Megacab Ram very slow build thread

[anotheraznguy]

This is more to log the trials and mistakes i make in my journey to take the road less traveled with my family

We are a family of 4 with 2 boys under 4 years of age and a 50 lb Pit. Right now we are just getting them accustomed to long road trips and overnight camping. Nothing more than that since the 2 year old can get a little fussy. I will most likely be documenting not just parts for the truck since that will be few and far in between updates. The updates will hopefully be about gear storage and camping gear as well as recovery gear.

The goal of the truck is to remain as stock engine was as possible while still being a capable trail rig and hopefully not damage the body

Truck as she sits right now after a wash

Suspension / Wheel
Zone offroad 6.5" Lift kit with longer radius arm
Fox 2.0 Shocks
Steering Box Brace (Can't remember brand, bought it about the same day i got the truck)
20x9 Method Race wheels +0 offset (+ full size matching spare)
37x12.5r20 Toyo RT

Interior
Seat to seat Quilted seat cover for the dog.
2 Recaro Child seats
Bergan Dog harness

Misc
Stubby Antennae (Apparently the stock antenna got bent in the wind)
Piaa Windshield wipers (Best wipers I had on all my cars, lasts 4-6 years even in Cali sun)
Line-X Bed
Amp Retractable Steps

Recovery / Emergency Gear
4 LB ABC Fire extinguisher (I get very paranoid and would rather have it and not need it rather than need it than not have it
3 Ton Aluminum floor jack
Tuff Stuff Xtreme 5.65 CFM air compressor
Bully Rail mounted tie down clamps
Quick Tire Deflators
Tire Repair Kit
Maxsa Traction Mat's
Trauma First aid Kit
Folding Shover


Current camping gear
2 Plano Lockers for all storage
Coleman White gas camp stove
Portable Weber Propane grill
Cheap Coleman Tent / Sleeping Bags
Cheap kitchenware set
Rtic 65 cooler

Shot of the seat cover still allowing access to the floor to store dirty stuff inside the cab as well

Planned mods
(Ever changed and ever growing)

Rock sliders
Quick disconnect front Sway bar Endlink
Front bumper / Wionch
Wraparound Rear bumper
More recovery gear
Shovel/Axe/Saw
Regear 4.10 or 4.56
Air Lockers
Rear Track bar
Front Track bar
Some sort of lights
Decked Drawers
Hydraulic Assist Steering
Black Pine Instant Tent
Cots or Air Mattresses or Self-Inflatable pads

 

[anotheraznguy]

Since we mainly travel alone we need to put importance on self recover and since the vehicle is rather new armor is a necessity.

One of the main issues believe it or not is the lack of usable storage and factory tiedown points in the bed. There are only 4 tie down points at the bottom corner of each and the two rear bed stake pockets. With a 37" Tire in the bed half of the space is wasted and the remaining space is just enough for 2 storage chests and 1 cooler with small space around the bed in the corners.

With our last trip out we were stuck for over an hour digging our way out and almost high centered the truck on a big log. Luckily the truck was lifted otherwise i would have door sill damage. That situation has given me the green flag for winch and some sliders to replace the amp steps.

Since the truck is a laramie trim it has parking sensors front and rear and backup camera. I would like to retain as much of that as possible So the first thing that has been on my mind is Sliders or Winch/bumper

 

[Fred Austin]

Like your setup and what you have planned. I'm in a similar situation. 2017 Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 Off Road edition. just a few mods so far. Oil Bypass, steering brace, stubby antenna. Lots of ideas but it will be a slow build, everything and I mean everything is EXPENSIVE!!!!!! But I'll get there....as Johnny Cash said......."One piece at a time"!

 

[boss324]

Since we mainly travel alone we need to put importance on self recover and since the vehicle is rather new armor is a necessity.

One of the main issues believe it or not is the lack of usable storage and factory tiedown points in the bed. There are only 4 tie down points at the bottom corner of each and the two rear bed stake pockets. With a 37" Tire in the bed half of the space is wasted and the remaining space is just enough for 2 storage chests and 1 cooler with small space around the bed in the corners.

With our last trip out we were stuck for over an hour digging our way out and almost high centered the truck on a big log. Luckily the truck was lifted otherwise i would have door sill damage. That situation has given me the green flag for winch and some sliders to replace the amp steps.

Since the truck is a laramie trim it has parking sensors front and rear and backup camera. I would like to retain as much of that as possible So the first thing that has been on my mind is Sliders or Winch/bumper

I think that is a great start to your build. Add some sliders for piece of mind I tapped my running boards twice on a moderate trail! I try not to travel alone until I have enough experience and gear/spare parts to get myself out of jams. I've been wrenching and learning all I can on this generation platform and feel I can tackle most of the suspension bits if needed to in the field. Just need to stock up on parts. I have my old set of tie rods, need to replace my front axles then will keep those as spares...so on and so forth.

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[Fred Austin]

I hear ya about carrying some spare parts. Found some suspension parts from Thuren I may go with, front coils, Fox shocks, adjustable track bar, sway bar upgrade and better end links front and rear. I'll probably run 35's to start with because I can't afford to re-gear right now. I'm looking at 4:56's and Detroit TruTrac LSD's. I know s true locker is better but the cost is just out of my budget fire now. How are you setting up your bed for hauling your camping gear?

 

[anotheraznguy]

I give up on spare parts. Trying to keep spare parts on the trail for a ram is expensive and heavy.
Getting spare axle shafts are about 300 each and about 20-30lbs
Getting spare or using oem track bars are pretty easy but the weight penalty is bad
Getting spare front and rear driveshafts get expensive considering that the rear 1 piece driveshaft is 800 dollars.
Since the rears are full float if you break a shaft on the trail you can still limp into town. The tools required to replace everything on a 3/4 ton is bigger which means more space is occupied and more weight. A lot of the bolts are TQ'ed so hard that it would be hard to pull it off without a 4ft cheater pipe. Since the vehicle is still relatively new i wouldn't worry too much about carrying spares. The only spare i would keep with me would be belts / waterpump (If diesel) / 2 fuel filters (If diesel).

Right now for hauling all my stuff
i have 2 plano 1919 sportsman trunks and cooler. The tent just sits in the bed and misc items are scattered throughout. I try and keep everything under the bed height.
also had 2 sets of these for more tie downs since the ram is terrible in terms of cargo tie downs unless you have the rambox. I just use my 2" ratchet straps and go to town strapping everything down. The main issue is my spare tire cause it takes up so much bed space. Still racking my brand around that

I am starting to look at sliders and I reached out to a Fab shop out in Livermore. Price full welded to frame is over 1k vs getting the white knuckle offroad sliders which ended up being over 1500 shipped and tax. Living in California really is starting to hurt the wallet in terms of sales tax. Even amazon loves to collect tax.

Right now my to buy list is
Sliders
Front Bumper
Winch

 

[boss324]

Lol yeah I am in a different situation 14 year old 3/4 burb so extra pieces will be kept as I replace with heavier duty components. Looking at common failures for the platform like axles and tie rods obviously belts etc. Also depends on length and duration of the run or how technical is the trail that's where I'd be bringing the extra parts. I am starting to like the 2500 Ram platform especially the Power Wagon. Are you looking to add rear lockers down the line?

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[anotheraznguy]

The power wagons sure are sexy, but when i was looking for my truck i was still towing my 20 ft enclosed and having towed that with a tundra the mpg was horrible due to the wind resistance so i went with diesel since my old 2nd gen cumming got almost 11 mpg towing. +I have a soft spot in my heart for the megacab. I may eventually go front and rear lockers WAAAAAAAAAAAy down the line. I did a quick over-estimate in terms of price The install with parts for 2 arbs and re-gearing would run north of 6k.

Also here is what my bed looks like. Although the truck is huge the bed is tiny in comparison. You can see that i only have 4 tie down points on each side from factory

Also with some spare metal i had in the garage i decided to make the fire extinguisher mount. It will attach to stock seat mounting point and make a bracket that molds around the floor and threw a quickfist mount onto that.

Yup, ignore the crappy handwriting.

All painted and bolted in. Fits great inside the little pocket and didnt have to buy any new hardware since the stud is plenty long.

Fits nice and snuge with quick access in case the worst should happen

Pretty well hidden without being too hard to find. As you can see from the back of the drive seat the seat cover works great and keeps the mud and dirt off the seats, Also great for a muddy dog

 

[Fred Austin]

I too am looking at the White Knuckle sliders. Depending on how they mount to the frame, I may have to relocate my oil bypass filter which will be a pain. For a front bumper, I really like the AEV but it's pricey. I like how I doesn't stick out so far like most aftermarket bumpers.

 

[anotheraznguy]

They sandwich the frame and is pretty much one of the only sliders available other than just going straight custom. I have been ready to pull the trigger on a bumper for almost 2 months now just trying to figure out what to get

The following are the pros and cons of the AEV / Warn / Mercenary

1) Warn Ascent
Pros
Very cheap coming in under 1400
Winch access is easy to get to
Lightweight metal
Intercooler / Skid plate protection
Has built in lighting options
Winch drops in without removing bumper

Cons
No one has this bumper so its hard to actually determine any measurements or clearance
Frame warranty
Not as beefy/strong
Only bottom mount winch limits it to 12k Capacity

2) AEV Bumper
Pros
Clean looking
Semi Decent Winch Access
Front mount winch plate with 2 bottom mounts for Full frame winches ie. 16.5 TI
Heavy Duty
Modular

Cons
Ground Clearance increase
Cost to Purchase and cost of full frame winch
Lack of Intercooler Protection
Heavy 250 LB bumper
Pain in the ass to install

3) Mercenry Offroad
Pros
Cleanest looking Winch bumper
Flows with body
Foot forward winch mount
Best approach angle
Full skid protection

Cons
SUPER EXPENSIVE $3000 worth of expensive
Have to relocated solenoid for winch
Have to clock the clutch of the winch
Unpainted

 

[boss324]

Very nice clean looks good. I am looking at doing a Duramax swap and Allison swap eveuntually but not sure. I do like the Chevy LQ4 V8 and many many after market proven go fast parts to boot so down the list. After market bumpers are $$$$! Probably do sliders and more recovery gear first. If you go with a custom bumper with a local welder if it turns out good. I may need to have a set of sliders made not too much other than N-fab which isn't ideal but better than my plastic sidesteps.

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[anotheraznguy]

Well I pulled the trigger on a few things last night. Sometimes being awake and working at 1 am is not good. Luckily everything was already on my shopping list.

Ended up going with the following

Warn Zeon 12-s
Warn Ascent Bumper
ARB Snatch Block 9000
ARB Snatch Strap 12T WLL
ARB Tree Trunk Protector 16Ft (Will double as tow strap)
ARB Winch Damper
Factor 55 Flatlink
Factor 55 Hitchlink 2.5"
Hawse License Plate holder
Gator Jaw Shackle
LED light pods from black oak
Crosby g209a shackles in 3/4 and 7/8 - WLL of 6.5T and 9.5T each. They are also using the 5:1 Safety Factor
Rear Park Assist Module (Bye bye front park sensors)

Going to the shop tomorrow to get measurements for the Rock sliders as well.

FYI BIG TRUCKS COST BIG MONEY. THE GVW just makes everything more expensive. Also getting ready to pick up some 1/4 metal sheets to fabricate some skidplates For the Gas tank / Intercooler / DPF Muffler

 

[darthyota]

Well I pulled the trigger on a few things last night. Sometimes being awake and working at 1 am is not good. Luckily everything was already on my shopping list.

Ended up going with the following

Warn Zeon 12-s
Warn Ascent Bumper
ARB Snatch Block 9000
ARB Snatch Strap 12T WLL
ARB Tree Trunk Protector 16Ft (Will double as tow strap)
ARB Winch Damper
Factor 55 Flatlink
Factor 55 Hitchlink 2.5"
Hawse License Plate holder
Gator Jaw Shackle
LED light pods from black oak
Crosby g209a shackles in 3/4 and 7/8 - WLL of 6.5T and 9.5T each. They are also using the 5:1 Safety Factor
Rear Park Assist Module (Bye bye front park sensors)

Going to the shop tomorrow to get measurements for the Rock sliders as well.

FYI BIG TRUCKS COST BIG MONEY. THE GVW just makes everything more expensive. Also getting ready to pick up some 1/4 metal sheets to fabricate some skidplates For the Gas tank / Intercooler / DPF Muffler

i wouldn't use that tree saver strap as a tow strap as it won't have any give like a dynamic strap will (i.e. bubba rope) and will cause undue shock loads to recovery points.

 

[Fred Austin]

I'm looking for some good recovery gear for my Ram 2500. Any recommendations where to start? Can't afford a winch at this time.

 

[darthyota]

for traditional straps as they cost less then bubba rope i would go either this
http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Snatch-Strap-24000lb-ARB710LB-P3620.aspx
or this
http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Snatch-Strap-33000lb-ARB715LB-P3621.aspx
and heres the bubba rope options
http://www.bubbarope.com/compact-professional-grade-snatch-rope
http://www.bubbarope.com/professional-grade-mudders-recovery-rope

all these recommendations are based off of having a heavy full size truck think Ford Raptor or Dodge Power Wagon or a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel

 

[anotheraznguy]

i wouldn't use that tree saver strap as a tow strap as it won't have any give like a dynamic strap will (i.e. bubba rope) and will cause undue shock loads to recovery points.

It will be used as an actual tow strap. IE, if something were to break someone can tow me. That is also why i picked up the snatch strap for dynamic recoveries.

 

[Fred Austin]

Thanks for the links. The Bubba Rope is very nice but crazy expensive. I'm thinking either of the ARB straps would work just fine. I'm also considering a Hi Lift Jack. Combined with some pulleys and some quality cables, it could possibly serve as an effective winch.

 

[darthyota]

ah ok i missed that when i was reading through

 

[anotheraznguy]

No worries. I will probably add more as i go along but that is a good starter set of recovery gear.

Also, @Fred Austin in terms of a hi-jack as a winch be very careful. Watch some youtube videos and see if you really want to even do it. Its a very dangerous tool if not used correctly. Also the Hi-jack lift really isnt meant for HD rigs. The capacity is like 4600 lbs and the shear strength of the bolt is rated at 7000lbs. A stock cummins is already close to 8k lbs empty.

 

[anotheraznguy]

Well, the bumper came, just waiting on the winch and everything else. Also dropped the truck off to get some sliders made for the truck. Wont be installing anything till at least next monday. Havent been able to hit the trails for a few weeks mainly due to work but I can't wait to get out there.