Bought a 2001 Dodge 1500 4x4 [UPDATE 2/25/2014]

[TruckDriver]

I pick it up tomarrow. It has the 360 in it, and 100,500 miles. There is a little surface rust on both doors, but whats there will be easy to clean up and touch up. It has a bed topper too. The bottom picture is off the dealer website.

[1970Moparmann]

Good luck with it!   

[TK73]

Head to the hills!!  Get some dirt flyin

[Todd Wilson]

Did you get rid of the Dakota?   If your truck starts using oil it may be the plenum gasket needs replacing.  I had to do that to my 95 Ram 360.


Todd

[TruckDriver]

No, I kept the Dakota. I am going to use it as a winter better til I give it to my oldest son. And thanks for the info.

[TruckDriver]

I just picked these up tonight for my truck. They started with these in 2001 on the Off Road packaged trucks. Tire have about 20% tread. Enough to last me til the end of the year.

http://appleton.craigslist.org/pts/3160567589.html

[PocketThunder]

I just picked these up tonight for my truck. They started with these in 2001 on the Off Road packaged trucks. Tire have about 20% tread. Enough to last me til the end of the year.

http://appleton.craigslist.org/pts/3160567589.html

Much better than those 3-spoke wheels...   

[TruckDriver]

What a difference a set of wheels will do for appearance 

[TruckDriver]

Happy birthday to me... New catback Dual exhaust and exhaust tips all for $300, and I did not do the exhaust. I took it to a exhaust place locally. Got a Thrush turbo muffler with a lifetime warranty on it.



Hear it running below

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=633299473353034&set=vb.100000189602119&type=2&theater

[Cooter]

Twin exhaust always looks/sounds good. Truck looks great. I'm still modding my own 99 Ram 2500 360 magnum myself.

[71ChallengeHer]

    

[ACUDANUT]

20 percent tread left ?  Your playing with fire.

[TruckDriver]

20 percent tread left ?  Your playing with fire.

I don't have those tires on it now (the ones that were on the wheels when I bought them). I found a good used set at a used tire shop back in January with a good 1/3 tread on them for $50.00. They are the same kind though, BFG All-Terrain T-A KO LT285 -70R17 tires.

I also got all new head lights and fog lights from Rock Auto for $170. to put on it soon as it warms up a bit. You can see the headlights on my truck now are turning black on the insides. I give Rock Auto a perfect 10 on the wrapping scale. It literally took me close to 15 minutes to get everything unwrapped from the packaging 

[TruckDriver]

I also got a whole new stereo system. The radio is a factory refurbished (which I never had a issue with them from Kenwood). But everything including the dash adapter and stereo to factory wiring harness (not pictured) all for $290. It helps to be long time friends with the manager and employees at the music store   The 6x9 speakers are 300 watts per channel, and the radio lighting can be changed to any color I like.

[lukedukem]

Did you have issues with the built in amps. I had a single cab 4X4 it was a 1994. And when I went to put in a aftermarket radio I had to take out door speaker and remove the built in amps they had. Just curious.
Man I should've never sold that truck. 94 single cab, shortbed, with a 318. Same color combo as yours. It just wouldn't pull the 18 ft trailer loaded with the tractor. Diesel does though.

Sweet truck

Luke

[TruckDriver]

Thanks Luke. I haven't started the stereo yet. I have to replace the top dash cover cause mine is junk. I ordered one from LMC truck. So, once the weather warms up,  I'm going to rip the top of the broken dash out, and do the stereo at the same time.

[Back N Black]

Truck is looking good Pete. 

[TruckDriver]

thanks!

[TruckDriver]

4/6/2013 Installing new shocks on my truck, at my friend Jay's house. Did the steering stabilizer too. What a difference on how it rides and drives. The shocks appeared to be factory yet. We were going to change the distributor cap, rotor and wires, but couldn't get the cap off

[TexasStroker]

Very nice...I've got an 01 Off-Road myself...those are some of the best factory 5 spokes ever, imo anyway 

Did you land new center caps for them?  Those "flat" Ram heads seem to get tossed like nobody's business...It's something you really notice if you look (Dakotas and Durangos too).  I lost one and had to hit up a scrap yard to get one...it was scuffed up pretty bad.  The one in that pick looks mint.  If you still have the wheels off you might want to dab silicone around them...

The ones they will sell you are the chrome ones with a raised Ram head...don't look right w/ the wheel.

Hope you continue to enjoy it...just watch for the dash cracking 

[TruckDriver]

Very nice...I've got an 01 Off-Road myself...those are some of the best factory 5 spokes ever, imo anyway  

Did you land new center caps for them?  

just watch for the dash cracking  

I totally agree that they are the best looking factory wheels ever. And no, the caps were on the wheels when I bought them. The wheels came off a 2004 Ram originally. I turned down a set of polished 16 x 10 Eagle Alloy 8 hole wheels for these. And I like he Eagle Alloys a lot.

And my dash was all broke to heck when I got the truck, but he dealership never hid that from me, the were honest about it. They covered it with a dash cover before I even looked at the truck. I did order a brand new reproduction dash cover from LMC Truck, which should be here later this week sometime. I am going to replace the old one when I put my Kenwood stereo system in.

[TexasStroker]

Nice...still after all this time, the Off Roadster rims remain my favorite...I do like my M10's painted classics, but the Off Road is a nice 5-spoke and they remind me a bit of the Viper.

I'm looking forward to seeing the dash cover...it has been on my to do list for quite some time...Please post up how you like it, and of course installed pics!

[TruckDriver]

Should be here this week. But I'll post on it too.

[TruckDriver]

4/10/2013 - My new dash cover from LMC Truck came today! Love the quality. Way better then factory.

[lukedukem]

my 94 had a crack in the dash when i bought it used. after a couple of months pieces started to break off and it just crumbled after that, i thought it was because the truck was a ranch truck and it sat in the sun for years, but for some reason those trucks did that, you would think that dodge would have figuered something out from 94 to 01.
some one even asked my when i bought my 06 "How long do you give it till the dash starts to crack". i think he was joking cause i've got 97k on it and 90k of it it was stored outside, before i bought my house and stored it in the garage, and it has no cracks. yet.

i saw in town yesterday there is a truck just like yours for sale. bumper is bent, and i'm not sure the milage but they only want 1500.00.   

luke

[TexasStroker]

Looks great...I'll be ordering a saddle one soon.

Way I remember it 98-01 had it the worst...Factory tried to back out of it as an issue attributing it to basically owner neglect...that is not the case.

I cared for mine just like the Charger and it cracked, albeit much later than the others.

Over time the sun will take a toll on things, but the crack pattern (straight, almost always from mounting points or joints) indicates an error in the manufacturing process...That's why when you're in the scrap yard and see the older plastic dashes cracked from the sun they spider...

Most Rams seemed to go over the cluster, which can then take a toll on wiring (think that is where the class action suit came from).  Mine cracked on the LH bezel (same fracture), and then on the passenger side above the glove box...it started at that recessed mounting point and worked forward...slowly becoming more and more pronounced...It is almost like peanut brittle.

How does your new LMC one feel?  Looking forward to seeing if it is thicker etc.

[TruckDriver]

It is thicker, and it even feels like a totally different plastic. Well worth the money so far. I bought the 5 custom washers LMC has for the dash mounting, that disperse the stress from the screw tightening area. They are listed on the same page here

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/de/full.aspx?Page=93

Here is a video I found from 2008 on the dash problem, that was done by a tv station. The lady has the same issues i do with mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-gyefJmlos

[TexasStroker]

You actually got the full on dash pad replacement, not the cover!  I am glad you linked that cat. pg. bc last I had checked they were WAY higher.  I hadn't been keeping tabs, but I'm thinking LMC made that one (as the article indicates) and replaced what ever the old part was with their own...It sounds like a killer deal and when you think about it, the price isn't that much higher.  Dealerships wanted $900 back in the day...when I decided I'd replace my dash I found ones online for around $400-600, none of which had great reviews.

I think I'll see how your install goes and then possibly pull the trigger on one soon myself!  I have been driving the truck the last few weeks and that passenger side crack is getting worse and worse.

Interior should look great once you've installed the new dash!

[TruckDriver]

4/27/13 Was in the mid 60's here, so I went out and installed my new headlights and fog lights. I should actually be able to see where I m driving at night now, instead of just aiming. 

Before



After

[TruckDriver]

5/6/2013 Well, I didn't have to work today, so I installed the new reproduction dash cover made of ABS plastic, and my new Kenwood stereo. Took about 8 hours to do it all.

This is how it looked when I started. All I did was remove the housing around the gauges and the fake carpet cover over the dash that was there when I bought the truck. As you can see, it was total junk.




Have to remove the air bag, and the glove box. This was very easy. Just all those screws, and 2 hidden behind the glove box.


These were a pain to remove. One on each side of the defroster vents, 8 total. They all were put in at the factory before the dash was installed in the truck. There are 5 of the main metal brackets, each with one of the damn little screws too. I did not re-install the little screws, all 14 of them. The dash is good and tight with out them. And I wasn't removing the whole dash to get them in either.



How the dash looked with all the old junk removed.


This middle one was for a air duct, and was screwed into the dash too. This one did not get put back in either.


Just resting there, it looks better.


Had to go in through the headlight switch location to get this screw back in. took a half hour just for this screw.



Passenger side window defroster vent was a bitch to hook up again. Took a hour just for this screw, cause to get your arm through everything, and push up so you can turn the screw and yeah. Very tight fit under there.


Much better!



The factory radio.


The New Kenwood


DONE!!! All I need to do inside is the door speakers, and vacuum

[ACUDANUT]

Looks great.  BTW, it must stink in there to have 3 air fresheners. 

[TruckDriver]

Yeah, like strawberries

[Aero426]

Much improved. 

[TexasStroker]

Very cool...huge improvement with the new lenses and especially the dash!

I got my catalog from LMC two weeks ago or so...their dash looks to be the way to go to finally resolve the factory's issues.  I figured a lot of the hardware would be a pain..almost one of those things where having the windshield out would make it easier...which is usually not a good sign.

Just fyi, my glovebox "pin" broke a few years ago...yours seems to be in good shape, but the entire door kind of relies on that same lackluster plastic in a tiny diameter to serves as the solid point in the slotted hinge...hard to describe it, but never let a gf stuff something in the glove box and try to shut it.

Hard to believe just 12 years ago these higher end trucks were equipped with the cd/cassette deck option    Things sure do change fast...Fwiw, that factory stereo in my 01 remains one of the best I have ever heard (factory that is...totally slaughters the modern day 130 4 speaker).

What's next for your Ram?

[TruckDriver]

It wouldn't be so much removing the windshield. That still would not allow you to get at a few of the screws. Removing the dash is what you would have to do to make it easy. But still, all those screws I did not put back in, were not needed. I have no rattles at all. Next I have to install the new stereo speakers, then body work.

[TruckDriver]

Got my front windows tinted at 35%. Cost was $100.

[Indygenerallee]

Looks good but you should have tinted your front windows yourself, I buy the pre-cut window tint kits off Ebay for any vehicle I do, last one I bought did the entire truck for $25.00

[TruckDriver]

I never get them to turn out as good or last as long. This guy warranties the work for a few months too.

[FJMG]

That sure is a sharp truck, love the wheels!
I do not know what it is but my 97 still has the original dash and looks great and my buddy's 01 still has a perfect dash too. Heck even when in the wrecking yard I hardly see a cracked dash. 

[TruckDriver]

Thanks! I miss owning a older Mopar, so for now, this is my baby  

BTW - the wheel are the factory "off road" package wheels.

[TexasStroker]

Still looking good!

[ACUDANUT]

How many miles on the tranny ?

[TruckDriver]

How many miles on the tranny ?

124,000. Works like new.