Hey everyone! Just picked up my first american automobile since my first car (88 Buick Park Ave), in 2001. It's a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie SLT 5.9L Gas. Picked it up from a charity for a real cheap price, but it definitely needed/needs work. Got it about 3 days ago after it had sat for 5 years. To say it ran rough would be an understatement. Getting it to stay running on the way home was an act of God.

So far, I've done a complete tune up (save for serpentine belt, and fuel filter), replaced all the throttle body gaskets, cleaned the TB, replaced the idle air control valve, drained the tranny fluid and replaced the filter, replaced the completely rusted off fuel filler neck.

I've got a new oil pan, tranny pan, and power steering pump waiting to go on. The oil pan started leaking like a sieve yesterday, and looking at it, it looks so scaley I could probably put a screwdriver right through it. The tranny pan looked as if it was close to busting through as well. Figure 'cheap' fix, for good insurance. I need to drop the fuel tank to drain the rest of the old gas, and attempt to find a leak. Hopefully it's just a bad filler hose - but we'll see. The tank feels metal, but from what I've seen/read it's made of a plastic material, and ridiculously expensive (600ish?). So, here's hoping it's something dumb and cheap.

Then it's off to repairing/replacing doors, fender, hood latch as they all have rust or are completely rusted off (hood safety catch lever). I got some 33" (I think) tires and wheels off my father's truck that I'll be putting on soon to replace the bald stockers. Gotta clean the interior so as not to contract some weird truck-bourne STI from the previous owners (who seemingly didn't much care for it). It's been a lot of work so far, and it will be a lot of work in the future, but it should be fun. I've never been a truck guy, but seeing this thing coming together is slowing turning me!

 

Welcome to DF! Nice project truck. Be sure to check out the 2nd gen Ram section. Read the plenum sticky, it probably needs replacing as well, so add that to your list. Welcome aboard!

 

Hey! Thanks! In the past couple days we've douched the hell out of the truck. Took it through a touchless car wash just for kicks (forgetting we had doors to our civic in the bed HAHAHA), did pretty much nothing as we had expected. Still needs a good hand scrubbing. Removed about 60lbs of steel from the bed, and about 9 30gallon black trash bags full of trash. Disgusting. Also cleaned the entire interior. And entire roll of now black paper towels later, it's presentable!

What else -- replaced the drivers side caliper as it was sticking hardcore. (These things are MASSIVE!!). While bleeding, blew one of the main brake lines from the master to the distribution block. The guy who sold it to me 'replaced every single brake line' - except the two super rusty easiest to replace main ones. Oh well - got that taken care of. Yesterday I replaced the power steering pump/reservoir, and all 3 lines. Tonight I'll be dropping the fuel tank to find the leak - which seems to be only when the truck is running, so I'm pretty positive its the feed line to the rail. Should be an easy-ish fix, save for the time removing and reinstalling the tank. Gonna do a fuel filter while I'm in there. Then tomorrow will probably be the oil pan and tranny pan replacement.

While replacing the tranny fluid the other day, I found what looked like the head off an air chisel attached to the magnet. Turns out it's the anchor for the front band. Pretty sure my hesitation is due to the fact that it's shifting from first to third, and I have no second gear. Surprised it's not a lot more noisy. Oh well - so I'll be dropping the valve body to reinstall this - hopefully nothing else is missing/broken while I'm in there.

Until then...

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Here's hoping I can get it inspected without fender flares!

 

UPDATE!!

Well, I finally got my driveability issues fixed, o2 sensors. Dumb. Replaced both oil and tranny pans, replaced the anchor into the front band, still having some shifting issues. I still need to adjust my TV Cable and possibly replace the Governor solenoid and sensor. After fixing the driveability, my parents wanted me to do a burnout leaving their driveway (parents... i mean.. what?), in the process of spinning the gnarly treaded 33s, I'm pretty sure I destroyed the rear driveshaft u-joint. Have crazy shuddering around 30mph-40mph on acceleration. So, one thing fixed, another thing broke. Typical stuff, really. Not stoked about trying to replace it without a press, torches, or even a simple vise (really, I own like $20k worth of tools and metal fab machinery... and don't even own a vise). I see a trip to my friends shop with the driveshaft running through the trunk passthrough on my WRX. Hmph.

Anyway, truck is now registered (holy crap, it was so expensive... who knew these oversized (8800lb) added so much! -- and inspected (ooo no OBD requirements on 8600lb+, I did not know this!). Now am legal to drive this turd on the road without getting hassled.

In the end, as it stands right now, bought the truck for $1300, and spent $1246 on parts. Still I feel like it's been a fairly good deal. Truck is nearly brand new... everything I'd have to replace in the near future, has been done. New fuel pump, new power steering, new tps, map sensors, oil/tranny pans, tranny filter, fluids (x2), plugs, wires, coil, cap, rotor, PCV, IAC, filters, brake caliper, all brand new brake lines, wheel cylinders, fuel filler neck, gaskets, o2 sensors, and some other misc. stuff. I do need a new wheel bearing (~130ish), and u-joints all the way around. Then the tranny stuff, and boom, truck will be near perfect!

Still also need to get my goddamn rear doors open. Bottom latches are stuck closed, and wont release even via manual pulling on the lever inside the door, attached the latch. After removing one from the junkyard.. it almost looks like I can maybe cut off the bolts/studs inside the door, and then the door will be free. They certainly don't make this easy. As of right now, I have a club cab, haha. I hate it. So inconvenient putting things in the back.

Fancy tin tape and paint rust repair...

 

Welcome to DF. Post your questions in the 2nd gen ram forum.Tech section for tech questions and general discussion for showing off. I'm also in NH, Raymond . Where are you ? There is a bunch of us(from DF) that come over my house and work on our trucks.

 

Ah, I'm in Londonderry - right down 102 from you, Haha. My sister actually works in Raymond (they live in Derry).

I've already been posting around... just kind of using this thread as a 'build log', as I didn't find another area to do it - I looked quickly, to be honest.

 

Dude, we have to hook up! lol My mother lives in Londonderry and I'm working on 3 jobs in Windham and Litchfield. I drive 102 everyday. Small world man. Graduated from Pinkerton btw.

 

Changing U-joints is easy, even without a press/vice... I used two bricks, and a three pound hammer. Took me 15 minutes......

 

I have a press and torches and all other required equipment and tools. That's why the guys come to my house to work on the trucks.

 

Hey You, hahaha well that works too! Bigger hammers!

Zman - nice! Whereabouts in Londonderry? I live south of 102 just off 128. I also graduated from Pinkerton (lived right on 102 my whole life in Derry), in 2003.

I'd have torches (well.. proper ones.. I have handheld oxy/acet), and a press if I had a bigger garage... someday! I picked up the U-Joint this morning... I might start on it this afternoon.