wish list

[mudslide]

Ok- last time I bought a new toy, I went thru a lot of mistakes and mistakes cost money. So I need some opinions on what you guys/gals have done to make your truck better.

• name brand
• where you bought it
• cost
• part number
• why this mod is good or bad
• how many beers does it take to install (you know, important stuff)

Any info will be appreciated.

I will organize it and post it when done.



Some things I might be interested in doing

• bigger wheels
• K&N filter
• 2 or 3 inch lift kit
• fog lights to see the armadillos

Slide

[BernieB]

Cobra 19 CB radio, pair of mirror mount antennas, Astatic power mike.

Purchased from: CB from a TA stop down near Richmond, antennas and mike from Amazon.

Pros: Gives me good info on road conditions, better entertainment than commercial radio, and something to play with when sitting in the truck and waiting for the g/f to come out of the store.

Cons: Antennas were a PITA to install because the ends of the antenna cable were crimped on and non-removable. Meaning the cable had to go around the edge of the doors instead of through the door. Also, snapped one antenna off on a tree before I got my spring mounts installed.

Cost: About $150 total

Number of beers: I average about a six-pack a decade (though I do enjoy good beer) so this isn't a good indicator. But it took 4 Mountain Dew's

Number of bandages: None, just a small lump where I hit my head crawling under the dash

New mirrors

Purchased from: eBay (Company called Global)

Pros: Better visibility than the old mirrors with the stick on bubbles. New ones are stainless (old ones rusted), heated (nice in the winter!), and have marker lights on the back (drivers coming towards you at night tend to give you more room) Makes the truck look a lot sharper.

Cons: Took a little getting used to. The convex part is bigger and makes it a little harder to see the markers when backing up my driveway.

Cost: $35 with shipping

Number of beers: One MD while attaching, two while wiring up the heat and lights.

# of bandages: 0

Painted grille

Purchased from: Came on the truck

Pros: Looks much better than stock

Cons: Takes a bit of patience

Cost: about $10 worth of spray paint and tape

# of beers: Two Dews

# of bandages: None, but two aspirin for the "rattle can hangover"

[hotrodpc]

Hey Bernie, speaking of Grille Job, we may have just found our first customer for the Bobble Booty Hood Ornament. You need to revise your list, so he at leasts asks about it.

[BernieB]

Marker lights

Purchased from: Autozone

Pros: No more warnings from DOT or the highway patrol. Able to pass inspection.

Cons: Expensive little buggers, and a PITA to reach the top of a 10' truck on a steeply sloped driveway

Cost: $3.50 each and I needed eight of 'em

# of beers: Two Dew's

# of bandages: One small one for the fingertip that found the sharp edge of a shelf in the box back

Notes: No ******** idea why the truck came without a full set of markers, except that it used to be county owned and I doubt they get many tickets.

(Why the heck is the word f-r-e-a-k-i-n-g censored??)

[bradrhale]

me and bernie is on the same page. i love my cobra with the 2 antaneas. make the truck look great. now i just need more speaker wire to mount my PA.

[BernieB]

Originally Posted by bradrhale

me and bernie is on the same page. i love my cobra with the 2 antaneas. make the truck look great. now i just need more speaker wire to mount my PA.

I've been thinking about that myself, especially since my lightbar has room for a speaker. But 10 watts isn't very much, so I've been thinking of putting in a regular 100 watt unit and slaving it off the CB output.

Either that or I'll just stick a speaker behind the grille and convert the center section of the light bar to an all-lights unit.

[BernieB]

Air Horns
(on g/f's Dakota)

Purchased from: Seige Engineering

Cost: $385

Pros: Small cars can be physically blown out of the way. City buses actually pay attention to you.

Cons: 45 minutes of total hearing loss when they go off with the truck alarm in an underground garage.

# of beers: 14 Mountain Dews over several sessions (because the hoses kept leaking until I changed two fittings)

# of bandages: None, but two sets of ear plugs while "testing"

Notes: The compressor and tank are mounted on the passenger frame rail, and the horns themselves are tucked up inside the wall of the bed on the passenger side. Only place with enough clear space for them)

[bradrhale]

mine has been adjusted up to 40 watts and the dimmer switch has been replaced with the on off switch in case i decide to run a linear. which i would do because they are illegal. hint, hint. i thought about mounting mine the the roll bar but decided against this so the PA is going under the hood somewhere turned down. i love having the ability of knowing the idiot in fron tof me heard that.

to the OP, i love the look of nerf bars. they help gettin in and out and they make the truck look awesome. they come in chrome, SS and powder coat black or white so you can custom to your liking. i bought mine from a TA for 125 to fit my extended cab. they are about 150 to 175 anywhere online depending on length. i really cant come up with a con to them. they do get bent on trucks from time to time but would rather buy a new bar than pay the body man to fix the door and everything associated with. how hard?? my 10 year old nephew put one side on while i did the other.

[BernieB]

Fog Lights
(on the g/f's Dakota)

Purchased from: Advance Auto

Cost: I forget... about $30

Brand: I forget but I think Hella... These are really small 55W units that project a very low, thin beam

Pros: Excellent for picking out black ice and cutting through fog. I've got 'em mounted low in the air dam where they're well hidden and close to the road. Unless they're on they're difficult to spot.

Cons: Had a heck of a time finding a lighted switch for them that wasn't blinding at night. I mounted the switch in the dash, near the regular headlight switch and no matter what switch I tried it always got me right in the eyes. Eventually I settled on a switch with a small blue LED in it, and put a piece of white electrical tape over it to cut down the glare.

# of beers: one MD

# of bandages: One small bandaid when my hand got stuck under the dash.

[Jon03HD]

K & N Intake
-purchased from autozone no s/h that way
-cost 300+/- depending on engine
-part number depends on engine size
-part is worth it i could tell a differance and sounds good when in high rpm
-number of beers 2 not too bad to install about an hour

What type of lift are you looking for suspension or body?