June 2005

Kevin Rants

Dear DOC, I was floored to learn I had been voted June 2005 DOTM.

I purchased my D on May 15, 2001 after looking for several days, with my wife, for a good used Durango to replace my 1995 Dakota SLT 4x4 which was no longer big enough to comfortably carry the three children we had and the fourth we were expecting. We needed something that could handle a travel trailer or recreational needs besides our ever trusty Pontiac Montana. It was actually my wife’s suggestion for a Durango so, of course, I wasn’t reluctant.

Three days after bringing home the D, dubbed Grande Rojo (Big Red) by my kids, a brand new set of Autolite 3923s were installed. The following day, the TB came off and was ported and polished (something I'd done previously with my Dak) Next came a Robertshaw GT755-180 thermostat with some Water Wetter and then a Flo-Pro FP300 performance muffler to replace the restrictive stock muffler. All these mods were simple, proven and cheap. Speaking of cheap, one of my goals with performance mods on this truck was for them to be cost effective to get the most value for my money. I saved some of the easily removable mods from my Dakota and, by selling them, only paid $10 for this first weeks’ worth of mods.

A week later, I added the MOPAR molded mud flaps to cut down on the stone chipping that'd left some damage to the rear bumper cover and rocker panels from the previous two years of unprotected fun. I also began crafting a Cold Air Intake that could be made for less than $100. By June, I'd finished the CAI using a 90 degree aluminized 3" exhaust piece from JC Whitney (painted with Duplicolor hi-temp silver) and a 9" powerstack filter (red of course) from intenseperformance.com.

By July, it was time to change the cap and rotor so on went the trusty NAPA brand Echlin brass cap and rotor combined with the Accel Super Coil (140021) I'd removed from my Dak. I also bought some cosmetic accessories such as a full Bugflector bug deflector, Westin Safari Bar and off-road lights.

August was a busy month for the D starting off with a full fluid replacement. After replacing all the fluids (except the tranny) with Mobil 1 synthetic, a deal came along to acquire some JBA stainless steel headers for half the cost of new so, of course, I got them. It was a difficult decision (not!) but headers was something I had always wanted since my first truck (which had Hooker long tubes.)

September was a slow month for mods with an Optima red top replacing the worn out OEM battery and a slight adjustment of the TVC cable to firm up shifts. The pace picked up again in October with the addition of an MSD 6T, again purchased at a significantly reduced cost, and some NGK spark plugs, by far what I think was the best "driveability" add on I’ve done so far. October was also my first trip with the D to the drag strip which resulted in a 16.72 sec @ 80.15 mph best run.

In February, I completed the JBA system with the addition of the stainless steel Y-pipe and added a replacement OEM cat and Borla XR-1 Sportsman muffler in place of the Flo-Pro which was driving me crazy with the droning at 2000 rpms. April brought cosmetic changes again with APC clear corners, Altezza black background tail lights and a Pioneer CD Player.

Modifications abruptly stopped in May as I deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan but, once I returned, I picked up again with the slow, steady improvements adding a Goodyear Gatorback Poly V belt and B&M Supercooler 24,000 GVW transmission cooler.

Christmas 2002 was the first time I'd been at home for Christmas in 5 years. For this trip we'd be bringing back a trailer load of furniture and other items from her parents after they had downsized their home. It was a 1800 mile journey from North Carolina to Colorado with all 6 people comfortably inside. After hooking up the "borrowed" two-axle horse trailer from the in-laws, we set out. It was amazing how well the D performed under the stresses of heavy trailer weight and how comfortable it remained for a long trip.

Soon after returning from this trip, we found out the Army was sending us to Germany in June of 2003. To prepare for the different driving conditions, I replaced my still serviceable BF Goodrich All-Terrains with some Michelin LTX M/S. Because of the need for speed rated tires and a more specific on-road design, the BFG’s were put into storage for later use. My goal is to purchase a set of AR 767 black D widow wheels and have the BFGs mounted for use during off-road treks with the family. After a short debate, I decided to ship my D commercially to Europe and it was waiting for me at the port when we arrived. Though I won't have much of a chance to drive it over the next 13 months, I did get to do a few autobahn cruises before parking it when I deployed to Iraq in Jun 2003.

I returned from Iraq on July 25, 2004 and within a day of being home, began the process of preparing my D to return to the streets. The year had been hard on the outside but fortunately the car cover kept a good majority of the major items off the paint. Underneath the hood was a different story as a family of birds had set up house on the drivers side valve cover. After an exhaustive inspection, no damaged wires were found so I hosed off the bird nest residue, changed the oil/filter and pulled each spark plug to lube the cylinders before the initial cranking — which didn’t happen as the Optima was long gone and dead! A new Energizer took care of the cranking chores and after the first crank in 13 months with a fresh battery, it rumbled to life.

Since the deployment, I’ve added a Mopar rear window deflector to combat the wet weather during the winter months, changed the transmission fluid to ATF+4 and installed a Hypertech Power Programmer III. All three modifications were useful and noticeable. The best bang for the buck mod so far has been the Hypertech.

Though most trips we do as a family now are in the minivan, I did have the opportunity to take the D to several countries on our trip to Paris (me and my wife on our own for our 11th anniversary with Grandma watching the kids) and Luxembourg.

A little information about my family. My wife is Crystal – we’ve been married almost 12 years and have 4 children, Kinsley age 9, Cody age 8, Casey age 5 and Kelly age 3. We met during our second year in college and the rest is written in history! The Army has taken us to numerous different locations and presented us with many challenges most people don’t get to experience but, through it all, they've made us better people and more adventurous. With the Army transforming, we aren’t sure what's in store for us next but, for now, we’re content to stay in Europe for a while and continue to explore the vast history and culture here.

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