Desert Dawg Ram Rebel Build

[James8563]

The black rhinos also

The Black Rhinos would probably be your best bet for off road , the fuels would be more for the streets

 

[Desert Dawg]

Wheel Selection

Well, I had ordered the Black Rhino Duggers in the 18x8.5 +0MM offset. I just thought the Duggers were the most off-road focused wheel of the group both in design and functionality with its recessed profile and removable rock ring. Plus, you don't see too many of these around.

Once the wheels arrive, I may take the rock rings and have them painted Granite Metallic to tie in with the truck a little more.

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I am hoping the wheels arrive sometime next week but still a few weeks out for the suspension.

 

[Desert Dawg]

I had also looked at the dirt logics before I went with the ready lift 2 inch with UCA’s. I decided to wait for Fox/king/Bilstein Too see what comes out for their coilovers for the ram rebel , for the price I got the kit I pretty much just paid for the UCA’s which I will use in the future for the coilovers I wanted so it was a win win situation.

Yeah, in talking with Icon initially, they thought their Stage 1/Stage 2 systems would only net out about 1.5-inches of lift over the factory Rebel suspension height. I didn't find anything specific from King at the time but honestly kind of stopped researching once I decided I wanted to try something different since I already ran the King, Fox, etc. and selected Dirt Logic. I really can't wait to check out the Dirt Logic UCAs once I get them as I wanted something stout so will be interesting to see how they compare to the SPC or Total Chaos UCAs I have used in the past; hopefully I won't be disappointed.

 

[LincolnSixAlpha]

In the meantime, I went ahead and ordered a 3-inch Dirt Logic lift system from Fabtech that comes with front Dirt Logic 2.5 coilovers, new heavy duty upper control arms, and rear Dirt Logic extended length shocks.

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The Fabtech-Dirt Logic system will cost almost twice what I paid for the Teraflex-Falcon system but also will be getting a more robust off-road system with very good on-road ride quality as well (hopefully near the Falcon level of quality). The Dirt Logic shocks are now constructed with a stainless steel body and patented piston rod for improved durability and corrosion resistance (which has been an issue on older systems in the past).

Proof is in the pudding so will be very curious on how the system actually performs (and if I net out the full 3-inches of lift). The system is on back order due to the COVID-19 situation but hopefully will have it in about another month. So more to come...

With respect to the Fabtech lift you ordered, did you assemble some sort of parts lists, or was there simply a line item that included all parts? As I'm browsing the Fabtech site, I do not see anything other than some spacers for the 2019-2020 RAM for an actual lift. Hoping you can shed some light on how you went about assembling all of the parts, or even perhaps sharing part numbers as I'd be interested in costs associated with lifting my Rebel.

Well, a quick google search cured my issues. I'm assuming that perhaps you may have picked up this system?

3" Ball Joint UCA Lift Kit w/ Front Dirt Logic 2.5 Coilovers & Rear Dirt Logic 2.25 Shocks - K3169DL

The mild lift height from this 3" ball joint uca is subtle yet gives the vehicle a commanding stance without over doing it.

fabtechmotorsports.com

That said, I did some basic shopping and came up with this, as I do like those Duratrac wheels. I had KM3's on my JL Rubicon, and the road noise was way too much for me, although an awesome tire otherwise.

 

[Desert Dawg]

With respect to the Fabtech lift you ordered, did you assemble some sort of parts lists, or was there simply a line item that included all parts? As I'm browsing the Fabtech site, I do not see anything other than some spacers for the 2019-2020 RAM for an actual lift. Hoping you can shed some light on how you went about assembling all of the parts, or even perhaps sharing part numbers as I'd be interested in costs associated with lifting my Rebel.

Well, a quick google search cured my issues. I'm assuming that perhaps you may have picked up this system?

3" Ball Joint UCA Lift Kit w/ Front Dirt Logic 2.5 Coilovers & Rear Dirt Logic 2.25 Shocks - K3169DL

The mild lift height from this 3" ball joint uca is subtle yet gives the vehicle a commanding stance without over doing it.

fabtechmotorsports.com

That said, I did some basic shopping and came up with this, as I do like those Duratrac wheels. I had KM3's on my JL Rubicon, and the road noise was way too much for me, although an awesome tire otherwise.

Yes, Fabtech's grouping of systems is kind of weird as they group all (spacer lifts and lift systems) as "UCA" lifts with the spacer systems listed first. But to answer your question, you are correct as the system you referenced (Part No. K3169DL) is what I ordered; it is an actual lift system with the Dirt Logic 2.5 front coilovers actually providing the front lift, replacement UCAs, and spacers for the rear coilovers with Dirt Logic 2.5 extended length rear shocks. I did look at sourcing everything separately as I considered different UCAs (Total Chaos again since I had good performance with those in the past) but decided I would just try out the complete Fabtech system given the price. I am pretty sure I will be happy with the Dirt Logic coilovers/shocks but can also replace the Fabtech UCAs down the road.

You spec'd out the exact Duratrac tire I would order if I go that route although I had Duratracs on another build and they eventually got loud as well but not as bad as some MTs I ran. I also been itching to try the BFG KM3s based on the looks and off-road reviews but hesitant about using them for a lot of road trips as well (I remember my KM2s which got loud after some wear and were also not great on packed snow/icy road conditions which was a concern since I do drive/wheel up in the mountains). So really appreciate your confirmation about the excessive road noise with the KM3s. I think going for another MT is going to be a stretch for me on this build as I have gotten spoiled with the newer hybrids out there (especially with the Nitto Ridge Grapplers that I have run on my past couple of builds...very quiet with great street performance and really decent soft sand and even hard rock performance). I won't go back to the Nitto Trail Grabber as it was a great looking tire but not great in slippery conditions (hard packed snow, wet rock, etc.) and they also were excessively loud and tiresome on road trips. But I like the MT look a lot so also looking at the new(er) General Grabber X3 or I might try another set of the Cooper SST PRO again. The Yokohama Geolander MT G003 also piqued my interest but have to do more research with on- and off-road performance and tire wear/noise performance.

Edit: Another reason why I might not go with the Duratracs in a larger size is that the sidewalls are not near as thick as other offerings which is a concern for when I air down or encounter larger rock outcroppings and logs when trailing. Last thing I want to worry about is punctures while out on some mountain trail somewhere. On the flip side, the thinner sidewalls make the tires a lot lighter than most so they provide a lot less rolling mass to overcome and will be provide better mileage on longer road trips than a much heavier hybrid or MT. But there is also a trade-off with road handling as the thinner sidewalls in a taller tire will provide more flex on turns so will not have as good handling characteristics and turn-in feel as a stiffer tire.

 

[Desert Dawg]

My wheels got here sooner than expected! I was stressing a little about the wheel coloring not quite working with the Ram's Granite Metallic paint and matte black trim on the grille, etc. but I was pleasantly surprised on how well the wheels match both. I just mocked up the rock ring so all of the black mounting bolts are not installed:

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The replacement rock ring is an exact match with the Rebel's matte black grille surround, fender flares, and other trim while the painted metallic gun black wheel is darker than the website photos and turns out to be almost dead-on too with the rest of the truck. Yah!

Now I need to concentrate on getting the right tires.

Edit; grammar/sentence corrections

 

[Ride2little]

Those look amazing. Can't wait to see them installed.

 

[Stevenc150]

just a thought..


Btw awesome thread

 

[James8563]

just a thought..

View attachment 55883I did the letters yesterday switched them out with black ones, but was wondering what is that on top of the roof?
Btw awesome thread

 

[Desert Dawg]

Those look amazing. Can't wait to see them installed.

just a thought..

Btw awesome thread

@Ride2little; thanks...I can't either. I think I have a few days to decide on tires before the lift gets in so hoping to have them mounted by end of the month.

@Stevenc150; thanks...I have actually been toying with the same idea on getting the skidplate sprayed with a matte black bed liner. Thanks for the photoshop!

Edit; spelling correction

 

[MikeyLikey619]

Looking forward to see how they look!

 

[PorBoy]

Looking sharp.

 

[Chuck19]

@Ride2little; thanks...I can't either. I think I have a few days to decide on tires before the lift gets in so hoping to have them mounted by end of the month.

So what are your tire choices you are trying to decide between?

 

[Desert Dawg]

Looking forward to see how they look!

Thanks...hope to have them on soon!

Looking sharp.

Hey PorBoy...thanks again!

So what are your tire choices you are trying to decide between?

Should be my next post!

 

[Chuck19]

Thanks...hope to have them on soon!



Hey PorBoy...thanks again!



Should be my next post!

I’m on pins and needles ! Enjoying the progress and detail of your build!

 

[NHjake98]

My wheels got here sooner than expected! I was stressing a little about the wheel coloring not quite working with the Ram's Granite Metallic paint and matte black trim on the grille, etc. but I was pleasantly surprised on how well the wheels match both. I just mocked up the rock ring so all of the black mounting bolts are not installed:







The replacement rock ring is an exact match with the Rebel's matte black grille surround, fender flares, and other trim while the painted metallic gun black wheel is darker than the website photos and turns out to be almost dead-on too with the rest of the truck. Yah!

Now I need to concentrate on getting the right tires.

Edit; grammar/sentence corrections

 

[NHjake98]

Those are very sweet. Did you go with the 18 x 8.5 and 0 offset?

 

[Stevenc150]

Care to share about the pics themselves? As in what camera/filter/etc u used

 

[Desert Dawg]

Those are very sweet. Did you go with the 18 x 8.5 and 0 offset?

@NHjake1989; thanks, I really like them even more in person! Yes, I went with the 18x8.5 +0MM Offset. I wanted the wheels/tires pushed out to the outside of the fenders but didn't want the tires to extend much past the fenders (if not almost flush) so that I don't have the tread throwing up debris at the truck. Based on my tire selection, I should be pretty close.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Care to share about the pics themselves? As in what camera/filter/etc u used

Well, I have a couple of mirrorless Fujis I use but most of the pics so far in my build thread have been either an iPhone 6 or 11...lol. But the quality will go up once I get to more of the glamour shots and off-road photos and videos.