hey, i've had my '88 Ramcharger for a few months now and i just joined this site last night...i want to start doing all kinds of work to it but i'm not quite sure where to start.if anyone has any suggestions or ideas for me let me know.i'm open to any ideas and suggestions.through the winter i wil be driving it to and from work and up in the hills around home a little but in the summer i will be out in the bushes quite a bit more.right now, all the guy has done to it is put dual exhaust straight back from the manifold and advanced the timing a little and i was looking into some headers for it as well.thanks

 

2wd or 4wd?
What do you want?
Off roader,cruiser?
Do you have a tight budget?
Do you have emissions inspection?

 

I have all kinds of suggestions, but where to start is really dependant on what it needs.
If it runs good, drives good and handles well.............
What do want the end result to be?
No matter what you decide to do, do it in stages, if you plan to be driving it as you modify it.

Judging from you post I am assuming it is 4WD and you do some mild offroading.

If that is in fact the direction you are taking it, most people start with a lift and tires/wheels.
Do some research with your states laws. Most have strict laws about how much you can lift your rig, bumper heights, how far the tires stick out, mudflaps,......................................... .......... and the list goes on.
Next on my list would be gear reduction(if needed) and traction control i.e. lockers, spool, posi-traction, limited slip.
Now I would look at power adders.
How about safety equipment? Body protection? Accessories?




I have a 1962 I.H. Scout that I have building on for twelve years into a full blown Offroad rig, so I have a little insight and I am glad to share. Please keep us updated.
Good luck,
Jeff

 

the truck runs well, it handles well, the only real problems i've had with it is that the wiring was a disaster when i bought it so we disconnected any wires from the battery that didn't need to be there for now, like the lights and winch (the truck had way too many wires and not enough grounds) then we went through each wire individually and cleaned them up re soldered and re-taped and cleaned it all up so they weren't hanging everywhere.and we blew a tire and we dropped the rear driveshaft (a piece of the yolk broke off but it was all easy minor fixes.
anyways, what i want is a good offroad vehicle but i also need to be able to drive it around town etc.i will also be hauling my horse eventually to competitions but i'm not too concerned about the hieght to the trailer as i can buy an adjustable hitch for it.i'm not sure what the max hieght and everything else is around here but i've been offroading with my uncle and friends for a long time and theres some pretty massive beasts out here, my uncles one friend has a truck i can pretty much just walk right under.i also forgot to add that my buddy i bought the truck off had previously put a shift kit in (it's auto) i don't know if that would make a difference in this case?i will look into a lift around here and see what i can find and keep you posted thanks, let me know what you think

 

moparborn....i do have a tight budget for about another month until i go back towork and then i have some playing room. and no, no emmisions inspections.

 

Kamloops is up north right? From Washington I mean. Or is it Minnesota?
Anyway, Looks like you got a ways to go.
What I gather from your post your end result to be more than just a mild wheeler, but still streetable and a capable tow rig?
I see that more and more.
With the price of gas, more people are focusing on the wheeler so that it can be driven to the trail and home again, so as to save on fuel for a tow rig and wheeler.
I'm planning to do about the same thing. My saving grace is the age of my vehicle. because it's a 1962 I can modify it to some pretty big extremes and still be legal on the road as long as I keep it licensed as a collector vehicle.



So back to your rig. If your planning on towing a trailer with a horse or two in it, I would definately look into regearing it after you lift it, in order to bring it back down to it's working torque range.
What do you have for an engine currently and are there any plans for a swap or power adders in the future?
The sky is really the limit as far as how big or powerful you want to go with it.
I personally can't see any reason to go bigger than 38" tires. I get into some pretty off camber situations and the higher center of gravity would be a hindrance.

What kind of wheeling do you do?
Trails? mud? rockcrawl?

 

it's up north alright, i'm in canada.ya, i definitly do have a ways to go.thats why it's always nice to hear other ppls oppinions.you peg my wants right on the nose.i don't know if it's legal but they are driving them on the road like this, the biggest lift i hear of ppl doing around here is 8in suspension, 8in body.i have a 318 right now and i haven't planned on doing a swap but some power adders would be nice.it's tbi and i've heard some ppl say it would be more with it to make it carborated?(not to me just in general to other ppl). i'm also having a little issue with my gas right now, i know it's hard on gas but lately it's been running really lean?i don't think i would want to go any bigger then a 38 anyways.i picked up some 31's just for now (i had 3 32's and one 31 due to a blow out) i just needed to get something to be able to drive it without spending $1500 right away.i do trails and mud...snows always fun too

 

I don't know if you would gain power by throwing on a carb. I would definately look into it though.
As for it running a little lean right now? Check out your O2 sensor.
For now the 318 should be fine. It should pull a horse as long as you don't pull any passes.
I've got a 1976 318 in my 1980 power wagon, and I pulled a car trailer with my brother's drag truck on it, 3,876 lbs trailer and truck, and it pulled okay. Suffered a little going uphill but it got there.
I'm planning on a motor swap in the future so that it can be the tow rig for the Scout.

 

haven't really been around much lately. i don't know that the idea of the carb was so much that i would gain power but that i could do more things to it?is the o2 sensor something that needs to be replaced quite frequently on these?the guy i bought it from said he did it not too long before he stopped driving it and it made a huge difference but then it sat for near 2 years and i've had it for about 4 months.he used to use it to haul his car to the track and he said it did pretty well after he did the shift kit.are there any company that have better lift kits then others or are they all pretty well the same?

 

I don't particularly care for carbs in an offroad setting.
The O2 sensor was the only thing that popped into my head when you said it was running lean.
How often they go bad depends on what else may be wrong with it.
You wiil probably have to get a manual, and check all your sensors in order to make sure they are all within their respective parameters.


Lift?
Well, there is a question. I personally don't have any favorites. It's really up to you. I would go to your offroad forum and maybe get some input.
How do you want it to ride? Flexxy? Stiff?
Since you're planning on towing with it, maybe a soft ride and airbag system.