• DCRC 2024

LT's Wild RamCharger

LT is new to the board, He just joined up. He is from my hometown of Los Alamos NM and we both wheel up here in Utah alot. He is a wild guy. He has been into wheeling along time. He has owned several built to the hilt CHevys, and a few Dodges. Right now he has a 87 Dodge Ramcharger which he calls his beater. The motor is a 360 bored over 0.3. He got real happy with the Sawsall and cut tons of the body off, including the roof, and front and fenders. He has a roll cage that is under fab right now. He now has a dana 60 going in for the front and a Corp 14 for the rear. He has Hydr. steering and a bunch of other stuff. He has new tires, 42 Irocs and beadlock rims.

I let him tell you about it. Here are his pictures:
 

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L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Today I was able to get the Beater sitting on its own suspension in the rear. This is a first since I sold the old suspension to my brother this summer. The shock towers are cut, welded and installed in the Beater. Shocks are bolted in and the spring rate is perfect. I could not have done better guessing. There is six inches of shaft exposed with the springs just touching the collar at the top of the shock. I did not have to crank the collars down one bit. I also was able to get the rear of the frame at the correct measurement. I will take some pictures tomorrow as I did not remember to take a camera or my cell phone. Tomorrow I will also start on the front end. Now, I just need to get the front spring rates figured out so I can get them ordered.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Another update. I just finished ordering my front springs (thanks Cheston), remote reservoir mounts, triple rate kit, shock wrench, and wheel spacers (thanks Yoda 55). I am hoping to have the parts by December 20th or 21st. If not by then I am hoping to have them by the 27th or 28th. All in all this was one of the cheaper nights for me when it comes to ordering parts. I think I am still under $700.00 for the night. Not too bad for me.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
ChestonScout said:
You know this thing is going to be unstopable right???


It might have some bugs to work out but its going to be sweet!
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I hope you are right. I am starting to become real interested in the King of the Hammers racing. I don't expect to be competive in a race like that but the thought of a rig that can go fast across the desert, slow down to a crawl, and still hit the roads between trails does sound like a cool rig. That is kind of the direction I am wanting to go with this. We will just have to wait and see how it turns out.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
moab 4x4 said:
very nice ram. I have a 79 plymouth trailduster that I want to do that to. Your rig gives me lots of motivation to keep it going.
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Don't get too carried away. My Beater is just junk compared to everyone that I wheel with. My friends are the ones who I am always trying to keep up with. I got tired of being the limiting factor every time we went wheeling. I did this build up to do some learning and to keep up with my wheeling friends. I have figured out that if I was to do it again I would take it to someone who really did know what they were doing and try and learn from them. Thanks for all the complements and keep working on your own rig. The most important lesson I learned from this is that nothing is as valuable as doing things yourself. Post up some pictures here. I bet there is something on your rig that I would like the ideas for.

LT.
 
broncomitch

broncomitch

dont be a sheep in a jeep
Location
west jordan,UT
LT. said:
Don't get too carried away. My Beater is just junk compared to everyone that I wheel with. My friends are the ones who I am always trying to keep up with. I got tired of being the limiting factor every time we went wheeling. I did this build up to do some learning and to keep up with my wheeling friends. I have figured out that if I was to do it again I would take it to someone who really did know what they were doing and try and learn from them. Thanks for all the complements and keep working on your own rig. The most important lesson I learned from this is that nothing is as valuable as doing things yourself. Post up some pictures here. I bet there is something on your rig that I would like the ideas for.

LT.
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few things wrong there. lol
one,your beater is not nor was nore is now,junk.

two, if anyone was the limiting factor in our trips it was ches.

three,im still the little guy, :(

four,don't try and keep up with them, just build your junk the bast ya can when ya can.

five, "The most important lesson I learned from this is that nothing is as valuable as doing things yourself" very true.
im proud of my self for everything i have done to the bronco "BY MY SELF"
mainly cus i don't really have anyone that can help me out but still :) i know that pig inside and out.
 
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L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
broncomitch said:
few things wrong there. lol
one,your beater is not nor was nore is now,junk.

two, if anyone was the limiting factor in our trips it was ches.

three,im still the little guy, :(

four,don't try and keep up with them, just build your junk the bast ya can when ya can.

five, "The most important lesson I learned from this is that nothing is as valuable as doing things yourself" very true.
im proud of my self for everything i have done to the bronco "BY MY SELF"
mainly cus i don't really have anyone that can help me out but still :) i know that pig inside and out.
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If I remember the last time we went wheeling, EJS 2009, the only problem Cheston had was he was a little limited on speed. And that was quickly fixed by the two of you in camp.

You may be the little fella but your rig still has better angles of approach and departure than I do. And I would bet that you have greater ground clearance under your diffs than I do.

I really, really, hate it when my friends have to wait on me. Funny thing is that I really have a good time helping others when they are holding us up.

I just wish I could have learned from folks who have done the T-case doubler, or the 4 link, or any other mods that I have done. It would have saved me some headaches, money, and lots of time. I don't mind doing the work as long as someone is there to baby sit me while I am doing it.

You should be very proud of your rig and what you have been able to get done on it. If it was not for folks like you and everyone else who frequents this site I would not have my Beater where it is today. So, thanks everyone for your help and words of encouragement.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Another update. The front coil springs are on the front shocks now. I am now just waiting for a good time to take off so I can get some work done. Most of the parts that I was waiting on have showed up. The remote mounts are in, the shock wrench is in and the springs were the last things I was really needing. I think next week I should have some time to work on her.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
ChestonScout said:
wheres the pics of all these fancy parts????


Do you know we have to live vicariously through you????
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If I could get the wife to leave me the camera once in a while I would have taken pictures already. She is always so busy taking pictures of our baby. I am waiting on some wheel spacers that I got from Yoda55. Once those come it then it will be ready for some more pictures.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Update. Does anyone else know how hard it is to try and do two projects at once. What a pain in the back side. The Beater does not look too much different than it has for the last few months. For the last week it has been one step forward and two steps back. I have been working on it for 12 hours a day and all that I really have done is the front axle in place, sitting at the correct ride height, front brackets in place, shocks loosely in place, and the front cross member is close to the correct place. Front lower links are made but, I can't really tell y'all just how hard it is to triangulate lower links with a front drive shaft in place. Upper links are quite a bit shorter than the uppers and the axle has 1.5* of negative caster in it now. This was one of many compromises that I have had to make.:( I cut the floor board almost completely out so that I could lift the T-cases up a few more inches, trying to get as flat a belly pan as I could. I bent a 24 ton bottle jack compressor trying to get the correct bend into my lower links.:mad: All in all a real pain in the back side. No pictures since it really does not look any different than it did months ago.

LT.
 
L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Okay remember when I said one step forward and two back? Well, it continues today and, I have pictures to prove it. I think they are in order so here they are. The first pictures are of the trip up to the shop. I thought I would share with y'all. The picture of the inside of Sally shows the temp outside. 3 degrees below zero. In the desert that is cold. Then you can see the rear of the truck as it sits now.

LT.
 

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L

LT.

Well-Known Member
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Here are some more pictures of me going backwards. Again, try and remember that they are in the order of the day.

LT.
 

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