adeluca73's Build - 2014 POWER WAGON SLT - FLAME RED TWO TONE

[adeluca73]

That weighted back pressure butterfly valve could be the reason you lost some punch in the bottom end once the OEM muffler was removed. I'm sure they didn't design that and go to the trouble of putting it into production if it had no effect on performance. I just wonder when they started using those valves inside the muffler. I'm betting it is a 6.4L specific item.
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I think you're correct. It's not there for looks!

[adeluca73]

MOD: Install DiamondBack HD w/ Line-X truck cover

PURPOSE: I did not want the RamBoxes, and I didn't want another LEER/ARE topper. I was extremely dissatisfied with the LEER MX topper on my F150. I had a fully decked out LEER with the sliding & removable rear window and sliding windoors with the sliding screens and it was miserable. After the first winter all the locks corroded frozen shut. I even applied petroleum jelly and teflon grease to the all the locks before winter and it still didn't help. Leer replaced all the locking hardware and all the screw fasteners that were also corroded. The same thing happened the next winter.

For the PW I wanted a secure cargo area that I could load on-top of and also still utilize the bed for tall items w/o completely removing the cover. The Diamondback HD answers all of these requirements. I can load 1600lbs on-top of the cover, which is over the max load of the PW. The locking mechanism for the fwd and rear panels are two ¼ " steel locking rods that anchor under the bed rails. The cover is diamond plated covered in Line-X, which is fade resistant and slip resistant. The cover is water tight, equipped with thick weatherstripping around the perimeter, and each seam between the three panels has a designed water gutter that funnels water out the sides of the cover. The fwd and rear panels are equipped with 4 hydraulic shocks that keep the cover panels open. All of the hardware is easily replaceable and DiamondBack carries spares of all the hardware if something needs repaired. It comes equipped with 10 tie-down cleats.

You can add a hi or low cab guard to this cover. THere's also a complete ATV top load kit available to add to this cover. The kit comes with large ATV ramps to drive up the side of your truck on the cover, large wheel retaining bars that you'll have to drill and mount to the cover, and an extension platform to fit two ATVs side by side if you don't have an 8' bed.

PRICE/VENDOR: The 6'-6'5" HD cover runs just over $1300, the Line-X option is about $300, the shipping was about $190. Diamondback HD

INSTALL: Easy-to-Moderate. The directions state the install is 45-60 min with two adults. It took me just over 90 min to install it with my 7yr old son. If I did it over again, I'd ignore the majority of the instructions because they create more work than necessary.

• Do not attach the clamps on the center section until the very end. Once you attach them, even loosely, the cover is nearly impossible to slide and adjust
• Oil the hinge rods before installing panels on the center section. The HD panels are heavy and bit awkward, two people really do make it easier. I had a hell of a time with getting them on and aligned.
• Once both panels are attached, Spend EXTRA time ensuring the cover is square with all four corners.
• Lift up the tailgate panel and slide under and attach the clamps to the center section. Use a torque wrench. It states tighten to 30ft-lbs. I didn't, and snapped the first screw, and then had to run to the h/w store for a replacement.
• Adjusting the locking rods to fit inside the bed rails and then aligning their mounting tabs was the biggest pain of all. You have to ensure that when you put the lock into the closed position the rods should be pulling the cover closed tight in tension, and in the open position, the rods should release tension. I had to do it 3 times to get it right. The alignment tabs require a 14mm socket tightened to 10ft-lbs, and I snapped one of those too.
• Attach the shocks, close the cover, check the open/close function, and re-check the alignment.

[nts007]

Any pics of it in open position? I really like it. And looks sweet on your truck

[JBM Power Wagon]

Nice looking Diamondback!!! That's too bad about your overall performance of the Magnaflow. I had a Magnaflow muffler on my Titan and then again on my 2011 PW and was extremely happy with both. You have me thinking I will wait a little while on my 2014 before I change the muffler out. I really do want a better rumble but I don't want to lose any performance, especially when towing.

[14PowerWaggy]

That is a great cover...

[adeluca73]

Any pics of it in open position? I really like it. And looks sweet on your truck

Copy. I do have some, but they suck. They're all at night when I installed it and they are all blurry and dark. I'll take some in the driveway, in the day, so you can see it. I need to adjust the entire cover back about 1-2" toward the tailgate. The directions state to align the bulkhead end of the cover with the outer edge of the bed box rail, but the Ram's rear edge is parabolic, concave in; therefore any alignment edge will result in another edge not being aligned. I aligned the cover with the right and left edges, resulting in the cover extending about 1-2" beyond the min inflection pt (think derivative = 0!!!). The seal isn't great, and a quick call to customer service and they sent me a pic of one otheir own employee's '13 2500 Ram with an HD cover, showing the alignment with the min edge of the bed rail. What a PIA, now I have to crawl under there, remove all four bed clamps, climb out, realign, slide back underneath, and resintall the clamps, w/o hopefully snapping any of the hardware.

[adeluca73]

Nice looking Diamondback!!! That's too bad about your overall performance of the Magnaflow. I had a Magnaflow muffler on my Titan and then again on my 2011 PW and was extremely happy with both. You have me thinking I will wait a little while on my 2014 before I change the muffler out. I really do want a better rumble but I don't want to lose any performance, especially when towing.

JBMPW===yeah it is. What I really need to do is get the truck put on a dynamometer and get a plot of RPM vs Torque and HP and comapre that to hopefully some published data that Ram has out there on the 6.4L with 4.10's. I can only go by feel, and I honestly installed that Magnaflow after about 1 week of owning it, so I don't really have a great baseline performance feel of the truck to be honest. So, maybe its all in my mind, because I keep telling myself that weighted valve was put there by the engineeers for a reason, and the magnaflow doens't have one, so it must be performing worse.....

[adeluca73]

That weighted back pressure butterfly valve could be the reason you lost some punch in the bottom end once the OEM muffler was removed. I'm sure they didn't design that and go to the trouble of putting it into production if it had no effect on performance. I just wonder when they started using those valves inside the muffler. I'm betting it is a 6.4L specific item.
.

Ok, I broke down and did some research on the ubiquotous "butterfly weighted valve". I found a FlowMaster on-line instruction manual for replacing the Challenger's SRT-8 6.4L muffler's with their performance pipes and there's a blurb about the factor butterfly valve:

"Special Note: The stock exhaust system on these vehicles is fitted with “adaptive valves”. They are basically spring
loaded butterfly valves installed to create backpressure, thereby, controlling sound. There is a backpressure sensor
installed in the converter portion of the system that will set a MIL code (Malfunction Indicator Light) if the backpressure is
out of parameters. Due to the reduction in backpressure (Increased Power) that this system provides, the MIL light may
come on under very aggressive driving/hard acceleration; however, it should go off again after 3-5 engine start/stop
cycles. The sensor is basically in place to signal if the butterfly gets stuck. Performance is not affected when the MIL is on.
If desired, the use of a programmer may allow this function to be disabled."


Here's a 6.4L ramfourm that talks about the mufflex kit adding pwr, specifically because the butterfly valve isn't there: http://www.ramforum.com/f38/6_4_hd_hemi ... ex118.html


So I guess I'm nuts then....

[Stickman]

Diamondback looks awesome! Now if I can only save up enough for mine. Bills just seem to be never ending.

[adeluca73]

Diamondback looks awesome! Now if I can only save up enough for mine. Bills just seem to be never ending.

Thanks, they're not cheap. Now I need to Line-X my rocker panels & bumpers. Anyone have experience w/ the DIY kits: DuPont, Lowe's, Hurculiner, or others?

[TwinStick]

I used Dura-Bak. Love it. Came out great. Follow directions to the letter. Been on about 6 yrs. No issues. Color matches almost perfectly. 16 colors to choose from. I just did the lower quarters, from front to back & inside lower door jams.




http://www.nonslipcoating.com/

[Stickman]

If/when you get that T Rex LED grille, if you want to sell your stock grille I would be willing to buy it. I'm wanting to get some more red on my truck to contrast all the black, and those grilles with the red inserts are hard to find, not to mention expensive. And I can't remember exactly what he used but 2wagons used some kind of DIY bedliner on the rockers of his truck. It's in his build thread, I want to say it was Duplicolor, but I can't remember.

[adeluca73]

If/when you get that T Rex LED grille, if you want to sell your stock grille I would be willing to buy it. I'm wanting to get some more red on my truck to contrast all the black, and those grilles with the red inserts are hard to find, not to mention expensive. And I can't remember exactly what he used but 2wagons used some kind of DIY bedliner on the rockers of his truck. It's in his build thread, I want to say it was Duplicolor, but I can't remember.

Copy..the T-Rex is #3 on the list after the rocker panels, and then rock rails, either from Aluminess or if White-Knuckle ever releases a 2014 set, otherwise I'll crawl underneath, take a bizzilion measurements, get on solid works and design up my own set and then take the drawings to a local fab shop to make them. When I get the T-Rex, you're #1 on the list.

[adeluca73]

I used Dura-Bak. Love it. Came out great. Follow directions to the letter. Been on about 6 yrs. No issues. Color matches almost perfectly. 16 colors to choose from. I just did the lower quarters, from front to back & inside lower door jams.




http://www.nonslipcoating.com/

Thanks a lot. It looks like a great product. I think 2Wagons used a DuPli-color product. The DuPont product is actually Line-X. So I'll have to do some more research.

[adeluca73]

MOD: optimum opti-coat pro

PURPOSE: permanent life-time ceramic clear coat protects PW from
Tree & brush damage in the woods, prevents rock dings, swirls, rain stains, bug etching

COST/DEALER: local certified installer in Cincinnati, TSS detailing. $495 for install & 10 yr warranty
http://opti-coat.net/content/52/opti-co ... ating.html

This is NOT some Car Dealer or Zeibart snake-oil sham wax sealant. This is a permanent ceramic clear coat that is 50-100x thicker than waxes & sealants. It's applied to the paint, chrome, wheels, etc. everything but the glass. Water just sheets off the paint and doesn't spot up. With opti-coat, you don't have to wax your car ever again, but can if you like doing. A polymer based quick detailed sprayed on one panel at a time after you wash it, before drying works best. The application process takes about 8 hours:
- Wash
- PH neutral wash
- paint correction (bugs, swirls, stains) & polish
- Wash
- Alcohol decontamination
- Dry w/ heat & blowers
- apply opti-coat w/ spray gun, even & level

It's quite the process, well worth the $$ & comes w/ warranty.

Here's the after pics:

[jeep_boy02]

So it covers emblems, graphics, plastics (mirrors, flares, grill) and glass? What about wheels? Sounds interesting. Like a heavy duty, tough as nails clear coat?

[adeluca73]

So it covers emblems, graphics, plastics (mirrors, flares, grill) and glass? What about wheels? Sounds interesting. Like a heavy duty, tough as nails clear coat?

Copy. It's applied over everything (sensors, wheels, chrome, etc) but the black plastic & windshield. They use a different product for the glass.

[Stickman]

Does it make it easier to wash and make look good too then? Like you won't have to wax it to get the shine, just a good hand wash? Looks good for the price.

[adeluca73]

Does it make it easier to wash and make look good too then? Like you won't have to wax it to get the shine, just a good hand wash? Looks good for the price.

Right--good point, I omitted the fact you don't have to wax your car ever again, but can if you want. I use optimum's polymer based products: car wash, no rinse wash & wax, opti-clean & shine, and quick detailer. The water will just sheet off you paint with this on, it looks dry even after raining

[Stickman]

Sounds awesome! If I had a local dealer that would do it I would add it to my list but the nearest place that can do it for me is 2 1/2 hours away, and I can't justify driving that far twice for that. Maybe someone closer will get it here in a year or so. Oh well, I'll save that money for something else until then.

[adeluca73]

Added a few appearance items this weekend. They don't really serve any purpose so I won't waste time w/ a full write up, but here they are

1) Added the RAM 2500/HEAVY DUTY emblems found on the Tradesman & Laramie. I measured the distances from the door seal on a stock 2500 at the dealer & used a laser level & painter's tape to make a quick jig, and applied as steady & straight as I could.

2) Added 2500 air deflector. It's cheap & flimsy compared to the metal one in the 1500.

[SheepdogOutdoorsman]

Added a few appearance items this weekend. They don't really serve any purpose so I won't waste time w/ a full write up, but here they are

1) Added the RAM 2500/HEAVY DUTY emblems found on the Tradesman & Laramie. I measured the distances from the door seal on a stock 2500 at the dealer & used a laser level & painter's tape to make a quick jig, and applied as steady & straight as I could.

2) added 2500 air deflector. It's cheap & flimsy compared to the metal one in the 1500.

Nice. I like the look of mine.

[TrueBlue13PW]

MOD: optimum opti-coat pro

PURPOSE: permanent life-time ceramic clear coat protects PW from
Tree & brush damage in the woods, prevents rock dings, swirls, rain stains, bug etching

COST/DEALER: local certified installer in Cincinnati, TSS detailing. $495 for install & 10 yr warranty
http://opti-coat.net/content/52/opti-co ... ating.html

This is NOT some Car Dealer or Zeibart snake-oil sham wax sealant. This is a permanent ceramic clear coat that is 50-100x thicker than waxes & sealants. It's applied to the paint, chrome, wheels, etc. everything but the glass. Water just sheets off the paint and doesn't spot up. With opti-coat, you don't have to wax your car ever again, but can if you like doing. A polymer based quick detailed sprayed on one panel at a time after you wash it, before drying works best. The application process takes about 8 hours:
- Wash
- PH neutral wash
- paint correction (bugs, swirls, stains) & polish
- Wash
- Alcohol decontamination
- Dry w/ heat & blowers
- apply opti-coat w/ spray gun, even & level

It's quite the process, well worth the $$ & comes w/ warranty.

Here's the after pics:

How are you liking this coating? I'm thinking about having it done but want to do more research and you opinion of it so far would be greatly appreciated.

[adeluca73]

The coating is great. It's like an invisible thick clear coat armor on your truck. It's not a wax or sealant, it's a permanent ceramic coating that is forever. It's 100x thicker than the 6-12 month nano-wax sealants that most dealerships try to sell for $800. Out the door I was less than $500 + life time warranty. It takes about 30 days to fully hardened and cure, and once it's set, it gives your truck that old time enamel paint look on standard colors. I love it. I previously had it done on a 2014 Laramie 1500 which was the Ultimate Metallic color, and it probably looks even better on a metallic paint color. It pops the metal flakes. Get it!

[loveracing1988]

The coating is great. It's like an invisible thick clear coat armor on your truck. It's not a wax or sealant, it's a permanent ceramic coating that is forever. It's 100x thicker than the 6-12 month nano-wax sealants that most dealerships try to sell for $800. Out the door I was less than $500 + life time warranty. It takes about 30 days to fully hardened and cure, and once it's set, it gives your truck that old time enamel paint look on standard colors. I love it. I previously had it done on a 2014 Laramie 1500 which was the Ultimate Metallic color, and it probably looks even better on a metallic paint color. It pops the metal flakes. Get it!

Where did you have this done at?