What did you do to your Ram today???

[boogielander]

I plan on making a day trip and heading to flag staff.

I’ll say a limiteds air suspension does not like the terrain out here I got a warning on the dash for the air and decided to take a break and let it rest

yeah lol lots of things affect air suspension.

oh when you're on the way to flagstaff spend a day or two at sedona too. beautiful place but can be crowded. gotta replenish your truck's energy ya know

 

[HSKR R/T]

So last week I did the FitCamX but didn't wire up the rear because the rear cam cable is not long enough to go all the way to the back of my camper.
Installing it on the rear glass inside the cab is just straight up dumb for my use because... ding ding ding! the camper's in the way.

I contacted FitCamX for the spec of the rear cam extension cable, but they gave me the runaround. First, the rep said because I have the 2K front version, there's no cable that works (I didn't read the description properly when I ordered... should've got the 4K one but oh wells). Then, the rep said he/ she checked and 2 5 meter cables would work instead of the 20ft cable that I wanted to order from their site.

I responded by saying that this truck sees a lot of dirt miles and offroad use, so extending 2 5meter cables is something I am not going to do. I am running the cable along the frame UNDER the truck, so having connectors that are not waterproof or not locked is not going to work. I then asked the rear cams on both 2K and 4K models are both 1080P and use the same camera, so what's the difference?

Rep couldn't answer that, gave me the same response: 2k front will only work with 2x 5m cables. I thought about responding to the email in Chinese (which I am fluent in... i spent my first 18 years of my life speaking the language living in Taiwan) so the rep can better understand my needs and questions, because I had the feeling that dude/ dudette wasn't understanding me properly (or I wasn't understanding properly) and there's some sort of communication barrier.

So I thought about it for 2 minutes and decided to just tell them to cancel my order and I'd probably have better luck and get my cable faster if I just get it from Amazon... both are made in China but at least with Amazon I can get it in my hands in 2 days instead of waiting for a week for them to send from West Taiwan. All I had to do was to find a caliper and get the measurement for the male and female 4 pin cable (6mm and 4.40/ 4.45mm... both worked). Reason I have both 4.40 and 4.45mm is because I had one extra 10ft cable that's 6mm + 4.40mm, and I ordered a 16ft one that's 6mm + 4.45mm.

So, I ended up using 3 extension cables:
1. The FitCam included one to go from the front to the footwell.
2. The 16ft one (Amazon.com) to go from the footwell through firewall to the front of the cab, up the hole by the front tie down.
3. The 10ft one (Amazon.com) go from the front tie down follow the bed rail, up the rear GFC post, to the camera mounted on the rear window.

So, it took about 26ft of cable to get this working properly. Routing the cable was easy, since I already have harnesses that I made going to the camper already. Running the cable through the firewall took most of my time, because I already have a big bundle going through the firewall for my Switch Pro, HAM radio, and in-cab power supply, and I didn't want to make the whole on the firewall any bigger (I could, but I didn't want to so I don't have to do additional waterproofing).

Front 2K cam:
View attachment 179352

Rear cam, mounted on camper. I think I cleaned the glass already at this point.
Had to wear safety goggle because... i hate dirt falling into my eyes when I was under the truck. Had to wear head lamp because... I couldn't see when I was under the truck.
View attachment 179353
Camera from outside view. I don't know why there's a bubble but I wasn't about to remove it and redo it. I'll get some 3M VHB on it when it falls off.
View attachment 179354
Camera view from inside the camper.
View attachment 179355

I thought about getting the front cam only version, but decided that it'd be better if I have the rear too. Very glad I got it to work... the only question is... how long will these China cable last under the truck lol

I know you said you already had harnesses along the route you chose, but would it have worked better to route the cable through the cab, remove the rear seat and exit through the cab vents in black of cab? Then up into the bed. Would limit the amount of cable exposed to elements

 

[boogielander]

I know you said you already had harnesses along the route you chose, but would it have worked better to route the cable through the cab, remove the rear seat and exit through the cab vents in black of cab? Then up into the bed. Would limit the amount of cable exposed to elements

it would if i didn't have nothing going out the firewall. that's a good idea i didin't think of at the time!

 

[z0n3]

First update for me in a long while. This weekend I picked up a set of 20x9 1mm offset fuel rebels for under $1,000. Couldn't pass the deal up and looking for tires now.

 

[Dogpatch]

Your videos and write ups have certainly been helpful to the 5th Gen Ram community. The Raptor guys are definitely going to benefit from your upcoming projects.

Well said!

 

[DCRAM]

I plan on making a day trip and heading to flag staff.

I’ll say a limiteds air suspension does not like the terrain out here I got a warning on the dash for the air and decided to take a break and let it rest

Flagstaff is beautiful - you should check out Lockett Meadow if you and the family are into hiking a bit. Nice little fire road drive then up the side of the mountain to the trails. One of our favorite hikes out there amongst all the Aspen Trees.

 

[1BADRAMLIMITED]

Flagstaff is beautiful - you should check out Lockett Meadow if you and the family are into hiking a bit. Nice little fire road drive then up the side of the mountain to the trails. One of our favorite hikes out there amongst all the Aspen Trees.

Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[boogielander]

well today, in preparation for my big trip that's still under planning stage, I took the last Wildpeak AT3W in 35x12.5R18 that I could put my hands on. It will be spare tire for my spare tire, so later down the line i'll need to get a matching wheel.

i could order an AT4W for the same price but I don't want to replace all at3w when they only had about 10k miles on them lol

took delivery for the last AT3W today but wheel's not here yet. Also will be delaying on the mounting because I decided to get TPMS sensors for both the spare that's mounted under and the spare for the spare that's still not mounted.
also measured my friend's ultra swing tire carrier today to see if the regular sized one will fit on the Ram. It is way too close to tell if it will... couldn't test fit because friend forgot the key to the tow hitch pin lock. At this point I think I may just wing it and bring only 1 spare to do Dempster in Canada and Dalton in Alaska and save myself $1500 on the mega fit ultraswing that's designed for full size trucks.

yeap, this year's proposed mega trip is going from SoCal through Canada to Alaska to visit Homer, Seward, Whitter, Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, and Deadhorse then swing back to Canada to take Dempster to the end of the road in Arctic Circle, then swing down to Banff and then cross back to Montana to see Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton NP then head back down to SoCal.

I said proposed because 1. i'm taking 2 months off to do this and it will be over 10k miles for the trip. 2. my parents may decide to come visit for fall so it's a race to see who confirms what first. and 3. there are lots of moving parts with this, including fitting all the supplies, gears, and spare parts into the truck while leaving the camper available to work as an office in the middle of nowhere.

oh and 4... i'm still having difficulty planning and plotting the first leg of the trip: getting to Oregon LOL

less than 5 months to go to get it all ready!

 

[PurpleRT]

Well thats gonna be one hell of a shakedown trip lol

 

[boogielander]

Well thats gonna be one hell of a shakedown trip lol

i've been shaking it down lol
just the first time i'll have to carry all the tools and supplies... all other times i have our trail lead/ supply truck with me at least.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Had the lower control arm replaced 2 months ago. I'm heading to that shop to give them an earful tomorrow.

The lower bolt was loose as well.

Any updates?

 

[JamRam]

Any updates?

Went to the shop on Monday but the owner was away on vacation till Wednesday (yesterday). They promised to relay my complaint and have him get back to me.

Well wouldn't you know it?!

The owner called me yesterday afternoon and told me to bring the car in for a rim and caliper replacement. I have an appointment for next Wednesday.

I never count my chickens before they hatch but so far, I'm starting to feel like they may earn a second chance.

We'll see....

 

[Rock Crawler]

Went to the shop on Monday but the owner was away on vacation till Wednesday (yesterday). They promised to relay my complaint and have him get back to me.

Well wouldn't you know it?!

The owner called me yesterday afternoon and told me to bring the car in for a rim and caliper replacement. I have an appointment for next Wednesday.

I never count my chickens before they hatch but so far, I'm starting to feel like they may earn a second chance.

We'll see....

Good news.

 

[HEMIJAKE]

Renewed my registration at $105 for the year. I won't complain too much, I know some of you guys have it much worse. It does burn me a little though when Pennsylvania asks me to donate to 6 different charities though when I check out

 

[Redz72]

Renewed my registration at $105 for the year. I won't complain too much, I know some of you guys have it much worse. It does burn me a little though when Pennsylvania asks me to donate to 6 different charities though when I check out

I recently transferred my NJ tags to PA. Cost me over $300 just to get legal in PA. Then additional $105 per year for Truck reg. It could be worse. At least I’m not still in commie NJ.

 

[HEMIJAKE]

I recently transferred my NJ tags to PA. Cost me over $300 just to get legal in PA. Then additional $105 per year for Truck reg. It could be worse. At least I’m not still in commie NJ.

We're happy to have ya. I have a lot of thoughts about NJ, and they tend to mirror my thoughts of NY. But that's a story for a different day.

 

[seansmd]

wait till you get to flagstaff area!

tempe you're close to scottsdale.... the beverly hills of AZ lol and also close to Chandler, the chinatown of PHX as i like to call it lol

Hey that's my home, China Town wtf!

 

[seansmd]

Thank you for the suggestion!

We just tried that hike in the fall and I believe the fire road was closed, so it extended out hike in.

 

[Waterfowler41]

I know this isn't a Ferd forum and you might catch from some of the Mopar diehards, but post up pics of your new Raptor after you pick it up.

Your videos and write ups have certainly been helpful to the 5th Gen Ram community. The Raptor guys are definitely going to benefit from your upcoming projects.

Here she is. 2023 Raptor in Azure Blue with 801A package. Moonroof (which I could live without) and the tailgate step (which in the first 24 hours of ownership, I have fallen in love with it). Parts are stacking up and I'll be diving into the truck next month. Thing is a dream to drive, so smooth and fast compared to my Rebel. The selectable exhaust button is pretty sweet.

 

[Grape_Ape]

Renewed my registration at $105 for the year. I won't complain too much, I know some of you guys have it much worse. It does burn me a little though when Pennsylvania asks me to donate to 6 different charities though when I check out

$20/per vehicle here in my area of Georgia