Hey dudes, thought I would share my build here.

It's an ex-Cal Fire truck, it served 255k miles fighting wildland fires and has the scars to show. I purchased it in 2021 as a temporary truck until prices for nicer trucks got more favorable, but it's a more permanent affair since prices didn't get favorable and I want to bash around in the back country anyway. So today it sits at 281k miles and is my daily driver. Done countless repairs and tweaks to get it right, and it still needs more.

The goal is to have a truck that can handle pretty much anything short of deep wading or rock crawling, to get me where I wanna go with confidence. It shall have superior flex over stock and I don't need big tires because I don't wanna rub. Last year the snow didn't totally melt in the high Sierras until mid July and it really threw a wrench in my camping plans. I would've had much better luck with a more capable rig so I decided to make one with what I got.



By the numbers...

Truck:
- 2001 1500 4x4, 5.2L V8, base trim with basically no options except club cab and cruise control (A/C?)
- Dashboard has no cracks

Notable Upgrades:
- 4.10 gears
- Eaton Truetrac differentials front/rear
- 3" Skyjacker front coils
- Pro Comp 1.5" long leafs
- Rancho RS7MT shocks all around
- 17" wheels from a 2003 1500
- Yokohama Geolander G003 Mud Terrains 255/75/17
- Red Head 2500 steering box
- V10 radiator mod
- Dual 10" subwoofers (for off-road traction)
- Hella fog lamps

Rides decent on the street, if a bit stiff, but handles like a dream in the mud. I can't wait to take it camping this summer.

Anyway, I have a laundry list of things I still need to do:

- So the CAD actuator is being funky after I brought it to my diff guy for a front end rebuild, the 4x4 light illuminates during high engine load in 2WD and pulsates in 4WD during wheel slip along with a clunking noise. I'm very certain it's a vacuum issue. I've checked as much as I could under the truck but I'm thinking about throwing in the towel and going with a Posi Lock cable actuated CAD.

- After the lift, I did not throw on proper control arms or a beefier track bar. I've been pondering either the Stryker Off Road adjustable control arms or the Apoc adjustable ones. The Strykers are suspiciously cheap but they have the largest diameter tubing and threads. I've been thinking about a 3rd gen track bar conversion instead of an aftermarket one. It's just a 1500, how bad could I possibly beat it up?

- I need sway bar disconnects and I've seen on some forum threads that you can use Jeep TJ disconnects. I just don't know what length to go with for a 3" front lift on a Dodge Ram.

- My boss gave me a set of Teraflex upper ball joints for a Jeep JK D44, and they appear to be the same exact size as the Dodge D44! I just need to crawl under the truck with my calipers and check for sure. Hopefully I can get a set of matching Teraflex lowers.

 

The third gen track bar is bushings at both ends, a much better design than the 2nd gens. Always a good upgrade. Since you have a lift, you might consider going with an adjustable one as well.

The vacuum harness for the CAD is still readily available. Why your light is coming on while in 2wd is a mystery though. Think I might suspect the switch on the t-case. Posi-Lok would certainly solve that though, and also give you the option of 2wd Low range.

I saw one guy that did a 'flip' on his sway bar. So the bar stayed above the axle, and the links went down to the mounts on the axle. Disconnects will definitely give you better articulation. But, is that something you actually need???

Yep. These trucks ride like trucks.

 

I ended up buying a cable-actuated CAD. I bought the US Alloy one on Summit thinking it was a Posi Lock (they all use the same product image) and boy was I disappointed. It was defective right out of the box. Tried contacting mfg tech support and it's a dead line so I will be sending it back. Ordered a genuine Posi Lock, included hardware is a bit better quality and it was $20 cheaper. Works great and no more 4x4 light on hard acceleration.

I also bought the Stryker adjustable control arms and I will be slapping those in as soon as I get my bolts. When I get that done I'll share some photos flexing the suspension with a forklift lol

Got a couple issues with the truck. Went camping over the weekend and my A/C compressor is not running. I'm assuming I either have a leak and the pressure switch kicked out the compressor or the clutch magnet went bad again since I installed an El Cheapo from Amazon last time. I need to get off my rear and actually check it with my Fluke meter.

The other one is I can hear a blend door behind the dash opening/closing on hard acceleration. So I don't get any fan when driving up hills. I am assuming the blend doors are vacuum actuated? I have never looked into it.

 

For the vents switching, the fan is still blowing, and moving air, but the lack of vacuum causes the vents to switch to defrost. This is known as "wild vents", and there is a thread about it in the FAQ/DIY section. Couple vacuum check valves, and if you are feelin' really froggy, another vacuum reservoir, and the issue is dramatically reduced.

 

My '96 is similar to your truck. I'm running 3.55 rather than 4.10 gears, but it's never let me down. If you don't have a sur-grip rear, you might want to source one. I have about the same wheel base and it's excellent on my tree farm and grips granite out crops pretty well. My tires aren't quite as aggressive as yours but they do okay. We get more ice than snow around here.

 

Well I got my JKS sway bar disconnects. They are part number 2002 for a Jeep XJ with 0-1.5" lift.

 

Tested my articulation