Replaced the Dodge Ram

[GoneCamping]

Well, it finally happened, I sold the 99 Dodge Ram 3500 gas powered Dually a couple of weeks ago. I got kind of a premium price for it here in Maine where old trucks up here are nothing but rust buckets, my truck was a Florida truck, and has never been run in salt, it's clean as whistle under there!!

In it's place, is a 09 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD, which gives me several upgrades, including a 10 year upgrade, the Duramax Diesel, Allison Transmission, Extended cab (gets the dog & doggie bed out of my front seat), and 2 or 3 times the fuel mileage. They only downsides are, a little rust over rear wheel wells (if I can't fix it, I can buy a rust free bed when I'm back in Florida this winter), and it lacks certain creature comforts like power windows, mirrors, and door locks. But I can add those things in without any problems (I added them to the Dodge a few years ago as well)...

[4Campers]

Nice truck. That's one sweet upgrade, just the extra room will be nice. Once you add the creature comforts it will be one heck of a ride.

[toomanytents]

Nice!!

[GoneCamping]

I've already added in the power windows & door locks, upgraded the radio, have new 5th wheel frame brackets and bed rails on the way from etrailer.com, helper springs to prevent squat coming in too. Next up are the power mirrors (with power folding option) and a hard cover 3 or 4 fold Tonneau for the bed. Oh, and added factory/OEM style fender flares to hide the rust (which I treated with a rust inhibitor, picture below).

[GoneCamping]

Just an update, got the 5th wheel frame brackets & bedrails and hitch head installed on Monday, also put a Tonneau cover on it, this time it's a hard cover instead of a soft cover, still a triple fold so I can tow with it in open position. Next up is the power mirrors, which is going to be kind of difficult. This truck is not wired for power mirrors, and having power fold option is even more wiring. I've got the switch assembly and the mirrors, and by Saturday I should have a factory OEM wire harness for the drivers door. Not sure, I may have to "Frankenstein" the mirror switch, or buy different interior door panels (at considerable cost), so we'll see. Power fold can be easy, they work just like the windows, simple 12 Volt positive & negative one way, reverse polarity the other way, I could make them fold using my spare window switches if need be!

[toomanytents]

Being able to do this kind of work sure beats going to the dealer to say "I want these features....." and being told "Oh, that's only available with part of a package" (90% of which you don't want)...

When I start with "I want knobs and buttons I can feel, I won't drive watching a TV screen....", they translate that into "Oh, you're the kind of cheapskate who wants crappy headlights....."

[GoneCamping]

I want all the good stuff, but can't afford it. So I just find a way to make it happen on the cheap....