What did you do to your Ram today???

[RAMonkey]

Made her shiny and I keep going out to the garage to take a look. Put in ORP rear springs for the extra inch. It was way too level without them.

 

[HEMIJAKE]

i checked the charge of the shocks at a buddies shop... all good thankfully!

View attachment 149021

Next time you're there, let's see some more of his Jeeps!

 

[SKT Customs]

Well, dang it, that’s not really what I want to hear. Lol

For the fog lights, I do plan on getting the flood pattern and for the center light bar I plan on getting the combo pattern. I will say that I’m not the kind of guy that always drives with my fog lights on for looks really, just out of preservation for the life of the bulbs more than anything. But whenever I’m closer to home where the roads are not lit and deer are everywhere, is when I crank them up. For most of the routes I drive, I could probably keep the aftermarket lights completely off until I’m around town. But the main reason for getting them is fog and snow.

Even when I drive the Jeep with the two rough country pods and 30 inch light bar on the bumper as well, I don’t get flashed when the amber backlight is on alone because it’s not that bright - but I can keep the pods on the bright white light shining through the amber lens and just turn the light bar off until I pass someone and so far in a few years that has not warranted anyone flashing me as well. Obviously, these lights are not as bright as Baja or DD though. I kind of figured since my truck is not lifted and usually in aero mode, that having the lights lower and angled more to the road would help with not blinding anyone.

I went “amber happy” when we were moving everything we owned in my old jeep 7 years ago because that’s all we had at the time and it was incredibly foggy and raining on a crazy winding back road and that was the scariest drive we’ve ever been on! Lol Since adding the amber it’s been so much better.

I obviously still have some thinking to do. Is there a noticeable quality difference of the bezels from Retro Shop vs OEM? I actually live close to Retro Shop and Diode Dynamics, so I wonder if I can contact them and figure out how to stop by there.

I mean you can turn them on whenever there’s no cars coming towards you & you’ll be fine, so backroads avoiding deer and stuff will be fine! Maybe the Baja designs SAE rated squadrons are better for daily driving (they’re less powerful and have a different lens), but for the regular powered ones I would not want to be on the receiving end of that light my lights are kinda aimed down at the ground as well and I’ll get flashed immediately if I turn them on. My truck is lifted so it’s about 10” taller than stock so that plays a role but still, it doesn’t matter where the lights are aimed, they’re still so bright that I would not recommend turning them on in any environment with other drivers around. Unless the driver cuts you off, then give ‘em h*ll

 

[SKT Customs]

Took it to my buddies shop today. He replaced the tie rods (they were shot from 1.5 years of 35s and 1.5 years of 37s), changed the rear diff fluid, added some coil isolators to stop the progressive real coils from slapping together, got my wheels rebalanced because I started to notice my tires cupping, got a laser alignment, full suspension retorque where we found a loose coilover bolt & loose swaybar bolt, and fixed the rear coil because we realized it was kinda sitting crooked in the coil bucket.
Now the truck feels so much tighter and sturdier! So let this be a PSA, even if your truck is strictly a daily driver/mall crawler like mine, still check your suspension once in a while to see if anything’s come loose or anything is worn!

 

[jimothy]

Well, dang it, that’s not really what I want to hear. Lol

For the fog lights, I do plan on getting the flood pattern and for the center light bar I plan on getting the combo pattern. I will say that I’m not the kind of guy that always drives with my fog lights on for looks really, just out of preservation for the life of the bulbs more than anything. But whenever I’m closer to home where the roads are not lit and deer are everywhere, is when I crank them up. For most of the routes I drive, I could probably keep the aftermarket lights completely off until I’m around town. But the main reason for getting them is fog and snow.

Even when I drive the Jeep with the two rough country pods and 30 inch light bar on the bumper as well, I don’t get flashed when the amber backlight is on alone because it’s not that bright - but I can keep the pods on the bright white light shining through the amber lens and just turn the light bar off until I pass someone and so far in a few years that has not warranted anyone flashing me as well. Obviously, these lights are not as bright as Baja or DD though. I kind of figured since my truck is not lifted and usually in aero mode, that having the lights lower and angled more to the road would help with not blinding anyone.

I went “amber happy” when we were moving everything we owned in my old jeep 7 years ago because that’s all we had at the time and it was incredibly foggy and raining on a crazy winding back road and that was the scariest drive we’ve ever been on! Lol Since adding the amber it’s been so much better.

I obviously still have some thinking to do. Is there a noticeable quality difference of the bezels from Retro Shop vs OEM? I actually live close to Retro Shop and Diode Dynamics, so I wonder if I can contact them and figure out how to stop by there.

The bezels RetroShop offers are OEM, stamped with the Mopar part numbers and all.

They’re only needed if you have the LED fogs. If you’ve got the halogen fogs, then you don’t need replacement bezels.

 

[FLiPMaRC]

So I researched this a bit online, and find that glass is a little bit harder than steel.
However, it seems that steel wool makers are quite a bit more enthusiastic about the idea than glass makers. Methinks I'll stay on the cautious side of the issue.

I have scratched up my windshield by using a regular scouring pad. I think steel wool would do just the same.

 

[Bpebler]

The bezels RetroShop offers are OEM, stamped with the Mopar part numbers and all.

They’re only needed if you have the LED fogs. If you’ve got the halogen fogs, then you don’t need replacement bezels.

Thanks! I have the Limited as well so I’ll need them.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Well, dang it, that’s not really what I want to hear. Lol

For the fog lights, I do plan on getting the flood pattern and for the center light bar I plan on getting the combo pattern. I will say that I’m not the kind of guy that always drives with my fog lights on for looks really, just out of preservation for the life of the bulbs more than anything. But whenever I’m closer to home where the roads are not lit and deer are everywhere, is when I crank them up. For most of the routes I drive, I could probably keep the aftermarket lights completely off until I’m around town. But the main reason for getting them is fog and snow.

Even when I drive the Jeep with the two rough country pods and 30 inch light bar on the bumper as well, I don’t get flashed when the amber backlight is on alone because it’s not that bright - but I can keep the pods on the bright white light shining through the amber lens and just turn the light bar off until I pass someone and so far in a few years that has not warranted anyone flashing me as well. Obviously, these lights are not as bright as Baja or DD though. I kind of figured since my truck is not lifted and usually in aero mode, that having the lights lower and angled more to the road would help with not blinding anyone.

I went “amber happy” when we were moving everything we owned in my old jeep 7 years ago because that’s all we had at the time and it was incredibly foggy and raining on a crazy winding back road and that was the scariest drive we’ve ever been on! Lol Since adding the amber it’s been so much better.

I obviously still have some thinking to do. Is there a noticeable quality difference of the bezels from Retro Shop vs OEM? I actually live close to Retro Shop and Diode Dynamics, so I wonder if I can contact them and figure out how to stop by there.

Mount them, aim them, then take it out on a side road somewhere with another vehicle and see how bad it is. I was driving the other day with my Rough Country light pods on and wasn't getting flashed. But I still want to see how bad it is for myself.

 

[penguinphan]

Sounds like a fun project!

It's a little out of my skillset. I have the police bike at a shop right now. They cleaned the carbs and the gas tank and they are replacing all the gaskets, seals, etc... Next are the brakes and new tires and hopefully I'll be riding it in a few weeks. They belonged to my dad who passed away last month. I promised him that they would be running again.

 

[Rick3478]

Man!!!

You guys take this cleaning thing to a whole 'noder level!

Some even compound things by getting a white truck.

 

[JamRam]

Some even compound things by getting a white truck.

My white truck was always white and I don't do half the things that are often discussed on this forum.

Most o you guys must have some 49 hour days while I'm stuck with the regular 24.

 

[HEMIJAKE]

My white truck was always white and I don't do half the things that are often discussed on this forum.

Most o you guys must have some 49 hour days while I'm stuck with the regular 24.

My white truck has been much easier to keep clean than other vehicles I've owned. Not perfect, but fairly clean. I will never buy a black vehicle again though ha.

 

[jimothy]

Thanks! I have the Limited as well so I’ll need them.

Just in case you need one more option (albeit a more expensive one), here’s one using four Baja S2 pods.

Aesthetically, I like them the best, and would have considered them despite the cost had I known about them.

That link shows white lights, but no doubt you’d be able to order amber, or two amber, two white as @vandersnoot did.

I wonder if you’d be able yo order just the brackets and use them with DD SSC2 pods.

 

[Jako]

I have scratched up my windshield by using a regular scouring pad. I think steel wool would do just the same.

There are different degrees of pads.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/c/abrasives/handheld/hand-pads/b/scotch-brite/

From some of my woodworking reading material I believe the 0000 steel wool was less abrasive than the nylon pads or the writer felt that way.

 

[boogielander]

Took it to my buddies shop today. He replaced the tie rods (they were shot from 1.5 years of 35s and 1.5 years of 37s), changed the rear diff fluid, added some coil isolators to stop the progressive real coils from slapping together, got my wheels rebalanced because I started to notice my tires cupping, got a laser alignment, full suspension retorque where we found a loose coilover bolt & loose swaybar bolt, and fixed the rear coil because we realized it was kinda sitting crooked in the coil bucket.
Now the truck feels so much tighter and sturdier! So let this be a PSA, even if your truck is strictly a daily driver/mall crawler like mine, still check your suspension once in a while to see if anything’s come loose or anything is worn!

or just use a paint marker and mark all the nuts and bolts. That way you can do frequent visual checks.
I check my markings every time before I air down and air up. If i need to remove the nut and bolt somehow then I use brake cleaner to wipe off the markings to make new ones.

 

[SKT Customs]

or just use a paint marker and mark all the nuts and bolts. That way you can do frequent visual checks.
I check my markings every time before I air down and air up. If i need to remove the nut and bolt somehow then I use brake cleaner to wipe off the markings to make new ones.

That’s smart too! At one point I had them marked but after adjusting the lift a few different times I didnt check the marks

 

[HemiDude]

It's a little out of my skillset. I have the police bike at a shop right now. They cleaned the carbs and the gas tank and they are replacing all the gaskets, seals, etc... Next are the brakes and new tires and hopefully I'll be riding it in a few weeks. They belonged to my dad who passed away last month. I promised him that they would be running again.

I’m sorry for your loss, it’s great that you can keep your word to him though. Here’s hoping for good riding weather when the time comes!

 

[BowDown]

I've never heard of cleaning glass with steel wool. Is that something you've done before?

I have 0000 steel wool, did it a few weeks ago

 

[BowDown]

Others beat me to answering your question. The key is the right steel wool. Too abrasive and it will cause swirling or scratching. 0000 steel wool isn't abrasive enough to scratch glass. There is a specific product for glass restoration that eluded me but you make a paste and buff the glass with it. This didn't seem like it needed that level of effort. However, the mineralized water spots were tough and uniform. Maybe I'll take pics or a quick video to show you what I am doing, in the event it's helpful for someone. It worked great, it just takes a lot of elbow grease. You can all do vinegar as someone mentioned but that has to sit and still requires aggressive rubbing. Lemon and salt are virtually worthless. There are a ton of videos on YT showing side by side comparisons of the various methods.

I used rayon pads and Carpro Ceri Glass after using 0000 wool. Windshield wasn't getting clear with plain washing

 

[Bpebler]

Just in case you need one more option (albeit a more expensive one), here’s one using four Baja S2 pods.

Aesthetically, I like them the best, and would have considered them despite the cost had I known about them.

That link shows white lights, but no doubt you’d be able to order amber, or two amber, two white as @vandersnoot did.

I wonder if you’d be able yo order just the brackets and use them with DD SSC2 pods.

I will find out and let you know! Thanks for the heads up!