Okay this is what I have going on... I have a great old 95 Dodge auto sitting inside my garage. Instead of going out and paying for something new or newer for me I want my truck back to where I'm proud of her again. Not that I don't like to rumble the buildings with her now. But the truck needs be gone over. And I mean all over. I need some starting points, things to look for, and any ideas are welcome. I don't want to lift it. I like the way she sits now. If you get some ideas throw them back on this forum and lets see how many hints ideas and well just good old opinions we can get... Thanks in advance...

 

It sounds like you want it to look like new, and act like new. If so, I'd suggest maybe repaint, re-upholster and re-carpet. It's hard to kill the engine, so I assume it's ok. And how about a transmission upgrade--I went with ATS 150,000 miles ago, and I've never been sorry. How's that for starters?

 

Start with the mechanicals before the cosmetics. No sense in having a pretty truck that rides/handles/steers/stops/goes like crud. I'll break it down as if it were mine...and since I don't have an unlimited udget and I drive my truck everyday...this is how it would go. (Even though my '94 looks & feels brand new)

I'd go through the suspension & brakes first, including all bearings, bushings, joints, etc. Then on to other mechanicals such as wiring/electrical issues, engine/transmission related items that are in need of repair like leaks or worn mounts, etc. Maybe that broken tailgate handle or that rattle you hear at 62mph or something.

Then you can move on to the pretty stuff, and for that I'd start off with the interior. Take a weekend and remove everything but the dash & steering wheel. Insulate it all, including doors & back of cab, roof, etc with sound proofing insulation. Toss in some fresh carpet and a headliner, put it all back together and replace whatever parts were broken or needed replacing, get to the seats when you can by having them refoamed & recovered, or replace them all together with something else, Just by getting to the mechanicals and interior...you'll feel like you're in a new truck.

Then you can move to paint/body & external cosmetics.

 

Hey thanks Robert and Asto... I appreciate it. Had a friend of mine who works on trucks come down and take a look at it. Doesn't look like there is that much stuff to replace cosmetically. Thanks again for you ideas. They will be wisely used.