When I first joined this forum, I owned a 1999 Ram 1500 extended cab with an auto and the 5.2L (318 cu. in.) engine. It was a fine truck.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/2%201999%20Ram/Pic1.jpg

However, as time went by I felt I needed more interior room and more power. I considered doing a LOT of mods and throwing a LOT of money at this ^^^^ truck but in the end, it didn't seem like the smart thing to do and I went shopping.

In the middle of January last year I came upon a low mileage, well cared for 2007 Ram MegaCab SLT 1500 with a HEMI. I decided it had the power and the room I was looking for. :D

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/1%20First%20Day/279058_s2-1.jpg

I made it mine on January 16, 2010.

A short time later, I started modding it! :thumbsup:

First Mod - Exhaust!!!

I went with a Magnaflow single in / dual out muffler, new 2.5" tailpipes and 12" double walled brushed aluminum tips. Here's some more pics...

The stock system ... Ugly, ain't it...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Exhaust/e05.jpg


Here's the heavy, restrictive stocker on the ground. I had no idea these had a resonator on the backend. No wonder it was soooo quiet!!!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Exhaust/e07.jpg

Here's the new Magnaflow getting positioned:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Exhaust/e08.jpg

You can see here the two outlets:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Exhaust/e09.jpg

The rear tips:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Exhaust/e13.jpg

The final product:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Exhaust/e15.jpg

It sounds good! Not intrusive in the cab when cruising but you can definitely hear it when you get on the throttle.

Next, I went to my favorite speed and tuning shop in Portland, Performance Race Engineering. They had already tuned my with great results and I felt really comfortable taking the truck to them.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/D03.jpg

The great guys at PRE strapped the Ram to the dyno.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/D04.jpg

We did a baseline dyno pull and all I gotta say is ugh...what a dog...LOL Here's how they strapped it down in the back.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/D07.jpg

I had made arrangements to upgrade the truck and they had the tools ready, a DiabloSport Predator U7137:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/D01.jpg

I wasn't looking to get a lot of HP but did want some more torque and better driveability with transmission tuning and throttle response improvements. I also wanted to correct the speedo error for the larger wheels and tires. I got all of that.

Here's the dyno charts. I saw a HP and torque increases across the board, it comes on a bit sooner and my Air/Fuel ratio is now spot on.

I'm seeing more HP and torque at lower RPM's so that's a good thing!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/D08.jpg

Now, Air / Fuel Ratio. This was important to me as I know how lean a stock engine runs. For those of you not up on the term, it simply means how much fuel is being fed into the engine in relation (ratio) to how much air.

The 5.7L HEMI (and 6.1L for that matter) stock program runs at 14.1 A/F in static mode, i.e., when at idle or at steady state cruise. 14.1 A/F is a lean mixture, i.e., lower fuel to air ratio. Lean is good for mileage, not good for power. The stock program will add fuel to the mix as the engine demands but it does not always add enough to hit optimum A/F for power. And it waits a long time before it does it, keeping the engine lean at WOT for too long, robbing it of power and inducing knock retard.

The HEMI seems to like a 12.5 to 12.8 A/F.

Therefore, your HEMI is pretty close to reading knock at WOT and the computer will pull fuel and timing to avoid engine damage. The MOPAR stock program is pretty conservative and aggressive with respects to knock retard.

With the Predator 91 octane tune installed, A/F improves considerably and gets it into the "sweet spot" for the HEMI. What's cool about the Predator tool is that if the canned tunes don't get you there, there's an option to add (if it's still in a lean condition) or delete fuel (if it's too rich - haven't seen that happen much with a stock program on the HEMI) to hit the sweet spot.

In the chart below, the line that starts right at the 14.1 measurement is the stock program. It almost stays there the entire time and it's way too lean. It dropped down below 12 way up in the RPM range. That means it was running lean almost to redline and it was knocking, then it got very rich.

The line above that, starting at around 14.6 A/F, is the Predator tune measurement. It starts to drop almost immediately and hits the sweet spot right at where the engine is designed make max HP. I won't have to add any more fuel.

Anyway, enough of the technical discourse, here's the chart.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/D09.jpg

All in all, I'm very happy with the results. Eventually, I may go back to PRE and get a CMR tune for some fine tweaking and more power.

HID foglights:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/21.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/22.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/24.jpg

If I had known that HID's would be such a hassle on this truck, I would have done exactly the same things. I hate halogen lights!

I ended up trying 4 different kits, all purported to be "plug and play" + probably 8 different harness arrangements. All of them, except for the last kit of course, ended up flickering and dying on me in short order.

The issue is what the CanBus system reads as electrical draw at each headlight. HID's appear to draw less than halogens. Further, most kids to not make provisions for any part of the harness to connect to the passenger side OEM connector. Many folks have noted that their passenger side starts flickering first. This is the result of the CanBus system reading a lower electrical draw and trying to turn the bulb on and off, getting it to restart. When it does not see a correction to the voltage requirement, it shuts off that circuit. It eventually will do the same thing to the driver's side in my experience.

Many kits claim they have fixed the issue with resistors, capacitors, etc...to raise the resistance in the system and fool the CanBus. In my truck this did not work as the CanBus still did not see any rise in resistance on the passenger side as there was no connection to the HID system made there. I was mostly successful in getting the driver's side working all the time, tied to the stock harness, but not the passenger side. One headlight working was not acceptable, however. At one time I actually had a set of HID's installed that were powered directly off the battery and operated with an auxiliary switch inside the cabin!

Eventually, after two years of buying and trying, modifying and cussing, I found a kit that worked with the factory harness and included a resistor pack for the passenger side. Since then, I've had no problems and eventually upgraded the headlight capsules with satin black paint, projectors, shaved signal shrouds and tinted signal reflectors.

In the interests of time, I will compress this insanity into a few pictures.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/33.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/01.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/46.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/49.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/58.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/60.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/63.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/64.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/HIDs/68.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Headlights/Retro08.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Headlights/Retro10.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Headlights/Retro11.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Headlights/Retro12.jpg

Next was the audio and I will compress this process for brevity as well.

My thoughts were to upgrade the head unit, amp and speakers in the Grey Ghost.

I wanted a stock head unit upgrade and really like the REC/NAV unit in my SRT8.

Then, I was pretty certain I wanted to upgrade the sucky Infinity main amp and upgrade all the speakers.

A local LX buddy of mine had a REC/NAV head unit available so we made a deal. Another LX buddy from the 300 forum provided some links for GPS antennas and bezels. Then another buddy of mine had a NAV DVD available.

Having figured that all out, I ordered up the following items:

1. Amp - Mopar Accessory Kicker 77KICK18AB. I know this amp will drive 6 speakers as I put it in the SRT8 with the REC NAV unit.
2. Front Speakers - Mopar Accessory Kicker 77KICK11AB kit, which includes two 3.5" dash speakers and two 6X9's for the front doors.
3. Rear Speakers - Mopar Accessory Kicker 77KICK32 which is two 6" units.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/53.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/52.jpg

Oh yeah...that's HID kit #2 sitting there as well. The REC/NAV head unit and amp is on the right.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/47.jpg

Unfortunately, I broke one of my rules and ordered up all this stuff without listening to it. Big mistake. It DID NOT sound good to me. So, after about a year of pain, I gifted the amp, the speakers and my stock head unit to someone who is less fortunate than I and started over...

This time, I went and listened to a LOT of stuff. I had installed a set of Hertz 3-way component speakers in the car so I had to make sure they were on the list. The bottom line was I purchased:

1. Hertz HSK-165 2 way component speakers
2. J/L XD400/4 main amp
3. Alpine MRP-M500 sub amp
4. Alpine Type S 10" sub & subzero enclosure
5. PacAudio LC-1 sub gain control
6. PacAudio C2A-CHY harness adapter to integrate the aftermarket amp.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/02.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/08.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/11.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/13.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/17.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Audio/18.jpg

I used to have these:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/1%20First%20Day/2007-03.jpg

And they looked like this on the truck:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/1%20First%20Day/279058_a.jpg

Neither the wheel nor the tire styles would have been my first choice. I had resolved to wear out the tires and go with a different set but the more I looked at the wheels and tires, the more I hated them.

So now, I have these:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Wheels/Wheel1.jpg

And they look like this on the truck:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%202007%20Ram/2%20Mod%20Pics/Wheels/P7080011.jpghttp://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Wheels/Wheel2.jpg

They are KMC XD Addicts, 18x9 with a +18mm offset, wrapped in Toyo 285/75Rx18 Open Country A/T tires.

Ok...the boxes started piling up in the garage again so it was time to clean up and get ready for more mods...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/QuickSilver/201101.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/QuickSilver/201102.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/QuickSilver/201103.jpg

Then I took the SRT out (it's dry and cold here for a change) and modified the rear tire tread depth a bit.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/QuickSilver/123110.jpg

The WeatherTech mats had shown up so I put them in. Not a tough job at all. :D

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Floor%20Mats/FM09.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Floor%20Mats/FM10.jpg

I love these mats. I routinely go to construction sites, in all kinds of weather, and these do work as advertised!

Time for the grille. I'm not a big fan of chrome.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/201102.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G05.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G04.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G07.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G08.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G06.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G11.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G14.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G21.jpg

Next came the light bar (by NFab) and two lights, Hella Black Magic Rallye units.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Light%20Bar/LB03.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Light%20Bar/LB06.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Light%20Bar/LB05.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Light%20Bar/LB08.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Light%20Bar/LB09.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Light%20Bar/LB14.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Grille/G19.jpg

Great write up and nice looking truck. Over all a nice project. The new tires make a noticeable difference in ride and handling?

The ride and handling, not to mention noise levels, all improved. Plus, the narrower tire may have helped my MPG a bit.

Good choice on the new rims. They really look nice on your truck.

Thanks! I like these rims MUCH better.

:thumbsup: wow great write up and good looking truck Maddog :alien::alien:

Thanx, boss. I know I am not done...there's a few more things to do. :)

This quite the thread!
Kinda gives me a deja vu feeling. ;)

LOL @ Brad. Nice to see ya here, buddy.

Nice . Truck looks awesome . What a transformation .

Just read the whole thing, nice truck. You showed a dyno graph on the first page, was that the baseline or after tuning and how much hp/tq did you gain? You got any vids on youtube of the exhaust?

Thanks, Tom.

The dyno graph shows both runs, before and after. HP & torque gains vary across the RPM band. What I like about it is that I make a LOT more HP & torque at a lower RPM than stock which really helps to move the truck from a dead stop.

Got a vid here. All you can hear is the knobby tires:

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%202007%20Ram/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/?action=view¤t=PICT0009.flv (http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%202007%20Ram/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/?action=view&current=PICT0009.flv)


http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%202007%20Ram/2%20Mod%20Pics/Predator/?action=view&current=PICT0009.flv

ughhh....gotta fix my photobucket links...

Did a bit more modding last night. Added the truck box and will put jack mounting brackets on tonight.

Nice looking box and jack . Where ya gonna mount the jack at ?

On the backward facing vertical box wall.

Too much time away from home and on the road kinda slowed my modding down a bit...but...finally, my NFab step bars are on.

What it was....

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB02.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB09_zps199ae498.jpg

What had occurred...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB06_zpsab80ca93.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB10_zpsdae7a1db.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB11_zps57b5e844.jpg

What it is...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB12_zpsc8316f61.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/2%20Mod%20Pics/Step%20Bars/SB14_zps0b1be683.jpg

Those new bars look great. And losing the chrome is always a good idea, IMHO

Those bars are a nice way to make the guys that go out an buy standard type bars to try to achieve the look of all the other trucks feel like they made a mistake. lol very nice...oh wait, I have standard type bars... :(

Dangit! Mine are chrome too. :Hiding:

I had wayyy too much fun and got the truck all dirty!!!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/3%20Places%20and%20Travels/P9240012.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/3%20Places%20and%20Travels/P9250025.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/3%20Places%20and%20Travels/P9250052.jpg

Did about 90 miles on some gravel roads along some of our power canals.

When I got home, I washed it up and then went and picked up my new tool storage:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/Dodge%20Truck/1%20Ramzilla/3%20Places%20and%20Travels/DSC_0071.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/MADDOG95/The%20House/DSC_0072.jpg

Very nice tool box.

I am officially jealous. :thumbsup:

Like a lot of guys, I had 2 or 3 small chests and a small roll-away staged here and there. Sometimes, not being able to find a specific tool, socket, etc...led me back to Sears. As I began to aggregate the various chests, I've "discovered" I have 2, 3 or 4 of the same things. :D

Well, now I have a small chest in my garden shed, a good sized kit in the truckbox and the big unit in the garage.

And wonder of wonders, I still have some empty spaces in the big box to fill. LOLOL

I have tools all over the garage too. I just cleaned it up 2 mo ago and it all went to hell already. I have a nice roll cab with 2 large chests on top but it is 5.5 feet tall and if I got one of those wider units it wouldn't have to be as tall. The only thing keeping me from spending the money is that every time I have the money I end up seeing something else that I either want/need instead.

nice looking truck!!