Jeeps Are Sweet but Dodge is Sweeter

[ladydurango]

Ok--after searching Fairbanks and finding nothing that caught my eye--as far as Jeeps are concerned--found a couple of really nice Durangos:p ....ANYWAYS...need some suggestions on mods for my Durango. Want her to be eye-catching:drool: so let me hear from y'all. It may not be the vehicle of choice for a lot of you out there but give me what you got:o Ha, Ha:D

[naturalbornmudder]

I think Durangos look great with a good grille guard, kinda like a road armor bumper, and a mean looking roof rack, like a safari roof rack or somethiong similar.

Another good thing for Durangos is some aftermarket rims that have some good backspacing. It makes for a wider stance and a meaner look , good bang for the buck. SOmething else eye catching is Altezza style lights...you know...clear lenses with red bulbs inside. Looks nice.

Glad to see you on here.

[michaeljr5]

She also needs the rear axle gear housing looked at, it's leaking and I don't know how to fix it.

[XFactor]

An exo and sas will look good. Throw on a snorkle and hood scoop and call her good. Oh yeah and lights aloooooot of fog lights.

[ladydurango]

I could have guessed the exo suggestion, XFactor:p Don't see it happening on my Dodge though:D ;)

[TJVigilante]

the pumpkin is leaking? Take the cover off, make sure you have a drip pan underneath to catch the gear oil, scrape the gasket material off, get some RTV silicone and glue it back up, bolt it on, torque it down, and fill er up with diff fluid. If you have limited slip, you'll need a friction additive.

It gives you a chance to see what kind of shape your gears are in.

[gamble71]

Do the SAS... I've always loved the look of the durango... just not the IFS. Forget the Exo-skeleton... what's it for? To protect sheetmetal? Makes it ugly as could be, I'd rather have dents. If the SAS is too costly they make a 4in lift for it. throw on some 33's and you're rockin :cool:

[TJVigilante]

you don't get dents when you roll an SUV like that, you get crushed. That's the point of an EXO on an eggshell of a vehicle without an internal anti-roll structure, and preserves the practicality of it as a family vehicle.

there's an SAS'd Dakota somewhere in town, LNS told me about it and I've seen it around, red, about 5" of lift and 33's.

[gamble71]

I'll do an internal with padding.... just my opinion but I hate exo-skeletons... no matter what they're on.

[ladydurango]

I want to put some bushwhackers on her........where to go for them?????

[naturalbornmudder]

4 wheel parts.com

[TJVigilante]

www.quadratec.com (http://www.quadratec.com)
www.4wd.com (http://www.4wd.com)
www.4wheelparts.com (http://www.4wheelparts.com)

Actually those first two are pretty dedicated to jeeps, maybe www.summitracing.com has them.

[michaeljr5]

the pumpkin is leaking? Take the cover off, make sure you have a drip pan underneath to catch the gear oil, scrape the gasket material off, get some RTV silicone and glue it back up, bolt it on, torque it down, and fill er up with diff fluid. If you have limited slip, you'll need a friction additive.

It gives you a chance to see what kind of shape your gears are in.
Anyone got some time to come help me with this this weekend?

[naturalbornmudder]

the ronster?

NXC?

[XFactor]

Im busy Saturday, but I can help you Sunday. I have to take the X to the auto shop and change the oil and fix some leaks. You can get a bay beside me and I will walk you through it. Its easy as pie. Like warm Apple Pie :O).

[ladydurango]

Ok...thanks for the suggestions.......love the look of the altezza lights. I am going to look into a roof basket with some slammin lights on it. Do the bushwhackers.....not sure what I want done to the bumper yet???

So NOW we have the exterior looking mean let's make her sound mean......5.9 liter engine upgrade suggestions now??????

[michaeljr5]

Im busy Saturday, but I can help you Sunday. I have to take the X to the auto shop and change the oil and fix some leaks. You can get a bay beside me and I will walk you through it. Its easy as pie. Like warm Apple Pie :O).

You kill me man! :D Sounds like a plan man. I need to know what to buy for it as far as gear oil and additives and where to find them.

[XFactor]

Well buy some RTV silicone. You can get it all at Shucks and get the military discount. I put Quaker State in mine. If you have a limited slip difff ( I dont think you do) you will need special fluid. While you are there you might want to just do the front and rear at the same time and make sure you have the same type up front. The gear oil is 80/90. Double check your owners manual though. Look for quantity. Probably 2-2.5 quarts per diff. Thats what mine is anyway. Its always good to have some extra laying around if you get to much. The shop opens at 1 can you be there then?

[michaeljr5]

Yah, I can be there and I'll go get the stuff tomorrow.

Another question, instead of a bolt the rear gear housing has a rubber stopper that leaks as well, what do I do about that?

[XFactor]

Cuss Dodge. We will have to take a look at it and see if I bolt can go in there. If not you can silicone it and keep it from leaking. WE will see.

[AK20]

Come Crystlers use a rubber stop instead of a bolt for your fill plug, could just leak because of the cold shrinking it...

[michaeljr5]

Thanks for the help with the gears, we gotta stop highjacking this thread. She's gonna smack me here in a minute. :cool:

[AK20]

Thanks for the help with the gears, we gotta stop highjacking this thread. She's gonna smack me here in a minute. :cool:

In your defense we are talking about HER Durango:D

[gamble71]

engine upgrades... without tearing into the engine your only options are an intake system and cat-back exhaust. Easy to install, little on the expensive side to buy.

[TJVigilante]

It's not hijacked, we're talking about how to get the truck running the way it's supposed to. And yes, heck with dodge because of their rubber plugs, I have one on my D35 and it's annoying. BUT, I've seen metal plugs leak too(Land Rover, Anyone?), so it's par for the course. As long as you're not hemmoraging fluid out the bottom of the inspection plate....

And a 360 doesn't really need any upgrades, lol. It's got plenty of grunt.

[michaeljr5]

Ok...thanks for the suggestions.......love the look of the altezza lights. I am going to look into a roof basket with some slammin lights on it. Do the bushwhackers.....not sure what I want done to the bumper yet???

So NOW we have the exterior looking mean let's make her sound mean......5.9 liter engine upgrade suggestions now??????

Since I interrupted... Bump.

[XFactor]

Come Crystlers use a rubber stop instead of a bolt for your fill plug, could just leak because of the cold shrinking it...

Uhhhhh Beavis you said cold and uhhhh shrinkage :D

[gamble71]

http://www.autotrucktoys.com/durango/Dodge-Durango-Exhaust-Systems-C1666.aspx

http://www.4wheelparts.com/4wp/products/kn/knn_parts1.asp?cat=PER&man=K%26N&prodline=K%26N&catName=Performance

Just an example of what's out there and the price. I've seen the durango and it's a nice truck... my advice is wait til it's paid off and you have the money to do it right. However I'm known to not follow my own advice :p

[AK20]

Uhhhhh Beavis you said cold and uhhhh shrinkage :D

Dude I just got out of the pool, I swear:eek:

[ladydurango]

I understand what you are saying about waiting until it is paid off but I'm thinking I only live once, can't take her with me so what the heck.......let's get r done!:D So does anyone have any suggestions for engine upgrades?

[michaeljr5]

It has a cold air intake already.

[TJVigilante]

my jeep has a cold air intake, stock. :D











(alaska.......for you people who don't get it)

Anyway, there's really nothing out there that won't either A) Ruin your gas mileage more than it sucks already. or B) isn't IM legal or will just ruin your emissions altogether. So, I suggest SAS and regear for better performance in all aspects.

[ladydurango]

Mmmmmmm.......not on it now but I it was great when we lived in New Mexico. :rolleyes:

[gamble71]

a cat back exhaust is 50 state legal. :cool:

[naturalbornmudder]

I agree with the exhaust to let it breathe better. ALso a K&N intake to let it breathe more.
Form what I understand, the 5.9's suffer from "cool" ignition, which means the spark isnt hot enugh toi get get the best burn from the fuel.

Perhaps some plugs and wires to free things up in there a bit?

[ladydurango]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think Michael is going to work on diff leak tomorrow----please watch him carefully X :D --I also need to get the heating core fixed....Michael wasn't sure what he was to do when he took the dash apart and now I have some rattling under there (But don't tell him I said anything---you know wounded pride and all that!;) )

Anymore suggestions...keep em coming. My plans are to start internally and work my way out. Maybe by the end of year she'll be looking FINE:drool: !

[Advent]

A few things:

1. K&Ns let an engine breathe more air AND dust, no matter what they tell you. I've seen it first hand. I know several people who have compared the dirt inside their air boxes and gone back to stock for the safety of their engines.

2. Altezzas are crap. They're so ghetto-ricer-common the Altezza doesn't even come with them anymore because so many owners wanted to be different and have regular tail lights. Not to mention that NONE of them are OEM quality. That's like paying to take $100 off the value off your rig. Also, unless they have a red reflector inside (not just a red bulb) they're illegal. Cops have started ticketing for it.

3. The 360 is a great engine but no matter what you do your milage is going to be CRAP. Like 12-13 average, tops. You really don't want to do anything to it to make that worse. The power in that Durango is great, but man, watching the 'current mpg' guage hit ZERO on an onramp sucks (yes, it's possible. I used to do it with my dad's Durango all the time).

4. Putting wider wheels on kills bearings and ball joints super fast. Like yearly fast. Those rigs are notorious for it. They'll almost burn through ball joints yearly without any mods. Basically, unless you get a suspension that completely replaces the ball joints, don't do anything other than get 31x9.5 tires on the stock wheels. It's a safety issue more than anything.

[ladydurango]

A few things:

1. K&Ns let an engine breathe more air AND dust, no matter what they tell you. I've seen it first hand. I know several people who have compared the dirt inside their air boxes and gone back to stock for the safety of their engines.

2. Altezzas are crap. They're so ghetto-ricer-common the Altezza doesn't even come with them anymore because so many owners wanted to be different and have regular tail lights. Not to mention that NONE of them are OEM quality. That's like paying to take $100 off the value off your rig. Also, unless they have a red reflector inside (not just a red bulb) they're illegal. Cops have started ticketing for it.

3. The 360 is a great engine but no matter what you do your milage is going to be CRAP. Like 12-13 average, tops. You really don't want to do anything to it to make that worse. The power in that Durango is great, but man, watching the 'current mpg' guage hit ZERO on an onramp sucks (yes, it's possible. I used to do it with my dad's Durango all the time).

4. Putting wider wheels on kills bearings and ball joints super fast. Like yearly fast. Those rigs are notorious for it. They'll almost burn through ball joints yearly without any mods. Basically, unless you get a suspension that completely replaces the ball joints, don't do anything other than get 31x9.5 tires on the stock wheels. It's a safety issue more than anything.



Ok....comments welcomed on this........?????:confused:

[TJVigilante]

Well, I'm sure the bearings can handle slightly wider tires, the R/T uses the same bearings and runs wider tires, just street tires instead of offroaders. the taillight comment I fully agree with, just doesn't belong. Air Filter, also agree, if you're going to go that far, just get a drop-in filter. If the airtube is the limiting factor, get a new tube but keep the factory box.

Exhaust and intake together are going to increase the airflow of your engine. If you do that and still want your current (crappy) gas mileage without it dropping, then I suggest researching an ecu reprom for a slightly higher air/fuel ratio to offset the added volume of air. More air on stock A/F ration = more gas used per combustion. that's also why gas mileage drops off for all vehicles in colder weather, the air is more dense and the engine is pumping more gas to keep the a/f ratio to stock parameters.
Gears will be your best bet in increasing your performance, but going lower without increasing tire diameter will also destroy your mileage, as it's working faster to keep the same speed.

[Advent]

Well, I'm sure the bearings can handle slightly wider tires, the R/T uses the same bearings and runs wider tires, just street tires instead of offroaders.
I meant farther offset wheels, sorry. IIRC, the Sport models used a 31x9.5ish tire, which is why I reccomended it. The tires themselves don't effect the bearings much, it's the wheels/offset of the wheels.

But you still don't want to put much more weight onto the factory suspension, those ball joints are just a terrible design.

[LowNSlowNeon]

If you put Altezzas on that Durango.. I won't talk to ya..


LOL.. 4 serious.. ;)

[michaeljr5]

You can sleep well tonight.......I'm not doing the altezzas:D Right now I have no plans on changing/altering the lights at all.

[LowNSlowNeon]

Thanks

[michaeljr5]

You can sleep well tonight.......I'm not doing the altezzas:D Right now I have no plans on changing/altering the lights at all.

This is my wife's posting actually. She didn't check to see which one of us was logged in.

[naturalbornmudder]

A few things:

1. K&Ns let an engine breathe more air AND dust, no matter what they tell you. I've seen it first hand. I know several people who have compared the dirt inside their air boxes and gone back to stock for the safety of their engines.

2. Altezzas are crap. They're so ghetto-ricer-common the Altezza doesn't even come with them anymore because so many owners wanted to be different and have regular tail lights. Not to mention that NONE of them are OEM quality. That's like paying to take $100 off the value off your rig. Also, unless they have a red reflector inside (not just a red bulb) they're illegal. Cops have started ticketing for it.

3. The 360 is a great engine but no matter what you do your milage is going to be CRAP. Like 12-13 average, tops. You really don't want to do anything to it to make that worse. The power in that Durango is great, but man, watching the 'current mpg' guage hit ZERO on an onramp sucks (yes, it's possible. I used to do it with my dad's Durango all the time).

4. Putting wider wheels on kills bearings and ball joints super fast. Like yearly fast. Those rigs are notorious for it. They'll almost burn through ball joints yearly without any mods. Basically, unless you get a suspension that completely replaces the ball joints, don't do anything other than get 31x9.5 tires on the stock wheels. It's a safety issue more than anything.


Kyle, stop being super-critical and let someone have some fun with their rig. If you don't like someones idea, cool. But try something different from your normal, and actuially provide useful information toward what the threads is asking opinions about.

[Advent]

Kyle, stop being super-critical and let someone have some fun with their rig. If you don't like someones idea, cool. But try something different from your normal, and actuially provide useful information toward what the threads is asking opinions about.

It was useful information. I was attempting to keep someone away from bad 'me too' mods.

That model Durango is great aside from the aforementioned milage and ball joint issues. If somebody built a decent suspension for it it would make an awesome high-speed off road rig, since they're quite well balanced. But until somebody does that there's really not much you can do other than a bug deflector and possibly a better stereo to make them much better. If she wants to go totally hardcore a SAS would be fun to see, but I doubt that's the direction this rig will take.

I didn't have anything else to add, so I pitched in what I hoped would be helpful corrections to previously posted misinformation.

[naturalbornmudder]

where is mis information? Opinions over opinions. Yes, mods will wear out parts faster. Most mods do.

This young lady wants to make her vehicle stand out a bit.

[michaeljr5]

This young lady wants to make her vehicle stand out a bit.

Kinda like this one.

http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=9174

or this one.

http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=9176
http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=9178

[naturalbornmudder]

ok, even I gotta say, skulls in the grille are gay as folk.

The lift is nice though, as it the tire size and rim size. Choice of tires could be better but, who am I to judge unless I am buying the guy a new set of them.

The first pic was more race-ish Durango.

[ladydurango]

This young lady wants to make her vehicle stand out a bit.

You can never go wrong using "young lady" in a sentence:D

Seriously, thanks for the support, Nate:cool:

[LowNSlowNeon]

ok, even I gotta say, skulls in the grille are gay as folk.

The lift is nice though, as it the tire size and rim size. Choice of tires could be better but, who am I to judge unless I am buying the guy a new set of them.

The first pic was more race-ish Durango.


oh my jebus... thats funny stuff...



To be on topic.. the blue durango or black whatever color it is.. on base is REAL sweet looking...

[naturalbornmudder]

on outlaw rims and has a roof rack on it, right? Nice looking. A decent set of BFG all terrains on there would look sweet.

[ladydurango]

ok, even I gotta say, skulls in the grille are gay as folk



Dang.....skulls were going to be my first choice. Ok.....maybe, huh.......what exactly does an a**hat look like? :eek: My new word for the hubby! Love it!:cool:


(J/K honey);)

[LowNSlowNeon]

on outlaw rims and has a roof rack on it, right? Nice looking. A decent set of BFG all terrains on there would look sweet.

I think a big set of mud terrains would make it look beefy and nice ;)

[michaeljr5]

Dang.....skulls were going to be my first choice. Ok.....maybe, huh.......what exactly does an a**hat look like? :eek: My new word for the hubby! Love it!:cool:


(J/K honey);)

That's fine, the +++++hat will sleep on the couch. It's kinda funny, she's got all these plans, but I don't know who she's gonna get to work on this truck of hers.

[LowNSlowNeon]

That's fine, the +++++hat will sleep on the couch. It's kinda funny, she's got all these plans, but I don't know who she's gonna get to work on this truck of hers.

Enjoy the couch :D

Nate and I will help her with some stuff... :allrighty:





:thefinger:

[naturalbornmudder]

ya know what tho, it aint my rig so I too should have a nice big glass of STFU...huh

Skulls, right on. I would go with them if you have some other skullish stuff to put on it as well like decals, kind of theme-ish.

[naturalbornmudder]

That's fine, the +++++hat will sleep on the couch. It's kinda funny, she's got all these plans, but I don't know who she's gonna get to work on this truck of hers.

right on, man if you like self inflicted punishment.

Buffalo Bill says...<-----------Silence of the Lambs
"It puts the parts on the durango. It does this whenever it's told. It will sleep on the couch with out lovin' if it disobeys."

[michaeljr5]

with out lovin' if it disobeys."

You just don't understand. :cool:

[ladydurango]

ok....mmmmmmm......skulls. NO WAY! I totally agree with you on that, Nate. Just joking about it earlier.

And since A**hat is sleeping on the couch and now refuses to work on my truck....I will accept any help I can get:D ---(Thanks Lownslow:D )





(love ya, honey;) )

[michaeljr5]

right on, man if you like self inflicted punishment.

Buffalo Bill says...<-----------Silence of the Lambs
"It puts the parts on the durango. It does this whenever it's told. It will sleep on the couch with out lovin' if it disobeys."

It can also stop making the monthly payments. :cool:

[naturalbornmudder]

I see that your love life is changing, along with your paint scheme on the monty. Perhaps some time on the couch wont hurt like you say.

[ladydurango]

It can also stop making the monthly payments. :cool:


Ok, Nate I need a few more "80's" words here........a**hat isn't cutting it anymore:D

[4x4_MMMH_4x4]

both are worthless get a chevy :thefinger: