Hi All,
I started this thread to share (maybe inspire, feel free to add posts on your own) fellow 2nd gen owners on the refresh of my truck as while its getting older, I think there are simple ways to make it fit better into the modern world.  This mindset started when I started considering buying a 4th gen, and while they are awesome I realized that with a little TLC my 2nd gen could fit better into the modern truck world and I could avoid a truck payment! 

What I have done thus far:

1.    New shocks on all four corners (no pics, sorry)
2.    Additional lighting upfront (I can get a picture this weekend)
3.    Removed, cleaned and remounted the weather-stripping (no pics, but made a huge diff in wind noise).
4.    Replaced the front / rear sway bar bushings (pics below, 100% improvement in ride)

 

Future Items (next few weeks/months) – Will be better on pics!

1.    Heat wrap downpipe to trans mount (heat / sound reduction goal, manifold & turbo already wrapped)
2.    Big Line Kit from filter housing to vp (I have my upgraded fuel pump feed into the stock housing).
3.    Traction bars for the rear (goal is improve power transfer / remove axel twist)
4.    New front control arm bushings
5.    Interior deep clean
6.    Additional sound deadening under carpet
7.    Updated speaks / stereo (still researching)
8.    Attempt to Fix my cruise control
9.    Fix my dripping transfercase
10.    Valve Adjustment Check and new injectors    
 

Good ideas and I thank you for sharing.  

Thanks for sharing

Mine needs some rejuvenation if I could find the time.  Is your cruise fly by wire or vacuum controled?

Lookin forward to the progress. Could you post links or brand/part numbers to what you’re getting/replacing? 

Sway bar bushings would be a good idea for my truck. 

 

11 hours ago, NightHawk said:

3.    Traction bars for the rear (goal is improve power transfer / remove axel twist)

I'm interested in what you do here. I've got a mild issue with axle wrap now. Daily driving isn't so bad, but lay the power to the truck and axle hops up and tires spin lose. 

 

11 hours ago, NightHawk said:

5.    Interior deep clean

Little secret I'll share. Take the seats out and then pull the carpet out. Now hang the carpet or lay it over a picnic table. Now using a power washer with a wide angle nozzle you can power clean that carpet fast. It will be like factory fresh when it dries in the sun. I've done this on the 1996 Dodge Ram once and it looked like a new truck on the inside for several years. Now its due for this again. So is the 2002 Dodge it needs to have the carpets washed badly. While the seats are out you can clean them much easier. The rest of the cab is super easy to clean at that point too. Check your floor metal for damage or rust and deal with it while the carpet is out of the truck. 

 

11 hours ago, NightHawk said:

1.    Heat wrap downpipe to trans mount (heat / sound reduction goal, manifold & turbo already wrapped)

Just for fun compare. Being I've got the Quadzilla tuner and not carrying the camper like you do. My average transmission temp empty is like 100-120*F right now with 70*F temperature after driving 150 miles. My EGT's hover around the 550*F at 65 MPH on flat ground. I actually welcome some heat to the transmission being it really never gets hot enough to get off the 100*F mark now. Now towing that will change a bunch but right now 95% of my travel is going to be empty truck. 

 

I know the heat wrap in your case will be a bonus with the weight and wind resistance you have. 

Edited April 20, 20187 yr by Mopar1973Man

I have a heat blanket on my exhaust pipe from about 1 foot from the turbo down to the end of the transfer case.  I ran into heat issues towing as the constant 900* exhaust pipe only a few inches from the transmission was causing a heat issue when climbing long hills.  The blanket helped immensely.

 

I chose not to wrap the exhaust either because wrapping is very difficult to get perfect, causes corrosion build up and rust, and eventually fatigues the metal from excessive heat under the wrap.  I can show you a picture if you care.

1 hour ago, KATOOM said:

I chose not to wrap the exhaust either because wrapping is very difficult to get perfect, causes corrosion build up and rust, and eventually fatigues the metal from excessive heat under the wrap.  I can show you a picture if you care.

I would care to see a photo of how you are using the blanket to keep heat away from the transmission.  

 

Nice!!!!! 

 

How many miles on your truck? How hard were the sway bar bushings? That is not a bad idea.

 

I am currently on a very similar path with mine. Gauges and injectors next week.

 

As far as a 2nd gen fitting in a modern truck world. Sure, I can see that mechanically and performance wise. 

 

But looks wise, I think they stick out. To me the lines of a 2nd gen are one of the most pleasing out of all pickups and there are getting to be fewer decent ones. 

 

I got a lot of stares last weekend when I took the truck to town.

 

2 guys in a jacked Duramax were eyeballing the truck and I said to myself "There are a lot of your trucks out there but there is only one like this."

 

Keep us posted on your progress! 

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Sway bar bushings would be a good idea for my truck. 

 

I'm interested in what you do here. I've got a mild issue with axle wrap now. Daily driving isn't so bad, but lay the power to the truck and axle hops up and tires spin lose. 

 

Just for fun compare. Being I've got the Quadzilla tuner and not carrying the camper like you do. My average transmission temp empty is like 100-120*F right now with 70*F temperature after driving 150 miles. My EGT's hover around the 550*F at 65 MPH on flat ground. I actually welcome some heat to the transmission being it really never gets hot enough to get off the 100*F mark now. Now towing that will change a bunch but right now 95% of my travel is going to be empty truck. 

 

 

Does this happen when getting on it from a stop or is this when getting on the goods in a roll on? 

 

The only time I had axle wrap in my old truck was sometimes when letting out the clutch other than that no issues. But I never got on it from a stop or low speeds either. It was more noticeable after new clutch was put in.

 

How are your shocks? 

 

I have found that gas shocks are not helpful to vehicles rear ends planting and hooking up. At all. 

 

When I first got the little truck the rear end would not hook at all even with traction bars. Hind end would break loose at 70 and start skating when you got on it. 

 

The old owner said the truck always did this even with new shocks. 

 

Well the shocks were gas shocks, nothing special. 

 

Neighbor and I rooted through the spare parts and found 2 Afco oil valved shocks for dirt track cars. Resistance going in and resistance going out. 

 

Absolutely incredible what those did. The truck would now squat and the nose would raise up when getting on it. It hooked yesterday. 

 

Just something to think about. 

 

 

As far as your tranny temp. I had a temp gauge on the old truck since very early on. It ate the temp sensors. 

 

If it was reading low (100 or so) I knew I needed a new one. Put a new one in and fixed. 

 

I never saw that low of tranny temps even in sub zero weather.

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 20187 yr by Ben

10 hours ago, KATOOM said:

 

 

I chose not to wrap the exhaust either because wrapping is very difficult to get perfect, causes corrosion build up and rust, and eventually fatigues the metal from excessive heat under the wrap.  I can show you a picture if you care.

I have been thinking about this, but instead of a 'wrap' just do a heat shield. Somehow make spacers that hold the heat shield with an air space and anchor well enough to not rattle.

 

I too was surprised how fast trans temps rose hauling the rv up a long grade, but did not know the exhaust affected it so much. Thank you.

 

Edited April 20, 20187 yr by JAG1

10 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

I have been thinking about this, but instead of a 'wrap' just do a heat shield. Somehow make spacers that hold the heat shield with an air space and anchor well enough to not rattle

I have been thinking about the same thing. I have some aluminum step tread, thought l would put a 15* or so bend in it and use some u bolts and spacers to hold it there along the tranny.

 

12 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

Don't forget the chicken grease on the leather 

Guess I better get some leather, I thought you just used it on the upholstery. No wonder my seats feel strange.

Find 3" (4"?) U bolts with long shanks.  Clamp it to the pipe, and then hold your shield using two nuts on the exposed threads.

Edited April 20, 20187 yr by trreed

17 minutes ago, trreed said:

Find 3" (4"?) U bolts with long shanks.  Clamp it to the pipe, and then hold your shield using two nuts on the exposed threads.

Good one. I have been saving curved pieces of stainless for future heat shield work. Even saving old ss percolators to cut in half.

 

Dripley, I'm glad you took that well..... I thought I deleted it on time before I got in trouble lol.

Should be just enough air space to help.

4 hours ago, Ben said:

How are your shocks? 

 

Might be the next step for me I'm closing in on 200k miles on these Rancho's.

I like this idea much better with the amount of road salt used in my area. Wrapped anything will rot much faster. 

48 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

Dripley, I'm glad you took that well..... I thought I deleted it on time before I got in trouble lol

I would have to change my name if chicken jokes offended me. Then where would I be when I tell folks to laugh at themselves.

 

32 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

Very similar to what I was thinking.

Dieselfuture how is it that I see a canister filter what looks like its under the turbo? And fuel lines don't run along on that side

 

Is that a filter devoted to the turbo?

Thanks in advance.

Oil bypass setup.  Lines are the hard lines for the CAD

Edited April 21, 20187 yr by trreed

9 hours ago, JAG1 said:

Dieselfuture how is it that I see a canister filter what looks like its under the turbo? And fuel lines don't run along on that side

 

Is that a filter devoted to the turbo?

Thanks in advance.

@trreed nailed it. That's the bmk21 kit from amsoil. I welded a bracket to frame in that location because I didn't like where they wanted you to put it, (up front by apps sensor or someplace by alternator) it's out of the way and protected where it is now. Easy access.