Hello all. I have been slowly fixing my 2001 Ram 2500 4x4 5speed diesel truck with 210000 miles. It was a former oil field support truck and spent the majority of its mileage with roughnecks using and abusing it. Fixing up a little as I can afford it. Here is the break down. Purchased the truck from a coworker about a year ago for $3000. Drove it home but had to hold the transfer case in 4 wheel high to keep it moving. Left front axle shaft was broken at U joint but ran good other than that. Repaired loose connection at back of AC control head to repair air conditioning. Replaced front axle shaft and took transfer case apart and replaced the shift fork and input shaft. Replaced blend door coupler due to broken Replaced starter motor due to clicking many times before starting. Performed LOF . Replaced fuel and air filters. All factory MOPAR/Fleet Guard Replaced hydro boost due to leaking Replaced heater core due to leaking Installed stock receiver hitch due to missing Replaced track bar due to play in ball socket Replaced Dash top due to broken then nothing left of it after heater core. Installed snug top camper shell Replaced weld 16.5 inch 33 inch wheels that were on it with a set of 2006 stock aluminum 17 inch Dodge Ram wheels. Recovered headliner due to sagging. Installed new Cobra 29 NW CB and Wilson 1000 antenna. Replaced cracked Dash Bezel with a super clean junk yard replacement. Tomorrow, I am installing a clean junk yard sourced grill. Replacing broken trailer plug with factory 7 pin connector sourced from junk yard. Replacing steering gear box due to excessive play and side to side movement of steering shaft. I know it all sounds like a lot. I have done just a little at a time. It is actually a very comfortable truck to drive and have taken it out of town on several trips. Working mainly on cosmetics now. It could use a bit of body work and paint but I am not too worried about that right now. After everything else is done I will worry about that. I estimate I have a total of |$5000 dollars into it now and that is including the price of the truck. I will post pics soon. I love my truck.

I'm interesting in seeing it. I'm right at the same amount of mileage. 210K...

Here is a picture of my tuck shortly after I first got it. Only repairs at this point were the transfer case and front axle[IMG][/IMG]

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Here is the old grill [IMG][/IMG]

and here is the new one

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Here it is with the camper shell and 2006 wheels and tires on it[IMG][/IMG]

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[IMG][/IMG]

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Here is the interior with the new dashboard, junk yard bezel, and CB.[IMG][/IMG]

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Headliner after I recovered it.[IMG][/IMG]

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another picture of the new cluster bezel[IMG][/IMG]

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Picture of my Wilson 1000 CB antenna.[IMG][/IMG]

Looks good!

Ok I replaced my steering box today. I am little disappointed in the performance of new box.
1st problem is when I hooked up the steering shaft to the box, I had to turn the wheel about 1/4 turn to get the splines to line up.
2nd The box feels a little loose. Not as loose as my old box which had a lot of shaft movement side to side when under load. I just thought it would be a little tighter. There is a about 3 to 4 inches to play at the steering wheel.
3rd It is easier to turn to the right than the left. There is power assist in both directions but is little easier to the right

I turned the box from lock to lock with the linkage connected. It turns about 1 3/4 each way . Maybe slightly more to the right.

I know I could adjust on the box and set the center and adjust the play but I need to find out if this will void my warranty from Napa. Should I try adjusting on it or should I just order another one?

I'd call napa and see what they say about the warranty or replacement, if it doesn't feel right I'd go for another one. Pain in the changing but for the price of them you want it to be right.

I ordered another one from napa. hopefully it will be better.

Nice lookin rig for 5k

Thanks. My next project on it is to try and get cruise control hooked up on it. It is a base model with manual windows, rubber flooring, and no cruise. I think I can hook up factory cruise and get it working with out too many problems. I just need to spend some time in the wrecking yard collecting parts. I will need a cruise servo, cruise switches, clock spring, and some vacuum line. I know some of the wiring is already there for it, I hope there is nothing missing in the harness.

Nice truck coming along. I'm in the same boat restoring my new to me 99 24v. Needs shocks/tires badly/grill/misc interior pieces. Mine is at 225k miles and first priority is to replace pump

I put the second steering box in last week. It is much tighter but it seems to turn to the right easier than the left just slightly. I am going to make sure there isnt something else causing the problem. I guess I will start by making sure the tires are all the same pressure, maybe remove the steering stabilizer and see if that helps. I had to recenter my steering wheel after I adjusted for the bad box last time.

Other than that. I am having a heck of a time getting the cruise control working. I have another thread about that but am at a stand still for now.

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Thanks, If you can do most of the work yourself and you hunt and scrounge for deals, it can be fun to put things back together. Post some pics of your rig.

How are you making out with the cruise ? I recently put a power seat in mine and was pleased to find the plug for it under the carpet, all I had to do was plug the circuit breaker into the fuse box and she was workin.

I am stuck on the cruise problem. My best bet would be to find another truck with stick shift and cruise and check under the hood to see how it is wired. I am not trusting the wiring diagram. Hopefully I will find it soon. Maybe I will check craigslist for trucks for sale. On my test drive, take it around the corner and probe it with my volt meter .

If there is anyone out there near Bakersfield CA, who has a 2001ish Stick shift diesel truck with cruise, I would love to come and take a look at how it works.

That's a really nice looking truck for 5 grand!