Power Wagon Registry

This is my 2018 powerwagon build.
Daily Driver Flat South Florida.
Minimal Towing
Aggressive driver and The Trailwhale will be beat on.

PLANNED-

White Knuckle Sliders
Ball Joints
Thuren Truss


COMPLETED-
6.4 Hemi
S&B Intake
Modified Exhaust-High tuck Crawler
Method NV 17x8.5
Toyo RT 37x12.5
Purple Cranium Dif cover F&R
Wilco spare bed mount
Thuren Suspension Front 3.0 King (3) Rear 2.5 King (2) Trackbars,Boogies, King stabalizer
Dodge offroad steering Brace
Pedal Commander
Evo Air Disconnect swaybar
Locker Bypass
Thuren PW bumper
Baja pods and bar
BAK MX4

Sweet truck! Now the fun begins.

17x8.5 4.75"
TOYO RT 35x12.5/17 Load E

LOAD INFLATION -Tire Limit(PSI)
35X12.50R17LT---1875(25) 2155(30) 2405(35C) 2625(40) 2840(45) 3000(50D) 3065(55) 3130(60) 3195(65E)

Running 45PSI front and 35PSI rear


Rub on the rear lower plastic liner that juts out near the bottom outside corners of the front wheel wells. about 50% to full lock it rubs.
only on slight off camber/uneven turns or with passenger. no wear yet, and i didnt want to chop anything because my lift is only a couple months away. no body modification if possible!
you could not offroad without constant rubbing. at least i wouldnt....i guess the AEV salta may clear 35s on the PW, but i believe you still need a lift to offroad with this setup, or chop the truck.

35 flotations are plenty people....i cant wait for 37s haha

gun45boat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 25, 2018 9:47 am

Nice Color,,,, But black inSouth Florida?? Where in South Florida are you? I'm just East of Orlando (about 30 mins) in Sorrento/Deland Area.

37" will bring that truck together

im in broward county, fort lauderdale. about 3 hours south.

most all my cars have been black. tint 20% or less all the way around, and 50% on the front windshield... actually ram has been the most comfortable when it comes to heat, so far...its in the 60s down here right now, ill let you know how the powerwagon manages in 95+ degress!

the only vehicles i had heat issues with is the JKU wranglers. owned two black ones.
sweaty foreheads daily..but removing the doors made it bearable..


37s 10-15k miles away!

3.0 fronts are in. these kings are beefy. duracoat black for the shock body, Thuren spec. have not yet decided sticker placement on the shock, i was thinking the black sticker on the reservoir(aluminum) and blue sticker on the body(duracoat black).
or blue sticker on the reservoir and thats it, keeping the shock body sleek and black.

i have clear 3m vinyl to wrap the entire shock body and reservoir and the stickers will be placed on top of the vinyl.(unless someone tells me that wont work...)commencing testing

nicest and largest shock Ive ever had the opportunity to torture, the bp51 would be second.

now just waiting on the rear 2.5s!
hopefully just another week!

all in all the wait for the shocks will be about 60 days, or 8 weeks or 2 months or just enough time for me to reach 6000 miles, 1 oil change, and some warranty fixes like squeaking e-brake lines, and condensating cab lights.

it will clearly be worth it.

Ram Box falling apart... getting an entire new rambox on drivers side..i barely used it too

2nd Oil change at 9,500 miles

Grinding in the rear dif when turning from a stop. like a stop sign or u turn.
reminds me of when the jeep wranglers needed new fluid and slip additive because the oil would get compromised every 10k miles from offroad use, towing, or racecar.

the factory fill is 75w85 for south florida.... why? clearly compromised this fluid by driving like a trophy truck since new. between the heat of florida, aggressive driving, and hard throttle applications every green light, i have developed what feels like slippage on an LSD.

replacing dif oil with dealer provided 75w140, if this sheers and fails in 10k miles, im moving to amsoil severe gear


S and B going IN!!!!!!
Mufflex magnaflow and resonator chop going down! turn down tip after rear axle.
dee zee tailgate strut
Wilco bed mount flat tire carrier
Hi lift bed mounted.

i need tube bumpers front and rear now.

thats why im over here panting.

i need clearance asap, thinking i might go at a secondary stock bumper, chop off valence and some metal(about an inch below sensors), linex, fog pocket dual rigids, and fab an angled attack skid to cover sway and steering components

correct on all fronts...

toyo RT 35s are indeed too small once worn at all. happy to have done it though because now i know for sure. again, trans tuning is already trash, and they were installed before the lift, now im curbed until we have solid 2018 Tuning and procal options. i will say, the exhaust and S&B has added some pep, at least to my ears. sounds epic

wait i thought IFS meant Infinite Forward Speed?
the swaybar disco and steering brace are quite low, and not too pretty when exposed. i only mean coverage up to that point. somewhat like thurens bumper.
i dont need coverage of my ifs crossmember and torsion drop brackets, those things are "Bulletproof" get it

i believe a nice body line can be found on our front bumpers, but it leaves some ugly tech exposed. i wish our stock bumper had more clearance, but it just doesnt.

https://youtu.be/pzbQW8u5gT0?t=1m41s

you would be surprised. all we have down here is mud and sand bogs.
but these get rutted out by buggies, and hide stumps, logs, and boulders.

on this trail, ive jackknifed a long into my rubicon sway disco which needed to be replaced. ive also bent a driveshaft, impaled a dif cover, and mangled tierods and draglinks.

it might not be MOAB, and even when picking solid lines, you can get mangled. clearly all i want to do is prevent and protect the truck.
that, and i didnt buy the truck to keep in Florida. ill see you out in Moab eventually but i know ill be at uwharrie soon.

you all are pretty strange for dissing some minor front end coverage when these parts get you home.
i just havent come across the right bumper

I didn’t realize I was exaggerating! I did slice my driveshaft in two, perfect time for an upgrade. Someone managed to shred everything below their cab this year... lol

If you can wait until nigh-eternity, or October, whichever comes first, I’m working on a tube/plate hybrid bumper. Timeline not guaranteed haha. I don’t really like the options for PW bumpers. The Kinzer is the best looking.

Reloaderguy wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 24, 2018 4:19 pm

Is Kinzer still making bumpers?

Apparently, yes.... Best to ask him... Cornell saw my video on Youtube in January and purchased one in time for PWIM. Website is still online.

BoldAdventure wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 24, 2018 5:00 pm

Reloaderguy wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 24, 2018 4:19 pm

Is Kinzer still making bumpers?

Apparently, yes.... Best to ask him... Cornell saw my video on Youtube in January and purchased one in time for PWIM. Website is still online.

Hell would freeze over before I go through what you went through. Despite buying a made-to-order bumper, I'm not interested in custom products from someone casually doing business part time out of their basement.

I do poke fun at you, but it's meant to be light-hearted. If it's coming across as mean-spirited I'll stop. No harm intended.

I gave up on researching bumpers and have started researching welders. Even the bumpers that claim to be Power Wagon friendly, or winch friendly, are still diesel bumpers deep down inside. They stick out farther than needed for the PW, and/or the fairlead locations are placed for mounting the winch in the bumper, not lining up with the PW's factory winch location. The Thuren bumper is the only pre-fab plate bumper I'd consider (because it can be shipped), and even it isn't really a good candidate for me for those reasons. All the same applies to tube bumpers. For what a bumper costs (and I have to include sea freight in my mental calculus, $$$), I will come out ahead just buying a welder, learning to use it, practicing on scrap projects, then making my own.

Low_Sky wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:49 pm

I do poke fun at you, but it's meant to be light-hearted. If it's coming across as mean-spirited I'll stop. No harm intended.

I gave up on researching bumpers and have started researching welders. Even the bumpers that claim to be Power Wagon friendly, or winch friendly, are still diesel bumpers deep down inside. They stick out farther than needed for the PW, and/or the fairlead locations are placed for mounting the winch in the bumper, not lining up with the PW's factory winch location. The Thuren bumper is the only pre-fab plate bumper I'd consider (because it can be shipped), and even it isn't really a good candidate for me for those reasons. All the same applies to tube bumpers. For what a bumper costs (and I have to include sea freight in my mental calculus, $$$), I will come out ahead just buying a welder, learning to use it, practicing on scrap projects, then making my own.

Exactly this^^^^^ there’s nothing available that’s 100% correct for our application, so you’re better off making something custom. That’s the route I ended up taking for that very reason. A mig welder will get you far if you practice and take the time to do things right.

A miller 212 with autoset is a tremendous value and excellent welder. Give cyberweld a look, I’m not affiliated with them in any way, just a happy customer for years

And PWJouster, I remember your stance on installing your Thuren kit, so I doubt a welder and all the stuff that goes with it is gonna be in your future. Maybe there are some off-road fab shops in your area that do custom work. Are swap buggies a thing in your area of the south? All that tube is getting cut and welded somewhere.


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Low_Sky wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:49 pm

I do poke fun at you, but it's meant to be light-hearted. If it's coming across as mean-spirited I'll stop. No harm intended.

I gave up on researching bumpers and have started researching welders. Even the bumpers that claim to be Power Wagon friendly, or winch friendly, are still diesel bumpers deep down inside. They stick out farther than needed for the PW, and/or the fairlead locations are placed for mounting the winch in the bumper, not lining up with the PW's factory winch location. The Thuren bumper is the only pre-fab plate bumper I'd consider (because it can be shipped), and even it isn't really a good candidate for me for those reasons. All the same applies to tube bumpers. For what a bumper costs (and I have to include sea freight in my mental calculus, $$$), I will come out ahead just buying a welder, learning to use it, practicing on scrap projects, then making my own.

Yep, just get a bunch of cardboard and start making the bumper you always dreamed off, then turn each piece into metal.

Shit I almost forgot this was the trailwhales build thread.

Low_Sky wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:01 pm

And PWJouster, I remember your stance on installing your Thuren kit, so I doubt a welder and all the stuff that goes with it is gonna be in your future. Maybe there are some off-road fab shops in your area that do custom work. Are swap buggies a thing in your area of the south? All that tube is getting cut and welded somewhere.


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Dude, the middle of Florida is redneck mudhole heaven.

dont get me wrong.

i installed and maintained both of my Jeep JK suspensions, both of which, i was pretty much a bachelor in terms of how much time i was allowed to spend wrenching while my GF spent alone time.

between my new home with my long time gf, my 11 month old Great Pyrenees, and my insanely time consuming Commercial Real Estate desk job, the wrenching must be left to others.

in saying that as a middle child, i grew up on legos, built all the furniture for my parents, 1 of 4 who was into Dirtbikes and ORV and made many DIY smoking apparatus, while cruising with ADD. welding was always a dream of mine while believing i could build just about anything i could imagine, including a Bush plane...lol it manifested into self loathing the fact i couldn't afford to build my first jeep and nobody made the bumpers i wanted.

to today, ive wrenched on boats, carbed thumpers, Inline triples, planes trains and automobiles...
again back to time.

it makes more sense for me to buy one that has already done its R&D and fine tuning.

they are out there, and kinzer may be getting a call from me.
i will just assume i need to take it to the fab shop for sensor holes, fog mounting, weld&reinforce and linex

Jab all you want, it doesnt hurt my feelings.

just dont talk about my momma.


THE APOCALYPSE IS NOW

i have stumbled upon greatness and fury, the Hemi is a freaking beast, needing boost of course, but a beast none the less!

my one major gripe with this truck was the transmission.

i had the tech do a relearn reset process on the TCM. this has literally cured the excessively abrupt and jarring downshifts. (5-3 or 5/4-2/1 downshifts)

i was just about ready to live with it, but i think we are on the right track. i will 100% notice any degradation of shifts or transmission habits, so i shall keep everyone posted. if i have to do a reset every 5k miles with oil changes, so be it.

the Mufflex Magnaflow with the reso chopped off and S&B is perfect for me. its dumped just like many others have right behind the rear axle next to sway link. sounds like a hemi, no resonant vibration or fart can to be heard. sounds better up high, but even at low RPM the RumbleHum is ideal.

Drone over 2k RPM. towing would probably blow.
Tow mode on highway will keep it in a rev range that constantly drones, too much with windows down, ok for an hour with windows up.
im ok with it, my GF hasnt really found out about it yet..but its almost friday. can someone send help around lunchtime on friday?

now TOW MODE...
i dont know if it was the TCM reset or the intake and exhaust but holy cow.
its slow for sure, but it screams.
the shift pattern reminds me of my hellcat....
how?
it now has no rough downshifting characteristics and its ready to downshift at any moment.
transmissions fast as hell now

Mine has taken up doing the rough shifts, both up and down, load or no load. Sounds like I need to go get the trans Men In Black flashed. I have a couple outstanding recalls so so guess I’ll make a appointment.

Don’t have to justify the wanting to hire out work to me, I get it. One look at my garage piled full of crap and tools scattered everywhere and I get it, haha.


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Curious, did Thuren do custom shocks for you? All I see on their site is 2.5 Kings for 2014+


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kgries wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:08 am

Curious, did Thuren do custom shocks for you? All I see on their site is 2.5 Kings for 2014+ \

They are here:
https://www.thurenfabrication.com/produ ... front.html

His site is kind of organized weirdly.

BoldAdventure wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:36 am

kgries wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:08 am

Curious, did Thuren do custom shocks for you? All I see on their site is 2.5 Kings for 2014+ \

They are here:
https://www.thurenfabrication.com/produ ... front.html

His site is kind of organized weirdly.

gotcha, so you are using those up front and using the 2.5 shocks in the rear?

Updated the planned and completed .

Thuren PW bumper is ordered.
i will get a black Warn Fairlead and Yellow Baja pods for the Winglet Fog holes, and two baja spot pods next to winch, powered by a switch.
i would like the yellow fogs on with lowbeams with oem switch and spots activated with highs