Hi, Jean, your ordered truck looks so much like mine that I thought I would respond. You're right, keep those doors locked. But that bedliner, I dunno. S'cuse me for sticking my nose in somebody else's business, but if you have a choice, get a spray-in bedliner like Line-X or maybe Rhino. The factory bedliners trap water under them, plus, they get grit underneath them and that "sandpapers" the paint. The dealer should be willing to pull it out for you. Again, forgive me for offering unasked for advice. I've just "been there, done that" and thought I'd mention it.
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Auto Door Locks
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Hi, Jean, your ordered truck looks so much like mine that I thought I would respond. You're right, keep those doors locked. But that bedliner, I dunno. S'cuse me for sticking my nose in somebody else's business, but if you have a choice, get a spray-in bedliner like Line-X or maybe Rhino. The factory bedliners trap water under them, plus, they get grit underneath them and that "sandpapers" the paint. The dealer should be willing to pull it out for you. Again, forgive me for offering unasked for advice. I've just "been there, done that" and thought I'd mention it.
Originally posted by lschultz
I went by the dealer yesterday to get me a bottle of touch up paint(which they gave me)and order me some of those molded mud flaps and I told them I could not get the door locks to disarm so they put there Master computer on it and its done now. Now when I go some where I don't here the click of all four doors locking.
I also went to an truck accessory shop and had them install a clear bra across the front. That should eliminate most if not all of the pecks from sand and gravel and you won't need nearly as much touch-up paint. And when you wax your new truck, don't wax the clear bra.
I'd suggest a bit of research before you select a shop to do this work for you. There are good folks in this business that have been around for years, but there are some scoundrels too. Read the TDR and see if there are recommendations.
Bedliners
Jeremiah,
My brain is still making the transition from car to truck so the concept is to 'trunkify' the bed of the truck. I didn't plan to ever run the truck without a bedliner and a cap on it. I'll be carrying re-enactment camping equipment for the most part. My big stuff has canvas cases, so even if it's dirty/wet, it will be encased for hauling.
Am I risking rust under the old style liner even with a cap? Would a regular removal and cleaning help?
Jean
Jeremiah,
My brain is still making the transition from car to truck so the concept is to 'trunkify' the bed of the truck. I didn't plan to ever run the truck without a bedliner and a cap on it. I'll be carrying re-enactment camping equipment for the most part. My big stuff has canvas cases, so even if it's dirty/wet, it will be encased for hauling.
Am I risking rust under the old style liner even with a cap? Would a regular removal and cleaning help?
Jean
Re: Bedliners
What in the world is reenactment camping equipment? Actually, you are facing precisely the problem I have already worked through, which is switching from a car to a truck. Yes, you will need to trunkify the bed. Here's how I did it, which some people will say is redundant: I bought the over-the-rail spray-in Line-X bedliner, which will water- and rust-proof the truck bed forever.
Then I bought a Bedrug and installed it on top of the Line-X. That essentially turns the bed of the truck into a carpeted area you can sleep on. Yes, some say this is redundant, but I didn't care; it's what I wanted.
Although the Bedrug is waterproof (supposedly), chemical proof, dirt proof, etc. , I felt it needed to be protected for those of us who use the truck bed as a trunk. A cap will do that nicely and I prefer the Glastite brand if that's the direction you want to go.
However, I needed the utility of an open truck bed, which a cap eliminates. So I bought an Access Limited roll-up tonneau cover which keeps out 99 percent of whatever water might get inside the bed.
Yeah, I spent a lot of money on the truck bed, but it is precisely what I want and it will be with me for many, many years. If this is something you want to do too, let me know and I will furnish you with web sites, etc. , so you can take a look at them and decide for yourself which way to go.
What in the world is reenactment camping equipment? Actually, you are facing precisely the problem I have already worked through, which is switching from a car to a truck. Yes, you will need to trunkify the bed. Here's how I did it, which some people will say is redundant: I bought the over-the-rail spray-in Line-X bedliner, which will water- and rust-proof the truck bed forever.
Then I bought a Bedrug and installed it on top of the Line-X. That essentially turns the bed of the truck into a carpeted area you can sleep on. Yes, some say this is redundant, but I didn't care; it's what I wanted.
Although the Bedrug is waterproof (supposedly), chemical proof, dirt proof, etc. , I felt it needed to be protected for those of us who use the truck bed as a trunk. A cap will do that nicely and I prefer the Glastite brand if that's the direction you want to go.
However, I needed the utility of an open truck bed, which a cap eliminates. So I bought an Access Limited roll-up tonneau cover which keeps out 99 percent of whatever water might get inside the bed.
Yeah, I spent a lot of money on the truck bed, but it is precisely what I want and it will be with me for many, many years. If this is something you want to do too, let me know and I will furnish you with web sites, etc. , so you can take a look at them and decide for yourself which way to go.
Re: Bedliners
I just realized I didn't answer your other question. A good well-fitting cap will eliminate 99 percent (maybe even 100 percent) of the water that might get inside the bed of your truck. You still risk abrasive grit getting under the factory bedliner, which vibrates just enough to sandpaper the paint. Removing it would be a royal pain because you would have to remove the cap too. The whole idea is to fix it up right the first time and you won't ever have to fool with it again.
The other thing I like about the Bedrug as opposed to the factory bedliner: did you ever crawl up in the bed of a pickup underneath a cap? It hurts like hell and is tough on the knees. The Bedrug eliminates all that and even beckons you to crawl up in the bed and lie down. OK, I'm waxing poetic now, but that's the writer in me coming out. Sorry ...
I just realized I didn't answer your other question. A good well-fitting cap will eliminate 99 percent (maybe even 100 percent) of the water that might get inside the bed of your truck. You still risk abrasive grit getting under the factory bedliner, which vibrates just enough to sandpaper the paint. Removing it would be a royal pain because you would have to remove the cap too. The whole idea is to fix it up right the first time and you won't ever have to fool with it again.
The other thing I like about the Bedrug as opposed to the factory bedliner: did you ever crawl up in the bed of a pickup underneath a cap? It hurts like hell and is tough on the knees. The Bedrug eliminates all that and even beckons you to crawl up in the bed and lie down. OK, I'm waxing poetic now, but that's the writer in me coming out. Sorry ...
Re-enactment Equipment
Re-enactment stuff is bigger and heavier than modern camping equipment.
I have a canvas tent that's 9' by 12' with lots of 6'6" poles to hold it up. It's got 6' tall walls and a canvas floor with a 10' high ceiling and a ridgepole. This isn't a nylon pop-up dome tent. I have a four-poster queen sized bed that goes in the tent as well as a large wooden chair. I carry a 5 branch chandelier and oriental rugs... All this and I still need lanterns, cooler, stove and a folding table.
I'm thinking about the spray in linings over the bed liner, but I really wanted to have that Dodge Ram logo in the middle of the truck bed! You can't get that with a spray in, can you? I'm also thinking about those bars you can put in the truck bed to prevent load shifting. I want to call them Buddy Bars, but I'm not sure that's the right name. Can I put those bars in when I have a bed liner?
Jean
Re-enactment stuff is bigger and heavier than modern camping equipment.
I have a canvas tent that's 9' by 12' with lots of 6'6" poles to hold it up. It's got 6' tall walls and a canvas floor with a 10' high ceiling and a ridgepole. This isn't a nylon pop-up dome tent. I have a four-poster queen sized bed that goes in the tent as well as a large wooden chair. I carry a 5 branch chandelier and oriental rugs... All this and I still need lanterns, cooler, stove and a folding table.
I'm thinking about the spray in linings over the bed liner, but I really wanted to have that Dodge Ram logo in the middle of the truck bed! You can't get that with a spray in, can you? I'm also thinking about those bars you can put in the truck bed to prevent load shifting. I want to call them Buddy Bars, but I'm not sure that's the right name. Can I put those bars in when I have a bed liner?
Jean
Re: Re-enactment Equipment
It sounds like you're going elk hunting in the rockies with all that equipment!
I have a spray in liner and you can use 2x6's or 2x8's to keep the loads from shifting. The bed has places stamped in the sheet metal for the boards to fit and these places remain after a spray-in liner. I'm using a 2x6 near the cab to keep things in place.
It sounds like you're going elk hunting in the rockies with all that equipment!
I have a spray in liner and you can use 2x6's or 2x8's to keep the loads from shifting. The bed has places stamped in the sheet metal for the boards to fit and these places remain after a spray-in liner. I'm using a 2x6 near the cab to keep things in place.
Re: Re-enactment Equipment
Ha! No, you can't have a Line-X dealer spray a Ram logo in the middle of the truck bed. But you can get yourself a real ram and haul him around without damaging either the truck or the sprayed-in liner!
I think you're pulling my leg about the queen-sized bed and chandeliers in a tent. C'mon, I don't believe that!
Yes, you can put 2 x 4 boards or whatever you need in the truck to separate stuff after it has been sprayed. The spray is roughly 1/4" thick and covers the entire bed. In the unlikely event you damage or chip it, it can be repaired, which is more than you can say for the Rhino.
If it sounds like I'm begging you not to get the factory drop-in liner, I guess you're right. Are you aware the factory liner can blow out if it's not installed securely?
Go to a search engine (I use Google) and type "Line-X" and you'll find everything you need to know. Same thing with "Bedrug" or "Access Bed Cover. " The latter is made by a company called Agri-Cover.
Ha! No, you can't have a Line-X dealer spray a Ram logo in the middle of the truck bed. But you can get yourself a real ram and haul him around without damaging either the truck or the sprayed-in liner!
I think you're pulling my leg about the queen-sized bed and chandeliers in a tent. C'mon, I don't believe that!
Yes, you can put 2 x 4 boards or whatever you need in the truck to separate stuff after it has been sprayed. The spray is roughly 1/4" thick and covers the entire bed. In the unlikely event you damage or chip it, it can be repaired, which is more than you can say for the Rhino.
If it sounds like I'm begging you not to get the factory drop-in liner, I guess you're right. Are you aware the factory liner can blow out if it's not installed securely?
Go to a search engine (I use Google) and type "Line-X" and you'll find everything you need to know. Same thing with "Bedrug" or "Access Bed Cover. " The latter is made by a company called Agri-Cover.
Re: Re-enactment Equipment
Just happen to think, if you're hauling lots of stuff that you need to keep dry and the stuff stacks up higher than the side of the bed, the Access cover won't work for you. You might need the cap. I researched those a few years ago and found the Glastite far superior to the others. It has a better drain channel and door that doesn't flop around like some of the others. Just don't forget and back out of a garage with the door up. It can ruin your whole day, not to mention screw up a good cap.
Jere
Just happen to think, if you're hauling lots of stuff that you need to keep dry and the stuff stacks up higher than the side of the bed, the Access cover won't work for you. You might need the cap. I researched those a few years ago and found the Glastite far superior to the others. It has a better drain channel and door that doesn't flop around like some of the others. Just don't forget and back out of a garage with the door up. It can ruin your whole day, not to mention screw up a good cap.
Jere
Re: Re-enactment Equipment
Actually, I remember just recently seeing someone advertising molded emblems of various sorts specifically to lay under spray-in linings before they're sprayed. It becomes a molded-in part of the liner, sandwiched under it in the spraying process. I have no idea where I saw it, though (it wouldn't surprise me if it was a link from somwhere in TDR ).
That would let you put the Ram's head, or anything else, in the liner.
Actually, I remember just recently seeing someone advertising molded emblems of various sorts specifically to lay under spray-in linings before they're sprayed. It becomes a molded-in part of the liner, sandwiched under it in the spraying process. I have no idea where I saw it, though (it wouldn't surprise me if it was a link from somwhere in TDR
). That would let you put the Ram's head, or anything else, in the liner.
And speaking of automatic locks, the service manual is, as has been noted above, incorrect. The procedure in the owners manual does work; the stuff in the service manual about needing the DRB III to disable the locks is not true. Sorry for spreading the false "facts" from the service manual.
Now that my truck is in and I see it doesn't have the fancy overhead computer (the EVIC computer) mentioned in the service manual, I'm curious about what trucks come it. The EVIC allows you to program the door locks, horn chirp, etc. right on the overhead console. Not thatit's is all that great since most of the functions can be done with the key fob but if the Laramie package doesn't come with the EVIC, I wonder what model and option package it does come with.
Now that my truck is in and I see it doesn't have the fancy overhead computer (the EVIC computer) mentioned in the service manual, I'm curious about what trucks come it. The EVIC allows you to program the door locks, horn chirp, etc. right on the overhead console. Not thatit's is all that great since most of the functions can be done with the key fob but if the Laramie package doesn't come with the EVIC, I wonder what model and option package it does come with.
C
Casey Balvert
Guest
I thought I was getting the EVIC with the Laramie Package too. But nope. Sort of like the lit vanity mirror I told my wife the truck would come with. NOT. Gonna take some time for her to forgive me for that one. 40 grand and not even a stinking light under the hood. DC is not always real clear about what reality is. Not a great way for them to improve customer relations is it? Cheers, Casey
Lighted vanity
Same deal with me. I told my wife the new truck would have every option found on a car. The truck MSRP'd at more than $44,000 and no lighted vanity. Plus, my old '86 F-150 had a light under the hood. I ain't about to send the truck back, but you are correct: women call shots these days and DC ain't listening.
Same deal with me. I told my wife the new truck would have every option found on a car. The truck MSRP'd at more than $44,000 and no lighted vanity. Plus, my old '86 F-150 had a light under the hood. I ain't about to send the truck back, but you are correct: women call shots these days and DC ain't listening.
There is an option called lamp group or something to that effect that is on late availability. It includes lighted vanity mirrors an underhood light and 1 or 2 other things that I dont recall. I have no idea why the option was set back, seems to me like something that should have been availible from the get go.
As I was shopping for mine in early November, I saw trucks that had lighted vanity mirrors for the passenger, but not for the driver. One had the overhead console, so I expect mine to have it. I've never before owned a vehicle with a mirror (lighted or otherwise) on the driver's side. Or cupholders, or 4WD, or a diesel, or... 
Jean
Jean
C
Casey Balvert
Guest
Damn, I gotta try that line. Good one, Federalman. Cheers,
Casey
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