I'm back... with a new truck!

[CStansbury]

Looks Great!
Enjoy the suspension upgrades.
Your truck is continuing to look good and your taking care of details will keep it running for many more years.

Thanks Michael!

The tires look nice on your truck. Only issues I had with large tires were stress on the steering linkage. But I went to a larger tire size than yours ..so that was the issue.
Your mirrors & lights look great.
Did you but factory lights and mirrors or get aftermarket?
Nice truck!!

Cheers!

Thanks Herman! I’ll keep an eye on the steering. Planning to do a box brace at some point. I used the mirrors and lights from A1 Auto. I’ve been happy with them overall. The mirrors don’t shimmy and shake, so that’s a big plus!

 

[CStansbury]

My most recent upgrade on my truck was to the braking system. I changed out all of the rotors, pads, parking brake shoes, and parking brake hardware. The old rotors were crazing and spalling, and the old pads were scored and cracked. I upgraded the system with Power Stop slotted, drilled, and coated rotors and their Truck & Tow pads. I’ve been very happy with the stopping power and they are whisper quiet. I also changed out the rubber brake lines with a 2” longer braided stainless set from Crown. They look and perform much better!

Here are some pics:

The Crown line set:

Old removed and ready for new:

Old vs new rotors:

All the new stuff installed:

Badly corroded banjo fitting on the old line:

 

[Michaelsloft]

My most recent upgrade on my truck was to the braking system. I changed out all of the rotors, pads, parking brake shoes, and parking brake hardware. The old rotors were crazing and spalling, and the old pads were scored and cracked. I upgraded the system with Power Stop slotted, drilled, and coated rotors and their Truck & Tow pads. I’ve been very happy with the stopping power and they are whisper quiet. I also changed out the rubber brake lines with a 2” longer braided stainless set from Crown. They look and perform much better!

Here are some pics:

The Crown line set:
View attachment 109629
Smart upgrades!

Thanks for taking the time to post the pics too!

Michael

Old removed and ready for new:
View attachment 109630


Old vs new rotors:
View attachment 109631


All the new stuff installed:
View attachment 109632


Badly corroded banjo fitting on the old line:
View attachment 109633

 

[Michaelsloft]

My most recent upgrade on my truck was to the braking system. I changed out all of the rotors, pads, parking brake shoes, and parking brake hardware. The old rotors were crazing and spalling, and the old pads were scored and cracked. I upgraded the system with Power Stop slotted, drilled, and coated rotors and their Truck & Tow pads. I’ve been very happy with the stopping power and they are whisper quiet. I also changed out the rubber brake lines with a 2” longer braided stainless set from Crown. They look and perform much better!

Here are some pics:

The Crown line set:
View attachment 109629


Old removed and ready for new:
View attachment 109630


Old vs new rotors:
View attachment 109631


All the new stuff installed:
View attachment 109632


Badly corroded banjo fitting on the old line:
View attachment 109633

Thanks for the pics!

Upgrades look great and sounds like it all works well together!

The brake lines look like they will last a long time too!

 

[sojoe]

cstan great work with your new ride-outstanding job

 

[TravisBartholomew]

I've got an early 04' 2nd owner, 148k on the ticker. Has the 48RE, I love the truck! Just added 4th gen wheels and new Nitto rubber and better flowing 4" AFE exhaust (U.S. made). Next addition will be AMP research power steps or something equivalent made in America. This blue is the best color, definitely!

Sorry to steal your thread. [emoji482]#ad

 

[CStansbury]

I've got an early 04' 2nd owner, 148k on the ticker. Has the 48RE, I love the truck! Just added 4th gen wheels and new Nitto rubber and better flowing 4" AFE exhaust (U.S. made). Next addition will be AMP research power steps or something equivalent made in America. This blue is the best color, definitely!

Sorry to steal your thread. [emoji482]

Great looking truck, Travis! I’m a huge fan of the blue. You’ve done some good mods so far. Have fun with it!

 

[CStansbury]

This big pile of parts will soon be a brand new T-style steering setup on my Ram! I finally got sick and tired of the loose, wandering, and clunking stock setup. I decided to go with the XRF system after reading some really good reviews about the durability of their parts. I’ll let y’all know how it turns out!

 

[Michaelsloft]

I've got an early 04' 2nd owner, 148k on the ticker. Has the 48RE, I love the truck! Just added 4th gen wheels and new Nitto rubber and better flowing 4" AFE exhaust (U.S. made). Next addition will be AMP research power steps or something equivalent made in America. This blue is the best color, definitely!

Sorry to steal your thread. [emoji482]#ad


This "BLUE" does look great on the Gen 3! Nice truck with some quality updates......Enjoy!

Michael

 

[Michaelsloft]

This big pile of parts will soon be a brand new T-style steering setup on my Ram! I finally got sick and tired of the loose, wandering, and clunking stock setup. I decided to go with the XRF system after reading some really good reviews about the durability of their parts. I’ll let y’all know how it turns out!

I'm interested in hearing how the T-Style steering works out for you on your 3rd Gen truck. My 1999 was ordered with the factory T-Style steering and it has been great since day one and continues to operate well with all original parts and approaching 261K miles. I'm confident the XRF system will be excellent!

Keep us posted.....

Michael

 

[VolsFan]

That’s a nice rig, just got my 03 last month. Same color, only difference is mine is short bed, getting used to it. Has 6 spd as well. I’ve had a 99, 01 and this one is by far my favorite. Got 21.4 mpg on a 10 hr round trip, never got that good out of the others. I like the leveling springs on yours, mine has blocks, stock track bar. The truck handles well with 305 70’s though I’m weary to change it out for an adjustable to center the axle up. 6 spd 2003 is a good truck

 

[CStansbury]

Got my T-style steering setup installed tonight! The XRF parts have a great look and feel to them. They seem significantly beefier than the stock parts. The steering stabilizer was so rusty and crusty that I would bet that it was it was the same one my truck had when it rolled off the assembly line!

The kit install was very straightforward. I removed the factory parts, measured them end to end, adjusted the new tie rod to the same measurement, and then bolted it up. The drag link was a little trickier since it wasn’t in the same position as the stocker, but it went in okay after a little tinkering. Finally, I had to bolt on the new steering stabilizer bracket and then mount the stabilizer.

I took it for a test drive after torquing down the lug nuts. The steering wheel was a little crooked, but the alignment will take care of that. The steering felt significantly more firm/tight/precise. I’ll drop it by my usual tire shop tomorrow for a front end alignment, and then I’ll do some more road testing and report back to y’all!

 

[Michaelsloft]

Got my T-style steering setup installed tonight! The XRF parts have a great look and feel to them. They seem significantly beefier than the stock parts. The steering stabilizer was so rusty and crusty that I would bet that it was it was the same one my truck had when it rolled off the assembly line!

The kit install was very straightforward. I removed the factory parts, measured them end to end, adjusted the new tie rod to the same measurement, and then bolted it up. The drag link was a little trickier since it wasn’t in the same position as the stocker, but it went in okay after a little tinkering. Finally, I had to bolt on the new steering stabilizer bracket and then mount the stabilizer.

I took it for a test drive after torquing down the lug nuts. The steering wheel was a little crooked, but the alignment will take care of that. The steering felt significantly more firm/tight/precise. I’ll drop it by my usual tire shop tomorrow for a front end alignment, and then I’ll do some more road testing and report back to y’all!

Good work! Thanks for the pics and looking forward to update after alignment etc.
You most likely will enjoy your truck even more with the T- style steering!

 

[CStansbury]

The truck felt great after I picked it up from the alignment yesterday! The steering was much more precise and the tendency to wander in straight stretches was gone! I highly recommend this kit for any DIY guys who want to ditch the stock Y-steering setup.