Months ago, we predicted the wave of '02 Rams that would be in front of our cameras about this time of year, and judging from our last two covers, we were right. In addition, just hours after completing this issue, we will be hitting the road to Las Vegas for the annual SEMA Show, where we will no doubt be hit with another crop of highly modified Rams, making all of you hard core Dodge fans happier than you've been in a long time.
One of the very first Rams we heard about that was going to be 'bagged and get wheels even larger than the factory 20-inch alloys was from a guy by the name of Travis Sutton. Travis is a 25-year-old Air Force sergeant and is also a member of the Phoenix chapter of the Severed Ties truck club. He had been driving back and forth to his station in South Dakota and decided his shaved and 'bagged square-bodied S-10 wasn't cutting the mustard anymore. When he began to see the new Rams on the road, he made a beeline for the dealership.
If a fairly straightforward...
If a fairly straightforward 'bag install such as this can make the new Ram look this good, imagine what the future holds.
Travis figured he would just lower the truck a few inches so the 20s would fill the fenderwells, but he quickly learned that there would be no lowering kits available until much later in the year. He contacted fellow Ties member Kurt Forqueran, owner of Auto Core in Phoenix, who confirmed what Travis heard and helped him brainstorm other ideas. They came up with an idea to 'bag the truck using a reverse triangulated four-link setup in the rear and contacted Truckin' so we could follow the installation of Auto Core's new kit, which we featured in the Oct. '02 issue.
Lots of odds and ends had...
Lots of odds and ends had to be relocated once the inner fenders were removed to make room for the 22s.
Up front, Kurt created 'bag mounts and mounts for the relocated shocks, and removed the inner fenders. Several items in the engine compartment, including the battery, had to be relocated for the tires to clear when the truck was laid out. The airbox was scrapped, and a K&N filter sits directly atop the throttle body. In the rear, the factory setup was stripped down to the framerails and rear axle to make room for the new setup. The framerails were C-notched and reinforced and a crossmember was added into the frame behind the rear axle to mount the two upper links. Firestone 26C bags were used at all four corners, as well as DJM shocks. The truck was hard-lined using 3/8-inch copper tubing and Fabco air valves that are fed by a Viair compressor and 5-gallon air tank. Boyd Coddington 22x10-inch Timeless II wheels were wrapped in P295/30ZR22 Scorpion P-Zero tires from Pirelli.
Travis "had 20s," but opted...
Travis "had 20s," but opted for a set of 22-inch Boyd Coddington Timeless II wheels anyway.
While the rest of the mods under the engine compartment were taking place, a Hypertech reprogrammer was added for performance, as was a Flowmaster muffler and a custom-bent 3-inch tailpipe. While still at Auto Core, Kurt removed the rear bumper and hand-built a steel roll pan with license plate box and painted it to match the body. When we heard that Trenz was going to be the first to introduce a billet grille for the new Ram, we informed Travis, who was among the very first to get his hands on one. Line-X of Phoenix was contacted to spray the bed, and since Travis is such a fan of the Ram, they sprayed the logo right into the liner at the front of the bed.
Inside the cab, Travis gutted the stock stereo system and installed an Alpine CVA-1006 head unit for his listening and viewing enjoyment. All of the stock speakers were replaced with Alpine Type R components throughout the cab. Travis then built a custom center console that houses a 12-inch Eclipse subwoofer as well as a Sony PlayStation 2 and had it upholstered in leather and cloth by Able Auto Upholstery in Phoenix. An Alpine V-12 amp is located under the seat to power up the system and a top-of-the-line Viper alarm was installed to deter intruders.
While most people consider their trucks daily drivers, Travis takes the term very seriously. After completing the truck to this point in just 3 months, he has logged more than 20,000 miles on the truck driving from Phoenix to South Dakota and back. We're sure you'll be seeing more of this truck, though. Travis has just left to go overseas for six months and has dropped off the truck at Auto Core with a laundry list of mods for Kurt to perform. This is just one indication of the long run of Rams you will be seeing in the near future.