1994 Dodge Ram - Off-Road Magazine

I am so happy right now, as I have just dropped off what many ex-girlfriends have referred to as my one true love: my 1994 Dodge Ram. In fact, it's probably cost me a few relationships.

But that's OK, because my Dodge has stayed with me through thick and thin -- except for the year it spent getting engine work done, or the two months it sat at a tranny shop, or the weeks it spent at the drivetrain shop, or the month it was getting new leaf springs .... OK, so maybe my Dodge hasn't always been with me. But I still cherish it as my No. 1 ride.

It's been with me since the end of high school, and I've had a million ideas on how I want to build it, but never deviated from one ultimate goal. In fact, when I couldn't afford to go any further with that goal (and sort of ran out of time, too) I parked it in a garage, only to bring it out occasionally to do work on it or test tires or something.

When I got a job at Petersen's 4 Wheel & Off-Road seven years ago, I took the Dodge with me as a project truck that affectionately got named Jinxy. Why Jinxy? Well, if you're old enough, you might remember a cartoon cat that was always getting the snot beaten out of it by two mice .... That was my truck: it was always getting the snot beaten out of it, and always out of commission for one reason or another. I don't think it's gone more than 2,000 miles since 2000.

The entire time, I've had dreams of turning it into some street legal Class 8 race truck. A full chrome moly rollcage, coilovers and four-links front and rear, beefy but lightweight axles, fiberglass all around, and a 440ci big block mounted in place of the stock small block were all on the top of my list. But this takes a lot of time, a lot of money, and I couldn't help but notice some small voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that I wouldn't enjoy it as much once all that was finished (danged common sense!). Therefore, without a firm decision the truck has sat, patiently, waiting to be finished. And knowing my bias towards Dodges and how easily I could get carried away, I've been keeping it out of the magazine until now so that I didn't go crazy and use an entire issue to build this truck.

But now is the beginning of the end. It is time to finish this truck. I've got a plan, and I'm sticking to it. I've enlisted Off-Road Evolution to help with the build, and a new four-link is getting built right now as I write this story.

Since this truck is a surviving project that already has a fair amount of work done to it, I figured I'd start with what has already been done over the past 13 years. Next month, we'll show what Off-Road Evolution whipped up with the new Fox coilovers, bumpstops, and FK rod ends that I dropped off recently. Stay tuned

When I originally bought this truck in 1996, it already had Mickey Thompson Alcoa wheels and 33-inch BFG tires on it. They were All-Terrains and I switched up to Mud Terrains. Considering that I spent most of my time in the sand dunes in the 1990s, I should have stuck with All Terrains. My next mods were a full National leaf spring pack in the rear (ridding the truck of the factory blocks) and National coil springs in the front with Rancho 5000s at each corner. I was so stoked with it back then. When I pulled the sway bar off the truck, added exhaust and a K&N air intake, I thought I had gone to Truck Heaven.
When I originally bought this truck in 1996, it already had Mickey Thompson Alcoa wheels a
Before I started working at the magazines, I had furthered my build with DT Products control arms and track bar, 35x14.50R15 Swamper SSRs, and this custom prerunner bumper I paid some guy to build.
Before I started working at the magazines, I had furthered my build with DT Products contr
I (and probably 10,000 other Dodge owners) also had figured out that coilovers would fit directly in place of the stock coils and shocks on the front axle, and all that was really needed to install them were some shock hoops. It swayed horribly with the coilovers and no anti-sway bar, but I loved it.
I (and probably 10,000 other Dodge owners) also had figured out that coilovers would fit d

My buddy, Brad Wilcox, bent and welded some hoops up that I still have on the truck to this day. He made them with a removable crossmember, and these hoops have actually been one of the only things I haven't changed on this truck in the past decade.
My buddy, Brad Wilcox, bent and welded some hoops up that I still have on the truck to thi
I had a lot more free time in college than I do now. I spent four days one time wiring this backboard of my single cab Dodge up and running speakers and subs everywhere I could. Old stereo equipment rules. The new stuff just doesn't have the quality sound of the old Alpine equipment in my truck.Above the stereo board, you'll notice a 1-inch tube running from the left to right of the cab. Wilcox also helped me weld that in so I had a secure and proper way to run my 4-point harness seatbelts since I did not yet have a rollcage in this truck.
I had a lot more free time in college than I do now. I spent four days one time wiring thi

After I started magazine work, I went back to a shop I used to buy parts from and had Chris Hill's crew at Hill 4 Wheel Drive build me some bumpers. A few years back, Chris Hill was killed in an off-road accident, and he will definitely be missed.I liked the front bumper, but it left too much stuff showing. The '94-'01 Dodge was really the first truck that had such a tall bumper with a bunch of integral stuff behind it. This prerunner bumper showed too much of that junk and it would not stay on the truck for long.The rear bumper was a work of art. It had enough mass to it to stop a semi, and with a winch built into it, this package could get my truck out of almost any situation it got itself into. Jeeps and trail rigs put winches in front so they can go farther on the trail. The only way I wanted to go once I got stuck is back out the way I came.
After I started magazine work, I went back to a shop I used to buy parts from and had Chri
After the bumpers went on, I decided that the short arms that went into the factory locations just weren't enough for my truck's 14-inch Fox coilovers. The DT Products arms worked really well, but we torched the seized control arm bolts and pulled them off to make room for a Xtreme Suspensions bolt-on long-arm four-link kit for Dodges.
After the bumpers went on, I decided that the short arms that went into the factory locati

Because I had changed the steering geometry with some custom links, I had also contracted myself a nasty case of bumpsteer what with the DT track bar being at a different angle than the steering draglink. My buddy, Hank Van Gaale, worked at a local muffler shop (Imperial Muffler in San Luis Obispo, California) at the time, and he helped me not only install the long-arm four-link but also modify and change my track bar's location.
Because I had changed the steering geometry with some custom links, I had also contracted
Van Gaale and I finally changed the rear shocks too. I had put Fox coilovers in the front three years before, but I still had the Rancho shocks in the back because I had not decided if I had wanted to cut through the bed yet. Instead of cutting through, we tried to make new shock mounts and install something long enough to get some decent travel. We failed with these 12-inch 2.5 Fox shocks that only had about three inches of up-travel before bottoming out. The hydraulic bumpstops would barely be touched before these shocks would bottom outThat rear axle under the National leaves is a Currie Dana 60 that I bought while I was still in college (man, I had good credit card debt back then). It was filled with a spool (cheaper than an open diff or a locker), 4.56 gears, and had Wilwood disc brakes on it.
Van Gaale and I finally changed the rear shocks too. I had put Fox coilovers in the front

The result of the long-arm four-link, coilovers, and everything else actually yielded a pretty good trail truck. It would flex really well, but without an anti-sway bar, it was too tipsy when cornering hard in the desert.
The result of the long-arm four-link, coilovers, and everything else actually yielded a pr
Suspension and stereo work weren't the only things done. This truck had its seventh transmission put into it about five years ago after I accidentally burned up lucky number six. I used a JET unit (JET stopped making transmissions shortly after) with a PML tranny pan to increase fluid capacity. This is still the same heavy duty built transmission that is in the truck to this day (should be because it only has about 1,500 miles on it).
Suspension and stereo work weren't the only things done. This truck had its seventh transm
A lot of engine work was done over the past 6 years as well. Instead of going with my dream of a non smog-legal 440ci big block, I decided to build the factory small block (not the original small block -- it was already on its third engine by then). Mopar Performance Magnum cast iron R/T heads with 2.02 intake valves were built by Robert Landy at Dick Landy Industries, the late Dick Landy's speed shop in the San Fernando Valley. I will never get rid of these heads.A Comp cams was added to the package, along with roller rockers, a Mopar single-plane intake manifold, and an F&B throttle body. Mesa headers (also out of business) were bolted onto the sides of the block, and a Supertrapp muffler dumped the exhaust out the side of the truck.
A lot of engine work was done over the past 6 years as well. Instead of going with my drea

Too bad I couldn't get the OBD-I ECU to accept any of the engine work I had done. The truck sat for another couple years before I was turned onto a company called Unichip that made this bitchin' inline interface controller. The Dyno Shop in Santee, California, put the unit on and tuned it all while it was on the dyno. The engine now puts about 260 hp to the ground with 36-inch tires. Not bad for a mildly built small block.
Too bad I couldn't get the OBD-I ECU to accept any of the engine work I had done. The truc
This is the truck as it sits now, well, technically, as it sat the week before we went to print. Right now it's at Off-Road Evolution getting the next stage in its evolution completed. Next issue, we'll have tips on four-link building and explain why Jinxy has a big white panel on the front of it.
This is the truck as it sits now, well, technically, as it sat the week before we went to