2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab Love-Hate

My relationship with LMC started with my ’78/’77/’86 Chevy GMC that started as a ’78 Sierra 2500 and then ended up a mix of parts. I tore that thing down to the frame and built me a real truck. Well I got tired of climbing in and out of it and switched to a Z71 2001 Tahoe that ended up wrecked when I was run off the road by an illegal immigrant. Well then I had to go and build a ranch on vacant land out here in CO up west of the divide.

Yep, I needed a truck again. I needed to be able to tow a heavy gooseneck stock trailer, a flatbed goose neck, and smaller trailers loaded to the max.

Well we all know I needed a Dodge with the Cummins and 4 wheel drive to boot. So being a ranch truck, it would be abused so a new one was out of the picture, plus there was the $$$ to consider. So I finally found me an ’01 Dodge Ram 2500 4×4 quad cab.

It plows with an 8.5′ wide plow, it hauls lots of weight. Got some heavy hay once and was grossing 34k and had a memorable trip home. It has the High Output 5.9 engine and 6 speed manual.

I put a Banks exhaust brake on it, air intake, cable lock for the 4 wheel drive, decent tires and wheels, an air horn, and cleaned up the radiator.

Since then, it feels like a marriage you can’t escape without the in-laws hauling you back home.

Each year it aggravates me with some new pain in the arse to fix. This year it’s the pos dash and heater core I have to get fixed.

In the 80’s I had an ’86 Chevy 1-ton 2WD that I built up into an amazing truck.
It hauled a 36′ foot trailer and could gross 40k. Did all the tricks to that short block 454 that could be done. From the factory, it got 3 mpg loaded and 5 mpg empty. Once finished, it would run with a semi loaded at 80k with a 350 Cummins on the interstate. The only thing I didn’t do was give it a flip fwd hood like on say a C6500. I put it side by side with one and saw how I could use the tall block 454, radiator, etc all on my cab and frame.

So since I’ve become completely disgusted with the Dodge and computerized vehicles, I’ve finally determined how to divorce this Dodge.

I’m going to find and older Chevy/GMC 3 or 4 door 3/4 ton with 4wd and build
me a real truck again. This time I’m going with a 6V53 Detroit that I know how to make stand up and walk and do everything I need. The 6 speed Spicer 5+1 is what I need or an Allison Auto with a 2 or 4 speed Browning air shift. I’ll be able to haul a 40′ flatbed gooseneck with hay, plow snow, and tell the computerized vehicle world to kiss my grits.

In the meantime, I just want to send out a thanks to all who post about my current miserable nagging Dodge and it’s relatives. There’s cool trick to
install that heater core and LMC has the dash replacement I need. I found a couple You-tubes about the installs which was pretty dang nice.

So once I build my replacement GMC/Chevy, any young whippersnapper that wants an ’01 like mine with a Meyer plow, is welcome to come get it.