# My new(to me) Dodge 2500 regular cab 4x4, let me show you it



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Just picked it up earlier this week. Will be used as a work truck/DD/tow rig for my Golf R. It is a one owner truck with 150K and full service records! :what: Gasser unfortunately but I didn't want to pay the _ridiculous_ premium for a diesel that I don't need. Its a total stripper model, manual everything. I love that the Dodge's still have manual transfer cases even, F this push button nonsense. This truck is a modern day Jeep Comanche on crack, pickup truck perfection in my opinion. It rides like absolute crap and I love it. The reg cab/gas engine combo is so light for the suspension it bounces around worse than my car with the coilovers set to full stiff, I love it. The light weight also makes it sit really friggin high. I look down at the roof of 1/2 ton trucks and I haven't even put the big tires on yet! :laugh: I need to play around with tire pressures before it gets too annoying though. I have always dreamed of owning a regular cab fullsize truck so things are pretty good right now! Its at the shop getting tinted as we speak. My thumbs are killing me from removing all the stickers and badges. Those SXT stickers were a biiiiiiitch. The only ones sticking around are the RAM and 2500 heavy duty badges on the doors. Has a 2.5" leveling kit and will be getting 35s or 37s in the next week or so. I might do a build thread if I join one of the Ram forums, or maybe on here or maybe not.


----------



## HookedOn16v (Apr 6, 2006)

It's good looking man. 

I love white trucks with the dark wheels. 

What kind of tires are you looking at?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

HookedOn16v said:


> It's good looking man.
> 
> I love white trucks with the dark wheels.
> 
> What kind of tires are you looking at?


Thanks. Tires will depend, my buddy has a lightly used set of Pro Comp extreme AT 35s that he might give me for free! Otherwise it'll be getting some 37s.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Back from the teeeint shop. 3M 15%. It's really not that dark, pic just turned out crazy.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heres a little perspective. The roof of the VW is lower than the bed of the truck!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Swung by my buddies to compare the size of our "you know whats." His truck is a 4 door shortbed cummins with the same leveling kit but 35" tires. Im only on 33s and my truck sits about an inch higher than his. The gas engine really does make it sit higher. Also his truck is an 07 and mines an 08. Notice the difference between the headlights and taillights.


----------



## pearlprice22 (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks for this awesome post. There’s a lot of useful and interesting information on here. Keep up the top work!


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Ugh, I'd love to own a full size truck just like yours some day. 

Congrats on the new ride, looks amazing! Keep us posted on the progress.


----------



## rwp (Aug 24, 2012)

Now that is a truck!


----------



## sportwgn (May 5, 2012)

Looks great. Hope it lasts forever :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Swung by 5R trucks in Golden CO today to have some 35s installed that my buddy gave me, for free!!! All I had to pay was mounting and balancing.

They build huge and sometimes ridiculous trucks at this place. Here is a snippet of what is parked in front any time you drive by.











And here is my truck with the newly installed Pro Compt Extreme AT 35x12.5 17s.











Here are the before and after shots.


33"s











35"s











Random front and rear shots.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Started a build thread over on ramforum. Clicky ->My RCLB Ram 2500 4x4 build thread


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

I'd mount some Hella lights up front then call it a day. Looks great, super jelly :thumbup:


----------



## bikerboy (Nov 23, 2005)

Sweet Ram!:thumbup: 

Here's my '12 3500 HD DRW:



Before this truck, I pretty much swore off anything Chrysler, but I really like the Ram trucks now. Mine's a Hemi as well (the Cummins Diesel was just too much of a price premium), but for a 7,500 lb truck, it still has more than enough power.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

I love the new Rams as well. They seem to be really good trucks for the money.


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Perfect truck, love the steel wheels! Nice and clean.

I love the no nonsense look of regular cabs. I'd add color-matched ARE topper and call 'er good :thumbup:


----------



## Little Byron (Nov 10, 2002)

Sweet truck!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for the compliments guys. Ive been crazy busy at work plus I finally moved all my junk from Wisco to Denver a couple weeks ago then we had Turkey Day and I moved into a new place here in Denver. I haven't had a spare second to mess with the truck except for bolting on a topper that I picked up cheap just so I didn't have to rent a trailer to move haha. Here are some pics with it fully loaded. Thanks to Harbor Freight I was able to fit every last drop of my worldly possessions in a single trip! I would guesstimate there is about 1000lbs in the back of the truck in these pics. The topper is from a 90s Chevy and it just barely fit but I didn't have clamps so I just screwed it to the bedsides with sheet metal screws. :banghead: It got the job done and its coming off this week hopefully. When I get it off I will finally do some mods to the truck starting with bed related shenanigans. I do kinda like having the topper, would make for some fun/easy car-camping but I like the look of an open bed a little better. Plus I plan to do some cool stuff with the bed in the near future.


----------



## sportwgn (May 5, 2012)

Thanks for the update. I look forward to seeing this thing progress :thumbup:.


----------



## Little Byron (Nov 10, 2002)

I love camper shells. :heart:


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

:beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

sportwgn said:


> Thanks for the update. I look forward to seeing this thing progress :thumbup:.


:thumbup:



Little Byron said:


> I love camper shells. :heart:


Sorry, its gone already. 



Aonarch said:


> :beer:


:beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Took a bit to get it all installed and take pics but here are the "bed mods" I did this week. Some day Ill get rid of the terrible plastic bedliner and get an actual spray in one. Its towards the top but not the first thing on the list right now. Picked up the toolbox off craigslist for $150. Probably a little steep considering this particular one is only $279 new but whatever, saved $150. The black is peeling a little but the locks are in good shape and I got both keys and the tool tray. The Fabtech spare tire mount I also picked up off craigslist, $100. Its definitely used and has paint chips etc. but whatever its cool/cheap/works. I put a rubberized padlock on it so it should be going anywhere. I do need to replace the hardware with stainless at some point though.










































Made sure to leave plenty of room to go bigger.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Cruised up to Copper Mountain yesterday. Took almost 3 hours to get there. :banghead: There was about a foot of fresh snow. Skiing was incredible. Truck looks like sh*t haha.


----------



## G-rocco (Sep 11, 2004)

The truck looks awesome, very 'fvck off, snow'
Plans for a brush gaurd?
Whats the purpose of relocating the spare to the bed? It looks cool, but seems you loose a lot of utility that way.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

****ing love it :thumbup: 

I still think you should mount up some Hellas on the front though.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

G-rocco said:


> The truck looks awesome, very 'fvck off, snow'
> Plans for a brush gaurd?
> Whats the purpose of relocating the spare to the bed? It looks cool, but seems you loose a lot of utility that way.


Plans are for custom bumpers at some point but thats low on the list. Trying to sell my Golf and start another car project first.

As for the spare, because 35s are the biggest that will fit in the stock spare location. Planning for the future. 



Heffernan said:


> ****ing love it :thumbup:
> 
> I still think you should mount up some Hellas on the front though.


It will get some kind of aux lights in the future. Id love to run some gnarly baja style HIDs.


----------



## wolfsburgfanatic (May 27, 2002)

Very nice! Love the R as well :thumbup:


----------



## rpmk4 (Jan 24, 2008)

Atl-Atl said:


> It will get some kind of aux lights in the future. Id love to run some gnarly baja style HIDs.



i vote double 50" led bars across the windshield and an spod to run all your accessories.


----------



## lloydD (Jan 10, 2014)

Rigid LED light bars are a great option, but they are quite expensive.


----------



## pearlprice22 (Nov 12, 2013)

pearlprice22 said:


> Thanks for this awesome post. There’s a lot of useful and interesting information on here. Keep up the top work!



Post very nicely written and it contains useful facts. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Thanks a lot.


----------



## J2G (Aug 9, 2012)

Love your truck, and the no-nonsense about it. :thumbup:

Not a fan of the spare tire location, though. I think long beds look great empty because they're ready to swallow anything you could possibly haul around, and placing the tire there takes away from that. Why not a mount outside the bed like your buddy's Ram?

Only other thing I would change is finish off the debadge and take off the RAM and 2500 badges. 

Truck is still awesome.


----------



## autopulse (Aug 11, 2007)

J2G said:


> Love your truck, and the no-nonsense about it. :thumbup:
> 
> *Not a fan of the spare tire location, though. I think long beds look great empty because they're ready to swallow anything you could possibly haul around, and placing the tire there takes away from that.* Why not a mount outside the bed like your buddy's Ram?
> 
> ...


/this

Other than that, Great rig!!!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

autopulse said:


> /this
> 
> Other than that, Great rig!!!





J2G said:


> Love your truck, and the no-nonsense about it. :thumbup:
> 
> Not a fan of the spare tire location, though. I think long beds look great empty because they're ready to swallow anything you could possibly haul around, and placing the tire there takes away from that. Why not a mount outside the bed like your buddy's Ram?
> 
> ...



Thanks for the compliments. :beer: The reason for the spare in the bed is explained in the thread. Once I go bigger than 35" tires the spare won't fit underneath. 35" is the max so I'm preplanning. I have been running with the spare under the truck since I got it because yes, the bed is infinitely more useful when empty hah.


----------



## Robski92 (Sep 26, 2011)

How much of a beast is the truck in the snow?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Robski92 said:


> How much of a beast is the truck in the snow?


Its pretty friggin beast. It weights about 1000lbs less than a diesel quad cab but its still a 6000lbs-ish truck. The tires are at about 5-6/32" of tread so they aren't great, and they don't really have a lot of siping or a soft compound so they certainly aren't meant for winter weather but they still do really well. People always talk about how crappy pickup trucks are in the snow because no weight over the rear axle blah blah blah. However you slice it, the truck weighs 6000lbs, there is weight everywhere. This ain't no rwd mini truck that's 3500lbs. It is not tail happy in slippery conditions it just seems to stick. If I had better tires it would be nearly unstoppable(and also stop on a dime) in snow.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Holy crap, its actually being used as a work truck!


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

:thumbup: :heart:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> :thumbup: :heart:


:beer:


I have really been neglecting this thread. Been driving the $hit out of the truck and not giving it the attention it deserves. I need to do a lot of maintenance and mods to it. As soon as the current round of TT mods ends Ill be showing the truck some love.


Just truck things


----------



## Alex_Jaeger (May 1, 2014)

I love so much the "long wheel base" single cab pick-ups so useful for construction and the ranch activities. Sadly they dont sell those models here


----------



## sportwgn (May 5, 2012)

Any bumper changes planned?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

sportwgn said:


> Any bumper changes planned?


The truck has really taken a backseat to the car as I try to get it ready for this show/track season. Id love to get some custom bumpers made by a local fabricator here that does amazing plate style bumpers. Its just at the end of a long list of car mods first. One of these days I will give the truck some love though I promise!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well the truck decided to squeak, squeal and grind its way to the top of my to do list recently. First I accidentally ripped the satellite antenna off the roof. Then the front brakes started squeaking incessantly and the rear u-joint in the rear driveshaft took a sh*t. So new brake pads and a new u-joint later and she's back in decent shape. I wound up going to one of those "do it yourself" auto repair shops. Turned out to be a super cool place. Helpful, not very expensive and very well equipped. I will definitely be going back as long as I don't have my own garage!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

I went camping this weekend outside of Kremmling Colorado. Right on the Colorado River in a fairly remote campsite my buddies and I frequent. You need ATV's or a decent 4wd vehicle to get all the way down to the river. Some mild wheeling was great fun! The scenery here is absolutely incredible. Unfortunately it was cold and raining the entire weekend. Ill add more pictures when I have a faster connection.


These first two panoramas were taken from exactly opposite viewpoints.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

More pics. Chopped up about a 70 foot tall dead fall tree for the weekends firewood.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

So jealous. Those pics alone make me want to move west.

Thanks for sharing, the truck is looking good :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> So jealous. Those pics alone make me want to move west.
> 
> Thanks for sharing, the truck is looking good :thumbup:


Come visit, people here are friendly! Thanks for the compliments. :beer:

Heres another random shot from work the other day.


----------



## climbingcue (Feb 2, 2001)

Just got back from 2 weeks in Kremmling on July 5th. My Aunt has a house out there, I have been going there for the last 4 years.

Bill


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

climbingcue said:


> Just got back from 2 weeks in Kremmling on July 5th. My Aunt has a house out there, I have been going there for the last 4 years.
> 
> Bill


Yeah its nice up there. The mountains are a little smaller and a little more rolling so you get a slightly different scene than most the "rocky" mountains.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Been riding a ton so I hooked the truck up with some bike related mods.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

:thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Random heavy load

Now that winter is coming Ill be showing the truck some love.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Chopped my exhaust tip, looks much better.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Going up fro 35s to 37s this week.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Many long awaited updates are on the way!

Picked up some stock Ram 2500 wheels off craigslist. Was going to powder coat them black and put them on my truck but I decided to keep the black steelies and just repaint them. Aluminum wheels wound up getting my old 35s mounted on them and they are for sale.





























Swung by my buddies shop and got to practice my long lost tire mounting skills. 











Scuffed up my wheels and laid down three coats of 97 cent gloss black spray paint. Turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!


----------



## Mathew... (Feb 22, 2009)

Colorado is gorgeous :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## sportwgn (May 5, 2012)

Stormtrooper/ Panda :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Good choice sticking with the steelies. Truck looks awesome.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Mathew... said:


> Colorado is gorgeous :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


Thanks, wait for the next few pics!



sportwgn said:


> Stormtrooper/ Panda :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


:beer:



Heffernan said:


> Good choice sticking with the steelies. Truck looks awesome.


Thanks. I love the look of a skinnier wheel with a huge tire. Wide wheels on trucks just piss me off. Plus this setup allows me to fully stuff the 37s with no rubbing at all!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Prepare for PICTARS!!!

Went wheeling this weekend with my new setup. Trails were about 30 minutes west of Boulder. Middle Saint Vrain and Coney Flats. I was more than impressed with how well the truck performed. I completely removed the front sway bar. The truck rides so much nicer now and is still completely stable at high speeds. I see why a lot of Dodge guys do this. It also allowed the front axle to flex a lot more. I need longer shocks in front and need to remove the overload springs and bumpstops in the rear. It would not flex much at all in the rear. Overall though I was quite impressed with the trucks ability. I made a lot of Jeeps look bad!  I could easily fit 40" tires in the wheel openings on this truck with only minimal trimming. The pictures don't show much perspective because this truck is so huge. It makes obstacles seem so small compared to a Jeep.















































































































Drove through this lake, its about 3 feet deep! 











Tight trails is an understatement.











Here is a pic of the front drivers tire fully "stuffed." The tire is also turned to the point where its closest to the fender. Tons of room and I still have stock control arms. With aftermarket arms I could run 40s with no trimming. Gotta figure out how to get more up travel now.











Took some decent pictures without any automobiles.


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Looks like a blast :thumbup:

Do these trucks have a LSD?


----------



## Mathew... (Feb 22, 2009)

Yep, I need to move to Colorado. Gorgeous.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Quinn1.8t said:


> Looks like a blast :thumbup:
> 
> Do these trucks have a LSD?


iirc it does have an LSD in the rear. My truck has 3.73s, 4.10s were available from the factory and power wagons came with 4.56s/lockers. Ill regear it to 4.56 some day and do at least one locker.



Mathew... said:


> Yep, I need to move to Colorado. Gorgeous.


Its filling up fast, get here while you still can!


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Yup the truck is badass.

Which Rams come with solid front axles? 

I hate how the Chevys have the weak IFS with the glass tie rods.


----------



## Mr. Chaos (Oct 13, 2010)

Aonarch said:


> Yup the truck is badass.
> 
> Which Rams come with solid front axles?
> 
> I hate how the Chevys have the weak IFS with the glass tie rods.


iirc 3/4 tons or larger.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Mr. Chaos said:


> iirc 3/4 tons or larger.


Good job Dodge. :thumbup:


OP please get rock sliders ASAP if you are going to be wheeling it.


----------



## Mr. Chaos (Oct 13, 2010)

Aonarch said:


> Good job Dodge. :thumbup:
> 
> 
> OP please get rock sliders ASAP if you are going to be wheeling it.


iirc both ford and dodge 3/4 tons and larger are 2 solid axles. chevy is ifs throughout the line.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> Yup the truck is badass.
> 
> Which Rams come with solid front axles?
> 
> I hate how the Chevys have the weak IFS with the glass tie rods.


Thanks, yeah Chevy trucks look all good when stock and ride like Cadillacs but they aren't very good at actually being trucks. 



Mr. Chaos said:


> iirc 3/4 tons or larger.


This is mostly true. 3/4 ton and 1 ton Dodge trucks that are 4WD have solid front axles. Also when the Megacab first came out you could get a "heavy half ton" which was a 1500 megacab that was basically a slightly lighter duty 2500 drivetrain with 1500 badging.



Aonarch said:


> Good job Dodge. :thumbup:
> 
> 
> OP please get rock sliders ASAP if you are going to be wheeling it.


Rock sliders are in the middle of a relatively long to-do list. The truck has a ton of ground clearance already, the rockers are over two feet off the ground. I don't plan on taking it on any crazy rocky trails now that winter is here so ill be fine without for a while. Plus nobody makes them for this body configuration so it would be custom fab which aint cheap.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Thanks, yeah Chevy trucks look all good when stock and ride like Cadillacs but they aren't very good at actually being trucks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


:beer:

I caused about $4k in body damage when I got my new Tacoma. WHOOOPS!

I had sliders sitting in my garage, that was the painful part.

Anyone know how complex a short bed swap would be?

Meaning super easy, or absolute nightmare, cutting sections out of the frame, etc.


----------



## Mr. Chaos (Oct 13, 2010)

Aonarch said:


> :beer:
> 
> I caused about $4k in body damage when I got my new Tacoma. WHOOOPS!
> 
> ...


it is chopping the frame


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> :beer:
> 
> I caused about $4k in body damage when I got my new Tacoma. WHOOOPS!
> 
> ...


Yeah, that can happen pretty easily!

I wont be shortbed swapping it ever, I put 4'x8' sheets of stuff in the bed weekly.



Mr. Chaos said:


> it is chopping the frame


This!


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Noooooo shortbed!


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

OP what gas mileage do you get?

What gas mileage could someone typically get?

I've been in the market for a 1500 for quiet a while, but 2500 = solid front axle for 4x4... 

I do not like IFS on trucks. 

I honestly would use it as a commuter for when I do not feel like riding a motorcycle. 

I'd throw dirt bikes in the back, drive 200 miles.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> OP what gas mileage do you get?
> 
> What gas mileage could someone typically get?
> 
> ...



Lets just say Im loving the cheap gas right now. With the 37s on I've been getting less than 10mpg. Although this has been all city driving but yeah, its utterly horrific. I think my last tank average was around 8mpg. :facepalm: It has me seriously considering intake/exhaust/programmer and regearing to 4.56s.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Lets just say Im loving the cheap gas right now. With the 37s on I've been getting less than 10mpg. Although this has been all city driving but yeah, its utterly horrific. I think my last tank average was around 8mpg. :facepalm: It has me seriously considering intake/exhaust/programmer and regearing to 4.56s.


Do you recall what stock got mpg wise? 

Fuelly is all over the place.

I'd definitely re-gear and tune with 37s. It will make a world of difference.


----------



## mrothwell (Nov 20, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> I'd definitely re-gear and tune with 37s. It will make a world of difference.


Yea, he might be able to achieve 6 mpg! 

Atl-Atl, thanks for making me feel better about the 15 mpg my stock Tacoma is getting.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> Do you recall what stock got mpg wise?
> 
> Fuelly is all over the place.
> 
> I'd definitely re-gear and tune with 37s. It will make a world of difference.


I do not know, never owned it stock. Bought it with 33s, put 35s on a couple weeks later. I did drive from Denver to Madison WI in a snowstorm and then back 2 days later with a bump-up topper completely loaded with 2000lbs of stuff. Temps were in the single digits the entire time and I averaged 15mpg for the whole trip. Id imagine a stock truck with a mellow driver should be able to get 12+ around town and close to 20 on the highway. Id love to regear but theres all sorts of other things on the list.



mrothwell said:


> Yea, he might be able to achieve 6 mpg!
> 
> Atl-Atl, thanks for making me feel better about the 15 mpg my stock Tacoma is getting.


Hah, no prob! :beer:


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

I'm trying to convince my dad to buy one for Montana. 

Nothing else beats this truck on the market.


----------



## geofftii2002 (Nov 6, 2001)

Great thread! I'm not normally much of a Dodge guy but I'm loving this truck. Also, the camping scenes are just stunning. :heart: Makes me really want to get out and do some deeper woods camping. Looks stunning! :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> I'm trying to convince my dad to buy one for Montana.
> 
> Nothing else beats this truck on the market.





geofftii2002 said:


> Great thread! I'm not normally much of a Dodge guy but I'm loving this truck. Also, the camping scenes are just stunning. :heart: Makes me really want to get out and do some deeper woods camping. Looks stunning! :thumbup:



:beer:

Cant believe how long its been since I've been in here, or done anything to the truck. Its been completely neglected and covered in mud inside and out from my job site for the last 9 months. I finally detailed the crap out of it last weekend. Wash, buffed some scratches, cleaned the mud out of everywhere and then this evening I made some noise in my fancy neighborhood hah! Pics in a moment.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Trimmed the front bumper with a 4 1/2" grinder this evening. Ive been wanting to do this for a while and I finally said screw it and went for it. Couldn't believe how well it turned out for totally free handing it! There are a few tabs that still need to be trimmed and I will be taking it back off to clean it up and repaint it all black but its fine for now.











Before, 37s look nice in there.










After, soo much room to bump up to 40s!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Lightened that last pic so you can see things a little better.


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Sweet! Now go wheeling and post up some pics


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Quinn1.8t said:


> Sweet! Now go wheeling and post up some pics


If it would stop snowing and raining Id love too!


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> If it would stop snowing and raining Id love too!


What a lame excuse! That makes it more fun!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Quinn1.8t said:


> What a lame excuse! That makes it more fun!


Nah, I went on a couple snow wheeling trips this winter and the last one got bad. Almost got stuck on the mountain in a blizzard. Not taking my chances like that anymore. I prefer dry wheeling. Speaking of that, I wonder if I have pics I never uploaded hah.


----------



## Justin (Mar 7, 2006)

Nice, I like it, I wish mine had the black bumper and grille. I was actually planning on pulling the grille off once I moved my GTI out of my warehouse so I can sand it and texture paint it. 

I really do like the single cab look on it as well. How is the gasser for power? One thing I am thrilled about in mine is the amount of power and it's really easy when you get bored an want more. I had the 7.3 Ford and really liked it but the fuel mileage was horrid. I also had a 6.6 Duramax and loved the motor/trans combo but it wasn't what I would call a heavy duty truck. Got great mileage (18-20) around town/freeway mix...empty. Toss a trailer on and I was closer to 9-10. The Cummins maybe loses 1-2 mpg loaded down.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Justin said:


> Nice, I like it, I wish mine had the black bumper and grille. I was actually planning on pulling the grille off once I moved my GTI out of my warehouse so I can sand it and texture paint it.
> 
> I really do like the single cab look on it as well. How is the gasser for power? One thing I am thrilled about in mine is the amount of power and it's really easy when you get bored an want more. I had the 7.3 Ford and really liked it but the fuel mileage was horrid. I also had a 6.6 Duramax and loved the motor/trans combo but it wasn't what I would call a heavy duty truck. Got great mileage (18-20) around town/freeway mix...empty. Toss a trailer on and I was closer to 9-10. The Cummins maybe loses 1-2 mpg loaded down.


I will be sanding and painting the grille and the front bumper now that its trimmed. They are all a mix of sun faded/rusty/dirty greyish black. Power wise its surprisingly ok with 3.73s and 37s. Gas mileage is where it really hurts, 8ish around town and 12ish on the highway. Id love to bump up to 4.56s but I'm not sure Ill ever do that. I've never towed anything substantial with it so I don't know how towing mileage would be effected but I cant imagine it'd get much worse. :facepalm:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Not a heck of a lot going on with the truck lately but I did pick up this puppy last night for $400!!! Its a 1981 Four Wheel Campers "Hawk" pop up camper. Its amazing I love it and cant wait to use it this weekend.


----------



## Mr. Chaos (Oct 13, 2010)

get one of those thin toolboxes and put it in front of the pop up for more storage.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Mr. Chaos said:


> get one of those thin toolboxes and put it in front of the pop up for more storage.


I need to measure because I'm not sure yet what I want to do. There might be enough room that I can scoot the camper back to the tailgate and be able to put my full-size toolbox back in. Or if I modify the underside of the camper a little I could push it all the way forward and then Id have a huge porch for the camper and a pretty sizable bed even when the tailgate is up. Possibly as much as two feet.


----------



## Mr. Chaos (Oct 13, 2010)

Atl-Atl said:


> I need to measure because I'm not sure yet what I want to do. There might be enough room that I can scoot the camper back to the tailgate and be able to put my full-size toolbox back in. Or if I modify the underside of the camper a little I could push it all the way forward and then Id have a huge porch for the camper and a pretty sizable bed even when the tailgate is up. Possibly as much as two feet.


cool it just looks really awkward now.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Mr. Chaos said:


> cool it just looks really awkward now.


It does look awkward but after using it this weekend I really like it. I put my firewood and folding chairs in the space in front of the camper. Even in crazy rain and hail all Saturday night it stayed dry. This worked out perfectly because my other option would have been putting the stuff under the truck but even that got wet because water flowed underneath the truck. Plus with the tailgate down its enough space to sit there and take off shoes, let the dog keep watch, two people can stand for a better view etc. It worked out very nicely.

Took the lady and the pup to the front range this weekend to test out the Hawk. We camped at the trailhead of Grays and Torreys Peaks which is at roughly 11,300 feet. There is a small creek that rolls by and is quite nice. Nobody realizes you can drive just past the trailhead and there are some nice camping spots right on the headwaters of Quayle creek with Grays Peak just over the hill to the west. It was quite nice. The Hawk got tested for sure, it rained and hailed almost non stop all night. There are a couple leaks in the canvas unfortunately. One was bad enough we had to sleep on the couch bed down below because water was coming in pretty steadily from the front passenger side corner of the canvas. We rigged up a way to soak the water and were plenty comfy down below on the prop-up bed. Our views were incredible, our hike up to 14,270 was also incredible and the weekend went well all things considered. We were WAY better off than everyone around us trying to sleep in tents!

I will say, the 3 mile bumpy road up and down did a number on the Hawk. Im going to need a way to mount it and also support it in a much more substantial way than just four tie downs. The crappy ratchet straps were plenty strong but the way the mounts attach to the wooden structure of the camper is not good enough and the sides of the camper need support. I need to fill the small gap between the camper bump-out sides and the top of the bedsides to add support so its not just the bottom of the camper on the bed of the truck holding the entire thing up. With the kind of remote trails I go on to find camping the "normal" way of attaching is not going to be good enough. I think Im going to start by bolting the camper to the bed of the truck and filling the gap between the bedsides and the underside of the bump-out.

The small rounded peak you can just see through the trees, over the top/front of the camper, is Grays Peak where we hiked. It doesn't look like much but the truck is parked about 4 miles away.





































I think I have to host these somewhere other than flickr to get them to embed, maybe youtube or something, oh well.
[video]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/20449554820_f0ff3a8624_z.jpg[/video]

[video]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/20018970384_b12fb86e58_z.jpg[/video]


----------



## rpmk4 (Jan 24, 2008)

nice, can't beat $400!!!


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

:thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well our quickly planned bachelor party/overland adventure/camping trip was a relative success. Day one went exactly as planned and was a blast. 130 miles about half of which was on dirt and 1 was decent wheeling. 

As for the Ram and Hawk, they held up reasonably well. I will need to do some minor floor repair on the drivers rear. The bouncy trails were too much and the plywood where my bolts/plates were gave out. Two of the three plate sets held up though and I had no trouble cruising home at 70mph. We hit a couple trails that are 3-5 on traildamage and those aren't even the ones that did the damage, it was the slightly milder but much bumpier "easy" parts of the trails that did it. Flexing on rocks is no big deal, the bed didn't tweak the camper. It was the relentless baby-head rock roads that bounced things back and forth that did it. With a few modifications Ill be confident to go down just about any trail as long as its not so tight Id destroy the sides of the camper.

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures because I was busy driving and enjoying the time not spent behind the lens.

This is how our (offroad part of the) adventure began. Just outside of Winter Park CO. 4 mildly modified 4WD vehicles, 7 guys, lots of guns whiskey and :ylsmoke: Remember this is CO folks! :elkgrin:




























Lots of passengers holding the steering wheel and riding on roofracks was done.









Our first night had us camped on the banks of the Colorado River just outside Kremmling. The trail from the dirt road to the camp spot has about a mile of decent washed out wheeling. If it were a rated trail Id call it a 3-4 due to some slightly technical sections. Only about a mile long. I cant find my pics of it but Ill update with them later.









Day two was only about 10 miles of dirt road and then about 50 on pavement unfortunately. 

Josh and Josh on a side street in downtown Leadville. Such a beautiful little town surrounded by incredible views. It was my first time.









We stopped by a friends house in Leadville. The house was built in 1886! Obviously it has been renovated.









Its right across the street from one of "those" places. I do not take part but some of the other guys were happy about this. :ylsmoke: This is also where the Volvo joined the pack. It has been all across north America including Alaska. It has been repainted color-matched to Coleman gas bottle green! That car has some crazy stories and this trip only added to the list! Its a 1985 Volvo 240 wagon with 330,000 miles. We tried to drive over Mosquito Pass outside Leadville and didn't quite make it. We were about two miles short of the summit. when a big rock in the middle of a switchback took out the steering rack and subframe. Thankfully the bachelor whom we were partying for owns a Volvo repair shop and made it down to Denver and back to Leadville with spare parts and tools Saturday evening and was able to make a trail repair and drive the car back down Sunday morning! We got quite a few looks and comments from passers by!



























The view from Mosquito Pass down into Leadville is absolutely incredible. We had a wonderful sunset thanks to the haze caused by all the recent forest fires(in other states thankfully.) Ill try to get a hold of some of the sunset-y shots my passenger took.









Night two camp spot. We were unsure what view to expect due to arrival after nightfall. The Hawk was used successfully as a windblock.









The weather was beautiful, clear and much warmer than expected through the night. 4 of the guys didn't even bother pitching tents. 









Our view on the morning of day 3 was amazing. There was a creek just over this small ridge that I believe to be one of the headwaters of the Arkansas. The high ridgeline to the right is the continental divide. We estimated we were around 11,500 here. Right at the sign for the East/South entrance to the Birdseye Gulch 4WD trail if anyone has run or is familiar.









Unfortunately our plans to cross Mosquito Pass and camp at Kite Lake on night 2 were foiled by "the Volvo situation" so we drove back down the pass into Leadville on Sunday morning once the Volvo was fixed. We also noticed the Ranger was frying its Optima battery so a quick stop at the parts store and off we went. The only other real damage anyone sustained was a shattered back window on the Xterra thanks to an errant BB. :Wow1:









One last "reflection" and it was time to head home.


----------



## rpmk4 (Jan 24, 2008)

:thumbup:


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Very cool, thanks for sharing :thumbup:

On a side note, I need to move out west


----------



## Jacks3am (Jul 24, 2015)

Great truck man, good to see people using them as actual trucks! That camper is awesome too!


----------



## mrothwell (Nov 20, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> On a side note, I need to move out west


For real. I love Raleigh and just bought a house here, but every now and then I browse the job openings available in Colorado. I'd love to live there for a while, they just have so much awesome outdoor stuff right in their backyards. 

I'd probably miss the beach though.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

mrothwell said:


> For real. I love Raleigh and just bought a house here, but every now and then I browse the job openings available in Colorado. I'd love to live there for a while, they just have so much awesome outdoor stuff right in their backyards.
> 
> I'd probably miss the beach though.


Same, except more in the PWN and NorCal areas, but I've told myself I'd move to either Washington, Oregon, (northern) California or Colorado in a heartbeat given the chance.

Meh, I'm more of a lake/river guy then a beach guy.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

mrothwell said:


> For real. I love Raleigh and just bought a house here, but every now and then I browse the job openings available in Colorado. I'd love to live there for a while, they just have so much awesome outdoor stuff right in their backyards.
> 
> I'd probably miss the beach though.





Heffernan said:


> Same, except more in the PWN and NorCal areas, but I've told myself I'd move to either Washington, Oregon, (northern) California or Colorado in a heartbeat given the chance.
> 
> Meh, I'm more of a lake/river guy then a beach guy.



I'm much more of a mountains/woods guy. The beach is fun once or twice a year and unless you're in South Beach the women usually aren't that great to look at. Mountains have so much variety. You can spend a lifetime getting lost (in Colorado alone) and never see the same place twice if you don't want to. Different trail, hike, ski area, camp site, swimming hole, fishing spot etc. every time you go. There is so much to offer and its all unique, interesting and beautiful. To me the beach is the beach is the beach. Plus as the permafrost continues to melt you all will be underwater and Ill be on top of the mountain. :wave:

Thanks for the compliments guys. :beer:


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

That trip looks epic!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well it has been a while since Ive posted but I have been super busy, camping a bunch and also I took a week off for a family wedding/major renovation of the camper! Ill be adding a bunch of pictures soon.

A few weeks ago my buddy drove in from Chicago and wanted to ride his MTB/camp so we headed to Winter Park. We camped one night and he rode Trestle MTB park the next day. The spot was amazing, you could see the city lights of Winter Park at night. We were also treated to a double rainbow the next morning. Short but sweet trip. He also has a 3rd gen Ram and loved my camper so much he drove back to the midwest, scoured craigslist and bought one for himself a week later! 

My buddies FJ60 with a Howling Moon rooftop tent.









The rainbow we were treated to!!! :Wow1:









The two dodges together.










More of the FJ and Howling Moon tent.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

After that camping trip I decided the weather was getting cold and it was now or never for a major overhaul! I started by painting the exterior of the Hawk. I cleaned/sanded the exterior and taped off the windows/door. Painted the frames black and the panels white. It looks slightly odd, almost like a police issue camper hahaha. I will change something about the exterior but Im not sure what yet. Maybe Ill get some reproduction stickers to match the old factory ones. I will also replace the rubber trim moulding which should help a little.










Before and after.










All Panda everything lately for me.











Then I went buckwild. Took a week off work and completely gutted her! Stove, sink, propane tank, bench seat...everything was gone eventually!!! :Wow1:

Stripped down to the frame and floors. Removed all the fiberglass batt insulation most of which was half missing or collapsed. Removed every screw, staple, all the wiring, water and gas piping, rotten wood, panelling etc.











Found some blown out corners and some dry rot in the floor so... Floor was removed as was the cabover "wood" that had been replaced with pressboard that was moldy rotten and expanding/cracking/sagging. I did not originally plan to replace the floor but decided there was no better time. I know Ill be MUCH happier in the long run having a brand new floor.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

I installed 1" closed cell foam insulation. Its rated R6 and Id guess the old fiberglass batt was lucky to be working at an R2. Luckily I have worked with this foam board before so I know the secret to cutting clean edges! It already feels WAY more insulated inside. Im getting pretty excited. 










I painted the underside of the floor and both sides of the cabover wood with some crazy goopy paint I got at HD that is supposed to be good at filling cracks and very waterproof because its made for boat docks and things like that. It was about $40 a gallon and seemed to do well on the new 3/4" birch ply I used. I decided not to spring for the $200 a gallon two part epoxy though I wish I would have.










Then I caulked every seem inside with paintable non-silicone and primered 3 coats on nearly the whole interior with good old fashioned Kilz oil based original. I also added a second layer of 3/4" ply on top of the drivers side cabinetry area. There were a few holes from the water system and a small bit of dry rot that I wanted to reinforce.

I wound up pulling almost all the wiring and ditching the entire water system and stove top. Im not sure what I can and can't do with the propane so I need someone to look at it that actually knows about propane heat systems before I fire it up. I ditched the Y in the line that split the stove piping and heater piping and ran a line directly from the tank to the heater. I don't know if this is ok because Ive read that the stove may act as a vent for the system. If anyone can chime in here it will be appreciated. 

This is as far as I got last week except for cutting a piece of the old counter to cover the propane tank box and icebox and setting them in place to see what it looks like. I hope to finish most of the interior this week. Up next is sanding and painting the vertical laminate surfaces and reinstalling the bench seat.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

I also went on another camping trip before I ripped apart the the camper. Forgot to post the pics first though, too excited about the remodel!

This is the trail up to Bill Moore Lake. Leaves already started turning a couple weeks ago. Breck got a dusting of snow last weekend, gonna be a good year!
































































Bill Moore Lake










Aptly named "poser rock"


----------



## snsr (Mar 14, 2008)

Nice work on the truck and the camper - looks like fun :thumbup::beer: Makes me miss CO as well!


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Good stuff, thanks for sharing :thumbup:


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Updates?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Updates?


Man, last November I took a new job and have been traveling 100% of the time. Its been brutal but Im saving money! I wound up nearly finishing the camper and selling it.  The new owner is a good guy and his boss actually bought it for him as a gift, pretty cool story. No updates on the truck but the company Im working for now does truck stuff so I will be updating soon with some new mods. Stay tuned. 


Nearly completed camper.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Man, last November I took a new job and have been traveling 100% of the time. Its been brutal but Im saving money! I wound up nearly finishing the camper and selling it.  The new owner is a good guy and his boss actually bought it for him as a gift, pretty cool story. No updates on the truck but the *company Im working for now does truck stuff *so I will be updating soon with some new mods. Stay tuned.


Nice! Is it a 4x4 company or something like that? (if you don't mind me ask)

The camper really looked like it came a long way since you originally bought it. Glad to hear it went to good home at least. 

Looking forward to these 'new mods' coming up. 

:beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Nice! Is it a 4x4 company or something like that? (if you don't mind me ask)
> 
> The camper really looked like it came a long way since you originally bought it. Glad to hear it went to good home at least.
> 
> ...


It is a 4x4 company so this should get really good! 

Yeah I put a lot of work into that camper. Im going to start with a newer one next time around though.


----------



## GLi16v_ (Nov 27, 2010)

Well, this is the second time I've read through this, any more updates for us? It's almost been a month?!


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

I love your truck. Simple, done right. In for updates.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for the love guys, I should have some tasty bits coming this weekend!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

OK, you guys have been patient.


Note #1. It was really warm in Denver for the last few weeks and I wound up spending some of the truck budget on another bike! The front range trails have been dry and empty so Ive been riding when in town instead of working on the truck. I managed to get my hands on a pretty rare Gary Fisher Ferrous. True Temper OX Platinum, King headset, DT Swiss wheels, XTR SS cranks etc. Those of you in the know will know what this means. For the rest of you its just another mountain bike. 











Note #2. I found out yesterday that I will be moving to Chicago this June. My fiancé was chosen for a residency at a hospital in Chicago so we will be moving there after she graduates this May. I grew up in Chicago and have been trying to live in Colorado permanently since 2000. This will be the 7th time I have moved between Colorado and Illinois. Im getting quite sick of the back and forth and will truly miss Colorado but I make the best of everything so :beer: I just sold my R32 two weeks ago and it will be really hard for me to keep the truck and not buy a Porsche or some other ridiculous car in a futile attempt to make up for leaving the mountains. I figure spending time/money on the truck will force me to keep it...maybe. :facepalm:



On to the truck.

I had much bigger plans for this weekend but as usual things don't pan out. Wah waaah...sorry. I got talked out of a particular front bumper/winch that I was going to snag simply due to how good of a deal I can get. Apparently its quite ugly and does not follow the high clearance goals I have for the truck. Back to the drawing board there, I need to find someone to make something custom for me. What I did wind up with is a set of Bilstein shocks, Powerstop brakes(which Ive had for a while as you probably know) and a programmer to fix a few things with the truck.

Today I got around to installing the Bilsteins. 5160s in the front and 5100s in the rear. The fronts are slightly longer than the shocks I pulled off the truck which is good because more droop. The crappy white body shocks I pulled off actually turned out to be Rancho 5000's which are halfway decent. Ill probably clean them up and throw them on CL tomorrow. Also changed my oil because my local oreillys has Rotella T6 on sale for $13 a gallon which I couldn't pass up.











During installation


















These pictures are dusk-time and make the truck look like it has a lot of rust. Its actually very minimal but I plan on cleaning it up a little. Id also like to ditch the spacers for some new coils but Im having a very hard time finding a coil that will net me 3" of lift. Apparently nobody mods regular cab gasser 3rd Gen Dodge 3/4 ton trucks. :thumbdown:

Shocks final resting place.










Tomorrow Im hopefully going to get the brakes and the programmer installed. It just snowed a sh*tload here so it will be hard to not ski/ride and make myself work on the truck. I can't wait to finally have an accurate speedometer and get rid of the TPMS light though. Oh also, Ive been shopping for new campers. :laugh:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

UPDATES!!!!!

I know y'all been just dyin for tidbits.  Cliffs notes: got a new camper and moved to Chicago.

Here are some pictures of the new camper. I can't believe the incredible deal I got. The jacks alone are worth what I paid for the whole thing! I hate to say I stole it, but for $600...I stole it. I had emailed the guy about it 45 minutes after the ad was listed. He told me it sold within 20 minutes. I told him to let me know if the sale falls through. Through some act of nature it did and I got an email from him a week later. I immediately went and picked it up. When we were loading it into my truck another guy pulled up with a trailer asking if it sold! Close one.

Its a 1985 Four Seasons. I don't know what model it is but it does still have the serial tag on it so that might help. It was narrowed by a previous owner who did a very good job, it almost looks factory. They actually narrowed both sides 3 inches instead of doing just one side. This is really nice because my old Hawk used to sit about five inches farther out over the drivers side. It has no leaks, no mold or nastiness anywhere, everything works, guy even gave me a propane tank and 3 nearly new looking Titan jacks with it. It definitely spent the vast majority of its life in a garage or some kind of nicer storage facility.

It has an icebox, 3 burner stove, furnace, sink, water tank, carbon monoxide and propane gas detectors etc. I likely won't use the sink and water tank but since the cabinetry is in such good shape its all staying put for now. The table spins so you can almost treat the bench as a dinette which is good because I really like dinettes and can probably get away without any reconfiguring which makes me really happy. There is only one minor issue I have found so far. The plastic windows have shrunk so much that the velcro doesn't line up anymore. Haven't figured out how I will fix this yet but Im sure there is a solution somewhere on this site! Ill have to take care of that before I camp in case it rains. It is wired for shore power but the plug looks like it is not compatible with todays electrical connections. I compared it to my buddys sunlite and its a totally different plug.

Future short list plans are;

- thorough cleaning
- get a house battery
- wire up an isolator setup for the truck
- replace the interior lights with LED fixtures
- figure out a fix for the plastic windows
- new window coverings
- reseal a few spots on the exterior

Future long list plans are;

- solar
- fan
- awning
- reupholster
- nicer flooring and possibly some other interior updates
- maybe a fridge
- some kind of "cold weather pack"





























































































My reg cab with my newly acquired four seasons and my buddies quad cab with his SunLite.





















22lb cat for scale


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Very nice!


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Awesome find! Looks great.

No a serious note, if you do end up wanting to sell after moving, shoot me a PM, like, seriously


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Awesome find! Looks great.
> 
> No a serious note, if you do end up wanting to sell after moving, shoot me a PM, like, seriously



Wait, what do you mean, I just moved. When I move back to CO? Im confused. I don't want to sell it I just bought it! haha


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Wait, what do you mean, I just moved. When I move back to CO? Im confused. I don't want to sell it I just bought it! haha


I was referring to this comment  



Atl-Atl said:


> I just sold my R32 two weeks ago and it will be really hard for me to keep the truck and not buy a Porsche or some other ridiculous car in a futile attempt to make up for leaving the mountains. I figure spending time/money on the truck will force me to keep it..._maybe_.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> I was referring to this comment


Oh gotcha. My mind changes hourly so Ill let you know how things go haha. Im about to do some more major maintenance next week, unit bearings, ball joints, u-joints, diff fluid, t case fluid. This things gonna be new!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

MORE UPDATES!!!!!

More like unexpectedly-awesome-local-midweek-onenight-beautiful-camping-firstnightinthecamper-hiking-trip-time!

I haven't been completely lazy over the last 3 or 4 weeks (or however long its been) since moving back to Illinois. Today I passed the Illinois real estate brokers licensing exam, first try by the way. In the last 10 days I did that, went camping at Starved Rock State Park, hiked and saw some incredible waterfalls at the lesser known Matthiesson State Park, rode my road bike in Illinois, rode my mountain bike in Wisconsin, went running in Illinois, went to a wedding in Missouri and did a bunch of other honey-do stuff we all have/get to do! Halleluyah Holy Sh*t...wheres the Tylenol :sombrero:

Anyway I have some updates on the camper! I went out on a limb after minimal research and tried a Duracell Platinum AGM battery from Batteries Plus. I like that its made right in my backyard(Wisconsin, its an Illinois joke for the uninformed) and I got a discount for buying it online and picking it up in store. I think it was about $193.04 after tax. 78AH for less than $200 with a 30 month warranty? Yes, please and thank you. Then I went and got the propane tank that came with the camper topped off at a local RV place. When I got home I hooked up the battery and nothing but crickets...

I checked the + cable and the fuse is blown. Its a 20amp fuse, no prob the guy I bought the camper from gave me 3 extra 20amp fuses. They're all blown. Is this a sign of the times? Now Im kinda like "whats going on" am I not going to get this thing powered up? I throw a 25amp spare in and voila she powered up!!! Im ecstatic! All the lights work, propane gas detector and CO detector light up and test. Kill switch engage, all systems go. Im getting quite excited for our trip. (Still slightly concerned about the fuse situation though)

Last thing to do is check tire pressure before the trip, especially since I have D rated 37s on my truck that I normally run at 35F 32R. Lightweight for a 3/4 ton truck, sorry I guess. A few psi can be the difference between 70mph comfortably or 55mph white knuckle. As Im filling the right rear tire I hear a hiss. There is a nail or screw right at the shoulder. NOOOOOOOO the whole trip is a failure, these tires aren't made anymore(pro comp x ats (also knows as egg-terrains)), we cant go on the trip, I need a new set of tires, nobody has 37s in Illinois, a bunch of nancies live here, yes I have a patch kit but I don't want to risk it, we both have to take a test in a few days, I don't even have a job, what am I doing, waaaaaaaaaaaambulance.

I have a full size spare and everything went swimmingly. Starved Rock State Park is along the Illinois river only 2 hours from Chicago and its an incredible place. We camped at the actual park camp grounds. We bought fire wood from the local "Jacks camp store" and we hiked at Matthiesson State Park at the suggestion of the informative, albeit talkative park ranger. What an incredible experience. If you google "starved rock state park" ALL of the pictures you see are actually from down the street at Matthiesson State Park. All the big waterfalls, canyons, arches, bridges, riverbeds etc. Hopefully Im not making any locals mad but don't waste your time hiking Starved Rock, go to Matthiesson. Midsummer is a tropical paradise just outside of Chicago Illinois, believe it or not. There were minimal bugs, perfect humidity and ~70 degree temps in the woods at 1pm! Im getting lost in words. If you read all of this bless you and here are some pics for proof/your enjoyment!

I dont know the actual measurements of these waterfalls but a couple of them have to be at least 50 feet tall and some of the canyons have to be 100 feet plus.

































































Sorry about the crooked pic.




























She loves hiking almost as much as she loves playing fetch.










Pooped out dog loves the camper!











Pack it in for the night











And cleaning up after the trip.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Now you guys are slacking!

So Ive been researching awnings for a few weeks now. I saw a build someone did on here where they spent about $100 and that got me thinking. I either need to buy a smittybilt for $200 or make my own and figure out how to do it cheaper than the other homemade one I saw. After coming across batwings and foxwings and getting all hot and bothered about a ridiculously awesome awning I decided I need to just get one done. I have some mountain bike races coming up and hopefully lots of camping beyond that. What better day than July 4th to work on the truck and the camper right! Especially since my party and fireworks happened last night and Im not really up for anything more than tinkering today.

I had been perusing harbor freight looking at tarps and saw they had some pretty decently priced items. Like an 8' x 10' mess panel with grommets. So I headed over and grabbed a heavy duty 8x11 tarp and 8x10 mesh panel as well as some tent stakes and a grommet tool just incase. Then I went to home depot in search of parts to make my ideas a reality.

What I wound up with is two sticks of galvanized pipe that are capped and have a bolt sticking through on either end. One to sink into the ground for traction and the other to stick through the grommet up top. The pipe only came in 10' sections so I had them cut down to 7' and rethreaded the cut end. Then I got 4 caps and 4 nut-bolt-washers. When I got home I simply drilled a 5/16" hole in each cap, threaded the bolt through and then threaded the caps onto the pipes. There are tabs on the roof of my camper that a previous owner installed that are at the back corner and then 4, 8 and 11 feet. The mesh panel fits exactly onto the 8 foot apart tabs, no modification necessary, just use a threaded d ring to secure it. stand the uprights and tie them off. The tarp had to get some new grommets added but this was simple. I will likely have to cut down the tarp and hem the cut edge but for now it still works perfectly.

I had a 25% off coupon for harbor freight so all said and done, including both a tarp and a mesh panel, Im in it for about $70.


----------



## mrothwell (Nov 20, 2006)

Sweet homemade awning!

Does that ratchet strap flop around while driving though? I'd be worried about it hitting the bedside and screwing up the paint there.


----------



## rpmk4-2.0 (Jun 30, 2016)

good call on the awning. I've seen similar setups using PVC on expedition portal. I plan on something similar for my camping trailer.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

mrothwell said:


> Sweet homemade awning!
> 
> Does that ratchet strap flop around while driving though? I'd be worried about it hitting the bedside and screwing up the paint there.


No they're tight as sh*t. Also I have small sections of moving blanket wrapped around them and taped down. They don't go anywhere. Also the bed is already dented and scratched so meh.




rpmk4-2.0 said:


> good call on the awning. I've seen similar setups using PVC on expedition portal. I plan on something similar for my camping trailer.


Thanks, I briefly thought about pvc but wanted something more substantial.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Race Report

Took 3rd in sport single speed! Also took 1st in "sweetest camping setup" which I think was helped by my addition of a "yard" to the truck. :laugh:

Only downside to the weekend was 3 of the 4 corners on the mesh panel completely blew up. Its going back to Harbor Freight and Ill be getting a much nicer piece of fabric that is meant to be an awning that gets pulled tight.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Update #2 for today

So I took the camper off the truck today. My intent was to remove two layers of 2x4" that are fastened to the bottom of the camper. I think a previous owners truck had really high bedsides so they built this platform to accomodate. Well it makes the camper sit about 4 inches above my bedsides. Got the camper out of the truck and floating on the jacks to discover the 2x4"s are REALLY on there. I got the first layer off and thats the end of it. I would absolutely mangle the floor of the camper if I tried to remove the second layer so it stays. This will make my plans for mounting the camper to the bed rails have to change but thats OK. Ill figure out some kind of spacer to put in there. Since I had the camper out of the truck I decided to try a little something...


IT FITS! I cant believe this monster on 37s fits inside the garage with the camper and plenty of room to spare! Bikes, grille, toolbox, shelving all included with room to walk around. There is probably even some room to build the workbench Ive been thinking about. Also per the measuring tape my fiancés car will fit with about 12" to spare. I think we can cram everything in this two car garage, just have to get the leftovers from moving out of the way. This makes me incredibly happy for when stormy weather and winter approach.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

So many updates and no love in here. 

Refinished the headlights and painted the grill and lower metal part of the bumper. Looks WAY better than the weird purplish grey stock color. Now I need to back to black the plastic upper bumper piece. Think Ill try the blowtorch trick.

After









Before, really looks terrible comparatively! 









During :sombrero: I hit the rusty stuff with some gloss black while I was under there.










She's really coming along nicely this week. Still on the fence about just going to get a bedliner and keeping the bed/getting a cap. I went to a body shop down the street for sh*ts and giggles, they wanted $1500 to fix the dent in my bedside!!! :Wow1:


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Atl-Atl said:


> So many updates and no love in here.
> 
> Refinished the headlights and painted the grill and lower metal part of the bumper. Looks WAY better than the weird purplish grey stock color. Now I need to back to black the plastic upper bumper piece. Think Ill try the blowtorch trick.
> 
> She's really coming along nicely this week. Still on the fence about just going to get a bedliner and keeping the bed/getting a cap. I went to a body shop down the street for sh*ts and giggles, they wanted $1500 to fix the dent in my bedside!!! :Wow1:


I'll give you some love. Looks great. Painting the front did wonders for it. Maybe look into a different, aftermarket bumper?

Having come from parking outside for a few years and getting my own garage just this year, I can tell you, it's even more incredible than you think it is. Going to start the car in February with a t-shirt and shorts on is incredible.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> I'll give you some love. Looks great. Painting the front did wonders for it. Maybe look into a different, aftermarket bumper?
> 
> Having come from parking outside for a few years and getting my own garage just this year, I can tell you, it's even more incredible than you think it is. Going to start the car in February with a t-shirt and shorts on is incredible.


Thanks! :beer:

Id love to get an aftermarket bumper but there are only two I like for this truck and they are $2000 and $2600 so yeah, thats not gonna happen! Im quite excited about the garage and I really don't think Ill ever be able to go back.


----------



## bnkrpt311 (Apr 22, 2010)

You got love from me. The truck, camper, bike racing. All great stuff! :thumbup:


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Beast. Love your truck man :beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

bnkrpt311 said:


> You got love from me. The truck, camper, bike racing. All great stuff! :thumbup:





Heffernan said:


> Beast. Love your truck man :beer:



Thanks, that was kinda petty of me hahaha :laugh:

I did some more yesterday and today. Including the blow torch trick to turn the grey plastic back to black and it worked really well. Except for the spot where I got the headlight UV goop on it. I cant get that sh*t off. Tried heat, dish soap, scrubbing etc.











Also painted more stuff under the front of the truck. Looks friggin new in the pictures haha. Threw a fresh coat on the wheels too, just because.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

After on top

Looks so much better for ten minutes of work and the cost of $0 since I already had a torch. :sombrero:


----------



## x(why)z (Aug 2, 2010)

Atl-Atl said:


> After on top
> 
> Looks so much better for ten minutes of work and the cost of $0 since I already had a torch. :sombrero:


I love this thread so much. I'm constantly poring the local auto ads to find something similar. Thanks for the updates!:beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

x(why)z said:


> I love this thread so much. I'm constantly poring the local auto ads to find something similar. Thanks for the updates!:beer:


Thank you!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

More updates from this weekend.

Well its 95+ degrees with triple digit heat index so I decided to outfit the garage for inside work. Its 2/3 underground so it stays really cool which is quite nice. And because I cant leave well enough alone I decided to start ripping apart the campers interior for a little update! Its going to get similar treatment to my last camper but without ripping the walls out and replacing the insulation and all new cabinetry. This is more of a 'refresh' than a remodel, although I did make a stop at a granite counter top place...

It fits inside on its cart with the top up!











Before pictures


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

So I removed all the window coverings, removed the lower bed supports because they will not get re-used, removed the floor mount for the table and got the stain done. It did not take quite as well as I hoped, probably because 1. its ridiculously humid right now and 2. the wood had already been stained. Either way its ok but its going to take a very long time to dry and now its really busy inside the camper because I introduced two new shades of stained wood. I will be tackling that issue this weekend with new wall covering, Im quite excited to get rid of some of the fake wood paneling. Thermostat, fire extinguisher, Heater cover, Propane sensor and CO sensor have been reinstalled. I also got the floor laid and it looks WAY better than the linoleum. I just need to cut some 1/4 round and stain it for trim and then figure out where to put the table mount on the floor since its not going back where it came from due to poor fitment previously. Also depending on how the fiancé feels after taking pharmacy boards tomorrow we might start to tackle the upholstery this weekend. Its already looking much better and more modern. LOTS more to come soon! :victory:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Swung by a commercial upholstery place today looking for cool plaid fabric. I was told that plaid is not currently on trend and they don't have much so I grabbed a sample of this awesome brown and cream tartan and politely told the lady Ill be bringing plaid back in style! She laughed, a lot. :laugh: The small check pattern fabric is my wall covering, its actually the same stuff I used in my last camper and it turned out really well. I got an entire bolt of it for free on a TI job I did a few years ago, its really expensive stuff that was rejected by a typically snobby interior designer due to "quality control issues" with the fabric. Ill be using it on the upper walls. The plaid will be for the cushions and the mattress.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Moar MOAR MOOAARR!!! It never ends!!!!!

It finally cooled off to 85 degrees and 60% humidity so I could actually work outside today. Got almost all of the wall covering done: front wall, passenger side and back wall. Also, mineral spirits is great at shining up aluminum! Im really happy with the way its looking now. Hopefully I can get most of the upholstery done this week, although the old stuff is growing on me. Items left on my short list are upholstery, rear door update(I'd love to have a screen door if anyone knows how I can make that happen), ice box surround update, new countertop and backsplash.


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Atl-Atl said:


> rear door update(I'd love to have a screen door if anyone knows how I can make that happen)


This might be a long shot, but you never know. That looks to be a pretty standard rectangle shape, so I bet if you sent the measurements to someone, they could build you something. I googled "Custom screen door Chicago" and this was one of the results, though I passed another whose website played music on their homepage :laugh:
http://www.pcaproducts.com/


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> This might be a long shot, but you never know. That looks to be a pretty standard rectangle shape, so I bet if you sent the measurements to someone, they could build you something. I googled "Custom screen door Chicago" and this was one of the results, though I passed another whose website played music on their homepage :laugh:
> http://www.pcaproducts.com/


Good idea, thanks! :beer:


----------



## climbingcue (Feb 2, 2001)

Nice job on all the updates...

Bill


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

climbingcue said:


> Nice job on all the updates...
> 
> Bill


Thanks! Heres more! Went to the U.P. for some MTB'ing. Stayed at a friends house in Ishpeming but would have rather been in the camper! The hills are huge around here, technically they are mountains. The tallest one being nearly 2000ft. I cant wait to get back with the camper and do some mini overlanding/adventuring. There are gravel/fire/logging roads everywhere with all levels of difficulty.


Washington St in Marquette with Lake Superior in the back ground. Its really like an ocean, so cool.











Cliff jumping











Came around a bend on a MTB trail and this was the view. Through the trees to a golf course and Lake Superior in the back ground. The U.P. is absolutely incredible.











Active and retired mines everywhere in these parts.











Midwest sunsets :heart:


----------



## bnkrpt311 (Apr 22, 2010)

You should probably make a trip up to Copper Harbor, I need to as well. There's not much better IMO than being able to see Lake Superior. I am biased to the MN shoreline though. :thumbup:

http://www.copperharbortrails.org/


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

bnkrpt311 said:


> You should probably make a trip up to Copper Harbor, I need to as well. There's not much better IMO than being able to see Lake Superior. I am biased to the MN shoreline though. :thumbup:
> 
> http://www.copperharbortrails.org/


Copper Harbor is very cool. I wish I could have made it this trip but I didn't have enough time. I want to go up there for camping sometime this summer.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Started on the upholstery today with help from mom!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well after two days of completely busting arse we have almost completely finished the upholstery. Only thing left is window coverings which are under way currently! Hopefully they'll be done this evening but we need a break after two full days of working. There are two small cushions, two large cushions, one flat board with fabric and the mattress.

The four cushions were simply foam with upholstery stretched over and stapled to a plywood backing. Instead of taking them completely apart I decided to simply cut stretch and staple the new upholstery over the top of the old stuff. I wound up using staples that were too short(1/4") yesterday and started over today with 3/8" which worked much better. The only place they didn't work were the thick corners. Even though this fabric doesn't look very soft or thick, it is. Its commercial upholstery grade and is really nice. I wound up having to use #16 upholstery/carpet tacks in the corners but it turned out nicely. The mattress had a zipper and a vinyl backing/sides. We decided to reuse the vinyl because its clean and in great shape. This made sewing the new mattress cheaper and much easier/less time consuming. Im blessed with a mom thats a seamstress so she cranked through the mattress like it was no big deal. While I slaved away on the cushions. I think I have carpal tunnel, should have gotten that air stapler I was looking at.

Finished cushion









Plywood backing before stapling on the extra wall covering to make it look nice.









Here is what the bottom corner looks like with staples, tack and bottom cover. I used the same material from the walls. I had a bunch of extra so I cut it to fit, rolled the edge and stapled/tacked it in place. This came on the suggestion of mom because she was worried the raw plywood backboard would ruin the new fabric. Mom is always right!























































You know you're super pro when the pattern lines up across all of the cushions, even the mattress! 






































Im beginning to think the color palette in my head is going to be just as good in reality!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

My plan today was to get all sorts of misc. stuff done. Unfortunately it turned into running around all day so I could rebuild the rear door that practically collapsed when I tried to re-cover the inside. Also my tire with a slow leak that used to take a few weeks to get low now is losing all its air in two days time and since they don't make these tires anymore I have to figure out what to do. Do I go down to 35s? Do I stay with 37s? Do I go up to 40s??? I really need to re-gear if I do that but I also need to do balljoints so...this is getting out of hand.


So I rebuilt the rear door! What started as trying to take the sides off so I could glue on my wall covering turned into rotten wood, glass falling out and the lockset falling apart. YAY! More things to buy and more sh*t to do! #headbang This required a trip to the depot for a new lockset, wood and seal for the window. Of course my home depot doesn't have butyl tape so I had to go to 20 minutes away to camping world.


The door looked almost identical to my last one. The bottom piece of wood had completely rotted away.









It was pretty rough, this was the inside!!!









I bought a 2x2 stick of cedar to replace the missing and rotten wood. It worked almost perfectly until I found out it was about 1/4" wider than whatever was in there. It took quite a lot of massaging the lower aluminum trim piece to get it back on. Oh well.









Looks way better but some of the dents are still visible through the new cover. The textured metal piece was glued to the foam so there was no way to flatten it back out. Oh well.


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Atl-Atl said:


> Also my tire with a slow leak that used to take a few weeks to get low now is losing all its air in two days time and since they don't make these tires anymore I have to figure out what to do. Do I go down to 35s? Do I stay with 37s? Do I go up to 40s??? I really need to re-gear if I do that but I also need to do balljoints so...this is getting out of hand.


Isn't that the case with everything? Did shocks/struts on 4 corners and now the car squeaks even more than it did before. :laugh:


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Looking' good as usual :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> Isn't that the case with everything? Did shocks/struts on 4 corners and now the car squeaks even more than it did before. :laugh:


Hah, you probably just realized you have the notorious control arm squeak now that the rest of the suspension is stiff again!



Heffernan said:


> Looking' good as usual :thumbup:


Thank you sir :beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

And the updates just keep flowin' in!

I was up at 5AM and decided to crank out some of the finishing details. Cut, stain and install the floor trim. If you haven't ever tried to miter trim corners with no miter saw or even a miter box just don't, it sucks...a lot. Also when I was test fitting the trim I noticed my final piece of flooring was about 1/2" short so I had to pull apart the floor and measure/cut a new piece. Re-paint the toe-kick for the main counter area. Re-cover the fridge door face with wall material. Install the 2" wide velcro I got to cover the gap where my plastic windows have shrunk. In doing this I noticed a lot of my roof lifting hardware was coming loose so I tightened that all up. Install the new matching curtain rods I got for all four windows, which required cutting two of them down for the tiny back windows. Its friggin hot out too, 92 with a heat index of 97, lots of humidity. Oh how I miss Colorado. 

Its getting so close I can almost taste it!

Here you can see the white velcro I added to make up the difference where the clear plastic has shrunk. Along the top at the center you can see that 2" is only just enough to make it work. This stuff has really shrunk, I guess it is 33 years old!











Floor trim all 'trimmed' haha and ready for stain.











And stained. Minwax 'ebony' 2718 is my favorite! Same stuff I used on the vertical wood.











Taped off the floor and spray painted the toe-kick back to black.











Interior daylight shot of the rear door that I finished yesterday.











New ice box 'face' no pics during the process. It was fairly simple to remove the door, take out the laminate, recover and reinstall everything.











BAM! Curtain rods installed.





























Also I have been working on the curtains. My mom started sewing them but took off and left me to finish. The big window is done, the other three windows are about halfway done. I installed the big window curtain and Im not sure if the color is really what I want. I'm going to finish sewing the other windows and put them all in there before I make up my mind. Its a lot of work to do if Im unsure but I don't really have another choice. You guys don't get to see until they're done though!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Finished sewing the curtains this morning. Some of them turned out better than others hahaha. I decided to throw some pillows I had laying around the house inside the camper to give it more of a finished look. Im trying to convince my overworked and exhausted fiancé that camping at Road America and watching IMSA racing this weekend is a great way to relax! The plan is definitely for 'worthy' pillows, a throw and matching bedding but that will take some time to find.




















I think I like the curtain color. I cant decide. Its not very camper-y which is what I was going for but maybe it needs to be a little more camper-y? 












This is the somewhat permanent, unofficial end of the major parts of my remodel. The remaining list is getting shorter by the day thankfully because one of these days Ill get a job again and I wont have all this time.

-Counter tops + reinstall table
-Backsplash
-Small under seat supports for the long bench
-Corner trim for the walls
-Some kind of cool light fixture for the center of the ceiling.
-Update lights around the inside


----------



## mrothwell (Nov 20, 2006)

Dude! I like it!


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

mrothwell said:


> Dude! I like it!


Seriously, that looks awesome. I dig the color of the curtains as well. Looks great.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

mrothwell said:


> Dude! I like it!





Heffernan said:


> Seriously, that looks awesome. I dig the color of the curtains as well. Looks great.



Thanks guys! I think the curtains will stay and Ill look for some other 'accoutrement' that ties everything together.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Welp. The leak got bad enough that the tire was going nearly flat in 24 hours. So I had no choice but to plug it and now I guess Ill be seriously shopping for tires.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Do I go up to 40s???


----------



## Lawrider (May 16, 2010)

40s with stock gearing? Won't you lose a ton of power and see your fuel economy go off the deep end? I had a ZJ with just 32s and a 2.5" lift and it managed 13mpg at 60mph highway after the baby lift and tires. Seems to me your setup with 35s is just great - driveable, plenty of beef, and visually strong. Would you cut fenders to fit 40s?

BTW damn this thread, it had me looking for old F-250s and WJ Grand Cherokees


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Lawrider said:


> 40s with stock gearing? Won't you lose a ton of power and see your fuel economy go off the deep end? I had a ZJ with just 32s and a 2.5" lift and it managed 13mpg at 60mph highway after the baby lift and tires. Seems to me your setup with 35s is just great - driveable, plenty of beef, and visually strong. Would you cut fenders to fit 40s?
> 
> BTW damn this thread, it had me looking for old F-250s and WJ Grand Cherokees


Its currently on 37s with stock gearing (3.73s) and it does just fine even with a camper in back cruising up I-70 at 75 mph. Yes 40s would be a bit much but I don't really care! I currently get 10-12mph around town, it cant get much worse. Plus I just went from Denver to Chicago so the truck feels really strong right now. It would handle 40s just fine.

P.S. I just listed it for sale if youre interested!


----------



## bnkrpt311 (Apr 22, 2010)

Atl-Atl said:


> Its currently on 37s with stock gearing (3.73s) and it does just fine even with a camper in back cruising up I-70 at 75 mph. Yes 40s would be a bit much but I don't really care! I currently get 10-12mph around town, it cant get much worse. Plus I just went from Denver to Chicago so the truck feels really strong right now. It would handle 40s just fine.
> 
> *P.S. I just listed it for sale if youre interested!*


What will fill the empty garage stall?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

bnkrpt311 said:


> What will fill the empty garage stall?


Well right now its the camper hahaha. If the camper sells and the truck sells Im not sure. The reality Ive been trying to avoid is that we just dont have time to use the camper like I want and I need a more normal vehicle for normal driving conditions. If the Golf Sportwagen was out already in the AWD manual trim thats coming soon Ill surely be in one of those. Depending on how long it takes to get here and how long the truck takes to sell that might happen. Otherwise probably another Golf R or some kind of awd manual hatchy wagony thing or maybe a B8 S4.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

*sniffles


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Sold?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> Sold?


The camper, you can see it in the background driving away. Nobody wants the stupid truck hahaha.


----------



## odj (Nov 26, 2001)

Not sure how I missed this thread, but great work man. I really like how the upholstery came out. :thumbup:


----------



## .:RDriver (Oct 4, 1999)

After just finishing all that work, you sold it? Wow. How much you want for the truck?


----------



## FuelInMyVeins (Feb 8, 2012)

I enjoyed pictures from Colorado :thumbup::beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

odj said:


> Not sure how I missed this thread, but great work man. I really like how the upholstery came out. :thumbup:


Thanks, I enjoy your ranger thread and trailer thread a ton!




.:RDriver said:


> After just finishing all that work, you sold it? Wow. How much you want for the truck?


Heh, yeah second time Ive done that. Although this time is more because I literally wont have time to use the camper for the next year or two. Id rather have a fun to drive car that I can use regularly so Im in search of something stickshift that I can tinker with again.



FuelInMyVeins said:


> I enjoyed pictures from Colorado :thumbup::beer:


Thanks, I cant wait to get back! 


:beer:


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Damn that was some quality work!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> Damn that was some quality work!


Thanks, started a new project already haha. Its been really hard to find an 8ft white 3rd gen dodge topper, for any price, but today I found a black 2nd gen long bed topper for $100 on craiglist so I jumped on it. It doesnt fit perfectly but for the price and the shape it was in I couldnt say no. It only has one small crack but is otherwise in very good shape, just dirty. It has an interior light and a 3rd brake light. It also has a full carpet lining which is in really good shape. It came fully equipped with about 100 spiders and 100,000 ants!  I cleaned the sh*t out of it with a hose and insect killer spray, stripped it all the way down to the fiberglass and will be dropping it off to get paint matched hopefully this weekend! I move quickly hahaha. All the windows have in tact glass and all three slider windows function. Screens are in place, and the hatch struts even work!!! 


The exterior dimensions dont quite line up. The top is not even with the cab, its about 2 inches short. The interior dimensions line up perfectly and the back window lines up with the tailgate perfectly but the exterior of the bedsides is straight on the topper and curved on my bed. It has a full 2" of contact all the way around and will seal up just fine, it just looks slightly off from the outside. It doesnt look terrible but Ill probably get sick of it. Still for $100 I couldnt say no.






































Ratchet strap was to keep the back of it together incase it wanted to tweak when I was taking it off the truck, by myself. It looks tweaked in this picture because I have something under it to hold it up so the water from cleaning it will drain out.




















All stripped already!




























Back on the truck ready to drop off.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Found a tag on the inside of the camper yesterday so I cleaned it off and its a serial tag. Looks like the topper is an older Century Cap. It looks most similar to todays Ultra Sport model. 










The back window even has stickers on it still from the assembly place for all the glass. Pretty cool this stuff is still in tact. I might try to contact Century and see if I can find out anything about the cap. Like if I can get a locking handle for it, although my tailgate doesnt lock so Ill have to get the rolling also. It never ends does it?










Got all the glass cleaned up and in the garage; no scratches, nicks, cracks or anything that Ive found yet. Ill try to touch up the black aluminum trim and repair the screens that have a few small holes. Im still blown away about the condition of this thing considering the guy told me it had been stored for years under the tree where I picked it up.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well I have one more reason to like this topper. The truck fits in the garage with it on!!! Its so close that I bet a 3rd gen topper wouldnt fit. Maybe it will stay!











I call this one "size discrepancy" 











I am now a tennis ball person. 











Nice thing is theres walking room all the way around the truck, even with the garage door closed.




























Got all my nuts and bolts organized in labeled bags ready for reassembly. Also got all my spare parts cleaned up and organized and got a new roll of seal tape stuff.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Dropped it off yesterday at 430 for paint. Picked it up 6 hours later done, BAM thats how you do it!











Cleaned up and flattened out my bed rails. Installed foam sealant tape and threw that b*tch on.




















And done! I have to say Im only about 75% happy with it. The paint is not matched, its close but its something they had extra at my buddies shop which is part of the reason I got such a good deal. Also the fact that the contours aren't perfect kinda gets to me. Considering Im in it for a total of only $300 so far makes it OK but I think in the long run Id rather have an actual 3rd gen topper. Ill probably keep looking and if I find one buy it and sell this one. I cleaned all the windows and had to tweak the back window to fit with the shape of my tailgate but it closes and latches so Im happy. The only things left to do are wire up the 3rd brake light and the interior light. Ill probably find an LED strip instead of the crappy halogen bulb that came with it. Also I need to figure out a way to lock it and my tailgate but thats at the bottom of the list right now.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Got a cheap plastic bedliner until I spring for a $400 bedrug. Also I found a writeup on expedition portal for IKEA LED lights, you just have to ditch the transformer they come with and hard wire them. Its four individual 1 foot sections that you can link together, each with their own 8 foot long cord for $20!!! I bought two sets, hardwired them to the battery with a fuse and a switch mounted just inside the tailgate so you can reach to turn the lights on with the tailgate up or down. Pretty pleased with the way it came out for $50 worth of lights and a toggle switch. I simply put sticky backed velcro on the light strips and it sticks to the carpeted interior really well. I do need to tidy up some wires since I threw it together quickly but Im happy with it for now.




























Already tried it out last night. Definitely need a better "mattress" for the bed hahaha. #soreback


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

So I installed a keyed handle on the back window today. I was pretty excited when I stopped by the local Century Caps dealer and found out the handle is the exact same dimensions, threads etc. as it was nearly 20 years ago when my top was manufactured! Also it was only $20! The bad news is theres no way to get a factory lock for my tailgate that uses my same ignition key. Ive searched high and low and called the dealership to see if one can be pieced together using factory parts and was told no. I guess its possible the parts guy was wrong, another guy at this same parts dept. recently told me my truck was flex fuel compatible and its not so... I might be making a trip to some local junkyards to see if theres a keyed tailgate that I can swipe the handle out of and stick a new lock core in thats keyed to my ignition. Otherwise Ill get an aftermarket one from Amazon for $20 and just deal with 3 different keys for the truck. Not ideal but worth the hassle to have locked storage.

Anyway, the back window of the topper overlaps the top of the tailgate about 2 inches, so much so that you would probably break the plastic tailgate handle before you were actually able to open the tailgate with the window locked shut. I yanked on it pretty hard and it did not budge at all. Im relatively confident that it will hold up simply as the deterrent that it is. If someone wants your junk they're going to get it, a measly lock isn't going to save your stuff.


This picture makes the window trim look much more beat up than it appears in real life. I guess I need to clean it up and figure out how to touch up the black. Pretty sure its anodized and theres no way Ill be able to touch it up thats anywhere near matching.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Ive been so busy since moving back to Colorado. Long f**king story. Anyway, got out and did some much needed wheeling with friends. Heres a little action from this past Sunday.

























Hooligan friends


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Been keeping an eye out for updates... started to think you actually sold it.

Back in CO huh? Got bored of all the flat IL farm land? :laugh:

Looking good as usual :thumbup:


----------



## mrothwell (Nov 20, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> ...since moving back to Colorado. Long f**king story.


Haha jeez, didn't you just move to IL? I guess the truck isn't still for sale?


----------



## .:RDriver (Oct 4, 1999)

Glad to see you're keeping it for now and I guess with the move, looks like it might be for awhile.


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Awesome rig. Something about a white single cab 4x4 with a canopy.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Been keeping an eye out for updates... started to think you actually sold it.
> 
> Back in CO huh? Got bored of all the flat IL farm land? :laugh:
> 
> Looking good as usual :thumbup:


It was for sale for a short while in IL. Then sh*t hit the fan in a truly bad way and I moved back to CO. Like a lot of other things in life I said Im never leaving Colorado or selling it. Guess what, its for sale right now and my current job prospect could be taking me to AZ and needing a car that gets much better mileage. Im a mess right now hahaha might as well go wheelin while I got it.



mrothwell said:


> Haha jeez, didn't you just move to IL? I guess the truck isn't still for sale?


Yes, in June, it sucks, Im glad to be back in CO though. If you read above I might not get to stay here. :banghead: It is currently up for sale and if it doesnt sell before I start my new job in the next 6-8 weeks it will get traded in. Which may or may not mean taking the fun parts off and selling what I can because it wont effect the trade in value at all.



.:RDriver said:


> Glad to see you're keeping it for now and I guess with the move, looks like it might be for awhile.


See above hah.



tip said:


> Awesome rig. Something about a white single cab 4x4 with a canopy.


Thanks, I agree.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> It was for sale for a short while in IL. Then sh*t hit the fan in a truly bad way and I moved back to CO. Like a lot of other things in life I said Im never leaving Colorado or selling it. Guess what, its for sale right now and my current job prospect could be taking me to AZ and needing a car that gets much better mileage. Im a mess right now hahaha might as well go wheelin while I got it.


Sorry to hear about the circumstances. 

Weren't you working for a aftermarket 4x4 company in IL or something? Is this a completely new job or a 'transfer'?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Sorry to hear about the circumstances.
> 
> Weren't you working for a aftermarket 4x4 company in IL or something? Is this a completely new job or a 'transfer'?


Thank you, it was my decision so it wasn't quite as hard for me but its never fun or easy. I was working for 4Wheelparts corporate doing store openings/remodels but I left that job and moved to Chicago(coincidentally my home town) in support of my Fiance and thats when everything went south. Im back in Denver career searching and theres a significant chance that I might wind up in Phoenix because of an incredible job opportunity. Phoenix isnt my first choice but it has plenty of upsides so Im OK with it.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Thank you, it was my decision so it wasn't quite as hard for me but its *never fun or easy*. I was working for 4Wheelparts corporate doing store openings/remodels but I left that job and moved to Chicago(coincidentally my home town) in support of my Fiance and thats when everything went south. Im back in Denver career searching and theres a significant chance that I might wind up in Phoenix because of an incredible job opportunity. Phoenix isnt my first choice but it has plenty of upsides so Im OK with it.


Been there myself before, I know what you mean.

Good luck in whatever the future brings you. IMO AZ is still wayyyy better then IL. :beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Been there myself before, I know what you mean.
> 
> Good luck in whatever the future brings you. IMO AZ is still wayyyy better then IL. :beer:


Thank you, agreed. Mountains is always better than no mountains. :beer:


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Some great wheeling in AZ :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

tip said:


> Some great wheeling in AZ :thumbup:


Thats what I hear/see. I have never wheeled there and gnarly crawler trails are all I see pictures of, is there anything full size friendly?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well its been a while since any real update. Im busy career searching and riding my bikes a lot to relieve the stress. Also Ive been a little off since inhaling so many gasoline fumes lately hah. For a few months now Ive had the nagging P0456 code. I replaced the rubber lines on the leak detection pump, replaced the gas cap(twice) and visually inspected everything multiple times to no avail. Right in the middle of the last offroad trip I started to notice a gas smell. I chalked it up to 3 wheeling action on steep terrain and bouncing around a bunch. Well it kept getting more and more noticeable, to the point where I started to feel ill every time I drove the truck for more than a few minutes. As you can imagine I havent driven much lately, which is a good thing for a number of reasons, my pocket book being one. Well today I decided to do something about it. Went by my buddies shop and hooked the smoke machine up to the gas filler. Turns out the vent line from the rollover valve to the filler neck was leaking, right at the rollover valve. After the smoke cleared and upon closer inspection, the plastic nipple the vent line attaches to is cracked. After a little research I find out the rollover valve is not replaceable or serviceable, _Dodge wants you to replace the entire gas tank_ to the tune of over $1000 just for the part!!! Needless to say that will be a last resort for me.

After brainstorming for a while with my mechanic friend, I decided I would go to the hardware store and see what I could find, broken off nipple in hand. The best idea was to find some sort of sleeve to shove into the hole in the rollover valve, put some super glue on and then slide the rest of the broken nipple onto the sleeve. The closest place was home depot so I went there first, as usual it was a complete waste of time. I wound up at Ace where I got 3 pretty solid parts: A brass crush sleeve, a nylon tube and a 1" roll pin. I decided to go with the roll pin because it was the longest and fit the most snugly. After getting home and cleaning out the hole on the pump and the nipple with a q-tip the roll pin was still a little snug. I took a crimper to it gently, to the point where it was still snug but slid in. So...I climbed under the truck, shoved the pin into the hole on the rollover valve, put some gel super glue on the plastic parts and slid the nipple onto the pin. Fits pretty darn tight. I clipped the vent line back on and the fuel vapor smell was immediately gone. Holy sh*t I couldn't believe my nose! Now all thats left is to clear the code, fill the tank up to about 3/4 so the evap system cycles and pray the CEL doesnt come back hahahaha. :snorkel:


You can see the dirty spot on the nipple, this is where it had been cracked and was leaking fuel/vapor. The clean part is the remainder that I broke off today in order to fix the situation.





























Pin inserted into the rollover valve.











Nipple glued back in place.











And done.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Sweet! Wow $1k.... 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Nice fix, hope your code doesn't come back.



Atl-Atl said:


> Thats what I hear/see. I have never wheeled there and gnarly crawler trails are all I see pictures of, is there anything full size friendly?


I don't know about hardcore crawling, but there's plenty of full size stuff to do depending on what you're into.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)




----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Aonarch said:


> Sweet! Wow $1k....


Yeah and new non-oem ones are $5-600. Junkyard wants $300+ and the chances of them being in as good of shape as my current tank are pretty slim, my truck is quite nice and rust/corrosion free.



tip said:


> Nice fix, hope your code doesn't come back.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know about hardcore crawling, but there's plenty of full size stuff to do depending on what you're into.


Thanks, me too. Do tell about the wheeling, Im into anything, mild with good views, more difficult etc. I would probably start with the Funtreks guide to Arizona backroads and 4x4 trails book. The Colorado one has faired well for me so Ill grab the Arizona one for sure. Ill probably swing by the office to grab the book since theyre about 10 minutes from me! They should have some insight.




Heffernan said:


>


:beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well the truck is for sale and I think it might be sold. Cleaned out all of my junk and gave the interior a good scrub, sure looks pretty good. Some random empty interior shots I sent the (hopeful) buyer. Stock 3rd gen regular cab ram interior pictures yaaay! :drool: hahaha If it sells I will really miss it. Its looking more and more like my future job will require lots of driving so I need to get into something that gets significantly better mileage. If I do get another full size truck some day it will most like be a crew cab shortbed power wagon. Not sure about 3rd vs 4th gen, I'd have to research it and check them out.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well I haven't been out in a while and lots of my buddies rigs are busted from a long summer of wheeling and camping. So I went on a mini adventure by myself today through Conifer, Pine Deckers and some other little podunk towns. Nothing crazy just some fun twisty dirt roads. Wonderful scenery as usual and beautiful weather. Its very dry right now after a decently wet summer there are fire bans everywhere.


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Still a big fan of the truck, man. Sad to hear it's for sale, but glad to hear things are on the up and up.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> Still a big fan of the truck, man. Sad to hear it's for sale, but glad to hear things are on the up and up.


At its current rate, I'll be keeping it! 😂


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

:beer::beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well, day two of "overlanding alone" was today. All of my friends have gotten married, had babies or broken their rigs over the summer so nobody wants to play. This leaves me to tackle some mild trails and dirt roads in my area which is actually quite nice. I have been stocking up on amazing camp site ideas! There is a fire ban across the entire front range right now so I havent bothered camping, I dont like not having a fire, especially when camping alone and extra especially in bear/mountain lion/bobcat/coyote/rattlesnake etc. territory. :sombrero: I have been planning a one or two night overland trip south of Denver/north of Colorado Springs. The weather is so warm right now that camping is entirely possible with typical summer camping gear. The low temps along the front range arent even getting below freezing! This is good and bad depending on what you want hah.

Rabble rabble, here are sweet pictures.

Rock #1 This crazy rock had no better half. Im not sure how this happens but it was half of a rock, a really really big rock. Quite precariously perched too.











Random view from the trail











Rock #2 Now we get to "the real rock" and this is _the real rock_. Im sorry if this is boring you, just wait for the following few pictures.











Yeah, I bet youre glad you waited. This rock is easily the size of the average american home, most likely bigger. Also its a campsite. The cantilever is a good 15 feet if not more. The underside is covered in soot from campfires. Its the single coolest campsite I have ever seen. I cant wait to come back and stay the night underneath this ridiculously huge rock.











Truck. Hi truck, you look nice.











Then I happened upon a geocache. It was open, on its side and its contents were blowing around in the breeze. Im not sure if a bear can open an ammo can but when youre hungry youre hungry I guess. I put the contents I could find back in and closed it and put it in a safe spot. Didnt take or leave anything, I didnt really know what geocaching was all about until I researched it this evening. Kinda cool, there was some cool stuff in there if the right person comes along.











Then I drove up a hill, in 2WD. I drove this entire "trail" in 2WD. It made things slightly more interesting. You could easily traverse this "trail" in a Subaru or any modern day nancy "SUV" type vehicle. Probably even a FWD station wagon with 4 inches of ground clearance. Its cool though, even on a Sunday it wasnt super busy here so #shrug.







Now for some random pictures that I like.




















The snow-covered and cloud-shrouded peak you can see just to the right of my bumper is Pikes Peak. This spot is called Pikes View, it was amazing. There are a few camp sites along a small spine heading off the trail and they all have amazing views of Pikes to the south and the valley below/to the west.











Now you see Pikes behind the back of my truck.




















One of the better lunch views Ive had.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Awesome pictures as usual :thumbup: Living on the east coast, I'm constantly jealous with the landscape and views of the west.


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Now you see Pikes behind the back of my truck.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Killer :beer: Now I'm daydreaming of being in the mountains instead of stuck in this office on a Monday morning.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Heffernan said:


> Awesome pictures as usual :thumbup: Living on the east coast, I'm constantly jealous with the landscape and views of the west.


:beer:



Quinn1.8t said:


> Killer :beer: Now I'm daydreaming of being in the mountains instead of stuck in this office on a Monday morning.


For a second, a fraction of a second, I thought about trading my unemployment and scenery for your job and stability. Then I looked at the pictures again.


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

That's the dream, right there. Beautiful area.

Video you posted is marked private, just fyi.


----------



## climbingcue (Feb 2, 2001)

Great pictures... I move from NJ to Colorado this Thursday, I can not wait....

Bill


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> That's the dream, right there. Beautiful area.
> 
> Video you posted is marked private, just fyi.


Agreed. Also...ahh crap, how has nobody mentioned this, even over on expedition portal. Thank you!



climbingcue said:


> Great pictures... I move from NJ to Colorado this Thursday, I can not wait....
> 
> Bill


Wait, I remember you from my Golf R days. Are you seriously moving to Kremmling? Thats odd and crazy but cool. One of my favorite camp spots is in Kremmling, Ill show you sometime if youre up for it! If you look back a ways in this thread youll see it but I dont know if youd be able to find it. Also rafting/kayaking on the Colorado right there in Kremmling is super fun. I have some crazy crazy crazy memories of things happening in Kremmling, Ill save it for campfire talk though. The Colorado trail also cuts right through there which makes for some...interesting encounters. :thumbup: :laugh:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

More adventures! Day 3 of recon for the mini overland trip Im planning. I did about 25 miles on dirt today...and a lot of pavement miles unfortunately. In total it looks like a good 50 of the 75(one way) miles for our trip will be dirt. The first half of the trip could easily be split into two days/nights of camping. If we do it in one day it will be 5-7 hours offroad which is actually quite a bit for a single day. At this point I have done all of the recon I will do because I dont want to run China Wall by myself as Ive never run it and its a 4-6 on traildamage. Anyway, didnt take too many pictures today but the ones I did are pretty good.


And now, time for a VWVortex history lesson.

These first two pictures are from Goose Creek Road which cuts north/south starting just south of Deckers Colorado right through the heart of the area that was decimated by the Hayman Fire in 2002. The Hayman fire was the largest forest fire in Colorado's history, burning more than 138,000 acres. 14 years later and there is still almost nothing of note growing back. There are random strips of trees that were spared for unknown reason but otherwise the only thing that has grown in the area is tumbleweed and random brush. Its an incredibly emotional thing to see. It is literally bare. Its dirt and rocks and dead black tree trunks. This is not above tree line, this is only 6-8000 feet above sea level, it should be lush forest. Up the mountain peaks and down the valleys its nothing as far as you can see. From about one mile into Goose Creek Road it takes a solid hour of quite fast (for a fire road) driving until you see any substantial amount of forest again. Its 20 plus miles of post apocalyptic wasteland. Jaw-on-the-floor is the only way I can describe it. Literally awe inspiring. A very good friend of mine used to be a smoke jumper. I never understood the crazyness into which those guys jump until today. To top it all off, the Hayman Fire was found to be started by arson. 6 people died, 133 homes destroyed, 5000+ people were evacuated because a Forest Service technician was mad at her husband and started a fire during a total fire ban. There are no words.




















At the north end of Goose Creek Road is Cheesman Lake/Reservoir. Here is a little more history taken from denverwater.org.

"_Named for Denver water pioneer Walter S. Cheesman, the dam was once the world’s tallest at 221 feet above the streambed when completed in 1905. The reservoir and related facilities were purchased in November 1918 by the Denver Water Board. Cheesman was the first reservoir of Denver's mountain storage facilities and has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark._"

You can just barely make out the curved top of the dam in my picture, just left of center.




















Final boring picture is my truck at the trailhead for China Wall. This is what I wanted to reach today. Hopefully this coming weekend Ill get to wheel the trail with some friends and camp at the end of the trail with Tarryall Creek trickling away in the bakground.


----------



## climbingcue (Feb 2, 2001)

Atl-Atl said:


> Agreed. Also...ahh crap, how has nobody mentioned this, even over on expedition portal. Thank you!
> 
> 
> 
> Wait, I remember you from my Golf R days. Are you seriously moving to Kremmling? Thats odd and crazy but cool. One of my favorite camp spots is in Kremmling, Ill show you sometime if youre up for it! If you look back a ways in this thread youll see it but I dont know if youd be able to find it. Also rafting/kayaking on the Colorado right there in Kremmling is super fun. I have some crazy crazy crazy memories of things happening in Kremmling, Ill save it for campfire talk though. The Colorado trail also cuts right through there which makes for some...interesting encounters. :thumbup: :laugh:


Still have the Golf R, but it is back in NJ for now. I am in Kremmling at my Aunt's house until I find work somewhere in Colorado, once I find a job I will move close to work. I have been coming to her house for 2-3 weeks in the summer since 2011. I love it out here, my job finally ended in NJ and I could get out...

Bill


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Atl-Atl said:


> Agreed. Also...ahh crap, how has nobody mentioned this, even over on expedition portal. Thank you!


Vid looks good! Every time I click this thread, I want an off roader. Eventually!


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Almost 2 months and no updates?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

climbingcue said:


> Still have the Golf R, but it is back in NJ for now. I am in Kremmling at my Aunt's house until I find work somewhere in Colorado, once I find a job I will move close to work. I have been coming to her house for 2-3 weeks in the summer since 2011. I love it out here, my job finally ended in NJ and I could get out...
> 
> Bill


You still in Kremmling?



Pickleheadguy said:


> Vid looks good! Every time I click this thread, I want an off roader. Eventually!


:thumbup:



Heffernan said:


> Almost 2 months and no updates?


Ive been super busy skiing a bunch, then the holidays happened and now traveling for work. Nothing has changed with the truck except I sold the topper. I bought an Audi and am now selling the Audi. Probably need to do a few things to the truck, the starter is occasionally not "engaging" when I go to start the truck and it will probably need tires soon. For now Im just driving it, changing the oil and loving it!


----------



## climbingcue (Feb 2, 2001)

I am still in Kremmling, just bought a sled yesterday 2012 800 Pro RMK 163. So much fun...

Bill


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Finally an update!!!

For starters, my passenger outside mirror was clipped by a uhaul van. Van took off, I had somewhere to be and couldnt play GTA. Turns out the van was stolen, Denver PD told me to pound sand, wouldnt even let me file a police report. Uhauls insurance company told me to pound sand. Awesome that the law abiding citizen is always the one to get screwed. Luckily I was able to replace just the glass for $20 and didnt have to buy an entire new mirror assembly because these things are worth their weight in gold. A heartfelt thank you to the person that invented breakaway mirrors. :thumbdown:




















Also for starters, lately my starter had been acting up. Not "engaging" when you turned the key. Back it off and it would engage on the second try. I figured with as much winter/snow/ski driving as I do I better not take my chances. Then one day I park for lunch, get back to the truck and its dead...completely black. Pop the hood and the + battery terminal is loose. So I decided to grab a new starter(with lifetime warranty from Oreillys) for $125. Swapped the puppy in and cleaned up my battery terminals. Shes like new! So quiet, fires right up in a split second. Happy about this preventative maintenance. 2 bolts, 2 plugs, 10 minutes.

Isnt it amazing seeing a truck with 186,000 miles and almost zero rust! :laugh:


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Hit and run drivers suck. Got nicked in a Micky D's late at night and thankfully the PD let me file. Insurance covered repainting the bumper but it still sucks to go through the process when you had a perfectly fine bumper. Got a nice scrape again this winter, but at this point I'm just going to leave it since it's purely cosmetic.

Impressed it's still rust free. Glad you've been able to enjoy it for so many miles!


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

I just had to spend $1500 on my Camaro. Someone crumpled my LF fender in a parking lot. No note. I have the paint coated, so new fender, paint, and re-coated. 

I'm glad to see the update!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> Hit and run drivers suck. Got nicked in a Micky D's late at night and thankfully the PD let me file. Insurance covered repainting the bumper but it still sucks to go through the process when you had a perfectly fine bumper. Got a nice scrape again this winter, but at this point I'm just going to leave it since it's purely cosmetic.
> 
> Impressed it's still rust free. Glad you've been able to enjoy it for so many miles!


I agree and thanks, Im impressed too hah!



Aonarch said:


> I just had to spend $1500 on my Camaro. Someone crumpled my LF fender in a parking lot. No note. I have the paint coated, so new fender, paint, and re-coated.
> 
> I'm glad to see the update!


Damn, that sucks. How 'bout another?


Been farting around in Utah for a few weeks now.

Alta last Friday, 4 feet of snow, avalanche closed little cottonwood canyon, ~50 cars made it through of which I was one. Best day of my life! 























Then I went to this crazy place on Sunday. 







































Not much racing going on when it looks like this. Cant wait to go some day when records are being broken.





































Last but not least, you have to...right?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Well its been a few weeks. As with the last update, not much going on with the truck. Until today that is! Finally found a used topper that is exactly correct for my truck. Its been two years that Ive been searching for a used white 8 foot 3rd gen Ram topper. I finally found one and grabbed it today, its really nice. Snugtop, not sure which model but it has tinted windows, sliders with screens, front sliding/tilting window, lights inside(non-led), LED 3rd brake light, carpeted interior. It has a few nicks and scratches and needs a little tlc but all in all its great for $600. This weekend Im going to clean out the interior, fix the sticky lock, wire up some LEDs inside, wire up the brake light and repair the screens. Also a buddy of mine sold me a HUGE awning for $100 since it was too big for his Ranger. Its an ARB and I thought the biggest they made was the 2500mm one but this thing is enormous, its gotta be over 100 inches long. Anyway, its perfect for my new topper! I just have to decide which side of the vehicle I want to put the awning. I really like the way the truck looks on the drivers side, not sure if I want to screw that up. Suggestions?

Also, I think this is going to be my camping setup this summer in lieu of an actual slide-in camper. This probably means Ill ditch my plastic bedliner in favor of a Bedrug. Anyone have experience with Bedrug? Im imagining the fully carpeted/padded interior would be pretty cozy.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Alright got some updates, although its not what I thought I would be updating today hah. I stumbled across a craigslist deal I couldnt refuse and spent the day picking up these wheels/tires and swapping them with my current setup. Absolutely stole these things off craigslist. 5 mint H2 wheels with 5 BFG ATs for a song so beautiful I wont even say the name. 2 of the tires are 90% and in great shape. The other 3 are crap. They are the stock size 315/70-17 that came on H2s.

Ive been researching H2 wheels on Dodge's for a long time now and have been waiting to scoop up a set. The one "issue" is the hub bore being smaller on the H2 wheels than the Dodge. Ive read 3 different ways to bore out the wheels. Machine shop, hole saw and router. So naturally at first I tried using a carbide bit to grind and it promptly clogged. So I thought heating the bit would help the aluminum fall out, nope, but snapped off. Try #2, router. Holy sh*t this worked so well!!! Once I got the hang of it each wheel only took about 5 minutes. SO glad I didnt give up and take them to a machine shop.

I can finally drive down the highway without wobbling!!! Although two of my tires are in pretty bad shape from uneven wear. Probably time for new 37s soon. If theres one thing I learned from this, I will not be fitting 40s without a ton of trimming, so 40s are probably not happening. Also, I can finally turn the steering wheel lock to lock for the first time in 3 years! hahaha:wings:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Mini update. Better pics and I got my ARB awning 95% done. Unfortunately since I mounted it directly to the topper its at a slight upward angle. The side support poles point up about 30% because of this so I cant set it up yet. I need to figure out a new piece thats a u-joint of sorts to replace the black plastic pieces the side support poles mount with.

Also washed the truck, Im really starting to like these H2 wheels. :victory:


----------



## climbingcue (Feb 2, 2001)

Looks great, I have always enjoyed your updates. We were truck camping in Moab a couple of weeks ago. The RZR was so much fun.

Bill


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

climbingcue said:


> Looks great, I have always enjoyed your updates. We were truck camping in Moab a couple of weeks ago. The RZR was so much fun.
> 
> Bill


Thank you! Ill be hitting moab here in about 10 days. I have a bunch of friends going out for EJS and also just normal Moab shenanigans. Should be there 4/12-16 ish.


Finished up my awning install yesterday. I replaced the plastic "pivot" pieces on the horizontal support poles with small heims and it works great! Its currently dumping snow here but in typical Denver fashion its going to be in the 70s in a couple days. Cant wait to take this puppy camping this weekend!!! Ive got more sewing to do and I need to clean out the back of the truck to make it a little nicer place to be.


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

You're right about the wheels. Chrome and white is always a good combo in my eyes.


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

Nice updates! The awning looks great.

Not going to lie though, I like the steelies better, but to each their own! Keep the updates coming.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> You're right about the wheels. Chrome and white is always a good combo in my eyes.


They are interesting wheels. Only the outer edge and small "oval" face of the spokes is chrome, the rest is plain aluminum. I was happy about this when I went to look at them because Im not a big chrome fan.



Heffernan said:


> Nice updates! The awning looks great.
> 
> Not going to lie though, I like the steelies better, but to each their own! Keep the updates coming.


Thanks! I liked the steelies too, still do, but now that I know I was likely bending them offroad it makes sense to be on a stronger wheel.


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Love the awning solution and setup. Clean and simple.


----------



## mrothwell (Nov 20, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Thanks! I liked the steelies too, still do, but now that I know I was likely bending them offroad it makes sense to be on a stronger wheel.


How are you bending the rim with a foot of sidewall?


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

mrothwell said:


> How are you bending the rim with a foot of sidewall?


Its not bending like getting a ding in the lip, its bending like going out of round.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Continued cleaning up the inside of the topper today. Replaced the busted screen. Vacuumed the carpeted insides, cleaned all the windows. Just need to do a last minute wash out of the bedliner and Ill be ready to figure out my recovery gear and camping gear storage. Hopefully before tomorrow! Still need to wire it up, install lights inside and install the curtains/rods.





























Also cleaned up and repainted the old steelies so hopefully they sell.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

More updates yay!

Installed my side curtain rods and curtains. Still haven't figured out what Im going to do at the cab and at the tailgate for window covers. I forgot to take a picture but I used the mounting brackets that came with the rods and bent them to a different shape and then used screws from the window frames to mount the brackets. This was my plan all along and I used measurements to sew all the curtains ahead of time. Luckily my measurements were correct! I also vacuumed the sh*t out of the carpeting. My last topper was doing the same thing where it seems like its literally crumbling. When you run your finger across the carpet tons of slightly bigger than dust size particles of white stuff breaks free and floats off. Its definitely some type of fiber not the adhesive underneath which I originally thought. After running the shop vac over it for a solid 30 minutes Id had enough. I think its a lot better but its not done. Anyway, its livable in there now. Im about to pull the trigger on a bedrug.


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


>


Looks badass. :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Quinn1.8t said:


> Looks badass. :thumbup:


Thanks!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Last Saturday I went through the Hayman fire burn area and did some dirt road cruisin with a few friends. It was a blast and the new setup works really well. I got some of those giant screws that you put in the ground to tie your dog to and used some ratchet straps off the corner of the awning. Handled 50mph wind no problem!










Too bad iphones are terrible in low light. This spot was amazing. The Moon was up over Pikes Peak and it was perfectly clear, thanks to 50mph wind all night. Pikes Peak can be seen barely just to the left of my drivers side mirror. Its the little white section on the horizon. Looks so tiny but we were only about 30 miles away as the crow flies.










Here is a closeup of my setup for tonight. Moab will be a little different since Ill have a bunch of bike gear with me. $50 cot from Cabelas with a Pendelton blanket was super comfy. 










I was with two lifted Rangers and two Volvo station wagons hahahaha. My buddy owns a Volvo repair shop and these guys are NOT afraid to break their sh*t. As you have probably seen in past updates of this thread. No trail is too difficult to at least attempt by one of these crazy guys. The sky was beautiful, the moon was full, it was suuuper windy and we just drove for hours.




























Open range










The clouds felt like you could reach out and touch them.




























Pikes Peak from about 50 miles away as the crow flies.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Then I busted my arse all day today getting ready for Moab. Wired up the LEDs and switch I had in my last topper but did a nicer job this time, made a mount for my bikes and finished the window cover for the rear window. I wound up using 3/4" sticky backed velcro sewed to the curtain fabric and cut it to fit the shape of the window which I framed out with the velcro. Turned out really awesome. Ill get some more day/night shots once Im set up in Moab tomorrow. I only need to do the cab side window now but I haven't decided if Im going to bother. Its late, I still need to do laundry and pack clothes for the trip and Im getting up at 6am so I can meet some Easter Jeep Safari peeps in Moab tomorrow afternoon!


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Then I busted my arse all day today getting ready for Moab.


Yessss, looking forward to pics :thumbup:


----------



## Heffernan (Apr 17, 2006)

bitchin' :thumbup:

think you might add a cargo basket/box to the bed cover for extra storage?


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Those lights are sweet. Are they dimmable? Looking forward to Moab pics, we just went 4 wheeling near Colorado Springs and it was a blast.


----------



## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

Looks good.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

tip said:


> Love the awning solution and setup. Clean and simple.


Thank you



Quinn1.8t said:


> Yessss, looking forward to pics :thumbup:


:thumbup: working on it now



Heffernan said:


> bitchin' :thumbup:
> 
> think you might add a cargo basket/box to the bed cover for extra storage?


Im trying to keep my overall height to a minimum. Right now its ~6'9" so I can actually fit into a lot of parking garages still. Since I travel so much for work and play its nice to be able to stick the truck in covered parking during inclement weather, heat etc. Also a LOT of the trails I run in Colorado are extremely tight and I dont want to add unnecessary height. I can fit more than enough stuff inside the bed and still have plenty of sleeping room. The only issue at the moment is gas storage. Im toying with a couple of rear bumper/hitch spare/gas can carrier ideas right now. If I find a girl that likes me enough to sleep in back with me Ill consider some kind of under bed storage slider system and build an actual bed platform. Until then its staying as is.



Pickleheadguy said:


> Those lights are sweet. Are they dimmable? Looking forward to Moab pics, we just went 4 wheeling near Colorado Springs and it was a blast.


They are not dimmable. I havent looked into a dimmer but Im sure just about anything is possible. They are WAY too bright, I removed half of them hah.



Aonarch said:


> Looks good.


:beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

I stole this recap from my instagram post because Im super busy and fly out to Vegas for a week tomorrow hah. Had one of the most badass weeks of my life camping in Moab, mountain biking, hiking at Arches National Park, flying kites, teaching kids how to ride a bike, playing with bugs, drinking lots of beer and whiskey, sleeping in the back of my truck, not showering for 5 days, not really doing anything Jeep related even though it was Easter Jeep Safari, except for hangin with some offroad industry friends for a day.

Long story short, truck setup works. Theres a few tweaks Ill make which I will surely cover in this thread but I like it a lot the way it is. Cot is comfy, window covers work, awning works but I need a second one over the rear of the truck or switch to a 270 degree awning.

It was my friends 30th birthday and hes a moto geek so we camped in an actual campsite instead of typical Utah middle of knowhere spots because he wanted to be at dirtbike trailheads. This was good and bad; there was a bathroom = good, there was a ton of other people around = bad. We had about 20 people that came into and out of our camp over 6 days. I was the first there and almost last to leave. The first night this rad guy pulled up in a super duty with a HUGE trailer and proceeded to unload every toy under the sun. We were the only two people within earshot on the first night(Tuesday) and just drank whiskey around the camp fire and shot the sh*t about cars, trucks, skiing, cycling etc. Turns out it was retired pro skier Gordy Peifer. I could not believe it when he told me his name, I grew up watching this guy in ski videos. What an awesome stars aligning experience.

Anyway, I know the term is way overused these days but it was quite literally an epic trip.


Delicate Arch. This is the one on the license plates and all the tourism pictures of Utah, its unofficially the official image of Utah. If you haven't been to Arches National Park. Go. If you happen to be there today its free for Earth Day, as all National Parks are. :thumbup:










Cheesy grin, 3 mile hike to this spot.










When in the desert one must drink beer so you have something to stabilize your kite in high winds and also something to shoot at. :laugh:











Sorry about the vertical video, it was hard to get everything in the shot and be close enough to actually see anything hah!







We did not shoot at the nicer kite hah.







Big bugs in the desert.











My buddies 1970s Airstream "Landyacht" that he pulls with a 1970s Dodge Ram with a 12v cummins regular cab long bed with 2 motos in the back! He's been rebuilding the airstream from the ground up for two years and its about 95% done, this was its maiden voyage. Its ridiculously awesome. Literally awe inspiring.




















You had to climb up the ~200 foot high rocks to get cell service. This is a view of our campsite before everyone showed up, except Gordy. You can see a Jeep caravan in the distance.











This was my nook between a bunch of huge rocks for the first two nights.





























I didnt take a lot of pictures in town of EJS Jeeps because I only spent one afternoon down there. It was just too effin crazy to even waste your time, and I like busy bustling cities. I did snap this pic of a JKU with a pop top and a Wagoneer front end, saw a bunch of them, apparently its popular. I like it.











When Jeeps make your full size truck on 37s look small. Red Jeep is on 40s. White Jeep is an LS swapped stretched coilovered YJ on 42 inch sticky Trepadors.


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

Sounds like an awesome trip. I need a Moab trip in my life. How was the mountain biking?


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Wow, that looks awesome. Can't beat those views. Oh, and that airstream is sweet.


----------



## Mathew... (Feb 22, 2009)

Favourite thread on Vortex :thumbup::thumbup::beer:

Been a couple years since I read some updates. Gotta say, you are living the dream!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

tip said:


> Sounds like an awesome trip. I need a Moab trip in my life. How was the mountain biking?


I only rode one day. It was a fun little network within riding distance of our campsite. It was so EFFING windy I didnt want to do anything but drink whiskey and fly kites, so I did hahaha. :laugh:




Pickleheadguy said:


> Wow, that looks awesome. Can't beat those views. Oh, and that airstream is sweet.


Yeah its a ridiculous place and Im super jealous of the airstream except for the fact that you cant take it to 9/10 places I go camping.




Mathew... said:


> Favourite thread on Vortex :thumbup::thumbup::beer:
> 
> Been a couple years since I read some updates. Gotta say, you are living the dream!


Thats quite the compliment, thank you! :beer:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

TRIP REPORT TIME!!!!! opcorn:

Im going to have to split this trip report into a few posts hahaha. I took 500 pictures over 10 days. So my buddy wanted to go to Moab for his 30th birthday. A few of us happily obliged. :sombrero: The first night we got in super late and just passed out. I wish I had a fancy camera though, we were camped near canyonlands which rumor has it is one of the best places on the planet to see stars. It was a new moon and you could see the entire milky way with your naked eye. Ive seen aurora borealis a few times and it paled in comparison to this. It looked exactly like all those overexposed pictures you see online. :Wow1: Sorry no crappy iphone pictures. Instead heres a picture of a knotted chunk of mesquite we burned. I love mesquite. 











So the next morning we went on a little overlanding adventure, blasting some sandy washes and farting around for about 30 miles in the dirt. We wound up at the trailhead for Metal Masher, its rated difficult, so what did we do? Run it! Two of my buddies are in Ford Rangers as you'll see in the pictures. The red one is stock on 255-85-16s, the grey one is also on 255-85-16s but with a torsion bar delete/coilover conversion and a lift in the rear to support all his overland kit. All three of us made it through the trail with basically zero issues. Metal masher is a rather long trail, we didnt realize it would take so long to complete. It slowly increases in difficulty as the trail goes on and makes you not want to turn around because the ride in is quite bumpy in the "rock you back and forth" loosen up your neck annoying kind of way. The hardest obstacles on the trail are giant rock ledges, mostly 3-4 feet high but some bigger ones and almost every obstacle had varying routes to try. Most of the trail is wide open, there were a few spots where I had to do a 5 point turn but a fullsize with a slide in camper could do this trail. It took us about 5 hours to get through. It was an unexpectedly long day. Keep that in mind if you plan to run Metal Masher. Theres lots of slickrock in the second half of the trail.




























The scenery is so absurdly awesome. Words cant describe it. Near the end of the trail you drive right up to the cliffs edge. The road in the distance is 191 which is the main drag going into moab. You can see this bluff when heading into/out of town. Im not sure how high it is but 1000+ feet wouldnt surprise me.





























Finally...on to the good stuff. VIDEOS!!!


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


>



Badass :beer: Looking forward to the rest of your report. 

I will be in Moab for the first time tomorrow, I am very excited!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Quinn1.8t said:


> Badass :beer: Looking forward to the rest of your report.
> 
> I will be in Moab for the first time tomorrow, I am very excited!



I hope you're having fun out there. If you have service and see this, I'm sure you have stuff planned but if you want suggestions hit me up!


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Trip report 2/4(look back a page for wheelin videos!)

Day 3 I woke up to the sight in the picture below. Quite the view. Just past my camp stove you can see the edge of the cliff. It was similar to the cliff in the last pictures, at least 1000 feet down. This cliff edge is the actual border of Canyonlands National Park. Took about 30 miles of driving down unmarked meandering dirt roads to get to this spot. Thankfully one of the guys with us had camped here before and knew how to get back. I made sure to log the coordinates for next time.




















On the way into this site we crossed paths with one of the crazier wild creatures Ive ever seen. Actually _in_ the wild at least; a kangoroo mouse. Its really hard to see in the picture but its about the size of a field mouse with back legs and a tail that look exactly like a kangaroo, just tiny. Its face and front "legs" hang in the air as it bounces around on its back legs. Incredibly weird, had no idea they existed here. Not really sure how we even spotted it, thankfully we didn't run it over. (I zoomed in and cropped the photo, sorry its crappy)










Stock photo of a kangaroo mouse. :elkgrin:











More nature, sorry not sorry. There are lots of cacti in Utah. Not big ones like saguaro in Arizona but little ones...with exceptionally sharp spines. Sharp enough to embed in rubber tires. Try getting something to actually stick in your rubber tires, Ill wager you cant. Probably best to avoid flip flops around here.











Leaving this camp spot was another 30 miles of dirt roads with incredible views. So much fun blasting sandy washes and dirt roads with 15psi in the tires. Feels/sounds very similar to driving on a road with a fresh 6" of snow, smooth and silent.




















The dust is so fine it will collect on the width of a vinyl sticker on a vertical surface. :Wow1:











We drove around for another 25 miles or so this day, just relaxing and exploring. Figured for once maybe well end up in our camp spot before dark. We arrived just in time to watch the sun set. Along the way I stumbled across one of the coolest things Ive ever found in the middle of nowhere, or anywhere for that matter. A U.S. General Land Office survey marker FROM 1916!!!!! I was completely blown away by this. It proclaims "Penalty of $250 for removal" Thats quite a lot of dough for 1916! Hopefully it has been there since 1916 and isn't just stamped 1916, I like to believe the former. 











My last camp spot in Moab with this group of people was randomly between a few flat top mountains, mesas, bluffs, whatever you want to call em.











Next up, leaving Moab, trip report 3/4.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Trip update 3/4. Go to 1/4 for videos! :victory:


OK, so that was supposed to be the end of my trip. Cruise back to Denver, nice long weekend in Moab with friends. NOPE

My buddy Dave texts me and says he's bike packing from Denver to Vegas with a some other guys and I should try to meet up with them as we cross paths. So instead of driving the highway back to Denver with my friends I decide to head the "back way" out of Moab towards Telluride. I later learned there is a new "trail" that was connected last year between Moab and Montrose CO that is 150 miles without ever touching pavement!!! I did not take this route but I will be back for sure. Probably make a 3-4 day trip out of it. I digress, so I take 191 south through Moab and turn East on 46 which hits the Colorado state line and turns into CO-90. There is absolutely zero traffic on this road, no surprise on a random weekday morning. It also happens to be an incredibly beautiful drive. There are so many times I wish I were in a fast/well sorted car when Im on these trips, this was one of those times.










#selfie...sorry


















"Simpsons" clouds



















What you can see in these next few pictures R-L are Dolores Peak(not a 14er) Mt Wilson(14er) Wilson Peak(14er) El Diente Peak(over 14K but not enough prominence to be its own "14er") and a mess of other peaks in the San Juan and San Miguel Ranges. Colorado is like no place else. :Wow1:



















OK fast forward an hour. I get into Telluride and figure Ill go hit up my favorite camp spot Alta Lakes(if you go to Telluride you HAVE to see this) but the weather says otherwise. Its June and Its dumping snow. Having just come from Moab at 90 degrees this is fun. I get within a half mile of the lake/camp sites and the road is still covered in deep enough snow that I don't bother. It gets much worse after these pictures and I dont want to get stuck, alone, at 12,000 feet, while its snowing. So I head into Telluride to regroup.
























Downtown Telluride is boring and ugly, dont ever go...



















If you do stumble into town though, make sure you stop in the New Sheridan Hotel Bar for some libations. Nearly unchanged since 1895.











So I take some advice from the barkeep and head back up a different mountain. I see a crapload of elk, I find myself in a ghost town at dusk and I wind up staying at a state park campground because I couldnt find anything else(surprisingly) and I was getting really tired.






































Up next, trip report 4/4...this might have to be 5 parts.


----------



## tip (Aug 8, 2008)

This is awesome, please keep it coming!


----------



## feetsies (May 3, 2010)

2 things:

1) I wish I had friends that did and liked this kind of stuff.

2) It looks so beautiful out West.

Awesome trip man. I'm so jealous.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

tip said:


> This is awesome, please keep it coming!


:thumbup:



feetsies said:


> 2 things:
> 
> 1) I wish I had friends that did and liked this kind of stuff.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you need some new friends. If you want to come on an adventure out west just hit me up!



Interim update. Paid off the truck today which is nice. Also truck is currently listed for its biannual sale attempt on Craigslist. Atl-atl's Ram 2500 for sale ad.


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


> Interim update. Paid off the truck today which is nice. Also truck is currently listed for its biannual sale attempt on Craigslist. Atl-atl's Ram 2500 for sale ad.


But whyyy


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Atl-Atl said:


> :thumbup:
> Interim update. Paid off the truck today which is nice. Also truck is currently listed for its biannual sale attempt on Craigslist. Atl-atl's Ram 2500 for sale ad.


Sad to hear it's for sale again, but I can understand why you would want to try something different. 

Take this for what you want – personally when I see an ad that is as incredibly detailed as yours, especially about mods, it slightly scares me to shoot a text about being interested. It makes me feel like this truck can't just be used for normal truck stuff, like a lot potential buyers might want. Sometimes the best ads are the simple ones. I'm not saying you shouldn't disclose everything about the truck, people have the right to know what they're buying, but IMO condensing it down to 2-3 paragraphs would do wonders for helping you get some interest. Tell people those details like the type of oil you used in person, maybe hand them a printout of the maintenance/mods that they can read if they want to. These things might be important to you, but not everyone cares as much as we do. :laugh:

Again, grain of salt, simply my opinion. Best of luck with the sale, thanks again for the update!


----------



## japanese (Feb 17, 2008)

This thread inspires me to go on more adventures with my 4x4 crap rather than just daily them. :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Pickleheadguy said:


> Sad to hear it's for sale again, but I can understand why you would want to try something different.
> 
> Take this for what you want – personally when I see an ad that is as incredibly detailed as yours, especially about mods, it slightly scares me to shoot a text about being interested. It makes me feel like this truck can't just be used for normal truck stuff, like a lot potential buyers might want. Sometimes the best ads are the simple ones. I'm not saying you shouldn't disclose everything about the truck, people have the right to know what they're buying, but IMO condensing it down to 2-3 paragraphs would do wonders for helping you get some interest. Tell people those details like the type of oil you used in person, maybe hand them a printout of the maintenance/mods that they can read if they want to. These things might be important to you, but not everyone cares as much as we do. :laugh:
> 
> Again, grain of salt, simply my opinion. Best of luck with the sale, thanks again for the update!


Ive gone back and forth with simple ads/complex ones. Around here people see and drive lifted, modded trucks. If it were stock I would list it as such and be simple about it. If I put it back to stock and sold the parts so I could sell the truck as stock I would list it that way. Also, I much prefer to see all the details. It really annoys me when I see ads with "too much to list" or something to that effect. You know that person is a d-bag to deal with and thinks their junk is WAY nicer than it actually is. You also know they don't have all their info about the car readily available, which probably means it isnt well documented or cared for. Unless its a numbers matching muscle car with a 50 year history etc. I want to see a list of whats done so I can eliminate it as an option without having to contact you.




japanese said:


> This thread inspires me to go on more adventures with my 4x4 crap rather than just daily them. :thumbup::thumbup:


Im glad I could do that for you!


----------



## Pickleheadguy (Nov 10, 2013)

Atl-Atl said:


> Ive gone back and forth with simple ads/complex ones. Around here people see and drive lifted, modded trucks. If it were stock I would list it as such and be simple about it. If I put it back to stock and sold the parts so I could sell the truck as stock I would list it that way. Also, I much prefer to see all the details. It really annoys me when I see ads with "too much to list" or something to that effect. You know that person is a d-bag to deal with and thinks their junk is WAY nicer than it actually is. You also know they don't have all their info about the car readily available, which probably means it isn't well documented or cared for. Unless its a numbers matching muscle car with a 50 year history etc. I want to see a list of whats done so I can eliminate it as an option without having to contact you.


Totally agree on "too much to list" - if you couldn't take the time to type it out, how many shortcuts did you take on the build, you know? Your explanation makes sense, GLWS!


----------



## MattySull (May 17, 2006)

Read this whole thread. Awesome truck and it seemed to be fairly trouble free. I'm bummed you sold it but always gotta progress to the next thing. 

This thread solidifies my want for an american regular cab 4x4 truck with a V8. I've always wanted one of those GMT900 Silverados 1500 with everything manual/basic. 
I'll probably end up with an xterra or similar for practicality. 

Anyway awesome read, can't wait to see the adventures you'll have in the jeep.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

MattySull said:


> Read this whole thread. Awesome truck and it seemed to be fairly trouble free. I'm bummed you sold it but always gotta progress to the next thing.
> 
> This thread solidifies my want for an american regular cab 4x4 truck with a V8. I've always wanted one of those GMT900 Silverados 1500 with everything manual/basic.
> I'll probably end up with an xterra or similar for practicality.
> ...



Thank you! I dont necessarily care for Xterras but if you insist make sure you get a 2nd generation one. The first gens with the torsion bar suspension are HORRIBLE. Pickup is a much better idea!


----------



## 12v Dub (May 11, 2005)

Read the whole thread, love the truck and pics. I am also looking for something like what you got once I get off my lease. Stripped 2500 4x4 but it's impossible to find a single cab anywhere. :thumbup:


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

12v Dub said:


> Read the whole thread, love the truck and pics. I am also looking for something like what you got once I get off my lease. Stripped 2500 4x4 but it's impossible to find a single cab anywhere. :thumbup:


Thanks. In your searches if you ever find anything around Denver and want me to check it out I gladly will. :thumbup:


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Saw this thread bumped and thought maybe OP had bought the truck back. Obviously not the case, dammit.


----------



## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

I hate to see a thread die like this but its quite obvious posts #265 and 266 are spam that is out of control, the main reason I left TCL.


----------



## Quinn1.8t (Oct 8, 2006)

Atl-Atl said:


>





Atl-Atl said:


> I hate to see a thread die like this but its quite obvious posts #265 and 266 are spam that is out of control, the main reason I left TCL.




Noo we miss you :heart:


----------



## DanG (Nov 16, 2000)

Atl-Atl said:


> I hate to see a thread die like this but its quite obvious posts #265 and 266 are spam that is out of control, the main reason I left TCL.



Report the posts when you see them. Mods can't review every post but do get to the reported ones quickly and take the appropriate action.


----------

