Howdy, folks.

So, confession: I'm not a truck guy, though I have a truck.[1] Really? I'm not even a car guy. I'm a computer guy, as much as I'm an anything guy. I have marginal skill in making things, but here's the problem: I have no idea where to start.

I have this truck. It's 24 years old. The paint is in rough condition. I have faith that it needs some kind of mechanical work, though I have no idea what -- I'll take it to a professional mechanic and ask "what's wrong with this picture truck?" And then, I'll get that fixed. But then?

I want to keep the identity of the truck, but put my own stamp on it. Some things are obvious -- put a brush guard on the front. Replace the tailgate with a grille. Replace the running boards, 'cause I'm not as spry as I once was, and it's an awful long way up into that cab. LED headlight / taillight / foglight replacements. A new paint job. A new sound system.

But then what?

What do I do? What should I look at installing? Why? What will improve the gas mileage[2]? What will improve steering performance? Where should I look for things that are just plain cool?

TL;DR: I'm totes a newb, and I would love some input from people who know what they're talking about.





1) A 1996 Ram 2500 V10 which originally belonged to my late father.

2) Other than "not driving the truck except when you need to haul schtuph."

 

2 or 4 wheel drive? What do you want to do with the truck? (how do you use it?)

Unfortunately, the 8.0 is never going to do much better than 12 mpg on the freeway. (flat, straight, cruise engaged) It is a beast of a motor, with an appetite to match. Mine averages a bit over 10 in mixed driving. I managed to get between 11 and 12 on a long trip, but, not on freeways. Towing anything, and the mileage drops quickly into single digits. 488 cubic inches can go thru 34 gallons of gas pretty darn quick.

 

You can watch the needle sweep to the left, then drop out the door...

 

Hey, it's a "Luxury" truck. A/C, power windows, power locks, sweep second-hand on the gas gauge......

 

Not as thirsty as a hell cat, I heard they can use a tank of gas in 13 minutes...........13 minutes to burn a tank of gas. It's not 40 gallons, but still lol.

 

I can confirm that lol

 

Yeah, but, you are having an AWFUL lot of fun, and going EXTREMELY fast by the time the tank hits empty.

 

Sadly Johnny No Fun gave me my first no fast ticket in my Hellcat

 

And that right there is why I could never own one. My drivers license wouldn't survive the first three days.

 

He was nice and only said I was doing 8 over