1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel - Project Baja Bomber, Part 7

Here you can see the 1-inch polyurethane pucks S.N.A.F. used to isolate the flatbed from the truck's framerails. These isolators will prevent cracking as the chassis twists and flexes while in motion.

Floor Jack Mount
In every racing scenario, time is of the essence. So when it came time for us to figure out how to secure our new Craftsman floor jack to the Bomber's bed, we wondered: How do the professional racers do it? Some brief Internet research led us to Stewart's Raceworks of Santee, California. Stewart's Raceworks is owned by Craig Stewart, son of legendary racer Ivan Stewart. Craig's shop builds some of the fastest race trucks in the world, so we didn't feel compelled to question whether or not their floor jack mount setup would work for us...

...The mounting system comes complete as a kit and is designed specifically to fit the aluminum Craftsman floor jack (Sears PN 50239). We like it because it gives us peace of mind that our jack wouldn't become part of the Baja scenery. The mount features a spring-loaded quick disconnect latch mechanism that allows the jack to be removed in seconds. It also has a security bracket for use with a padlock, an awesome feature for those shady areas of hotel parking lots.

We're calling this feature the "spare-tire pocket." Essentially it's a place to anchor two 37-inch spares vertically. With this mounting system, the spares are easily accessible and out of the rearview sightlines. Another benefit of this mounting location is its lower center of gravity than other mounting locations. We like the look of this arrangement because the tires are positioned toward the back of the bed, behind the rear axle, similar to a few well-known Trophy Trucks. This design puts the weight of the tires (300+ pounds) in a place that is most advantageous to the rear suspension's dynamics.

The spare-tire pocket, unloaded. You'll note how the upper exterior fascia continues throughout the pocket (see green lines). This, along with the horizontal lower lip, is where the structural rigidity of the pocket lies. The rest of the pocket is simply aluminum sheet. We didn't have S.N.A.F. include a strap to secure the tires into the pocket on purpose. We have much bigger plans in mind for that, which we'll cover in an upcoming issue.

This shot details the underside of the spare-tire pocket. We had to cut the factory rear crossmember to allow for clearance (green arrows). Initially we were hesitant to butcher this crossmember for fear that it might significantly weaken the rear portion of the frame, not to mention that this crossmember provides all the stiffness to the driver-side rear upper shock mount. We're still unsure if we'll need to brace what remains of this crossmember, but at least we have an unrestricted area to run bracing if it is required