Hello all,
New to the forums here and excited to hear some advice on an ongoing project.
I recently acquired a 2000 Durango SLT with the 5.9L for a very low price as it had some pretty significant body damage, bumpers misaligned, transmission cooling system leaked everywhere, and the 4WD would not engage. Since buying it, I hunted down a junkyard donor to replace a front and rear bumper, as well as rear passenger door that had previously not opened and had a massive rusted gash in it from someone hitting a pole. I just installed a 3" rear shackle "lift" with the matching torsion keys, realigned the bumpers, fixed the transmission cooling issues, and replaced the missing 4WD linkage causing the failure.
My plans for this truck are simple: I want a 4WD somewhat offroad/snow capable vehicle that is ready for anything. On my list of parts to acquire next are a bull bar, roof basket, off road jack, and an assortment of survival equipment. I also want to do some LED light bars and these amber led lights for the sides and front.
A few questions for anyone who has done something similar:
-tires??? This thing needs tires bad, but I can't decide what to get. This is a budget oriented build, so I want to be under $900 out the door.... and 31's are probably the only option at that price. Any recommendations?
-Lighting... does anyone have advice on wiring/mounting the lights I described including potentially a long roof mounted light bar?
-suspension- the shackle lift had a minor effect, while the torsion keys actually lowered the front... recommended affordable lift options?
-exhaust- this thing is wayyyy quiet. Any budget exhaust to get some sound?
-tool set ups- I need to retain the 3rd row seating for the kiddos, but want an area to stow away all the tools I will be keeping in here. I know the little cubby for the jack in the trunk area is one spot, but won't hold everything I need. Any designs to build a cool box here?
-is there any way to mount a front winch that doesn't require a new bumper??
thanks for any and all advice! sorry for the long post
New to the forums here and excited to hear some advice on an ongoing project.
I recently acquired a 2000 Durango SLT with the 5.9L for a very low price as it had some pretty significant body damage, bumpers misaligned, transmission cooling system leaked everywhere, and the 4WD would not engage. Since buying it, I hunted down a junkyard donor to replace a front and rear bumper, as well as rear passenger door that had previously not opened and had a massive rusted gash in it from someone hitting a pole. I just installed a 3" rear shackle "lift" with the matching torsion keys, realigned the bumpers, fixed the transmission cooling issues, and replaced the missing 4WD linkage causing the failure.
My plans for this truck are simple: I want a 4WD somewhat offroad/snow capable vehicle that is ready for anything. On my list of parts to acquire next are a bull bar, roof basket, off road jack, and an assortment of survival equipment. I also want to do some LED light bars and these amber led lights for the sides and front.
A few questions for anyone who has done something similar:
-tires??? This thing needs tires bad, but I can't decide what to get. This is a budget oriented build, so I want to be under $900 out the door.... and 31's are probably the only option at that price. Any recommendations?
-Lighting... does anyone have advice on wiring/mounting the lights I described including potentially a long roof mounted light bar?
-suspension- the shackle lift had a minor effect, while the torsion keys actually lowered the front... recommended affordable lift options?
-exhaust- this thing is wayyyy quiet. Any budget exhaust to get some sound?
-tool set ups- I need to retain the 3rd row seating for the kiddos, but want an area to stow away all the tools I will be keeping in here. I know the little cubby for the jack in the trunk area is one spot, but won't hold everything I need. Any designs to build a cool box here?
-is there any way to mount a front winch that doesn't require a new bumper??
thanks for any and all advice! sorry for the long post
