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My 2013 Tradesman Build

4K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  millertime8874 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I'm starting a build thread mainly so I have something to reference as I go along and maybe give some tips or ideas to someone else. I bought a new 2013 RAM Tradesman 4x4 QC 4.7L about a year ago and absolutely love it! I have done a few things already and have a hundred other plans just like everybody else. Well, hope you guys enjoy following!
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The day I brought it home!
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I immediately ordered a Hell Bent Steel 2.5" leveling kit and threw it up on jack stands.
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After the leveling kit.
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Next, I got some sweet boxes in the mail!!! 17x9 0 offset Mickey Thompson Sidebiters
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Wheels installed
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Stubby antenna
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Removed lower valence
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Got stuck with my pavement princess tires
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Luckily I bought some WeatherTechs
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As she sits today
 
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#6 ·
Thanks guys. Yea I would love to wrap those wheels in some nice rubber but I probably won't spend the extra money until these tires need replacing, but we'll see.

And for the valence-honestly I didn't see any mpg loss with taking it off. I plan on trimming it down to about an inch or so and putting it back on so you can't see those bolts but I haven't had time yet. I do like the look a lot better, it looks more aggressive in my opinion.
 
#8 ·
Great start, man! Looks great so far! :) :rep:

I don't know if i want to plastidip the badges on the door or remove them. Does anyone know how hard/time consuming it will take to remove them?
IMO, I would plasti-dip them first, see if you like that. Then again, I love plasti-dip...
lol

Then go about removing your badges if you want the cleaner look. It's a lot easier to remove dip/take the badges off later rather than trying to re-apply them because you want a different look.
That's just my opinion though! :)
I know a lot of guys have threads up on how they removed them, but I think the general agreement is to use fishing line, patience and adhesive remover. So, I guess the time it takes would vary, but I don't think it would take you too awful long...
 
#9 · (Edited)
What I want to know is, does the cat improve cooling when it's sitting in the driveway?

Seriously though, what you've done has made a big difference and it looks good. I agree, all you need are some A/T's on there and you'll be golden. I know you say that you want to wait til those go out, but if you have low miles on them, you could probably sell them with your old rims as a set in order to offset the cost of new tires. Just my take.
 
#11 ·
1. Kelsey, thanks for the advice but I went ahead and skipped the plasti-dipping step and took them off.
2.Rockemsockem, the cat is more like a parking sensor. It gets pretty angry when I run into things with it
3. firefighter, thanks for the video. I followed those steps and finished both doors in about 15 minutes. LOOKS GREAT!!

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#13 ·
so BIG news...I got some new tires!!! well, used tires, but new to me. I found some 285/70 17 nitro terra grapplers on craigslist. Tires have a lot of tread left, all have even wear, and they even came mounted on some chevy rims that I sold to the tire shop along with my stock Goodyears. So after install I paid roughy $375 and I couldn't be happier! They look and ride great. Gotta love craigslist. Here is a couple pics, i'll try to get some better ones when I have better lighting

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#14 ·
That's a good deal man! Now don't go try mudding like you did with the last set, because you'll may still get stuck with these. I had a pair of Terra Grapplers a ways back and I got stuck worse than I've ever been stuck in my life, lol.

These look a lot better though, and you'll be a lot happier with these than with the stockers.
 
#18 ·
I've done a few more things since my last post.
1. Retroshops HID 35w 4.3k
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2. True flow intake tube, found it for $30 new on eBay so i splurged. it was for an older model 4.7 so i had to put a cap on the breather tube since mine goes to the filter box
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3. TGC .75" rear poly spacer
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4. mounted my maglite under the rear riverside seat. its out of the way and hasn't been kicked yet so it seems to be a good spot so far
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5. 14" mufflex, I've probably mentioned it before but i modified the tailpipe since. i took a saw and cut everything off right before the resonator. exhaust flows out behind the axle, sounds great and is a lot quieter in the cab. the pics are kind of hard to tell
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6. LED overhead light
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7. I don't have pics but i got some LED switchbacks from retroshop and they are great! they look awesome too

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but this will have to do for now. Install on everything was a breeze, no complaints for any product or company in fact I would recommend all of the products I have installed so far. Especially the HIDs from RetroShop, they are amazing and the guys up there know what they're talking about and helped me out when was having some issues.
 
#20 ·
someone correct me if I'm wrong but i believe that breather hose just lets the engine reuse air and maybe fuel that it didn't burn off the first time. but our motors already have that hose going to the box that the filter is in instead of the intake tube like the older models do. as for the exhaust, I'm not too sure how much of a difference that would make but mine sounds really good, i wouldn't do anything different. i also didn't want to leave that extra weight at the end of the pipe since i wasn't going to have that last hanger
 
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