Don's 2024 Ram 3500

[JR]

That LS looks good in there. I liked the nittos on the Tahoe, but now they are $300+ each! Got the 4 prinx for $700 delivered.

I was using valvoline before, but found the Lucas a bit cheaper by the gallon when I got for the excavator and have stuck with it. Has a great rep.

[stlaser]

My best guess is that limited slip is in fact a torsen helical cut gear locker. I’m sure Tate will chime in but if it is then it’s a beast…..

[Flyin6]

My best guess is that limited slip is in fact a torsen helical cut gear locker. I’m sure Tate will chime in but if it is then it’s a beast…..

Yea, as per our conversation last night, this is interesting.
Tate, you hearing this?
I see that for 3500 only, Ram is requiring you to add a friction modifier. When I looked at that huge diff, I thought the clutch packs must slide down in there somehow, but I have to agree with Shawn, it reminded me of a Torsen.
Someone??? Let's solve this mystery.

[Flyin6]

That LS looks good in there. I liked the nittos on the Tahoe, but now they are $300+ each! Got the 4 prinx for $700 delivered.

I was using Valvoline before, but found the Lucas a bit cheaper by the gallon when I got for the excavator and have stuck with it. Has a great rep.

JR-I was using Simple Tire forever, but lately, as in my last couple of sets of tires, Walmart is coming in cheaper. These Toyos of mine which are tall/skinny and would be ideal for the Tahoe were $273 ea.

[JR]

AAM is known for a truetrac LS, bet thats it. But that would not require a friction modifier being all gears?

Yep, I have gone off brand the last couple times, so far so good.

[Flyin6]

AAM is known for a truetrac LS, bet thats it. But that would not require a friction modifier being all gears?

Yep, I have gone off brand the last couple times, so far so good.

That's what is confusing me, why use a friction modifier in a gear type diff? More to come, I need to research my build tag and consult with the Mopar folks to determine what I have.
All indications are it is the new 12" AAM.

[JR]

Might just be a typo?

[Flyin6]

OK, nothing heard from Tate on the diff question...

Off to get the tires installed...

Stuff just keeps showing up:

[Flyin6]

New tires are installed.

We used the balance beads
and
Whew...$356 to swap the seven tires out with the beads!!!!!

Here's a before and after:

[Flyin6]

And here's how we got there. I used the same shop I have been using for a couple of years now, Crittenden Tire and Lube. It is run by an ASE and seasoned mechanic, Kyle.

[Flyin6]

The hubs on this new 3500 are enormous. This thing is built for hard work and longevity.

I count 12 axle retention bolts. I want to say my older 11.5" AAM had 10, am I correct? Someone check me out on that.

[Flyin6]

We are going up in size from a 235/80R17 to a 255/80R17.

30.something to 33.1" OD

[Flyin6]

They fit the front fender well, and I will be staying with the stock wheel (for once)

[Flyin6]

The rear axle is all business and looks beefy without the tires obscuring the view.

[Flyin6]

And the slightly larger tires do a good job of filling up those wheel wells.

[Flyin6]

And there you are, ready to get started on the suspension mods

[JR]

Wheels look pretty good, I like the black. Wells are filled nicely too.

[Sammconn]

Looks good chief!
They still look small by your normal oil change standards but do a good job.
Very nice fit though.
And the wheels do look sharp.

That cost was a large part of my tire machine purchase.
I think I’m nearing even on it now. Even done some legit repairs for a select few.

[oklawall]

Looks 100% better than stock

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[Flyin6]

^^^^^^^^^^OK, them's some gud comments. At least for the popular herd, I must be doin' something right for once ;-) ^^^^^^^^^^

[Flyin6]

Today I got after the Carli suspension parts I just purchased from Tater. Most of the stuff was delivered, enough to get the front end almost completed.

The idea is to level it, the same as I did on the 2022 single wheel 3500

Carli lifts the front 2.5" and the rear 1" to level everything.

Here are some before and after shots

[Flyin6]

I call it 40 7/16" before the Carli springs
and
I measured it at 43" even afterward.

Carli says their springs lift it 2.5", I actually measured a 2 7/16" lift.

Pretty close

I started by jacking the thing up and pulling off the wheels on the front.

[Flyin6]

After removing the front cross bar, and disconnecting the shocks, the front can be lowered enough to pull the springs out.

[Flyin6]

Panhard or front centering link or whatever it is called has to be setup and adjusted. It is a bit of a process, but I had done one earlier on the blue truck, so this one went together faster.

[Flyin6]

Factory vs Carli springs:

[Flyin6]

In went the springs and shocks along with the new Panhard and except for the axle side Panhard attachment it all went on fairly quickly.

[Flyin6]

The front end is mostly done. I'll have to bolt on the front steering stabilizer if/when it comes in. But for now, I am front-end complete. On the backside tomorrow.

[stlaser]

Looks good 

[oklawall]

Looks good

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[Sammconn]

Moving along!
Hope you get the nice ride you’re after first round this time.

Just caught the 12 bolts in the rear axles.
I think it was 8 in the 11.5, so that one has been beefed up considerably.

[cj7ox]

Looking good, Big D!

[Flyin6]

Moving along!
Hope you get the nice ride you’re after first round this time.

Just caught the 12 bolts in the rear axles.
I think it was 8 in the 11.5, so that one has been beefed up considerably.

It is apparently. I chatted with Tate this morning about it. He sent me some detailed information about that axle.
We can settle the argument about which kind of differential is in there. It is a two-piece differential with internal clutches preloaded by some Belville washers. Apparently, it is possible to rebuild it. There are 30, 32 and 33 spline axles depending on what truck you are driving. The dually gets the mutant strong stuff. That is why everything seems so darned oversized in the pics of my truck axle.

[Flyin6]

Today I got after the rear suspension (again).

Before adding the Carli stuff, the rear is about level with the front.

[Flyin6]

They sent me the rear shocks, lift blocks and U-Bolts.

The shocks have a lot of gas pressure. I'm talking getting a jack to compress them!

[Flyin6]

As is usual, the dog chose a spot that was in the way of everything...

I throw boxes and trash on him thinking it will startle him, but he never moves...

[Flyin6]

Very quickly, I noticed the warehouse guys sent me the wrong U-bolts, so I had to go out and have some made up for me. Having to take a couple of hours to chase down the U-bolts effectively killed any chance I had of finishing the install today...

In the box, you can see the Carli-supplied U-bolt, and the one I just took off my truck. They are the same length!

So is life, no big deal.

[Flyin6]

After the U-bolt thing, I was able to proceed, and managed to get the first, then the second Lift block installed with the new hardware.

[Flyin6]

I had to attend a fire department board meeting, so I did not finish.

Chatting with the guys at the truck shop, they told me that my airbag leak issue is being caused by leaking swivel fittings. They do not use them but have some better stationary solid brass fittings. They just gave me two of them for no charge. How cool is that?

So here is the resting condition as of COB, today. I'll get on the bags tomorrow and hopefully, have it ready for the alignment shop.

[JR]

Getting there. Dodge has always had solid running gear. Some of the earlier auto trans were not up to snuff and not a huge fan of the AAM front axle.

Stock wheels look good too.

Doing steps on it too? I sold my powersteps as I prefer the side protection of the stationary.

[Flyin6]

Getting there. Dodge has always had solid running gear. Some of the earlier auto trans were not up to snuff and not a huge fan of the AAM front axle.

Stock wheels look good too.

Doing steps on it too? I sold my powersteps as I prefer the side protection of the stationary.

On the steps, dunno.

It came with the cheapo side steps and actually, they do work.
My oldest son says I need to lose them.
I would prefer AMP Research steps for this one, but again, dunno...

Opinions?

[Flyin6]

So here's a question: I like the lug nuts showing look, that and the rear hub showing. It is either that of slide on the cheapl plastic hub caps.

Question, Leave em off, of go all girly and install them back like factory?

[Sammconn]

So here's a question: I like the lug nuts showing look, that and the rear hub showing. It is either that of slide on the cheapl plastic hub caps.

Question, Leave em off, of go all girly and install them back like factory?

I don’t mind it either.

My .02..

I’m not sure how much luck and crap will get on them.
What I’ve found with my Chebby ones, they are clean.
In my trailers, without the plastic caps, the mud and goo really plugs up the threads.
So much so that I’ve had to shorten some wheel studs.

My vote would be based on your operating conditions.
Not to goooey, then lose ‘em.
Gooey, probably keep ‘em.

[Flyin6]

So here's a question: I like the lug nuts showing look, that and the rear hub showing. It is either that of slide on the cheapl plastic hub caps.

Question, Leave em off, of go all girly and install them back like factory?

I don’t mind it either.

My .02..

I’m not sure how much luck and crap will get on them.
What I’ve found with my Chebby ones, they are clean.
In my trailers, without the plastic caps, the mud and goo really plugs up the threads.
So much so that I’ve had to shorten some wheel studs.

My vote would be based on your operating conditions.
Not to goooey, then lose ‘em.
Gooey, probably keep ‘em.

Good thoughts...

My concept of the operation is that I want to be able to visibly see if any lug nuts are loosening up with all this road warrior stuff coming right up...

[Flyin6]

I finished up the rear suspension and repaired the leaky airbag fittings (I think...)

I pulled the air bags off and tossed the factory supplied cheapo swivel fittings in favor of the brass ones the local truck repair shop gave me yesterday

[Flyin6]

Here's a before and after showing the additional height with zero air pressure.

Before looks like 43 1/4"

After is 44 3/4"

Some of that is just the fact that the suspension has not settled from being unloaded on jack stands for two days. but I easily picked up an inch +.

[Flyin6]

I did not get any pics, but I added a 1" spacer beneath the airbags. I then used bolts that were over 1" too long. After threading them through the spacer and mounting them into the bottom of the bags, they protrude downward. The idea here is to allow the suspension more flex if I ever extend it in more severe terrain. The Carli shocks will allow for more droop so these bag extensions will accommodate that should it ever happen.

Here are the finished Carli install shots:

[Flyin6]

I then added 20 psi to the bags to test for leaks overnight.

That raised the rear end a bit more.

Obviously, the back end will settle down with 4,000 lbs. in the bed, but I can say, I am pleased with the results.

[JR]

Well, the fix price was right.

[EL TATE]

And then I started to install the aluminum diff cover

But wait, the bolt holes did not line up.

And the gasket looked different

And the whole thing was smaller than the steel cover I just removed.

Ya, the thing did not fit. I got $300+ for the new cover and $105 for the fluid; all I got was a fresh fluid change for the axle. Now that may not be all that bad, since axles break in, and changing the fluid afterward is a good idea. So I'll take that much, but No one, including the people who sold it, said anything about this 12" AAM has a bigger cover.

Why did they do that? A Dana 60 cover fits a Dana 70. The earlier 11.5AAM is almost as big, so why not keep common parts?

Don and I had a chat about these the other day and he encouraged me to add some details to the confusion ;-)
from 2019+ here are the new options:

11.5" AAM 2500/3500   12 Bolt R/G
(DRQ/ DRX Axle Code) 32 spline pinion
14 bolt Cover;  30 Spline Axles

12" Ram 3500  16 Bolt R/G
DRC / DR7 AXLE CODE 32 spline pinion
30 Spline Axle / Carrier Case
14 bolt Cover
(Don's truck)

12" Dropout  Ram 4500/5500   16 Bolt R/G
"DRY" AXLE CODE  32 spline pinion
33 Spline Axle / Carrier Case

the AAM rear has a carrier break for the 1st time since it's inception in 2003; 4.10/down 4.44/up, and most have a new "trac-rite" clutch type limited slip like Don's here. We do have new gears for them, up to 4.44 ratio front and rear, and factory limited slips, but the supply is low from AAM, i'd say we do 2-3 regears a month, whereas on jeeps for example it's 20-30 a day for comparison.

since our setup specs have not been updated for a while, here are the details on these new differentials as well:

Set up specs : w/ OE gears

11.5:
Back lash – 0.007-11
Pinion Bearing Preload  - 15-25 in/lb
Carrier Caps  - 207 Ft/lb
Ring Gear Bolts  - 59Ft/lb + 64 degrees – OEM bolts are Torque To Yield – DO NOT RE USE  - OEM bolt # 5086783AB


12”:
Back lash – 0.008-12
Pinion Bearing Preload  - 23-37 in/lb
Carrier Caps  - 180 Ft/lb
Ring Gear Bolts  - 74Ft/lb + 57 degrees – OEM bolts are Torque To Yield – DO NOT RE USE  - OEM bolt # 68455381AB

[stlaser]

Speaking of amp steps, drivers side of mine on the grandpa tow rig is permanently down atm. It was intermittent for about a month and gave up. Local installer of such things is going to fix it next week. He tried selling me on a new set of non moving ones and I didn’t want to spend the money.