03-09 RAM 2500/3500 COIL BUCKET GUSSET KIT AND MOTOR MOUNT DOUBLER

Description

The pursuit of the indestructible 3rd gen continues… Our products are born from necessity and, as the suspension becomes more capable, additional weak-points of the chassis and running gear surface. The coil bucket and motor mount gussets materialized after a trip to Johnson Valley, CA in our 3rd Gen.

This truck is equipped with our 3″ Long-Arm Unchained System with every option. It’s no secret – this is the most capable offering in our catalog among ALL applications boasting nearly 12″ travel King 3.5″ Smooth Body shocks supplemented with 2.0″ King Hydraulic Bump Stops up front with 3.0″ 4-Tube rear Bypass Shocks. A necessity with this system, our Rear Shock Mounts and Front Axle Truss support two components we’ve previously known to fail under the stress-load of this system in its element.

Naturally, a customer manifesting the ultimate in off-road performance budgeting to purchase this level of suspension is likely to test its limits. Enter me… The pictured 3rd Gen build has culminated through several iterations in my 8 years of ownership. It’s current state embodies the Loose and Lost mindset – “Leaf Springs Party Harder”

This truck has seen thousands of dirt miles through every desert in Southern California and many in the Baja Peninsula. It’s been equipped with the above suspension and supporting modifications for 5 of the 8 years I’ve had it. 3 years went according to plan despite pushing the truck’s limits.

While out in Johnson Valley shooting video, we pushed the limits of the truck. Even the 90mph road-gap that put this truck on the map was completely drama free.

Following this road gap, we successfully hit every section of Johnson Valley whoops in which this truck has no business. There were some white knuckle sections; but that’s the name of the game with this kit.

Once we got to the dunes, I started to feel this 9,200lb. Cummins-equipped rig was out of place. Deep sand was punishing for this chunky girl on 40″ Mud Terrains – all she wanted to do was dig four holes and sit in them. Compounding the drive-train strain were the high-winds impairing visibility and erasing tire tracks as quickly as they were made. The dunes can, and will, change in an instant. A great line for a jump or berm only exists once… when you hit it, you change it and know full well it won’t hit the same 5 feet to the left or right. Of course, we found the perfect line. I pre-ran, as i always do, while the camera setup happened amidst the dust-storm.

Limited visibility made it difficult to find the same line, and the lack of float from my Mud Terrain tires meant I needed to maintain speed over the terrain if I had any hope of getting airborne. On my second pre-run, I missed the line. I ended up a few feet from my intended lip and feel like I counted 3-4 seconds in the air before slamming into the sand. Of course, the camera was still setting up and couldn’t capture the carnage.

For those that haven’t run trucks in dunes – they’re pretty forgiving on landing; the soft sand helps ease the impact. This landing hit harder than anything I’d ever felt. The visors and door seals came down and it took me a couple seconds to mentally catch up with the moment. The truck stopped quickly and I assessed the damage. How the airbags didn’t deploy, I have no idea, but I have little faith they’re still functional. To my surprise, everything held together aside from the front axle that appeared visibly bent (despite the truss) and the motor mounts were tanked.

The motor mounts are comprised of several pieces. Connected to the block, I’m running the Carli Mounts – no surprise, these were in tact, as were the pieces that connected them to the block. The frame mounts were toast.

Motor Mount Doubler

The problem here is two-fold. The factory motor-mount is designed as a channel for easy installation. The bolt is installed into the block mount and motor is lowered into the cradle, then tightened. Once seated in the cradle, the only mechanism holding the motor in place (vertically) is the torque of the bolt. In stock power and suspension applications, this is a non-issue. In high horsepower, whoop-pounding situations, this is the Achilles heel of your desert fun.

If you care to know the end of the story, the truck ran and drove; albeit with 3° of camber on each side of the axle (the bend was in the un-braced part of the axle outer C, not the truss itself), and the oil pan was sitting on the crossmember. BUT, it made it home.

To solve this issue, we’ve designed doubler-plates. These inset into the factory motor mounts serving two purposes:

1. the 1/4″ steel adds substantial strength to the factory sheet metal when welded in
2. Converts to a mounting hole, eliminating the factory channel. This provides a mechanical lock eliminating vertical slippage of the motor in extreme-load situations AND increased the amount of material supporting the mount. It physically cannot peel downward as mine did.

As this adds to the mounting width, new Grade-8 bolts, Washers and crimp-lock nuts are provided to secure the assembly.

Coil Bucket Gussets

Next up, the factory coil buckets. These have been a known weak point since we installed our first set of 3.0″ Kings on a 3rd gen in the mid 2000’s. The flex of the coil bucket/frame junction is responsible for the shock-tower brace we provided with our original billet shock towers. This brace tied the coil buckets together over the top of the motor to prevent this movement.

This was a losing battle. People who modify to the level that requires this bracing often have aftermarket turbos, bypass oil filters, etc. mounted in the path of the brace. Additionally, the 6.7L was released in 2007.5; the emissions equipment also impeded the installation. What’s the next best thing? Fill in the gaps. These laser cut and CNC bent plates bridge the gap between the coil bucket and frame rail, both in front and back of the bucket. Additionally, we provide tabs to mount your limit straps to the front portion of the brace.

Do I Need These?

As with any new product, the question comes up – As a customer, when do I need these? If you’re going to break out the welder for an axle truss and rear shock mounts, order these. There’s zero downside (especially for the price). The motor mount doublers suck to install – I’m not going to sugar-coat it. Getting a torch in there is not easy. In the above picture, I displayed the best weld of the bunch. Even our master MIG welders couldn’t make these pretty, but they’re stuck and serving their intended purpose and that’s all that matters.

If you’re rocking a Pintop, don’t sweat it – these are wasted energy to install. If you’re on a short-arm Dominator… I’d have these on the “maybe” list – be honest with yourself about how you plan to use the truck. If you’re in one of our long-arm kits, just do it and thank us later.