Whats New? The Word on The Street Is…..

BEHOLD THE 2019 RAM 1500 TRADESMAN

RAM RECENTLY REVEALED THE ALL-NEW ’19 RAM 1500 TRADESMAN MODEL, WHICH SHOULD BE OF GREAT INTEREST TO THOSE LOOKING FOR A NEW TRUCK TO CUSTOMIZE DUE TO ITS LOW PRICE POINT. Aimed at one of the largest traditional pickup customer categories—vocational use—the new Ram 1500 Tradesman is a hard-working truck designed for small businesses, construction jobsites and commercial fleets.

The ’19 Ram 1500 Tradesman is available in two cab styles and two bed lengths: Quad Cab with 6-foot, 4-inch bed; Crew Cab shortbed with 5-foot, 7-inch bed; or Crew Cab with optional 6-foot, 4-inch bed. Powertrain offerings include standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 with eTorque mild hybrid system, optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 or optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 eTorque. The model is available in 4×2 or 4×4.

All 2019 Ram 1500 models are equipped with the largest front brakes in the segment at 14.9 inches. Ram Tradesman offers greater performance for the price when compared to other work trucks, adding useful features such as a standard Class III trailer hitch. The Ram 1500 features a segmentexclusive multi-link rear coil suspension that provides best-in-class ride and handling qualities. A coilspring setup centralizes and absorbs bumps and impacts, while reducing the amount of friction in the spring system. Also available is Ram’s exclusive four-corner air suspension system to balance any load.

Standard interior features include Uconnect 5.0 with 5-inch screen and hands-free calling, one-year of SiriusXM Radio, a 12-volt auxiliary power outlet, three USB ports, one auxiliary port and automatic headlamps. Standard equipment includes 160-amp alternator, 3.21 rear axle ratio, 730-amp maintenancefree battery, black grille and black steel bumpers, cargo bed lamp, front and rear Frequency Response Damping (FRD) shock absorbers, rearview camera, tilt and telescoping steering column, halogen headlamps, locking tailgate, power door locks, power windows, remote keyless entry and a theftdeterrent system.

A long list of options is available for the Tradesman, including 3.21 or 3.92 rear axle ratios, anti-spin rear differential, rear electriclocking differential, offroad package with factory suspension lift, 180-amp alternator, folding trailertow mirrors, rubber floor mats, Mopar chrome side steps and bumper step, spray-in bedliner and trailer brake controller. The options are quite enticing, and the base model is the perfect foundation for a full custom build.

ANOTHER UNIQUE TRUCK BY SQUAREBODY SPECIALISTS IS APPROACHING COMPLETION, AND THIS TIME IT’S AN OFTEN-IGNORED LONG-BED. Longbed Larry, an ’83 C-10, has a great deal of sentimental value to its owner. Given to him by his father when he was 15, Steven Hullinger’s dad passed away soon after, making this truck that much more important to him. Through the years, Steven drove the truck on his first date, his prom, his honeymoon and home from the hospital after the birth of both of his kids.As you can guess, it’ll never leave Steven’s family.

The C-10 has been going through a lot of restomodding, which includes saving just about all of the original sheet metal. Squarebody Specialists is going the extra mile to preserve the truck’s history while adding a lot of custom touches. For example, the original seat upholstery will be stitched onto the back of the new Relicate leather-covered seat. How cool is that?

Other mods include an LS swap, narrowed rearend, one-off 22-inch Hot Rods by Boyd wheels, Slosh Tubz Mild Tubz, sectioned/smoothed/ tucked bumpers, onepiece front/side/rear glass, custom gauges, billet interior accents and a Kicker audio system.

A custom rear frame section (usually beginning just after the cab) made to allow for additional wheel/tire clearance and/or the addition of a custom suspension. Back halves can incorporate any number of provisions, such as an axle kick-up, shock mounts, lateral rod mount and fuel cell mount, and they’ve even been used as self-contained air tanks. Pre-fabbed back halves can be purchased for most trucks in weld-on and/or bolt-on configurations.