Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI Quad Cab



My Truck


While the HEMI-powered Dodge Ram 1500 was pretty peppy to begin with, I've lately found myself unable to stop improving and customizing it. I don't want my truck to be just like everyone else's. So I've made a few changes:

  • Exhaust: A big, powerful truck should sound like a big, powerful truck. In search of that perfect engine roar, I decided on a Flowmaster 40 series. It sounds great, and the truck really takes off when I floor it. I also had the muffler show put on some fancy chrome tips.
  • Cold Air Induction: Stock intake systems are fairly restrictive. The more air your engine can suck in, the more it can mix with fuel, and the more power you can put at your wheels. I went with the Airmax brand, which has a nice, open K&N air filter. View the cold air induction installation.
  • Throttle Body Spacer: I've read that they have no effect, but I put one on anyway. It gives my truck a little whistle when I hit the accelerator hard. I went with the Helix power tower.
  • Window deflectors: Most deflectors that I've seen use double-sided tape and stick to the outside of the vehicle. The ones that I found glue to the inside of the door, in between the door and the weather stripping that the window pushes up against. This keeps all of the lines on the outside of my truck nice and clean. Check out the window deflectors.
  • CB Radio: While it's a bit cliche to have a CB in my truck, living in Texas, I do like having one for long trips. Most of the hand-held models just plain suck. So I go a decent one and semi-permanently mounted it in my truck. The power wires are permanently run to my battery and ground. The fuse holders that are inline with the power wires work as plugs so that I don't always have to keep it connected. The CB unit itself fits in the little storage bin in my dashboard. The antenna cable is run underneath my seat and underneath the door stripping. Since the antenna is magnet mounted, and can take it off and store it under my back seat when it is not in use.
  • Radar Detector: I don't speed a whole lot, but I still like to know where my friendly local law enforcement is hanging out. It keeps me aware of my surroundings in case the guy in front of me sees a cop and slams on his breaks.
  • Window tint: I had mine done at the dealership when I went in for my 30,000 mile checkup. I had them put the 20 rated tint on all of the windows except the windshield. The windows in the back seat were already smoked, so it's nice and dark back there.
  • Sound Dampening: Unfortunately between my exhaust and your standard road noise the inside of my truck is very loud. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to put a fancy stereo in and have to turn it up just to drown out the ambient noise. So I'm going to coat the the inside of every surface I can get to with sound dampening material. I went with Dynamat.


On top of the things that I've already done to my truck, I've got a very long list of things that I want to do:

  • Headers: I'm planning on getting some JBA headers. I like power, and the freer air can go through my engine, the more power I get.
  • Stereo: I spend a lot of time in my truck, so I want to get a new stereo system. And since I categorically refuse to do anything halfway, my stereo will be a work of art. I'm looking at the Alpine AVI-D310 receiver which features a 7" fold out screen for DVD playback and GPS navigation. It also has inputs for HD radio and Sirius. Even though HD radio is not yet very popular, I'm going to go ahead and hook it up. I'm going to replace all of the factory speaker wiring, change out the speakers with some fancy new 6X9s from Infinity, add a JBL audio amplifier, and a 10" subwoofer for under one of my back seats. The idea is for the inside of my truck to look stock except for the receiver.
  • Rearview Camera: Once I get the stereo installed I can hook up a rear-view camera for when I'm backing up.
  • Alarm System: My fancy stereo is too expensive an investment to not protect with a fancy alarm system.
  • Auto Dimming Mirror: Even though my tint keeps annoying headlights from blinding me, every now and them I get someone behind me that makes me have to flip my rearview mirror to the night setting. I'm way too lazy to have to do that all the time.
  • Nerf Bars: While it is pretty funny watching short people, fat people, and short fat people get into my truck, I'm going to add some steps to make it easier to get in and out without a running start. I'm looking at Westin.
  • Grill Guard: Since my truck doesn't fit in the garage anyway, I might as well make it even longer and more imposing. I already have some Dick Cepek off-road lights to put on there.
  • Rhino Lining: Protect my bed and keep things from moving around.
  • Bed box: Rather than having the big box that takes up a couple feet in my bed, I'm going for the slimmer ones that go under the lip of the sides of my bed. Since I'm losing some of the storage under my seat for the subwoofer, I'll need some additional storage.
  • Underdrive Pulleys: Increase available power my reducing the strain of the various components in my engine.
  • Programmer: Automobile engines are computer controlled these days. By default the computer is set up for calm, normal drivers. The stock computer settings also reduce the effectiveness of changes such as cold air induction, headers, and performance exhaust. I'm planning on getting the Hypertech Hyperpac, which has a display that will tell me about horsepower, torque, and other engine statistics and settings.
  • Thermostat: The stock thermostat for my truck's coolant system opens when the temperature gets above 180 degrees and closes again when it gets below. A colder temperature and the programmer above allows the engine to remain cooler and provide more power.
  • New Tires: The Goodyears that come with Dodge vehicles suck horribly. I can't justify spending the money on new tires until the old ones wear out, but I certainly hope these wear out soon. Unfortunately, BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A's are pretty expensive for 20" rims.