Yeah, if you are 2wd, no transfer case, no track bar, and death wobble isn't an issue. Those are 4x4 issues.

 

Do not flush the tranny it will cause issues .Use RTV for gaskets or lube locker gaskets. Timing isn't bad there are two dots (one on each gear) line then up to where they are facing each either and it the new chain and gears on. Go with a cloyes double roller. You will be fine as I said we can walk you through it.

 

That truck is hella clean. You need to put your location in your profile so people can give better advice based on your location. It would also help explain why that truck looks so good.

 

He's in Florida if you read all the posts! I would just do the Hugues kit and not the airgap, You will lose low end power with it. I had mine for about 10 years with no issues. Just get felpro gaskets not the Hughes ones. Plus the airgap is about $500 compared to $130.

http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/p...p?partid=27091

 

Sorry, my eyes glazed over at the length of the posts and the YUUUGE pictures the OP posted. It's still a good idea for the OP to place his location in his profile as I'm certain he'll be posting in other threads

 

Being a rear wheel drive will make it tricky to stuff a 33" tire in there, gotta do some research to make sure you don't get something that won't fit.

The gears I'm talking about are the gears in the rear axle. Since you're two wheel drive then you most likely have 3.55. There should be a sticker on your hood and in your glove box that says what the axle ratio is. The higher the number the more oompf you'll have from the get go but the more get up from a stop comes at the price of running higher rpms at higher speeds so a little bit of a mileage drop if you don't do mostly city driving.

I didn't lose low end torque with the Airgap, I actually gained a little. The only people that believe you will lose low end get up with one have never had one on their truck. If you're wanting to save some money you could go with the aluminum Hughes plate to replace your steel plate or just buy some bolts that are a couple threads shorter than your stock bolts since the bolts bottoming out in the holes are what causes the an issue. If you want to save a little more money you could put a nut on each of your bolts then grind a thread or two off and spin the nut off then clean up the threads with a small file and call it good.
Bolt the pan on the intake manifold when you have it off without a gasket and as soon as the bolts bottom out back them off so they're not touching the bottom of the hole and that'll show you how much room you have to work with.

For the transmission, I'm not saying to flush it. Just drop the pan and filter, wipe off as much of the gray fluid from the innards as you can then put on the new filter and fill it back up.

Big bore monotube shocks are a style of shock, you just don't want to get shocks that advertise a bunch of valves/multiple fluid passages for the smoothest ride possible... that style of shock is for lightweight cars not a 3 ton truck.

 

Thank you guys so much for the recommendations. I really mean it. Already I have learned a lot and I have been stalking some other threads here to get an idea of other peoples issues and their fixes. I do have I guess two questions which may not even be a thing I can do. I have seen these transmission coolers on Amazon and RockAuto. Is that something I should look at getting since I am in florida? My biggest fear is a transmission failure. Secondly, the under body of my truck is clean and there is no rot or major rust. I want it to stay that way. Is there anything I can coat it with to prevent rust?

@MoparFanatic21 Thank you for the chain suggestion! So I take it the RTV is like a liquid Gasket? Didn't even know those existed, thats pretty cool! The timing recommendations will come in handy about the dots! Thank you!

@Gary-L Thanks man!!

@Sheriff420 Thank you for the explanation. I actually did not know that. I will do some research! So the general consensus is to not flush the transmission but instead drop the pan, let the liquid thats there drain, clean whats inside with a shop rag and the outside where the gasket goes, apply new gasket add pan and add more fluid? So to be honest with you, I have not actually done much looking into tires or wheels just yet. My primary focus was making sure she will last me before I drop a good chunk of change on her shoes. However I was going for something.. more militaristic in style? I guess the term would be aggressive. Are there any decent "Build a RAM 1500" simulators online where I can get a decent idea as to what tires and wheels will look like on my truck with a 3' lift? If I do a leaf pack will that help getting 33's in or is it the front I am really worried about?

 

Yes it goes on as a liquid you give it about 3 minutes to tack up then put whatever it is back on. You may have a factory transmission cooler. Post a picture of the lines going into the radiator and I will tell you if you have one. Now what you could do is eliminate the check ball and bypass the radiator cooler. There aren't really any simulators but most sits that sell wheels will show you what they will look like on your truck. There are two options for rust prevention. You have Fluid Film which will put a liquid like coating on anything you spray it on and will penetrate existing rust making it easier to remove. A con is anytime you work on something you will get it in you. Another option which I use at work on the military vehicles is Corrosion X HD. It's basically like a really strong clear coat, we hit it with a 10lb sledge and it didn't crack or scratch. The only con for that one is the surface must be clean with no rust, just like paint.

 

That's a very nice truck you bought. Congratulations!

When you change the transmission fluid and filter, the bands should be adjusted. Our trucks take ATF +4 transmission fluid. My thoughts are to fix anything broken, then steering and brakes. Then look it over and see where you're at. When you do the tune up, get regular copper plugs, not platinum or iridium. I like NGK plugs. O2 sensors get NTK or Mopar. Our trucks are finicky about sensors, Mopar are preferred. I've also had good luck with Standard Motor Products from Rock Auto. BWD is a cheap line (junk) made by Standard, your local parts store will try to tell you BWD is the same as the good line from Standard, it is not. Everyone has opinions on parts they like. I like Felpro gaskets, Standard Motor Products, NGK, Wagner brakes or AC Delco, Gates water pumps, hoses, and belts, SKF or Timken bearings, Spicer or XRF for chassis parts. Mopar and AC Delco make good parts for almost anything you need. I also like Remy gold starters and alternators. Those have worked well for me, you'll have to make up your mind and get opinions from these other guys as well. I've found found it's much better to wait for the parts I trust than to go to Advanced, Oreilly, or Napa. After you've replaced the same part 3 or 4 times you get tired of hearing about the warranty and want a part parts that actually last a few years. Sorry for the rant, we put pads rotors and calipers on all 4 corners of my daughter's car from Advanced 3 months ago. We didn't know they were bad and didn't have time to wait for parts from Rock Auto because she was leaving on a road trip. Anyhow the fronts were so bad we had them warrantied last week and Wagner brakes for the rear are coming from Rock Auto sometime this week.