PDA

View Full Version : RamBam's Journies



ram50bam
03-26-2014, 10:08 PM
So I bought my truck this past Friday for only $500. she has 192,303mi. on her. the guy wanted $750 but it didn't take any haggling to get him down. After an hour at the DMV and a few minutes at State Farm, it was officially mine and legal and good to go.

What I've done so far:
changed out vacuum lines
changed air filter
new spark plugs(had 2 dif. kinds, 2 weren't screwed in and 3 wires weren't even connected)
changed some blown fuses

ram50bam
03-26-2014, 10:10 PM
Im pretty sure the head liner isn't stock because it doesn't seem to fit, and the interior light is small and crummy and my visors are held up with zip ties, my dads ranger blew this past weekend and the scrap yard picked it up Monday so I snagged the visors and interior light from it to put in mine.

royster
03-26-2014, 10:13 PM
Awesome! I am envious of the bucket seats and console...but those will come to me, some day. (Along with the sports cluster).

Trucks amazingly good on that snow, isn't it!?

With those speakers placed there, you'll never have problems with constipation!

You might appreciate an after-market, windsheild-mounted rear view mirror.

Looks in amazingly good condition, RamBam...nice find for an excellent price!

ram50bam
03-26-2014, 10:41 PM
thanks, seats are from a dodge neon, there's a small tear on drivers side you can see right when ya open the door but hey it beats the bench IMO and there not too bad for a big guy(6'2").

yeah the speakers came with it, theres some kind of 4" in the dash too but never heard of that brand either. ive got an amp floatin around somewhere ill eventually throw in it.

ram50bam
03-26-2014, 10:42 PM
also the console is at Walmart I believe

royster
03-27-2014, 11:27 AM
Thanks for the bucket seat info: I'll know to look for Neon seats.

As for the console, I'll eventually fabricate my own out of wood. The one I have now serves its purpose, but I'm looking forward to utilizing the space buckets seats provide. Should I happen to find an original stock console, I'd likely use it to keep the truck stock. Consoles can be worthless catch-alls, and I try to minimize the clutter that accumilates in such a small cab (in the F-150, too). My neighbor cleans his vehicle out once every Mayan calendar cycle: he has McDonlad's bags that the Smithsonian has wanted for years.

And need I mention THIS guy?

8744

ram50bam
03-27-2014, 02:50 PM
Did the seafoam through the brake vacuum today. DAMN, nuff said there. and I gave her a bath and took plenty pics to show the dif between how the paint is and what the 3m compound has done comparably and the Turtle wax as well. ill post later tonight im gonna be late for class.

royster
03-27-2014, 04:04 PM
Did the seafoam through the brake vacuum today. DAMN, nuff said there.

No, we wanna hear what your experience was with that! And we'd also like to know if you're happy with the results. The Seafoam Dispute is on-going with this forum, and I choose to remain middle-of-the-road by attesting to its benifits, but only when used in mederation. I can well understand how using too much of it could ruin an engine.

By the way, nice avatar: the perspective is great.

Looking forward to eye candy :gotpics:

ram50bam
03-27-2014, 06:12 PM
after all the smoke cleared and I went on a test drive I really though it had helped me out, after class I start it up, massive ticking and its power acts as if the head gasket is blown. it would lose speed and nomatter where I hold my pedal theres no power but its been like that since I bought it. at one point from 55(barley) I dropped to 4th, 3rd and even down to second cause that's just what the truck wanted to do. im honestly pissed at the truck right now and am seriously considering selling it unless it can become a normal running vehicle and keep up with old man magoos tractor cause literally a dog running will pass this hunker. im not downing these trucks but this one is clearly on its last leg and just needs a motor or something cause its just junk, I need someone with experience in these trucks(not just a mechanic) but a ram 50/max owner mechanic to drive this thing and tell me what to do.

ram50bam
03-27-2014, 06:13 PM
im sayin if seafoam works for some then power to em, as far as me, it worked for a few minutes and I think it is now worse off than it was and It was junk to begin with. somethings seriously wrong with it.

ram50bam
03-27-2014, 06:21 PM
ok now that my daily "hate my truck" rant is over, I did wash her up and get her clean. so I have pics of that so you can see how dull the paint is. and out in the building was the front valance of my dads ranger he had and it will fit nicely on mine.

royster
03-27-2014, 07:31 PM
Now I feel bad for the suggestion, but I also feel it probably is indicating the core problem.

I hope so: it would let me off the hook.

:dunce:

ram50bam
03-28-2014, 09:14 AM
no worries I was going to seafoam anyway. seafoam isn't the issue but im thinkin its helping to narrow it down

ram50bam
03-28-2014, 06:04 PM
I painted the ranger valance today and finished doing the whole cab with the 3m compound, and then turtle wax. I took a pic that compares the bed(havents done anything but wash it) and the cab after compound and wax.

BradMph
03-28-2014, 07:36 PM
Your truck looks fine, don't give it a bad mojo by talking mean to it. Every time I look at it I think of orange juice. ;)
Be sure to put that valance on tight. I have had one fly off on freeway on another car.

ram50bam
03-28-2014, 07:46 PM
yeah I haven't looked at how ill mount it yet. I pulled my grille off today and attempted to pull the stock valance off, I only have a flat head and a phillips and a rinky dink pair of pliars for tools so I manages to bend it back and forth and break a couple of the bolts out lol they were a little rusted to begin with but im hoping to get it on there tomorrow

ram50bam
03-29-2014, 09:42 AM
Turns out Fisher had all the parts i needed in stock, so i went to the store and bought my parts, made a field trip to the warehouse to pick them up and ill be roadtripping later this afternoon to pick up my harmonic balancer!

Both timing belts
tensioners
valve cover gasket
pcv valve
fuel filter

8756

royster
03-29-2014, 02:58 PM
RamBam, as we spoke about the harmoic balancer wobbling, I showed you the geared part of the crank pulley assembly. It might be that the threads are stripped in yours. If you find that to be the case, let me know and I can yank the gears and get them to you.

Looking forward to your build thread: from here it's really going to take off. The cool thing about them is you're not alone, and as you share your experience, others learn and can avoid mistakes.

With camoit's new thread for new-to-you owners, and those trying to provide help information on their build threads, MightyRam50.net is taking a quantum leap in being the forerunner of how to keep these trucks in good condition. It won't surprize me if this summer features Mighty Max's and Ram50's as THE cool truck to have.

Sometimes God just puts you in the right place, at the right time.

He uses the timing mark on the head, not the block :grin:

ram50bam
03-29-2014, 04:16 PM
Ive made it home safely and me and my daughter are about to begin organizing everything i have that's strung across the basement! and i brought my grill and other parts from outside inside from the rain to clean up and start breaking down a plan/agenda to start my build/rebuild/restore/ bring back to life thread!!

Many thanks goes out to Roy for knockin' this outta the park and making my process even possible cause i started with a couple screw drivers and he really saved me on this.

More posts to follow! ill keep the site updated on a regular once this takes off!

royster
03-29-2014, 04:39 PM
Your daughter is a beautiful girl, and I'm sure you're proud of her. How cool she's a part of this process/project. The fundamentals will be a good education for her. She'll be the first to applaud your success.

I forgot (I think) to send along a 6" 3/8-drive extension...you'll wanna pick one up soon enough.

Be sure to make a cardboard holder for the timing cover bolts, as they are different sizes. I meant to give you mine, but we were waaayyy stressed for time, with a lot of ground to cover. Draw the outline of the covers on the cardboard, poke holes where the bolts go, and put 'em in as you remove them. Save the template: you'll likely need it again some day.

Be very mindful of that half-moon rubber filler at the back of the engine!!!

You were admiring how shiney my valve cover is: just use the one you have, get the job done. I have one here you can take your time to clean up, and swap later.

A couple photos for referrence.

8770 8771

Red arrow shows you the silent shaft plug. BE SURE TO REMOVE YOUR SCREWDRIVER when you finish, and put the bolt back.
8772

(Left) "Crook" shows spring placement: (Right)Red arrow shows the jumper connection for timing, remember I showed you on the parts truck. Manual has info, more details at Roy's Garage.
8773 8774

ram50bam
03-30-2014, 01:23 PM
so far today ive gotten to the point of almost gettin the harmonic balancer off, however, theres one last bolt thats decided the socket wont grip it and its starting to round off :/

also the smaller timing belt i found just chillin in there shredded to hell. along with a years worth of oil and grease and plenty of shavings and crud down in there. i wont know how bad the situation is fully until i get the balancer off to get the cover fully off. and for now this is as clean as ive gotten my valve cover, ill get some clay and a drill attachment tomorrow maybe and get her lookin like a mirror along with the thermo housing and if im feelin spunky enough later this week to get the intake mani off i might polish that up too. after i go put some PBblaster on the balancer bolt ill prolly call it quits for the day and go ease my mind of these troubles.
879087918792879387948795879687978798

royster
03-30-2014, 01:34 PM
According to that last photo, you're out of toilet paper.

royster
03-30-2014, 01:41 PM
Put the straw on that PB Blaster and get some dribble-down from the upper bolt hole, above the stubborn bolt. Once you PB Blasted the bolt good, get the other three bolts back in tight, and tap on the stubborn bolt lightly, to cause some vibration, so's the Blaster can get in there.

I'll be bringing you the gear assembly from my 2.0 and I'll bring the bolts for the pulley, so you don't have to use the old bolt.

There is no question about the timing issue...what's the right-side of the timing belt feeling like? I don't doubt that with the broken belt and all that grease, it's slipped time a tooth or two, and the tensioned-side is slack. Though the existing belt may be in good shape, please DON'T attempt to re-use it. Once you get it off, i bet you find some serious damages to it.

And be sure to get a new roll of toilet paper: as you see, Forest Gump was correct: shit happens.

royster
03-30-2014, 01:46 PM
:cheerleaderkid: ENCOURAGEMENT :cheerleaderkid:

If that engine still ran under those conditions, imagine how well it will run with some loving care!

ram50bam
03-30-2014, 02:06 PM
that empty roll has been like that for a month, i never put my TP on the roll. :D yeah im bout to go pb blast and tinker with some other things, might paint up my bumper and clean and paint my radiator.

royster
03-30-2014, 03:44 PM
that empty roll has been like that for a month, i never put my TP on the roll..
That's just bad Feng Shui. Especially living with wiminz.

PB Blast a couple or three times, a half hour apart, give it the best chance to penetrate. Could be you'll get that stubborn one off without any more concerns, particularly if the others are tight before you try to loosen it.

I'll hope a member or two will chime in with a verification for suspicion: since your crank gear pully is wobbling, I suspect the key is worn and has allowed progressive wiggling and loosening. Hopefully the crank itself is not getting stripped out by that process.

My other suspicion is that whoever installed the timing belt didn't replace the secondary belt...in my infancy of these trucks, I would have talked myself into doing the same (skipping the belt replacement). So tell us if that B belt is in fact old or as new as the timing belt. It takes a lot to tear up one of those belts. The good news is: other than affecting your timing, the B belt breaking likely didn't hurt anything, though I have to suspect the engine had extra vibration.

From the photos, it seems like normal oil leakage for the mileage, likely from the valve cover, but you'll know better once you get everything stripped down and clean.

As you reported a worn groove in the timing cover from the water pump pulley, I'd say there was a LOT of un-alligned wobbly crap going on. Take heart and know I have stuff to replace that as you need. This is an unconditional kindness, and I have every confidence you'll pass along just as much kindness through your life. I'm okay with it all.

Don't let the chain of love
end with you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_9HdZwf60U

royster
03-30-2014, 05:47 PM
Once you get that pulley and bottom cover off, be sure to turn the engine to #1 TDC and leave it there. Check the timing marks and let us know where they are...if it did slip, etc.

If I'm right, I'm seeing a fine metalic powder amidst that oil, indicating the pulley gears have been slowly wiggling looser and looser. I'm trying to remember what metal that gear is made from, but it should be softer than the crank, so again: we'll hope that's the worst of the damage.

Remember the hand cleaner idea to clean off the block. It really works great.

8799

ram50bam
03-30-2014, 06:26 PM
my brother-in-law came and saved the day and uncovered some other issues as well. i need a cam seal, crank seal, and oil pump seal. all 3 were leaking(that explains all the oil everywhere) and i need the smaller crankshaft timing gear and key!(roy do you have that gear and the key available?)

royster
03-30-2014, 07:12 PM
i need the smaller crankshaft timing gear and key!(roy do you have that gear and the key available?)

Yuppers.

ram50bam
03-30-2014, 08:21 PM
SHWEET! so far i need that gear/key, timing chain cover(lower) and ill have to see if fisher has the 3 seals i need and ill need a t-stat gasket and a t-stat. one more box of vacuul line(5/32) and bolts for the cat cause im gonna almost guarantee they snap when i go to take the cat off to gut it. and a thing of antifreeze(what little i drained is nasty) and i have an oil filter so just oil to change that out.

ram50bam
03-30-2014, 08:24 PM
oh and my bro in law checked the timing, it was off by 2 teeth! and now for some eye candy!....and the t-stat housing is almost done as well!...88048805

ram50bam
03-30-2014, 08:39 PM
oh and i got a tip from my bro, brake parts cleaner to clean the block, its dark when we finished tonight so didnt take photos but i will in the morn and all that oil behind the cover came right off with brake parts cleaner and then a quick spray with the air hose.

royster
04-01-2014, 06:05 PM
Took photos of RamBam's work station when I arrived. It sort of looked like a Ram50 bomb had exploded. He was gone when I drove up, since he was picking up parts. I snapped some candid shots of the work in progress.

8833 8834 8835

The paint really is taking on a good shine, the bed is not done yet.
8836

I was unable to do much except coach on keeping the work clean: he had applied way too much sealer compound on the oil seals. I tried to clean off components that need to be clear of oil, sealers and cleaner. Since he had hastily installed the crank seal with a screwdriver, the seal was damaged and he had to order another one. I didn't have the time to wait, so we didn't put the belts on then.

Friends with beer and non-stop advice showed up, and with not much for me to do (and an appointment back in Woodstock), I bid them adieu and headed home.

Hope to hear good reports, and some photos of the crank gear pulley. The key had eaten away at the original pulley, there was no tension at all on the timing belt, and it was off by two teeth. This truck still ran!

This experience will teach RamBam to take the time to do things right with patience, think steps through before executing them, and focus on the repair first, modifications later. Organizing the work and parts is a big help too. he has some good mechanical resources nearby, so I think he'll be alright. He's finding out that we work on these trucks very differently than any other vehicles.

I learned that the hard way.

ram50bam
04-01-2014, 08:17 PM
SHES ALIVE! and running damn well. the job itself isnt hard given you have the right tools. its mostly, in my experience, simply dismantle, clean, replace part, or in the case parts, and reassemble. i ran into stubborn bolts as usual and as long as all the marks lined up and the belt was tight, thats really all it is. i took extra time to sand and clean various parts and hit em with a touch of paint here and there to give it my own uniqueness. i also strippied(so far) the wires and everything and painted the fender well up nice after i sanded and steel wooled it. im pleased with its outcome. since the outside haa already been painted i figuered keeping the bay stock didnt matter. but i have photos of what i could do and had day light for. after dark i did put the skid and bumper back on. but no pics til daylight. over all my experience was fun, i did some road trips and had some tips along the way but this was officially my first real repair minus a water pump on my old jeep 4.0 and aradiator swap and engine flush. so more knowledge and experience was gained and i had a great time doing the project. got to meet a new friend and got to see some old one that have been gone a while too. cant wait for the next project and the adventure that one will hold. only thing left to do is tidy up the rest of the engine bay. i need the alternator bolt cause mine was corroded and i hulk armed it and she snapped. also need to get 2 bolts for the timing cover, mine was missing 2 so i figure im buying one bolt whats a few more, and since my old drilled out breather box had random holes drilled in it and wasnt mounted by anything but one small bolt and washer so ill grab the right washers and wing nuts to top it off. another roll of vacuul hose to finish replacements and add some that arent there as well. i still need to polish the top of the radiator so its the copper/ brass shine its suppose to be.

ram50bam
04-01-2014, 08:30 PM
im on the look out for a mitsubishi chrome grill and corner trim!!

ram50bam
04-01-2014, 08:50 PM
I'd also like to add a big shout out to Royster for helping me out in the beginning and traveling down to bring me the missing link parts of the project and for his tips and wisdom being passed on and hopefully one day i can pass it on to another newcomer to these trucks. im now officially hooked on doing this truck in my unique way. just need to lock down a decent job to support funds in my future projects.

royster
04-02-2014, 08:08 AM
How great to hear the truck is on its way to recovery. Hope the fine~tuning goes well. I have some sage advice if you care to heed it:

Drive the truck locally for a couple weeks. Don't make major modifications or plans for too much in that time: get a feel for what the truck really needs and pay attention to that. Fuss with it, make it yours', but also listen to it as it's your friend, and has basic needs. It needs to adjust back to health, quite literally, so don't drive it hard.

As regards "ghetto lowering", I would suggest that you not do this any time soon. As you have said yourself, if it's lowered, you can't get back to my place. That means you're willing to sacrifice opportunities in order to have "attitude". But my garage isn't the only place you will prevent yourself from going: there are many back-road places you will not be able to go, and that means no taking your daughter down to the river side for fishing or skipping stones. Don't sacrifice your daughter's childhood for you temporary image of "ghetto bad".

And if "ghetto" is the look you choose, then that's what people will think of you. Like old guys, these old trucks beg for a shred of dignity. Please don't deny them that, and don't deny yourself the possibility of the places this truck can take you in its current condition. When you eliminate possibilities, you become more stuck in life. Try to remain as free and independent as possible.

ram50bam
04-02-2014, 06:31 PM
Got a lot more done on this beautiful day. shined the wheels and buffed and waxed the entire truck with an actual buffer(thanks Roy) and its looking mighty fine. i went and got the bolts i needed this morning and put her all back together. i got the timing dialed in then noticed i lost a little punch so we advanced the timing a smidge and shes got a great balance for what she is. i still have a few things ill need to do in the future as far as the engine goes but shes pretty solid at the moment. now i can put efforts towards fixing a few things that are bugging me, for one ill re-wire my horn to work properly as well as the interior light(im swapping it out for a larger light out of a ranger). and my cigar lighter isn't wired up so im going to get that done so ill have an on board phone charger. im also not thrilled about the way the previous owner wired the stereo and speakers in so ill be doing that up my own way since stereos is my specialty. also will be tinting the windows if not started tomorrow by this weekend hopefully. and other little do-dads id like to do. in the mean time since it was a nice day i took more pics of what i couldnt capture last night.8876887788788879888088818882888388848885

royster
04-02-2014, 06:41 PM
Wow! Looks amazing ! The shine really came out nice, RamBam. Engine detailing has come along, too. Glad the air filter worked out so well. I'm sure the engine appreciates that.

Suggested part to order next: transmission mount. Easy replacement, but probably needs to be done just due to age and the stress it undergoes.

Looking forward to seeing the grill in and the valance on.

BTW that mineral oil works terrific on the tail lights, too.

ram50bam
04-02-2014, 06:49 PM
im gonna get the grill done tomorrw, im gonna get it as nice as possible but eventually im dead set on a chrome mitsubishi grill, i love the "open mouth" agressive look it gives these trucks. brian is going to help me weld on some metal tabs to mount that valance so i dont have to ghetto it on and i can actually bolt/mount it properly. i refuse to half ass anything on my truck, after doing the timing belt and knowing i have what it takes to do repairs i want my truck to go as far as i can take it. my next "major" installment will be not only the tranny mount but depending on my motor mounts those too, as well as urethane bushings to replace all the suspension stockers that are clearly wore out hence the rough ride, after that ill get some nice shocks so smooth her on out. sometime this summer(most likley juneish) gonna replace the clutch as well. also wanting to put a full exhaust on, pacesetter header and flowmaster most likely.

royster
04-02-2014, 06:59 PM
brian is going to help me weld on some metal tabs to mount that valance

That's frikkin' awesome!

I understand about the Mitsu grille. It's a clean look. The Ram grilles look a lot like football face bumpers, or whatever you call those things on the helmet.

Does the grille have the original emblem, and if not, are you interested? It would be a loan-only, but I have one.

ram50bam
04-02-2014, 08:32 PM
i have my stock grill with the stock emblems, is that what your asking? im still putting mine on until i purchase a mitsu grill just so i dont have to work bout gettin my radiator damaged.

ram50bam
04-03-2014, 07:29 PM
it died today. has spark, gettin fuel, im thinkin it musta jumped time. its sittin in a church parking lot where it died. tomorrow i get to go tear it apart again and re do the timing belt if thats what it is anyway, wont know til i get it apart

royster
04-05-2014, 03:34 PM
I get the impression you aren't doing the tensioner correctly. The day I was there with you I tried to explain the procedure, but half way through you got distracted and I never was able to show the most crucial part.

Just to make sure it's covered, let me go through it, here.

You know to put the tension on the crank-oil pump-cam cog side of the belt.

Before you do that, though, position the tensioner to the left: loosen the hex bolt (big allen wrench) and the bottom bolt, swing the tensioner to all the way to the left, (it will take some doing!) and tighten down the bottom bolt enough to hold it in that position.

Once the belt is tight from the crank to the cam, maneuver the left side of the belt over the tensioner wheel (flat side against the wheel). Once in place, loosen the bottom bolt and the tensioner will swing to the right, pushing the belt tight. Check your timing marks that they haven't moved, then tighten both tensioner bolts. I gave my tensioner a little bit more of a push before tightening, just a little tighter than the spring alone gives. The manual tells you which bolt to tighten first, but common sense tells me the bottom bolt is what you want to lock into position first, then the hex head.

Since the B belt silent shaft was difficult to turn, you might want to check that again when you have the timing belt loose. See if the shaft itself is turning freer than when the initial repair was being made.

I can't imagine any other reason for the belt to be slipping, unless the cam pulley was improperly installed...I remember the bolt had been damaged.

mitchi
04-05-2014, 03:53 PM
I like that truck.....the orange color is unique.....don't see that much.

Like the seats and console too.

Did you git the valance mounted yet? What year Ranger.....I'de like to see that.

royster
04-05-2014, 04:04 PM
You might also give the cam shaft a spin, to make sure it's turning as resistance-free as possible. It's my hope the excessive sealer shown in this photo (on the cam and crank seals) wasn't on there when you put the timing belts on.

8954

ram50bam
04-05-2014, 07:40 PM
I like that truck.....the orange color is unique.....don't see that much.

Like the seats and console too.

Did you git the valance mounted yet? What year Ranger.....I'de like to see that.

the valance is from a 99 ranger sport 2 wheel drive. not sure if the package makes a difference, some years do some dont.

Roy, yeah i got it on there good and tight can just barley turn the belt 90 degrees so its on there tight now. everything with that is good but with the egr valve deleted the truck had more pick up and when i put it on it lagged a bit so we advanced the timing a few degrees and got the pep back but now i took egr off for good and need to set timing back a hair but now the battery fully took a dump on me we put it on a charger and it wont take charge so looks like thats coming earlier than intended in my build also but one way or another im slowly restoring this little beast of mine.

ram50bam
04-05-2014, 07:42 PM
Though a few mishaps over the last few days i still managed to get the back tint on and tatted her with the site logo decal.

ram50bam
04-05-2014, 07:44 PM
also while broke down the other day i looked down in my carb and found a screw down in there that had clearly ben there for some time, didnt really mess anything up but im pretty sure it doesn't belong there! not sure if the pic shows it enough to see down in there or not.
89598960

BradMph
04-05-2014, 08:44 PM
oh man aren't you the lucky guy of the day. Damn that would made a nice mess in the motor if you hit the right bump. Reminds me after rebuilding mine I took air hose and was blowing out carb on the motor and a little washer came flying out of carb. Sometimes luck is on our side.

ram50bam
04-07-2014, 11:33 AM
if it isn't one thing its another, now i seem to have a wire shorting out my battery. if i attempt to jump start my truck with my battery hooked up it wont work, if i disconnect my battery and hook the jumpers straight to the terminals with now battery it fires right up. alternator is new so i know thats not the issue, and i dont see how it can be a short in the wires if i hook jumpers to the terminals and it fire right up but hooked to my battery it wont work. went today and used the warranty and they swapped me out to a brand new batter and it still doing it. what is going on with this thing?

asmyser
04-07-2014, 12:58 PM
You just have the worst luck with these things. Simple things you could try are make sure you clean your terminals right, I've had before where the terminal didn't make good contact with the terminals on the battery and wouldn't start right until i cleaned the gunk out of it. That's all i have without being able to look at it and think about it.

royster
04-07-2014, 02:59 PM
.Fuse-able link at the firewall
.short in the + cable strapped to the block
.too much grease/oil on the starter
.bad ground wire/harness
.lack of vitamin D (donut)

ram50bam
04-07-2014, 07:32 PM
mmmmm DONUTS

ram50bam
04-09-2014, 06:11 PM
i was gettin a bad connection at my positive terminal! got all that fixed today, just need to finish makin my battery box and strap it all down! went to the local pick n pull today and found an 86 d50 with the dash clock! so i gladly got that little upgrade today and got it installed, just plugged it up tossed in a fuse and BOOM dash clock for RamBam! also found a latch for my sliding glass but was a few bucks short on grabbin that one so ill get it tomorrow! pic up n a bit!

ram50bam
04-09-2014, 06:29 PM
it was dark when i got around to hookin it up so you can only see the numbers, i havent finished installing my intrior light yet but i did rip that headliner out(not sure what vehicle it was from but im pretty sure it was from a car and cut short to fit the truck) but i put the ford visors in, much larger and cover more area to block sun, once i have a headliner and re upholster it ill be a happy camper!

ram50bam
04-09-2014, 06:33 PM
randomly enough the clip for the clock was still attached to the back of the little pocket that comes in the trucks that dont have the clock option, so its as simple as poppin the pocket out popping the clip off, hook it to the clock and pop the clock in, only had to put the fuse back in the fuse box and set it and its good to go! and i love it, its nice havin a clock in the dash thus not having to look at my watch or phone while driving. sweet little upgrade for you people that havent done so yet! i LOVE stock upgrades!

ram50bam
04-09-2014, 09:04 PM
took some mystical nighttime truck lovin photos! i think my orange color looks tight in the dim outdoor lighting. cant wait for a clear starry night to take her up on the parkway near the lookout spots so ill have a perfect starry backdrop canvas of the night in these mountainous valleys of ours in Virginia.

ram50bam
04-15-2014, 10:55 PM
I'll have to get pics up tomorrow, but me and my boy were discussing lowering the truck the old fashioned way(blocks and chopped coils) and got down uner the rear to take a look and BAM its got 2" blocks in it already? my truck seemed to be roughly the same height as the other ram 50s ive seen around town but apparently my truck is already lowered 2". as it sits i was planning to chop one coild and putting 3" blocks to get it down some but if its already got 2" blcoks and the front seems to be level with it what can i do to get it 2" lower than were it is now, as far as the front ill have to look to see if its already cut or if its actualy springs, if it is cut(though i may regret it) im going to chop atleast another half coil off and swap to 3" blocks. in the event i regret the coil chop the local yard does still have that one ram 50 i got the clock from so i can always go get the coils. if i dont go 3" blocks has anyone gone mono leaf with the stock packs yet on here to tell their tales? if i dont slow down at rail road crossings it already smacks frame in the rear(unless it still has the bump stops and im hitting that, in which case i can remove those and proceed with going mono. but my main concern is getting the front lower, i cant afford to get spindles or springs right now though, and since my shocks are probably stockers and wore out anyway(though when i bounce it goes down and right back up like a champ and doesnt bounce at all so they could be swapped already, but if not then ill just do away with them(unless someone has experience with that and would like to tell those tales?

mitchi
04-16-2014, 03:36 AM
I like that color and your truck. Looks sharp....i m o....should have the parking lights on when taking night time photos.

All in all those photos look kewl too. I'd like to lower mine sometime after I get it on the road, gotta get this engine of mine figured out first.

DroppedMitsu
04-16-2014, 06:30 AM
The rear probably needs the bump stops cut down. I think it looks stock height becuase maybe they have smaller tires on those stockish rims? I would pull the middle leaf which will give you about a 1.5-2" drop and then cut some coils

ram50bam
04-17-2014, 07:17 PM
ill try to get a pic of the coils but i think they're already cut a bit, i looked today and it looked like about 4 go arounds on em, how many coils are stock? ill mess with the leaf pack and cut a lil off the coils hopefully this weekend.

i did finally get the ford valance put on today, ill get some pics up in a bit.

ram50bam
04-17-2014, 07:19 PM
oh and the rims are stock pathfinder rims, 15x6? i know 15 but not sure how wide they are, ill look at tire size next time i go out there but yeah it sits almost level with other ram50s in town but there is def 2" blocks in the back. ill try to remember to snag a pic of those tomorrow too.

ram50bam
04-17-2014, 07:31 PM
tires are 195/65r15...

Coolhandluke
05-21-2014, 01:23 AM
where did you find the dash clock? cause mine came without one too.

royster
07-13-2014, 07:37 AM
The valance really came out looking great, Mike! It looks like it originally came with the truck.

Cchuckster11
03-29-2020, 08:05 AM
Nice rig Bro.

geezer101
03-29-2020, 01:40 PM
...wonder what happened to this member :(

royster
03-29-2020, 04:08 PM
...wonder what happened to this member :(

Last time I talked to him he had some serious legal problems.

geezer101
03-29-2020, 10:52 PM
Last time I talked to him he had some serious legal problems.

Oh damn. I'm not sure if I want to even know... life is messy :shakehead: