New guy with some pics, story, and mods to come. Longest intro ever, but lots of pics
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New guy with some pics, story, and mods to come. Longest intro ever, but lots of pics
What's goin on Dodge guys? My name is Zack. I'm a professional photography assistant/2nd shooter so expect me to be active visually on this site.
Skip to the bottom for cliff notes
I've always wanted a Ram for the longest time. When I was ~14, gas being around $1.00, I picked the brain/annoyed this gentleman with a blue 3rd gen who kindly answered all my questions. I built up models on the dodge website and fantasized about them. The cost threw me back for a loop, and I fell into the sports/import car scene.
I bought a 91 camaro RS off of ebay when I was 15. (had a hardship)
Taken away by a guy failing to yield turning in front of me in his minivan and nike beret. Car totalled 12 days before my 16th birthday. Crushed me mentally.
Spent 5 months with a 88' 10th anniversary RX-7. It spent 2 of those months in the shop and broke down 6 times. Flipped it for $600 more than I paid, even after breaking down (intercooler hose popped off) on the delivery test drive.
First "fast" 202rwhp car, but good riddance!
Received help from my grandmother who didn't want to see me in another money pit of maintenance. I was finally able to purchase my dream car at the time! Got a great deal on a last year model 04 WRX. Subarus aren't just for butches living in Colorado. I poured hours and hours + money into it. It was my pride and joy. I slept in it the first night I got it and 5 more times after. Not ~6 months later, 7 hours before my 17th birthday, I got nailed head on by a guy running a red light doing 50 in a 40. How in the hell are we gonna do this again?!? 4 months at the chiropractor and one totalled suby later, I was in another used one by Spring. No airbags and I walked away unscathed. My brand loyalty was solid after that. I was also taught the unimportance of material possessions in this world, but that came with age as well.
(It had limo tint, dropped 2.4" all around, fog covers, and a custom grill. No pics of it finished)
The 2nd suby was a frankenstein. JDM transmission, 4.44 rear end, STI turbo, STI shortblock, JDM v7 heads, and a crappy Australian unichip tune. 310hp/345ftlbs. The shop that maintained it, F.I.S., ghetto rigged everything which led to the demise of it. It was a beast. It took every beating I threw at it and avgd 29mpg on the road trips. Stoptech BBK gave me tons of hassle. It had two 2 pieces rotors fail on me and then a final caliper seizure that threw me into a wall on the side of the highway. I cried while watching it burn down the day before new years eve and waited on hold for ~1.5 for 911 to take my God damn call! R.I.P. It prompted a break up the following day with the most draining female I've encountered to date, so some good did come from it.
I searched for 4 months high and low for my next suby. I found the exact one I wanted with nearly all the mods I would've done myself selling at KBB. I flew one way to atlantic city, and road tripped it back through Washington DC and the tail of the dragon. That was a blast! 2 weeks later, it was on jack stands having the brake calipers and wheels powder coated, FMIC painted, tails tinted, tint, etc... I went over it with a fine tooth comb. (I have quite a bit of OCD) 3 tunes, a cracked piston ring, and a leaking turbo later... I had to redo the motor and turbo setup. It ran hardddd and the block in it is a factory freak! 392hp/422ftlbs on 25 psi. Killed FRC vettes on bottle, a 380hp + 100 shot camaro from a roll, and popping 5 foot flames out the back in the style. 2.5 yrs passed, and I was growing tired of the immature car scene, the risks of racing on public roadways, and the feeling of a wooden roller coaster on city streets. You put so much in, and never get anything back in return. It was time to grow up.
While my suby was in the shop being rebuilt with bigger forged pistons, I had to have a rental car to get to class. I was curious about trucks again, and decided to try all the makes enterprise offered. I got an f150 first, and lovedddd the "truck driving experience". Hopping up into it was a blast and I felt I could go anywhere/do anything in it. The 5.4 motor, couldn't get out of its own way and I was disappointed. I tried a chevy, bleh. Then the ram came. 6 yrs early when the camaro was totalled, we did this same experiment. The F-150 was hands down better than everything else. The ram felt like it would fall to pieces even with only 11k miles on it.
This time around, things were different. The looks, which were great to begin with, increased 10 fold. It was so aggressive looking. Maybe I could find something else I liked not being a sports car. Got in it, and was blownnnn away. Even the base interior was so far ahead of the previous generation. The factory stereo bumped hard for a stock system. The 4.7 engine, albeit not the quickest, had enough get up and go while giving me 24mpg cruising back from Denton. Even my 5lb ****zu loved it! (anything is better than a catless straight titanium exhaust I suppose tho) (no, the dog was NOT suppose to be that damn small, but the new story is that I'm "compensating". *wink wink nudge nudge* I was hoping she would be a P magnet, but turns out, only kids and the elderly gravitate towards her. DOH!)
(I did NOT put those on her and found her just like this)
Thoroughly impressed, I went to a dodge dealer to see how much better we could get. Sat in a laramie with ramboxes, and I was SOLD!
The search began. I wanted a leather bench seat, ramboxes, and a fully loaded truck. I had a Sport preference for the color matched bumpers, being that I've never been into chrome at all. This proved entirely harder than I imagined. I didn't want to pay MSRP on ordering one, so I hunted and hunted. I found 3. 2 of them black with brown, not gonna fly, and 1 used one in Houston that was 2wd but at a good price. I was willing to make the compromise for 2wd and the options I wanted, but further research into Texas Direct Auto on ebay yielded 72 complaints and a BBB rating of F. I thought I really had my truck, BUMMER! Bullet "Dodged". BAAA-DAAAA-CHHHHHH, I'll be here all night, thank you thank you, you're much too kind.
I go to a nicer area of town, and found a lot of loaded Sports and Laramies at Huffines Dodge in Plano Texas. I had been here 5 months prior, but had my time wasted by Bert *** and was not happy. I found Ed Lewis, and told him "you don't waste my time, I promise not to waste yours". We found a blue 10' sport on the lot with EVERY option I wanted, but a damn center console! We sat down and configured a Laramie, the only one available to order with a bench seat, and delivery time was estimated at mid January. Being $3k more expensive, the wait, and the chrome bumpers, I decided to see what they could cut off of this $48,980 MSRP if I compromised for a center console. We arrived at $40,900 drive out. ($37-38k before tax)
Doing my due diligence, I went and test drove every truck there was on the market. Tundra, titan, silverado, sierra, and was one test drive away from having my mind made up there wasn't anything better on the market. Then, I arrived at the Ford dealer and sat in a Raptor. HOLY ****! Black headliner, way better nav/bluetooth, nicer interior/leather, incredible 6.2 motor, amazing suspension, and the vague feeling of a sports car in the corners... it made my choice far tougher. This is the way a 4wd SHOULD BE. It fit my personality better coming from the subaru and I always had a **** eating grin on my face while driving it. Extended cab was a downside and bigger yet: the MSRP which wouldn't move. Both trucks stickering for the same, but the drive out was $11k higher!
I contemplated and contemplated. Ordering a crew cab would take until Feb and still $12k higher in price. It almost seemed worth it to me for that amount of fun.
Then I went to the first day at my new photography job. After that, I knew what would be more reasonable to work out of and have clients ride in. Money saved didn't hurt either. It was time to grow up and a Raptor would never achieve that and be a step backwards.
I came back to the dealer ready to deal. I told him I didn't care about any bedliner, tonneau cover, lift, or any other parts. I wanted the powersteps available on the F150 platinum because my boss is oriental and would have a hard time getting up in there daily. I told them, this is the deal breaker between me choosing Dodge over Ford. They countered with a $40,500 drive out, you do your own steps, and the rear locking bins thrown in. I agreed. I went to the dealer to inspect with my father, the man who walked out over a $100 discrepancy on an Explorer, and picked the truck apart. The rambox cover on the drive side was discolored, the hood had a tiny scratch, the bed was scratched to hell, and the passenger seat stitching had imperfections.
Some ball busting later, and we left with a spray in bed liner, bug guard, new seat cover, new rambox covers, and 4 free oil changes. I also got cost on parts and labor for the leveling kit and any future parts for the month of November.
I felt pretty damn good and took her on the first journey up to Denton to see a show. Never skipped a beat and avgd 20.4 mpg on the way back.
I don't believe that cars "make" you who you are, but I do believe they can accent your personality.
Porsche drivers - showmen
BMWs - living beyond your means (70% are leased)
Toyota/Honda - sensible
Dodge Ram - MAKES **** HAPPEN
My truck has empowered me to go after exactly what I want, and it's a truly an exhilarating feeling. I'm going the exact direction in life that I've always wanted to for the first time ever. I have every bell and whistle I've ever wanted, while keeping my first full factory warranty. It's just a Josh Hamilton homerun out the damn park in every aspect!
I have to give Ed Lewis and Charlie Hale all the props for working with me and making this deal happen. They are the go to, no bull ****, kind of guys in the automotive industry you really yearn for. Huffine's Dodge Jeep Chrysler in Plano TX have definitely earned my business and referrals from now on.
Cliff notes: I grew up, got rid of my draining import car hobby, and got a 2010 Dodge Ram.
Oh ya, how could I make you read all of this with out a pic of the actual truck? The first of manyyyyy to come.
Camera phone from the first test drive
SLR ("Urban off roading")
So enough of the long winded intro. Down to business...
MODS!
I have a list, that I'll have to work through slowly as I'm changing from Canon to Nikon and that's taking up any/all the extra cash I have.
Yes, I have searched the forum and read through many many many threads. I'm by no means a forum n00b, so save that **** for the greenhorns.
I'm interested in where to source these parts, your experience with any of them, and your input/pictures of your own mods.
Here's the jist of it:
AMP Powersteps or similar
Shotgun rack for the back window
Diablo sport vs. superchips (performance is a +, but can I get better MPG on road trips with a conservative tune?)
SRT-10 Wheels (real forged ones, not replica crap)
Recon Headlights (the clear versions appear not to have an orange reflector, true?)
Tonneau cover (backflip g2 looks like a winner, but what about the soft ones from truxedo?)
Electric cut out (have good experience with QTP, but open minded)
Leveling kit (go mopar or are there better options? ride worse?)
Front grill insert/Painted sport grill (that Trex grill seems outrageous at $700. Alternatives? Good source for sports grill?)
Horns (I had 4 hella supertones on my subarus, and it made my morning commute far more safe. Considering train horns, but those are really a public nuisance used incorrectly and could defeat the purpose of straightening out drivers being unsafe.)
Stealth rear view radar detector mount (can't seem to find much on this now as I did before)
Speaker replacements, JL clean sweep install, and amps (have found one good thread, but interested in others input/setups to improve sound)
That should just about do it. Thanks for the read, look forward sharing what I have on here, and hearing any/all of your input.
Thanks,
Zack
Skip to the bottom for cliff notes
I've always wanted a Ram for the longest time. When I was ~14, gas being around $1.00, I picked the brain/annoyed this gentleman with a blue 3rd gen who kindly answered all my questions. I built up models on the dodge website and fantasized about them. The cost threw me back for a loop, and I fell into the sports/import car scene.
I bought a 91 camaro RS off of ebay when I was 15. (had a hardship)
Taken away by a guy failing to yield turning in front of me in his minivan and nike beret. Car totalled 12 days before my 16th birthday. Crushed me mentally.
Spent 5 months with a 88' 10th anniversary RX-7. It spent 2 of those months in the shop and broke down 6 times. Flipped it for $600 more than I paid, even after breaking down (intercooler hose popped off) on the delivery test drive.
First "fast" 202rwhp car, but good riddance!Received help from my grandmother who didn't want to see me in another money pit of maintenance. I was finally able to purchase my dream car at the time! Got a great deal on a last year model 04 WRX. Subarus aren't just for butches living in Colorado. I poured hours and hours + money into it. It was my pride and joy. I slept in it the first night I got it and 5 more times after. Not ~6 months later, 7 hours before my 17th birthday, I got nailed head on by a guy running a red light doing 50 in a 40. How in the hell are we gonna do this again?!? 4 months at the chiropractor and one totalled suby later, I was in another used one by Spring. No airbags and I walked away unscathed. My brand loyalty was solid after that. I was also taught the unimportance of material possessions in this world, but that came with age as well.
(It had limo tint, dropped 2.4" all around, fog covers, and a custom grill. No pics of it finished)
The 2nd suby was a frankenstein. JDM transmission, 4.44 rear end, STI turbo, STI shortblock, JDM v7 heads, and a crappy Australian unichip tune. 310hp/345ftlbs. The shop that maintained it, F.I.S., ghetto rigged everything which led to the demise of it. It was a beast. It took every beating I threw at it and avgd 29mpg on the road trips. Stoptech BBK gave me tons of hassle. It had two 2 pieces rotors fail on me and then a final caliper seizure that threw me into a wall on the side of the highway. I cried while watching it burn down the day before new years eve and waited on hold for ~1.5 for 911 to take my God damn call! R.I.P. It prompted a break up the following day with the most draining female I've encountered to date, so some good did come from it.
I searched for 4 months high and low for my next suby. I found the exact one I wanted with nearly all the mods I would've done myself selling at KBB. I flew one way to atlantic city, and road tripped it back through Washington DC and the tail of the dragon. That was a blast! 2 weeks later, it was on jack stands having the brake calipers and wheels powder coated, FMIC painted, tails tinted, tint, etc... I went over it with a fine tooth comb. (I have quite a bit of OCD) 3 tunes, a cracked piston ring, and a leaking turbo later... I had to redo the motor and turbo setup. It ran hardddd and the block in it is a factory freak! 392hp/422ftlbs on 25 psi. Killed FRC vettes on bottle, a 380hp + 100 shot camaro from a roll, and popping 5 foot flames out the back in the style. 2.5 yrs passed, and I was growing tired of the immature car scene, the risks of racing on public roadways, and the feeling of a wooden roller coaster on city streets. You put so much in, and never get anything back in return. It was time to grow up.
While my suby was in the shop being rebuilt with bigger forged pistons, I had to have a rental car to get to class. I was curious about trucks again, and decided to try all the makes enterprise offered. I got an f150 first, and lovedddd the "truck driving experience". Hopping up into it was a blast and I felt I could go anywhere/do anything in it. The 5.4 motor, couldn't get out of its own way and I was disappointed. I tried a chevy, bleh. Then the ram came. 6 yrs early when the camaro was totalled, we did this same experiment. The F-150 was hands down better than everything else. The ram felt like it would fall to pieces even with only 11k miles on it.
This time around, things were different. The looks, which were great to begin with, increased 10 fold. It was so aggressive looking. Maybe I could find something else I liked not being a sports car. Got in it, and was blownnnn away. Even the base interior was so far ahead of the previous generation. The factory stereo bumped hard for a stock system. The 4.7 engine, albeit not the quickest, had enough get up and go while giving me 24mpg cruising back from Denton. Even my 5lb ****zu loved it! (anything is better than a catless straight titanium exhaust I suppose tho) (no, the dog was NOT suppose to be that damn small, but the new story is that I'm "compensating". *wink wink nudge nudge* I was hoping she would be a P magnet, but turns out, only kids and the elderly gravitate towards her. DOH!)
(I did NOT put those on her and found her just like this)
Thoroughly impressed, I went to a dodge dealer to see how much better we could get. Sat in a laramie with ramboxes, and I was SOLD!
The search began. I wanted a leather bench seat, ramboxes, and a fully loaded truck. I had a Sport preference for the color matched bumpers, being that I've never been into chrome at all. This proved entirely harder than I imagined. I didn't want to pay MSRP on ordering one, so I hunted and hunted. I found 3. 2 of them black with brown, not gonna fly, and 1 used one in Houston that was 2wd but at a good price. I was willing to make the compromise for 2wd and the options I wanted, but further research into Texas Direct Auto on ebay yielded 72 complaints and a BBB rating of F. I thought I really had my truck, BUMMER! Bullet "Dodged". BAAA-DAAAA-CHHHHHH, I'll be here all night, thank you thank you, you're much too kind.
I go to a nicer area of town, and found a lot of loaded Sports and Laramies at Huffines Dodge in Plano Texas. I had been here 5 months prior, but had my time wasted by Bert *** and was not happy. I found Ed Lewis, and told him "you don't waste my time, I promise not to waste yours". We found a blue 10' sport on the lot with EVERY option I wanted, but a damn center console! We sat down and configured a Laramie, the only one available to order with a bench seat, and delivery time was estimated at mid January. Being $3k more expensive, the wait, and the chrome bumpers, I decided to see what they could cut off of this $48,980 MSRP if I compromised for a center console. We arrived at $40,900 drive out. ($37-38k before tax)
Doing my due diligence, I went and test drove every truck there was on the market. Tundra, titan, silverado, sierra, and was one test drive away from having my mind made up there wasn't anything better on the market. Then, I arrived at the Ford dealer and sat in a Raptor. HOLY ****! Black headliner, way better nav/bluetooth, nicer interior/leather, incredible 6.2 motor, amazing suspension, and the vague feeling of a sports car in the corners... it made my choice far tougher. This is the way a 4wd SHOULD BE. It fit my personality better coming from the subaru and I always had a **** eating grin on my face while driving it. Extended cab was a downside and bigger yet: the MSRP which wouldn't move. Both trucks stickering for the same, but the drive out was $11k higher!
I contemplated and contemplated. Ordering a crew cab would take until Feb and still $12k higher in price. It almost seemed worth it to me for that amount of fun.
Then I went to the first day at my new photography job. After that, I knew what would be more reasonable to work out of and have clients ride in. Money saved didn't hurt either. It was time to grow up and a Raptor would never achieve that and be a step backwards.
I came back to the dealer ready to deal. I told him I didn't care about any bedliner, tonneau cover, lift, or any other parts. I wanted the powersteps available on the F150 platinum because my boss is oriental and would have a hard time getting up in there daily. I told them, this is the deal breaker between me choosing Dodge over Ford. They countered with a $40,500 drive out, you do your own steps, and the rear locking bins thrown in. I agreed. I went to the dealer to inspect with my father, the man who walked out over a $100 discrepancy on an Explorer, and picked the truck apart. The rambox cover on the drive side was discolored, the hood had a tiny scratch, the bed was scratched to hell, and the passenger seat stitching had imperfections.
Some ball busting later, and we left with a spray in bed liner, bug guard, new seat cover, new rambox covers, and 4 free oil changes. I also got cost on parts and labor for the leveling kit and any future parts for the month of November.
I felt pretty damn good and took her on the first journey up to Denton to see a show. Never skipped a beat and avgd 20.4 mpg on the way back. I don't believe that cars "make" you who you are, but I do believe they can accent your personality.
Porsche drivers - showmen
BMWs - living beyond your means (70% are leased)
Toyota/Honda - sensible
Dodge Ram - MAKES **** HAPPEN
My truck has empowered me to go after exactly what I want, and it's a truly an exhilarating feeling. I'm going the exact direction in life that I've always wanted to for the first time ever. I have every bell and whistle I've ever wanted, while keeping my first full factory warranty. It's just a Josh Hamilton homerun out the damn park in every aspect!
I have to give Ed Lewis and Charlie Hale all the props for working with me and making this deal happen. They are the go to, no bull ****, kind of guys in the automotive industry you really yearn for. Huffine's Dodge Jeep Chrysler in Plano TX have definitely earned my business and referrals from now on.
Cliff notes: I grew up, got rid of my draining import car hobby, and got a 2010 Dodge Ram.
Oh ya, how could I make you read all of this with out a pic of the actual truck? The first of manyyyyy to come.
Camera phone from the first test drive
SLR ("Urban off roading")
So enough of the long winded intro. Down to business...
MODS!
I have a list, that I'll have to work through slowly as I'm changing from Canon to Nikon and that's taking up any/all the extra cash I have.
Yes, I have searched the forum and read through many many many threads. I'm by no means a forum n00b, so save that **** for the greenhorns.
I'm interested in where to source these parts, your experience with any of them, and your input/pictures of your own mods.
Here's the jist of it:
AMP Powersteps or similar
Shotgun rack for the back window
Diablo sport vs. superchips (performance is a +, but can I get better MPG on road trips with a conservative tune?)
SRT-10 Wheels (real forged ones, not replica crap)
Recon Headlights (the clear versions appear not to have an orange reflector, true?)
Tonneau cover (backflip g2 looks like a winner, but what about the soft ones from truxedo?)
Electric cut out (have good experience with QTP, but open minded)
Leveling kit (go mopar or are there better options? ride worse?)
Front grill insert/Painted sport grill (that Trex grill seems outrageous at $700. Alternatives? Good source for sports grill?)
Horns (I had 4 hella supertones on my subarus, and it made my morning commute far more safe. Considering train horns, but those are really a public nuisance used incorrectly and could defeat the purpose of straightening out drivers being unsafe.)
Stealth rear view radar detector mount (can't seem to find much on this now as I did before)
Speaker replacements, JL clean sweep install, and amps (have found one good thread, but interested in others input/setups to improve sound)
That should just about do it. Thanks for the read, look forward sharing what I have on here, and hearing any/all of your input.
Thanks,
Zack
Record Breaker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 0
From: Austin, TX
Professional
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
From: Central AR
I'll give you my .02 worth on some of these....
AMP Powersteps or similar - Don't waste your money, had them on my GMC and they stopped working after 8 months. AMP would not work with me on a new set, kept telling me it was the install, blah, blah, blah
SRT-10 Wheels - Ebay is always good, expensive though if you want the real thing.
Tonneau cover- Bakflip! Have used several of the soft tonneau's in the past and never could get used to the "flopping" while driving. Got the Bak flip on my old GMC and loved it so much that when I traded it in on my Ram, the next day I ordered one for it.
Leveling kit - Uh...LOWERING KIT!! Drop that thing!
oh, and welcome to the forum!
AMP Powersteps or similar - Don't waste your money, had them on my GMC and they stopped working after 8 months. AMP would not work with me on a new set, kept telling me it was the install, blah, blah, blah
SRT-10 Wheels - Ebay is always good, expensive though if you want the real thing.
Tonneau cover- Bakflip! Have used several of the soft tonneau's in the past and never could get used to the "flopping" while driving. Got the Bak flip on my old GMC and loved it so much that when I traded it in on my Ram, the next day I ordered one for it.
Leveling kit - Uh...LOWERING KIT!! Drop that thing!
oh, and welcome to the forum!
Captain
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 626
Likes: 1
From: Colorado Springs
Welcome, nice pics. Since you are a former Sub owner I have a question for you 
I ran a stock 2006 STI off the light a month or so back and he really beat me up off the line, I mean that thing was like a rocket. However, as distance went on, I was able match to catch up to him and *slowly* crawl past him at about the 75MPH mark. My question is, how can those things be so insanely fast out of the hole but fall flat on the top end? Does the turbo quit after a certain point? Thanks.
I ran a stock 2006 STI off the light a month or so back and he really beat me up off the line, I mean that thing was like a rocket. However, as distance went on, I was able match to catch up to him and *slowly* crawl past him at about the 75MPH mark. My question is, how can those things be so insanely fast out of the hole but fall flat on the top end? Does the turbo quit after a certain point? Thanks.
