Umm, yeah... I ain't that dumb.

 

[MrQ]

Yesterday, I used Thunder to push Red up on Mike's trailer. Unfortunately, Red wasn't about to go without a fight and kicked off the front of the trailer rail while I was still pushing it and slammed the trailer hitch into my front grill.

You can see some of the damage here:

Close-ups taken today

Some of this was preventable if I had another tire hanging around, but I didn't and this was the only way Red was going anywhere. So I said my "Oh $hit" and moved on.

I pulled out the support for the grill so it wasn't bent in and replaced the emblem with fresh epoxy, so all in all, its not bad, but Thunder will go around town looking like its got a broken nose for a while yet.

To make up for such a lousy day, I decided to spruce the Ram up with a truck bed 12v power outlet. The lead off the battery is about 20ft of 16 ga. wire, with a 10 amp fuse behind the driver's side tail light. All the connections are made with spade connectors, so if the camper comes off, I can remove the outlet and just leave the holder.

Last, but absolutely not least, I added a little EF bling to Thunder along with my 2" "Explorer" receiver cap:

Can Dark Thunder now be enlisted into the Ranks of the Explorer Forum?

 

[reapereviltwin]

Wow, that looks a lot better than after you pushed Red onto the trailer. Like you said, Red wasn't going without a fight!!

 

[MrQ]

Ran the Dodge up to Marble Falls last weekend and it ran perfectly...that is if I could keep gas in it. 13mpg back and forth. Not making me happy, but heck, its a 1/2 ton truck with a big front end and a gas sucking v8...gotta learn to live with it.

But as far as everything else, it ran perfectly. Still need to trailer something with it and see how it handles down the road.

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

Obligatory post my friend :







Seriously, the truck is looking good!!

 

[black91EB]

Ran the Dodge up to Marble Falls last weekend and it ran perfectly...that is if I could keep gas in it. 13mpg back and forth. Not making me happy, but heck, its a 1/2 ton truck with a big front end and a gas sucking v8...gotta learn to live with it.

But as far as everything else, it ran perfectly. Still need to trailer something with it and see how it handles down the road.

mine is a 3/4 ton 4x4 and it gets 21... Lol, sorry, couldn't resist.
Glad shes runnin well for you, thats the important part. It being a long bed truck it should tow nicely, but be prepared for single digit mileage. If you're gonna tow a bunch with it, get a brake controller, will make your life alot easier with something heavy on it.

 

[MrQ]

I finally got fed up with my a/c system...or lack thereof. I'm sitting in my truck, boiling for 20 minutes in a 100 degree heat, so by the time I'm done all that sweating has turned me into a shriveled hot shell of a human being. But that's all done now (knock on wood) and with two days of work, a new accumulator, orifice tube, fluid line, and 3 cans of freon...I seem to have my a/c in working order.

Unfortunately, on Saturday, I accrued more battle damage to the Dodge. So, tell me whats wrong with this picture:

I took a small detour to get into a Sonic, which require hopping a curb. Technically I could have made it since I'm running 31's, but the stupid tranny cross member sits so low underneath the truck that it got hooked on the curb, which got me stuck. I panicked and gunned the engine which in turn did a number on that piece of metal. If I had had 4wd I probably could have made it out of that mess.