Desert Dawg Ram Rebel Build

[Desert Dawg]

but awesome cnt wait to see finish product

Oh, if BDS came out with a 4-inch Fox 2.5 system, I would be all over it. But I can always revisit down the road, I just needed to get my truck up and running for now.

 

[Jazekay]

I have a set of 6112 sitting in the garage waiting to go in. Can’t wait for your impressions.

 

[nainey_09]

dam sucks i was thinking of upgrading my fox 2.5 suspension to ones that are about 4 inchs also haha

I have the fox 2.5’s, 2 inch level, and i had no problem fitting 35’s under there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Desert Dawg]

I have a set of 6112 sitting in the garage waiting to go in. Can’t wait for your impressions.

I'll be sure to post as soon as get my truck back. May be a bit before I try them out off road.

I have the fox 2.5’s, 2 inch level, and i had no problem fitting 35’s under there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great to know; everything I could find suggested the same.

 

[ayoslickxd]

I'll be sure to post as soon as get my truck back. May be a bit before I try them out off road.



Great to know; everything I could find suggested the same.

its tight tho. like even some rub … hence why i wanted a actual 3 inch or 4 inch lift on my rebel

 

[Desert Dawg]

So soon after the install of a new set of Bilstein 6112s to replace the one busted Dirt Logic coilover, I set out on a short road trip to see how things worked out.

First, the 6112s are set at their highest level for 2-inches of lift on the Rebel. I retained the Fabtech UCAs along with the Dirt Logic 2.25 rear shocks and coil spring spacer. My existing wheel/tire setup cleared fine including at full lock despite the truck now sitting about 1/2-inch lower than with the Dirt Logic coilovers.

First part of the trip was a 5-hour ride from my home in Albuquerque, NM to Durango, CO and a quick stop in Silverton, CO and finally up into Ouray. Highway speeds average ~75 mph and reported gas mileage right at 16 mpg (which is pretty good for a heavy full-sized truck on 34s and other mods going mostly uphill to over 10,000 ft.).

The new 6112s rode brilliantly; the entire ride was very smooth with the 6112s soaking up everything in their path. Handling still felt great and the coilovers provided confidence with great rebound control.

​

It was a rainy trip up so only took a couple of quick shots coming into Ouray:

​

The next day was about finding an easy trail to put the 6112s through some off-road pacing. Luckily, I found one with a lot of ruts and smooth exposed rock shelves that I was able to traverse. The coilovers soaked up everything without an issue and provided a comfortable ride in the process. This is no comparison to my last trip using the Dirt Logics to crawl over high rock ledges and boulders (certainly not going to do that with just the Bilsteins) but it was a good feeling that the 6112s can still take you off the beaten path.

​

So barring any need for more technical four wheeling, I am pretty happy with the new setup even though I lost some of the stance I wanted with my build. Next test will be out on some desert runs to see how they soak up dips and dunes.

​

 

[Desert Dawg]

Well, this is the end........................................I think.

Earlier this week, I had to get into the office earlier than usual and so I go out to leave only to find that my +$60K , low mileage 5th Gen Ram Rebel is totally dead, again. If you recall, I posted exactly a year ago when I went out for an off-road adventure up in Ouray, CO but found that the truck was totally dead that first morning. First, I had tried a normal jump from another vehicle but to no avail. Since Ouray is a small mountain town with one mechanic (who has a ton of Jeep and 4Runner knowledge but no 5th Gen Ram experience), and definitely no auto stores exist there either, I paid for a service truck to come from another town over 40 miles away to perform a power jump before committing to towing the truck to the nearest Ram dealership that was also over 40 miles away. Luckily, the professional jump start worked and I made the trip back home to Albuquerque, NM. Took the truck to my local dealership and of course they could not find any issues. But since that event, I have had no additional "dead battery" issues...until now.

Luckily, I had purchased a Tacklife battery jumper after my last episode up in Ouray just so I wouldn't get stranded out in the desert or mountains somewhere; I totally don't feel like I can rely on this vehicle not to mention the recurring issues with my 12-inch screen randomly going blank (glad I paid extra for that option) and the console's USB ports shorting out all the time too (and yes, the dealer could not replicate nor find any issues) along with some other minor annoyances. After hooking up the Tacklife, I couldn't get the truck to start and received an error message stating the battery was "too low" to jump. But the device has a "boost" mode just for the occasion so I pushed that and the truck started up after a couple of attempts.

I just turned 20K on the odometer after almost 3 years of ownership and now I have to make another trip to the dealership again.

So I think this latest event sealed my thought process on changing the Rebel out for something that will more closely meet my need for reliability (not chance getting stranded somewhere remote) and off-road capability. To the former, if I only drove the truck in town and didn't take it on long road trips or to remote areas, I might be more inclined to deal with it more and work with Ram and/or the dealership to figure things out, maybe. To the latter, it's a double whammy as I certainly can't rely on the vehicle to go off-road but also can't really achieve the off-road build I want without investing heavily again into another suspension that won't break on the trails.

I have been toying with the idea of going back to a Toyota 4Runner as I had lots of fun building my last one to my specs (ton of aftermarket) and taking it on a wide range of off-roading adventures due to its smaller size and great off-roading capability (especially after the mods). Plus, it is still a decent daily driver, good for the dogs, can tow my trailer for weekend Home Depot runs if needed, and is a lot more comfortable to take on long distance, highway trips (vs. the Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator that is not good at high speeds and noisy or even the new Bronco that is just too noisy too out on the highway). I went over to the Toyota dealership and placed my name on the wait list for a 2023 TRD PRO or TRD Off-road Premium (yes, the old 4Runners are still very hot right now probably for similar reasons as folks don't want to chance the newer, more complicated versions coming out....aka, new Tundra issues). The current 5th Gen 4Runner is certainly old tech but it works , you can mod them like crazy and beat them up on the trails, and they will last +200K-300K miles without stranding you somewhere.

But I haven't signed on the dotted line yet.

 

[ayoslickxd]

sounds like you have something drawing some power … maybe check thet out first before switching…

 

[Desert Dawg]

sounds like you have something drawing some power … maybe check thet out first before switching…

Yeah, I suggested that too the last time I dropped the truck off at the service department.

I think it may be the USB deck in the center console as it constantly powers up and down when I am driving. Doesn't seem to be affected until something gets plugged into the USB ports (iPhones) as then I get weird "bell like" sounds in sequences of (3) through the front speakers and my dash cam (also plugged into one of the USB ports) will power off and on repeatedly at random times. I tried using different cables and they all had the same issues. I then removed the center console to check out the port connections and they all seemed secure, so might be that the port modules are bad themselves and causing a drawdown (?).

I told my dealer all of that and they said that they checked out everything and could not duplicate the issue. The service manager could not get specific with me what that meant but I doubt that they plugged devices into the ports and then drove the truck around. I say that because when I had taken my truck in the last time, I also complained about some loud squeaking noises coming from the rear end when I go over bumps. I just happened to still be at the dealership waiting on my ride when I saw a tech get into my truck and literally just drive it out of the parking space to make a couple of passes around the dealership parking lot (all smooth paving) and then drive straight into the shop. When I asked the service manager about what they did to check out that issue, his response was that they took the truck out for a test drive and could not duplicate the issue. When I told him what I had observed, he was dismissive and said the tech reported that a test drive was performed and it did not duplicate the issue; end of discussion.

They also said that they would not replace the port modules until they can duplicate that issue as well but I have very low confidence that they actually investigated the issue. Same responses when I tired to get them to check out the 12-inch screen blackouts. That issue happens randomly ( so far, it has happened 4 times) but its annoying and disconcerting as I lose control of many features until it finally decides to power up after a few restarts.

I keep taking my truck to the same dealership because 1). it is where I purchased my truck, and 2). it is very close to my home. But it has occurred to me that the service department there may not be best in class, so another option is try and get into another dealership but logistically that would take some doing as the only only dealership is way across town.

Anyway, the first time that the battery was dead, nothing was plugged in so can't figure out what might be drawing the battery down. My Rigid LED pods have backlighting but that feature is not connected since I am currently using a 2-way switch which is off (lights are always off). This time, there was a cord plugged into a port but no device was connected.

I am scheduling another service date with the dealer so will let folks know what they find out in case others on the forum are having similar problems!

 

[CMil527]

So soon after the install of a new set of Bilstein 6112s to replace the one busted Dirt Logic coilover, I set out on a short road trip to see how things worked out.

First, the 6112s are set at their highest level for 2-inches of lift on the Rebel. I retained the Fabtech UCAs along with the Dirt Logic 2.25 rear shocks and coil spring spacer. My existing wheel/tire setup cleared fine including at full lock despite the truck now sitting about 1/2-inch lower than with the Dirt Logic coilovers.

First part of the trip was a 5-hour ride from my home in Albuquerque, NM to Durango, CO and a quick stop in Silverton, CO and finally up into Ouray. Highway speeds average ~75 mph and reported gas mileage right at 16 mpg (which is pretty good for a heavy full-sized truck on 34s and other mods going mostly uphill to over 10,000 ft.).

The new 6112s rode brilliantly; the entire ride was very smooth with the 6112s soaking up everything in their path. Handling still felt great and the coilovers provided confidence with great rebound control.

​

It was a rainy trip up so only took a couple of quick shots coming into Ouray:

​

The next day was about finding an easy trail to put the 6112s through some off-road pacing. Luckily, I found one with a lot of ruts and smooth exposed rock shelves that I was able to traverse. The coilovers soaked up everything without an issue and provided a comfortable ride in the process. This is no comparison to my last trip using the Dirt Logics to crawl over high rock ledges and boulders (certainly not going to do that with just the Bilsteins) but it was a good feeling that the 6112s can still take you off the beaten path.

​

So barring any need for more technical four wheeling, I am pretty happy with the new setup even though I lost some of the stance I wanted with my build. Next test will be out on some desert runs to see how they soak up dips and dunes.

​

GREAT SHOTS!

 

[mac-oly]

Have you decided on whether or not you're keeping it?

 

[Desert Dawg]

Have you decided on whether or not you're keeping it?

Yes, I am going to sell it as I convinced myself I would be happier with a shorter wheel-based off-roader.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Talk about being a yo-yo!

Been doing a lot more heavy research on the dead battery issue and finding all sorts of potential causes and fixes. So I decided to try them all out to see if I can at least narrow down the field before making another complaint and bringing the truck back to the service department. Basically doing what the dealership technicians should be doing, but I don't trust that they have anyone there who wants to think this through and investigate potential causes themselves. And by chance I do find someone at the service department that actually cares and will dive into it, I know the truck will be at the bottom of the "to do" list and it will sit for several days if not weeks (as reported by others that tried doing the same). Anyway, if I can pinpoint one or two potential areas for them to focus on, maybe I'll get something fixed under warranty.

So hopefully I am successful and keep this truck for the longer haul.

 

[ayoslickxd]

good luck pretty sure you will find it since it is your truck

 

[Desert Dawg]

Okay, I had my rant! I just can't part ways yet with the Rebel and the battery has not died again since my last episode a couple weeks ago, so I am back to wanting to keep it. But if it does leave me stranded again, I will definitely be giving it the boot.

So, I decided to tackle the install of the Vice Design hidden winch system that has been sitting on my work bench for past few months. I knew it would take some effort and I just didn't have the time and energy to tackle it yet. Sure enough, it turned out to be a bit harder than the Vice Design video would suggest (to be fair, they do say it's a 2-person job) but I finally managed to get 'er done...mostly.

I broke my project up into two parts with Part 1 focused on bumper tear down, removal and rewiring of my Rigid bumper-mounted lighting, winch bracket assembly and installation of my Smittybilt X20 12K winch, and bumper installation. Part 2 is unfinished for the winch power connection, reconnecting my Rigid lights with a new Cali Raised power controller, attaching a thicker Warn fairlead, spooling in the synthetic winch line, and attaching the Factor 55 Ultrahook. Part 2 also includes cutting off the Smittybilt supplied, hardened steel winch hook so that I can install and use the Ultrahook. If I screw that up, I will have to invest in new synthetic rope to spool onto the winch.

Tools needed are 18MM, 19MM, and 22MM sockets for the bumper/frame and winch bracket assembly but also get yourself an 18MM ratchet wrench because the (2) inner bumper studs (one on each side) are replaced with longer studs that are hard as heck to torque back up once the bumper goes back on (update; I am still struggling in getting the remaining "inner" bolts tightened up on either side as it is extremely difficult trying to get any sockets or tools onto the nuts since there is just no room with the winch assembly installed - I recently purchased a "shorty" 19MM wrench and flex-head ratchet wrench set and will let you know what works best). The other time saver is investing in a right angle magnetic bit holder for your drill as it really speeds up the removal/installation of the fender flares (if you have any), inner wheel liners, and lower bumper insert. The rest are standard metric and SAE sockets, wrenches, and torque wrench. Everything is torqued to 85 ft. lbs. with exception of the tow hooks (I believe they were at 136 ft. lbs.).

I am not going into all of the gory details as the Vice Design and other videos hit most of them. Also, since I did most of the work myself way into the wee hours of the morning, I didn't stop to take too many pictures of the work progress so I apologize for the lack of useful photos.

It seemed like I just did this but first step was to remove the front bumper in its entirety which required substantial removal of the fender flares (both sides) and headlight under bezel panels (which was a pain as there is a hard to see and unscrew 10MM bolt nestled up under the fender where the bezel connects to the body), removal of the front bottom portion of the wheel well liners, removal of the tow hooks, and un-torqueing the bumper's frame bolts. My bumper mounted lights also made for additional work as I had to disconnect and pull out all of the wiring that I had connected up but I took this as a positive step since I wanted to redo that wiring anyway.

​

Once the bumper was removed, I secured the whole assembly onto to work bench so that I could remove the lower grille section and cover. This required the removal of a number of push pins and pinch screws of which some were a bear to do, but best advise is be patient and just keep working them. The scariest part is removing the center support behind the grille; I used a Sawzall with a fine tooth blade that made fast work of the metal cuts; I then filed down the cuts and used Rust-Oleum spray paint to coat the cuts.

Once done, I took the opportunity to clean up my previous wiring work and zip tied everything out of the way so nothing would get caught up while reinstalling the bumper.

​

After cutting out the center portion of the support, and removing the lower grille and back cover, you install the Vice Design front cover (with openings for the fairlead, clutch handle, and parking sensors). That was a royal pain too as it took a while to figure out that you literally have to stretch (it's metal, so that takes some doing) the cover to line up with the clip tabs and reuse some of the pinch screws in such a way to prevent the cover from bowing out once tightened and under tension. Having someone to help with that part is highly recommended (and use thick gloves). Also, my kit was missing the parking sensor mounts so I removed the factory ones from old plastic grille and inserted them. I may still ask Vice Design to send the matching metal ones to make sure I don't have any issues in the future.

There is some assembly required while mounting the winch to the hidden winch bracket but most was straightforward as long as you follow the directions. I had opted for the remote winch control box that gets mounted up in the engine bay; I really wanted this feature to both protect the control box and provide easy access for the remote controller. Installing that with the supplied metal mounting bracket was kind of frustrating as it just never lined up neatly with any of existing bolts in the engine bay until you finally realize it's okay to bend the mounting bracket until it does.

​

Once installed, you swap out the standard power wiring with the extended length wiring that gets fished from the control box down to the bumper. I was smart enough to figure out that wiring the winch after the assembly was installed would be a pain in the derriere, so I had planned to wire up the extended cables to the winch before fully installing the assembly onto the truck.

But of course, that didn't happen. In my haste (it was getting really late), I totally forgot to do that despite my preplanning and went right to installing the winch assembly onto the frame which took some doing. If it wasn't such a pain balancing and fitting the assembly (pretty heavy to lift, balance, and bolt up the winch and bracket if doing by yourself), I would have taken the whole thing apart and finish the wiring with the winch removed. So, it was a lot of fun trying to make those connections as I barely had room for my fingers to fit into the space where the electrical studs were located (I lost almost all of the kit provided hardware as I kept dropping nuts and washers into the winch bracket assembly and could not be recovered). Luckily, I had plenty of extras of the right size in my stash and eventually I got everything secured. Regarding the initial fitting of the winch assembly, I was able to use two jack stands and 2x6 boards and shims to get the winch assembly up high enough on a (semi) stable platform and carefully slide the passenger side behind the bumper mount on the frame and line up the driver side perfectly for bolting onto the frame. Again, follow the directions before fitting the whole assembly; you should have pre-installed the driver side mounting bracket onto the assembly first and then install the passenger side mounting bracket after the driver side is bolted to the frame (but keep everything supported until the passenger side is secure).

​

Backside of installed winch assembly with electrical studs on top of left side of winch....no room for mistakes here:

​

I could not get the bumper reinstalled by myself. The replacement bumper frame bolts would not stay secure enough with the press washers while trying to line up both sides by myself. I tried tying strings around the loose bolts that allowed me to keep the bolt somewhat straight while guiding them to their locations but it just wasn't working. I probably wasted an hour or so trying to get the bumper back on. Finally, a friend of mine was able to drop by and within 20 mins or so, we were able to center the bumper perfectly and connect the frame bolts.

After that, it was reinstalling the bezels, flares, liners, etc.

I didn't take any final pictures but Part 2 should be finished shortly and will share once done!

​

 

[pnw_rcutv]

Curious thus far what is your take on the Dirt Logic vs 6112. Those are the same two setups I'm looking at except the Dirt Logic kit is more readily available right now.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Honestly, two different kinds of shocks with different purposes:

Dirt Logic 2.5 Coilovers: definitely tuned more for higher speed Baja style running. They did provide a good balance between ride comfort, increased ride height/clearance (especially since getting close to 3-inches of actual lift on Ram Rebel is hard to do without resorting to a spacer system or drop bracket kit) to fit larger tires, and modest performance while off-roading.

Bilstein 6112s: definitely tuned more for daily driving but still allowing to fit up to 34-35 inch tall tires. They do not provide anywhere near the off-road performance as the Dirt Logics, Icons, Foxes, etc. but they ride smooth (still just a tad stiffer than the Rebel/OPR Bilstein shocks) and won't break the bank. But on the Rebel, they did cost me about an inch of front lift.

In hindsight, I spent over $3.2K for the Fabtech/Dirt Logic system when they were one of the first to market for the new Gen Rams but I should have waited as that kind of money would be better spent towards an Icon, King, or Fox system ( especially if you actually need some off-road performance). But to be fair, even now there are no real quality 3-inch "off-road" coilover systems for the Ram Rebel as most will only net about 2-inches (or less) of actual lift. But considering that I managed to shear a piston rod for a 2.5" diameter shock on a moderately difficult trail, it makes me second guess the Dirt Logic build quality (at least for their 3-inch systems as their 6-inch coilover systems provide thicker diameter piston rods). Even if 100% my fault (I figure it must be at least 50% since I chose the trail), the fact that Fabtech/Dirt Logic would not help me out in my time need to purchase just (1) replacement coilover (they told me that they would gladly resell me another complete system again or have me wait 8-9 months before they would see about about opening up an order), I don't think I would recommend them anymore.

 

[ayoslickxd]

Honestly, two different kinds of shocks with different purposes:

Dirt Logic 2.5 Coilovers: definitely tuned more for higher speed Baja style running. They did provide a good balance between ride comfort, increased ride height/clearance (especially since getting close to 3-inches of actual lift on Ram Rebel is hard to do without resorting to a spacer system or drop bracket kit) to fit larger tires, and modest performance while off-roading.

Bilstein 6112s: definitely tuned more for daily driving but still allowing to fit up to 34-35 inch tall tires. They do not provide anywhere near the off-road performance as the Dirt Logics, Icons, Foxes, etc. but they ride smooth (still just a tad stiffer than the Rebel/OPR Bilstein shocks) and won't break the bank. But on the Rebel, they did cost me about an inch of front lift.

In hindsight, I spent over $3.2K for the Fabtech/Dirt Logic system when they were one of the first to market for the new Gen Rams but I should have waited as that kind of money would be better spent towards an Icon, King, or Fox system ( especially if you actually need some off-road performance). But to be fair, even now there are no real quality 3-inch "off-road" coilover systems for the Ram Rebel as most will only net about 2-inches (or less) of actual lift. But considering that I managed to shear a piston rod for a 2.5" diameter shock on a moderately difficult trail, it makes me second guess the Dirt Logic build quality (at least for their 3-inch systems as their 6-inch coilover systems provide thicker diameter piston rods). Even if 100% my fault (I figure it must be at least 50% since I chose the trail), the fact that Fabtech/Dirt Logic would not help me out in my time need to purchase just (1) replacement coilover (they told me that they would gladly resell me another complete system again or have me wait 8-9 months before they would see about about opening up an order), I don't think I would recommend them anymore.

well im a rookie but everything you write and have said has helped me alot lol hence my fox 2.5. 2/3 dsc purchase just trying to fiqure how to get half a inch more

 

[pnw_rcutv]

Honestly, two different kinds of shocks with different purposes:

Dirt Logic 2.5 Coilovers: definitely tuned more for higher speed Baja style running. They did provide a good balance between ride comfort, increased ride height/clearance (especially since getting close to 3-inches of actual lift on Ram Rebel is hard to do without resorting to a spacer system or drop bracket kit) to fit larger tires, and modest performance while off-roading.

Bilstein 6112s: definitely tuned more for daily driving but still allowing to fit up to 34-35 inch tall tires. They do not provide anywhere near the off-road performance as the Dirt Logics, Icons, Foxes, etc. but they ride smooth (still just a tad stiffer than the Rebel/OPR Bilstein shocks) and won't break the bank. But on the Rebel, they did cost me about an inch of front lift.

In hindsight, I spent over $3.2K for the Fabtech/Dirt Logic system when they were one of the first to market for the new Gen Rams but I should have waited as that kind of money would be better spent towards an Icon, King, or Fox system ( especially if you actually need some off-road performance). But to be fair, even now there are no real quality 3-inch "off-road" coilover systems for the Ram Rebel as most will only net about 2-inches (or less) of actual lift. But considering that I managed to shear a piston rod for a 2.5" diameter shock on a moderately difficult trail, it makes me second guess the Dirt Logic build quality (at least for their 3-inch systems as their 6-inch coilover systems provide thicker diameter piston rods). Even if 100% my fault (I figure it must be at least 50% since I chose the trail), the fact that Fabtech/Dirt Logic would not help me out in my time need to purchase just (1) replacement coilover (they told me that they would gladly resell me another complete system again or have me wait 8-9 months before they would see about about opening up an order), I don't think I would recommend them anymore.

This is good to know. I don't do near the off-road adventures you do (with my truck that is). I have a dedicated UTV with 24" travel Fox 3.0s so have that covered. My truck is the general tow vehicle and all around daily with the occasional FS road jaunt. I think the 6112 sounds like the better fit overall albeit less lift which is fine. I also called Fabtech and asked questions and couldn't even be told if they were digressive valving or not, didn't give me the warmest feeling overall even though they look like a solid setup.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Gotta love the Holidays! Weekend at the cabin.

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