Building my "Beast"

[jailor97]

I should have started this a little while ago. Now that I have been on the forum for a few months, I have realized that a "Build Thread" isn't just about creating something from the ground up.

In the next few days, I will sort through what I have done to the truck since getting it in July of last year and try to post pics here in chronological order.

[olyelr]

Well it's about dang time!

[jailor97]

My SD card took a crap on me about a month ago, with it went all my Yellowstone, Hawaii and Aruba pics.
But what is worse, all of my "Beast" pics also disappeared!

I did, however, manage to save a few pics on my laptop. The first one being the day I brought him home.

He had been neutered.
Missing the WINCH, 110V outlet in the dash (literally broke the outlet out and cut the wire), 265 sized tires (turned out the spare was from a 2012 production).

But with only 5800 miles and a good price, I felt like I could restore his manhood and make things right.

[jailor97]

One of the first things I needed to do is get some sort of side steps so all the ladies in the house could ride along with me.

Westin ProTraxx 4

They look good, but can get very slippery with wet weather.

Looking back, I wished I could have sprung for some rock sliders, but the immediate need for one of my daughters to access the truck demanded getting something cheaper. I also got the front windows tinted at a local shop to match the back.

[olyelr]

I thought you put new tires on there, no? 35" duratracs?

[jailor97]

I thought you put new tires on there, no? 35" duratracs?

You are getting ahead of the story!

[jailor97]

Before heading out on a road trip to Yellowstone, I needed a cover for the bed. With ramboxes, there are not very many options for bed covers.

Luckily, BakFlip makes a cover that seems to perform well.

My only complaint is the weather seal keeps coming apart from the driver's side on the tailgate. After going back to the installer for repair, it has come apart again. I have contacted the company and they have been very good to work with. Just waiting for the temperature to warm up to fix this yet again.

[jailor97]

After the trip, two things became evident.
First - I needed better sound out of my speakers. The factory set-up is alright, but I needed a little more on the low end.
Second - The wimpy 265 tires just look terrible on something I have affectionately named "The Beast".

JL Audio 10" subs powered by a 500W JL mono amp inside of a sealed box.
I didn't want to sound like a young punk rattling with the bass while driving down the street and this set-up give me just enough to make the tunes sounds sweet.

[jailor97]

This site has been good with getting information. Being able to look at other member's builds and getting inspiration for different ideas, I decided to get some better tires for my truck.

Initially, I went to a local shop and kept with the duratrac theme, opting for the 35" variety instead of the factory 33's. $1200 out the door with a warranty.
One problem, he sold me a load range "D" tire. This caused the ridiculous TPMS warning light to come on every time the truck started (just a minor nuisance, but still irritating). I sought the assistance of several dealers in town to help me remedy this situation. I had the instructions in hand from another forum on how to solve this issue. NONE of them wanted to help me.

I went back to the tire shop and told them I wanted proper load range tires for the truck. I was able to switch out the duratrac's for BFG's for $100 less and they are a load range "E" tire.

Before

After

Before

I really like these tires. I know, I know. They aren't 37's

[TwinStick]

Nice truck. I like your forum name. I just retired after 28.3 years of doing the same for NYSDOCS, now called NYSDOCCS. I had enough. NYS is now giving away the store-so to speak. Now it seems their mission is to scrutinize every single thing us employees do under a microscope & not caring at all about the shit the inmates are doing. They were actually starting to fire people because they swore at an inmate !!! Writing was on the wall for me. I got out before those c0**suckers could fire me.

[jailor97]

Nice truck. I like your forum name. I just retired after 28.3 years of doing the same for NYSDOCS, now called NYSDOCCS. I had enough. NYS is now giving away the store-so to speak. Now it seems their mission is to scrutinize every single thing us employees do under a microscope & not caring at all about the shit the inmates are doing. They were actually starting to fire people because they swore at an inmate !!! Writing was on the wall for me. I got out before those c0**suckers could fire me.

Always good to hear from a fellow brother!
I hear you loud and clear. I ended up quitting just shy of my 20 year mark to marry a beautiful lady in Colorado. I could still go back to Utah and get my retirement, but the job I have now is much more enjoyable. I really don't miss being locked up with prisoners for 12 hours a day.
I understand the shift in views in New York. My job took me to Binghamton and the reporting you guys had to do to the state about the types of prisoners you housed and the lengths of their stay is totally ridiculous.

[jailor97]

Using the suggestion from Bold Adventurer (Mike) I ordered some new headlights from DDM Tuning. HID for the low beams, LED for the high beams. (Both rated at 6000K)

I am having some errors with the "Auto On" setting and these lights. Warning message on the dash and the passenger side intermittently does not light up. Turn the truck off and on a few times then the light comes on. Instead of leaving the main light switch to auto, I now have it set so that I have to manually turn the lights off and on. This seems to have solved the problem (more like a work-around).
When it warms up I will throw the switch back to auto and see what happens.

[jailor97]

Factory Muffler and Resonator keep this beast from sounding proper.



Go to a local muffler shop and get things changed up!

[olyelr]

Looking good! No pics with the bfg's?

[jailor97]

Looking good! No pics with the bfg's?

Well, that was stupid! I will need to take a pic tomorrow. I thought that was the one.

[jailor97]

phpBB [video]

Clickable link for Tapatalk

I will get a video of real street action a little later.

[olyelr]

Looking good! No pics with the bfg's?

Well, that was stupid! I will need to take a pic tomorrow. I thought that was the one.

Well i can see them in your last exhaust picture, and i see they have raised white letters, so you must have went with the 35's over the 315's... any reason why? I ask because they recommend a minimum of an 8.5" rim for those, while the 315's are an 8". Certainly nothing that will cause an issue, but i dont think the discount tire where i live would mount them because of that.

[jailor97]

Looking good! No pics with the bfg's?

Well, that was stupid! I will need to take a pic tomorrow. I thought that was the one.

Well i can see them in your last exhaust picture, and i see they have raised white letters, so you must have went with the 35's over the 315's... any reason why? I ask because they recommend a minimum of an 8.5" rim for those, while the 315's are an 8". Certainly nothing that will cause an issue, but i dont think the discount tire where i live would mount them because of that.

That's too bad. I did go to Discount here in town. They are 35's. I really didn't discuss it with the salesman. I had 35 duratracs and just swapped them out for the BFG's. I even got a 35" spare shoved in to the factory location. It's snug, but it works

[olyelr]

That's too bad. I did go to Discount here in town. They are 35's. I really didn't discuss it with the salesman. I had 35 duratracs and just swapped them out for the BFG's. I even got a 35" spare shoved in to the factory location. It's snug, but it works

I am jealous... and need to see some pics!

[olyelr]

Other than being able to air them up more to get rid of the light, how do you like the BFG's in comparison to the Duratracs?

[jailor97]

That's too bad. I did go to Discount here in town. They are 35's. I really didn't discuss it with the salesman. I had 35 duratracs and just swapped them out for the BFG's. I even got a 35" spare shoved in to the factory location. It's snug, but it works

I am jealous... and need to see some pics!

Here's your pics!

[jailor97]

Looking to get the gears swapped out. Been pouring over the threads here (and elsewhere) seeing what has/hasn't worked.

Thinking about 4.88 and even toying with the idea of 5.13.

Thoughts?

[Colibri]

5.13 if you're going 37's otherwise stick with 4.88's for 35's. the gears will really wake it up

[olyelr]

Looking to get the gears swapped out. Been pouring over the threads here (and elsewhere) seeing what has/hasn't worked.

Thinking about 4.88 and even toying with the idea of 5.13.

Thoughts?

I have been pondering this for a while as well, and am also stuck between those two ratios. I think both would work well, even with 37's. If your gonna stop at 35's (that was funny ) then I think the 4.88's would probably be better suited.

Do you DD your truck a lot on highways/freeway's? 4.88's. Do you tow a lot? 5.13's.

Also, I have heard the non AAM gears can be a bit noisy, which I dont think they offer a 5.13 ratio. That could be a problem for someone who likes the quite/plush ride these trucks offer on the highway.

[Colibri]

AAM has 5.13 gears now. I would not do 5.13's with 35's