Okay so Ive had my ram for a couple years now and the gas milage is killing me. Lately ive been doing some work to it but now its time to really get into it. I have some ideas of what im going to do.

I first have to start with the front axle. One of my axle shafts are bent at the dog ears so i need to replace that (driver side if anyone has one). I also jumped it in silver lake sand dunes a coulpe years back and bent the axle and now it needs the offset upper balljoints by 1 degree. Does anyone have an idea of a good priced company i can order from? Next i going to do a conversion kit for manual locking hubs by EMS (20% right now) which will pay for itself over time.

Next i want to chip it to open it up and get more power. What is a good chip company for a good price to look for?

I am going to replace the exhaust too because i got some holes in the can now. Looking at a flowmaster 44.

I also want to posi lock the rear end. What is a good company to look for for a good price?

Finally im going to repaint it too match my ramcharger, with 1st gen emblems and ram on hood. Than me and my bro are going to make custom bumpers and a headache rack.

So any imput on good companyies and where to get good prices would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Luke

 

It's gonna take a long time for the locking hub conversion to pay for itself...... Consider if you get .5mpg increase out of it, you will be doing good....

SCT from Hemifever is pretty much accepted as the best bang for the buck mod here. (tuner)

 

What's so great about the sct tuner? And are you sure about the 0.5 mpg increase out Of the locking hubs? I've heard more like 3 mpg increase.

 

Hemifever has been doing the tuners for quite a while now, is VERY knowledgeable, has the best prices, offers upgrades to custom tunes for 100 bucks more, good customer support, and from what I have read on here, his tunes are better than those offered by the other folks.

On the standard 2nd gen ram, you really aren't turning that much in 2wd. Considering the cost of the locking hub conversion.... doing it for gas mileage really isn't practical. Now, the fact that you can repack your bearings, or even replace them.... for just a few bucks, as opposed to hundreds for the unit bearings...... does have a fair bit of appeal. But, you would still have to drive the truck for a buncha years to see any return on investment from it.

Now, if you go to the local wrecking yard, and grab the stuff to do the conversion from a mid 90's ford truck, so you spend a couple hundred, instead of almost a thousand, or more.... that gives the job even more appeal. (this is what I plan....)

 

Converting your hubs should give a fuel economy gain but will likely be minimal, maybe 1 on the highway if you are lucky.

The biggest benefit of the locking hubs is strength, cost of repair and the ability to eliminate the CAD unit and have reliable 4x4.

Using old ford parts works on the Dodge dana 60 but not on the dana 44.

 

as for the hubs, if i do decide to do it i would have to buy a kit since im running a dana 44 in the front. I still have some thinking to do about it. After looking at cost of new stock hubs it would eventually pay off from replacing bearing but i dont know if its worth it.

As for the tuner, I checked out hemifever and there are a bunch of different tuner packages. Does anyone have input on these? All i have dont to my engine is a cold air intake and the heads are milled down a little because they were warped when i rebuilt the engine.

Does anyone have any input on upgrades that will help me out with gas milage and power. Other than what i listed.

 

Question becomes, how often would you have to replace your hubs, in order to recoup your investment? Then, how many miles would that end up being, and do you think you are even going to keep the truck that long?