Okay so to start this off my 98 ram 1500 sport 5.2l with 131k on the clock and it is my first truck..i had been looking for months before i got my license so i could find one i like and start modding it..well apparently jersey in home to some awful 2nd gens and i was set on getting one...i had looked at this one and after looking at a couple more pulled the trigger and brought her home..paid 3600 knowing it would need some work but it was in great shape compared to the others i had looked it.
Here's a pic of her getting loaded up to come home:
needless to say i was one happy kid and once i got her home i instantly started looking her over and checking everything and started making a list of what it would need...at the time i didnt know it would be a long windy road...its gonna take a while to upload all the pics but itll be done soon enough!
the first thing i did was wash her and when i removed the bed liner there was a foot of mulch...so i power washed it and gave it a nice coat of bedliner..
and after i began to clean up and undercoat the whole truck(because jersey winters destroys trucks)
next on the list was the rear pinion seal..and of course it was a dealer part..so after waiting a week that seal was replaced
(sorry getting all the mechanical stuff out of the way first)
the first thing i did was wash her and when i removed the bed liner there was a foot of mulch...so i power washed it and gave it a nice coat of bedliner.. View attachment 29666
and after i began to clean up and undercoat the whole truck(because jersey winters destroys trucks)
next on the list was the rear pinion seal..and of course it was a dealer part..so after waiting a week that seal was replaced
(sorry getting all the mechanical stuff out of the way first)
the first thing i did was wash her and when i removed the bed liner there was a foot of mulch...so i power washed it and gave it a nice coat of bedliner..
and after i began to clean up and undercoat the whole truck(because jersey winters destroys trucks)
next on the list was the rear pinion seal..and of course it was a dealer part..so after waiting a week that seal was replaced View attachment 29668
(sorry getting all the mechanical stuff out of the way first)
that night i started researching mods and good upgrades for my truck and thats when i came across the z and man its helped me a ton! especially double0ram!
just want to say thank you for all the help!
moving on...
it wasnt long before i came across wermbang and his black mamba cai:
decided to make my own!
after reading up on and completing that i had been reading about the tb mod..i had no idea what this was but with a little research on the z i found out it was the throttle body mod..my dad didnt beleive it would change anything he thought it would just mess things up..but i was determined... View attachment 29671
so after that was all said and done it was time to tackle the exhaust...the old one was horrible rusted welded together and right after the cat a nice ole soda can hold er together!(ill try to snag a pic of that soon)
but after a lot of research and a review of the bank account i went with the summit cat back 3in in 2 1/4 out with 3.5 in tips after some sweat modifying and long nights it was on..what took so long was getting the old one off:
i love the exhaust and for 300 bucks it was worth it just wishing it had more tone and eventually planning to but a flowmaster muffler on it and replace the soda can!
well these mods were put on hault about a month ago..after finally getting to drive her with the new exhaust i noticed..my front axle was leaking..and i knew it was gonna be a pain so took it over to the neighbors garage and a week and a half later she was done
i dont know what they were thinking when they made the seals inner seals...
here's a pic of it all apart:
while it was apart i replaced the sway bar links and replaced the old rancho steering stabilizer with a new pro comp one..and after all that im still fighting the front end shutter
yep. I didnt get to work on my project last night nor did I find any mud... just some dusty trails yesterday. blew off 500 rounds through my new .22 pistol though!
yea im itching for some mud... trucks too clean these days. but ill be down for a couple weeks starting monday, more surgery, so this mod of mine ive been working on is again on the back burner. side note though, i put a red led in it, and WOW was it good looking haha. i guess its all good though cause im still waiting on a key part for it, so installing it halfway wouldnt look good.
Truck looks good man, ya put a lot of work into it and it looks like it is definitely paying off for ya. Keep up the good work and reps for the tb mod and intake.