Project Long-Range Clunker - 1994 Dodge Ram

This is a familiar site to any early second-generation Dodge Ram. The sagging headliner is a pain-temporary fixes are just that, and permanent glue-down fixes usually aren't that permanent. Beyond that, the light color of the headliner doesn't mix well with our greasy and muddy paws.

We went to Long Motor Company (LMC) Truck for a vacuum-formed ABS-plastic-backed headliner. It has the same texture as the factory one, but won't sag like our factory part. We got it in a darker gray (P/N 56-7460-GR) so that it wouldn't show as many stains. Fit and finish isn't quite as good as the factory part, but the headlining material won't separate from the ABS and all of our overhead junk bolted back in just fine.

We first cleaned that so-called "junk" and then painted it gray with Color Bond that we got from LMC (P/N 55-9472). We say "paint," but LMC and the back of the Color Bond both say that this "paint" molecularly bonds to the plastic. We aren't sure about that, as our electron microscope is down for repairs, but we were sure enough about the bond of the gray color that we painted all the items you see here and then went on to paint our claw-scratched door panels. Prep is key here.

We had no intention of reusing any of the factory carpet because of its poor condition, but we did want the level of noise reduction and insulation from heat and cold that we had become accustomed to. So we went back to LMC for gray molded carpet (P/N 56-7120-GR) and then backed that up with a die cut heat shield kit (P/N 55-9420) and 1/8-inch Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (EVA) sound deadener. The EVA is an asphalt-based material, while the heat shield features jute-like padding bonded to an aluminized skin.

The new carpet included jute padding, but not under the seats and back to the rear wall of the cab. The darker gray here is the back side of the LMC heat shield and the lighter, more colorful gray is a section of padding we ripped from the stock carpet that wasn't stained; we cleaned it anyway. It fills the area that lacked padding on the new carpet. Is this a necessary step? Probably not. But since we are going to be in the desert of the Southwest with this truck more than anywhere else in the country, we figured more heat insulation won't hurt.

Using a Bissell steam cleaner and Bissell Pet Odor and Stain Remover carpet shampoo, we were able to make a huge difference in the seats. The upper portion is what it looked like when we got it and the lower portion of the seat is after liberal steam cleaning. It also did a great job of getting rid of the smoke smells.

We aren't sure if it was a dog or regular use that did it, but there was a huge divot in the driver's seat. We went down to our local fabric shop and picked up a chunk of foam that was of a similar firmness as the factory foam. After cutting it to the rough size with an old electric carving knife, we went at it with a flapper wheel on an angle grinder to make it fit. We didn't use any glue, partly because we were worried about glue making a hard spot, but also because the Wet Okole seat covers that we used fit like a glove.

To keep the new carpet looking like new we turned to Husky liners. We've used them in past projects; they fit great, hold a lot of spilled fluid, and look good, too. We got them in gray (P/N 30712) to match the carpet. The heated Wet Okole seat covers were ordered in Light Gray (P/N 21) to match the interior with Royal Blue piping (P/N 19) to match the blue hue we'll be putting on the outside of the truck. Yeah, we are going to spend a lot of time where it's hot, but plenty of time up in the mountains and across the country as well. Actually, on the late April morning that we installed these, it was 30 degrees outside and had snowed the night before.

The heating function is a relatively new offering from Wet Okole, and as delivered, it is designed to plug into a power port and turn the entire thing on and off with a switch in that plug. We like the heat on the back for those long trips, but don't need it on our bottoms so much. We pulled the switches from the included harness, added two of our own, lengthened the wire, and put the switches in the overhead console. We then tapped Maxbilt for some stickers to indicate which switch does what. Maxbilt makes consoles for Jeeps that include Carlington switches (manufacturer of ARB switches), and the company has a ton of custom-switch labels that come in handy for all kinds of things from check-engine lights to heated seat indicators.

While we were replacing switches, we went after the driver's-side door lock switch. It had ingested too much soda and needed help. Unfortunately, it was beyond resuscitation (a.k.a., it exploded when we tried to take it apart to clean it), so we went back to LMC for P/N 56-6201 to replace it. We were surprised when it showed up with the same cast-in numbers as the stocker we were throwing out.

These trucks are notorious for cracked dashboards. That top dashboard piece takes a beating from the sun and does most of the work holding the top of the dash in. We were able to easily cover our old dash top's issues by putting a glue-and-bolt-on plastic dashboard cover on it from LMC (PN 56-7400-GR). To prevent that from cracking or fading we ordered a velour dash pad as well (P/N 56-7430-GR) which included the stick-on Velcro to hold it in place, even with the windows down on the freeway.

We were told that the old visors were paintable with that Color Bond, but we weren't that pleased with the results on our test piece so we put gray sun visors in to match all the other gray stuff overhead (P/N 56-7450-GR). After swapping our stock swivels over, they bolted up and looked better than stock. Not all of the things we got from LMC are made by LMC, so we have various shades of gray in the truck. They are all pretty close in appearance and we are fine with it, but we mention it only for the reader who is re-doing the interior but can't stand shades of gray.

Having come this far, we decided to get rid of the last thing that bugged us about the interior-the door seals. Not only did rain get in, but they looked like junk. LMC steps in again with P/N 56-5240, but be sure to get two if you need them (like we did), as that part number is for one seal only. We thought that by using the same seal for either side there would be fitment issues, but we didn't have any and only had to nip an inch or so off the seal to make it fit the way the factory intended.

Looks good, doesn't it? Then we turned the truck on, and the heater kicked a big old puff of smoke-flavored air at us. We weren't looking forward to that every time we turned the heater on, and shot a ton of Simple Green down the vents (enough so that it came out the drain and onto the floor). However, that didn't make a dent in the problem, so we got serious.

OK, to be honest, we were sure that we were going to have to pull the heater out of the truck, tear it apart, and give it a thorough going-over. We were at Wal-Mart and happened to see Febreeze for autos. We know that the lady-folk love the stuff, and figured it was only five dollars down the drain if it didn't work. Once we got it home, we did the only thing that made sense to us: We sprayed it into the intake of the heater system while the system was on full blast. The directions state that as the stuff dries, it takes the smell away. We were less than confident, but we were determined to put the whole bottle through the system anyway. We ran both the heater and the A/C, we varied the temperature, and three days later we'd fed it all through, with proper drying time in between "coats." So far, so good. But we'll see if it lasts. (Photo by Marie Gaspari-Crawford.)