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CB's 2012 PW ST build thread

20K views 108 replies 25 participants last post by  Griffon 
#1 ·
The 8 week wait on my PW ST factory order is finally over!! Picked it up a couple days ago.

Thought I'd start my build thread with a few picks of it all brand new with 15 miles on it before I drove it home.

The dark gray grille, monochrome paint, and "tailgate only" PW decal are how the ST's come standard.

I love how it looks stock now, but can't wait to get the chrome bumpers off and have gloss black Ranch Hands on!

No inside pics yet, but loving the vinyl floor. Dropped some black Husky liners over top. They fit great and vinyl on vinyl movement is minimal.

Just had the solid rear glass swapped for a Mopar manual slider today. Much better. (Solid rear glass now for sale so let me know if anyone is interested/needs a replacement.) Also just dropped a bed mat in and put a plastic Mopar bedliner tailgate cap on the gate to give the spray in liner some added protection.

Will post more pics & write ups as mods get done.

CB
 

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#90 ·
Thanks. We didn't take time to do the "forklift test". They'll deflect but will of course flex up a bit.
 
#91 ·
I'll see if I can get a door open pic soon. After seeing what they went through to get these fine tuned I don't see how you could not take them to the shop. If you had a set fabbed & shipped you would probably have to have the mounts made a bit longer than necessary so they could be trimmed as necessary prior to welding.

Even with that they still might not fit right with the way these bodies vary and the side to side variance of how they sit on the frame. Pinch weld angles vary too. I would be very leary of just having a set fab'd & shipped.
 
#92 ·
Those turned out nice!
 
#94 ·
Doubtful...you'll have to contact them and ask if they're willing to build a set without having your truck there. We learned through this process there can be quite a bit of side to side variation in frame to edge of truck dimensions on these trucks. They're really not in the business of building stuff just to ship without having the vehicle there.

If they build you a set they'll no doubt have to leave the mounts a little long so your installer could trim/fine tune. They're probably multiple weeks or months out on other projects too.

Good luck. Don't mean to be a downer. Just making you aware of what's involved in getting a set to fit right on our trucks.
 
#95 ·
You don't happen to have a PN for that auxilary switch, do you? Since I'm looking into lighting for the Aluminess bumper, this seems the most logical (and cleanest) way to hook things up. I might have to get one of those Cobra CB radio's too........:cheers:
 
#96 ·
I don't have the P/N for that aux switch bank handy but I think myoung has it in his build thread. Be sure to get the P/N for the pigtail that goes with it.
Cheapest to order from Factory Mopar Parts.com.

Also keep in mind, as others have noted in many other threads, these switches "power" the ground side of a relay. Plan accordingly. You can see in my build thread pics where I drew power from behind the dash to power the LEDs in the switches. Chose a constant hot source.

Let me know if you need additional help.

Yeah, I've used the Cobra 75 for years with good results. The control box for it fit nicely behind the base radio in my ST. Plenty of room for it. BUT, you have to take the dash panel off every time you want to hook the SWR meter to it. Luckily I know where I am on that with both antennas I use so I seldom have to do that.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

CB
 
#97 ·
Good to know. I ordered the parts for the auxiliary switch and the pigtail yesterday. Hope I can get it all hooked up next weekend. That way, when the bumper/lights do come in, it'll be a simple hookup and I'll be up and running. :cheers:
 
#98 ·
Yup. Good call. That's the order I did things in.

See earlier in my build thread for the unused rubber nipple style grommet I used in the firewall to run wires through. Not sure if it's an unused one in SLTs but it's a handy one to use, even though it's a tight squeeze on the interior side between the cab exterior sheet metal and e-brake assembly.

Let me know if I can help further. Look forward to seeing your new bumper & lights!
 
#99 ·
Awesome truck you've got there, looks great! I am envious of your build! Makes me wish I'd bought a white one! (mine's mineral gray) You've got the exact suspension setup I want, glad to hear that it works well! Love those sliders, they look great and will doubtless give your rockers great protection! (I am having trouble finding any sliders for our trucks, I may go Aluminess or have a local shop here fab some) I am going to have to get a set of those seat covers, do they work as well as it looks like they do?
 
#100 · (Edited)
Thanks and congrats on yours. Saw your thread over on PWR. I'm sure you got a solid deal on that one too.

Yeah, can't beat good ol' white for durability and ease of hiding desert pinstriping. The Carli setup (along with ball joints, etc.) certainly rides well and is now super solid, but it's had its share of issues too. I've got a lot of weight on back of my truck in terms of toolbox/contents, bumper, etc but I'd like the rear ride height to still maintain the factory rake under what really should be a moderate load.

Among other little surprises, their lower ball joints didn't clear my steering knuckles when turning left or right. Figured out we had to machine some off the knuckles to clear them...after destroying both brand new lower bj's. Replaced under warranty and luckily discovered when first happened near home and not out on trip somewhere. Could've been disastrous.

Carefully consider what your plans are for your truck. Questionable long term durability aside, the stock PW suspension setup is darn good and very capable as is. If you're not going to hang heavy bumpers on or try and stuff 35's on, get some mileage out of your stock setup and then modify down the road.

Yep, good sliders are hard to find for these. Some have gone the Aluminess route and sounds like most are happy. I wanted mine welded to frame so went the custom fab route. Certainly more time & expense going that way, but very happy with results.

Yeah, seat covers are awesome. Pricey and waited 2 months for them, but great fit and can't beat real Cordura if you want that kind of fabric. I need and like some water resistance in mine. Otherwise if I was strictly in a desert climate I'd go with something in a heavy, Carhartt type cotton canvas.

Start up a build thread on yours with pics! Let me know if I can help further.

Have a good'n.

CB
 
#101 ·
CB: Thanks for the info bro!

Although I am still jealous of your white paint, I have actually been pleasantly surprised by my gray paint's durability, I took it through some tight trails the first weekend and heard a lot of branches making their way down the sides but, no pinstripes yet! (knock on wood)

Glad you caught that balljoint issue fast! That could have easily led to a nasty situation!!! For your rear springs, did you get the heavy duty set, or which? Hope you get them figured out okay! (Maybe something like a zero rate would help yours? (essentially a 1" block that you tie into the spring pack using the centering pin so it acts as another leaf (like a shorter stouter version of what Dodge did from the factory on these trucks)) I'll likely be running empty most of the time but, plan on heavy loads when I do haul stuff. (whole reason I bought the truck, LOL!) Hopefully the springs will be okay for me!

I was planning to stay stock for a while but- I really want a lift after my first trail ride, just for the belly clearance, I had no troubles on the trails I went on other than the fact that I was dragging belly over almost every berm! I am thinking the 1" lift from the Carli 3" kit, combined with some 37" tires should keep my truck's belly off the berms! (I hope!) Other than that, I gotta say I was VERY impressed by the capability for a stock truck!!!! Stuff that I was nervous about taking it up was handled with no drama at all!

I actually just ordered Aluminess sliders so, we'll see how they work out!

I am strongly considering the same seat covers you have, they look sharp! Thanks for the info!

You may have already said something about it but, I didn't catch it- have you put on an aftermarket exhaust? Your tailpipe looks wicked different from mine!
 
#102 ·
Thanks man. Glad to help. Start your build thread and post some pics! Look forward to seeing your truck!

I got the standard 1" rear full progressive leaf pack from Carli and probably should've got the heavy duty. Wasn't really aware they had a heavy duty available when I ordered it. (Heck, didn't think I'd need an "HD" spring pack over and above the standard pack for a 3/4 ton if you know what I mean.)

I really want my factory rake back under "moderate" loads and for it then to still sit level under heavy loads. The 1" pack I have now keeps it level at moderate, but ass low under heavy.

I need to call George at 8-Lug again soon to discuss, but anticipate I'll swap up to the Carli HD and sell my standard rear Carli pack. That means I'll have the stock rear set and the Carli set up for sale in next 2-3 months. Haha. I really don't want to go through the added complication of moving (or removing) the exhaust resonator to make room for the Carli long travel airbags as an alternative. Want to keep things as simple and durable as possible underneath.

As far as running 37's with this kit I don't think it's possible without rubbing. 35's are as big as you'd want to go if you want to be able to fully articulate and keep from rubbing anywhere. I think you really need a 4"+ kit to run 37's the right way. You'd probably want to re-gear for 37's too but you might be able to get away without it at your altitude. In either case though you can wave bye-bye to the factory stock gas mileage. Figure a 3mpg loss from factory with 35's as long as you're not too heavy footed.

Yeah, no regrets on these seat covers. Top quality all the way around for sure.

No, I made zero changes to any of my intake or exhaust. All factory. I do like how the stock tailpipe looks on mine, but pretty sure they all look like that.
I don't believe in making any changes to those. I firmly believe it's better for long term reliability not to...just my opinion and experience.

Hope your sliders work well for you. Look forward to seeing pics.

CB
 
#103 ·
Thanks again for all the info CB!

I've looked again and my tailpipe really is wicked different! (maybe it varies by geographical area for some reason?) I'll try and post a pic soon- my computer or internet (or both) are pretty well FUBAR at the moment! I'll be starting a thread with some pics whenever I get the problem(s) fixed.

Hope you get the springs all worked out! Definitely sounds like the Heavy duty are the way to go for you!

I love the looks of your truck! It looks like it is 100% ready to get the job done!!!! (no matter what the job may be!) Great build bro!
 
#104 ·
Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, will be working out the rear leaf thing in next couple months.

Can't imagine why the tailpipe on your 2012 would be different, but seems Chrysler continues to make running production changes all the time. In fact, I think they may have added the quad headlights to later 2012 STs which I don't have. (My stock headlights are a joke!) Who knows...post pics when you can.
 
#107 ·
What was the part# for your seat covers.
 
#108 ·
Sorry for slow reply. Since mine is an ST with manual seats and no center armrest in backseat, I got the 897-12 for front and 899-11 for rear. I added optional console lid cover, map pockets on both fronts and front/rear headrest covers.

Best to call them and tell them exactly what year and model you have since there may be subtle differences. They're great to talk to and will know exactly what they need to make you.

Hope they're caught up if you order. I had to wait 2 months for mine. Worth the wait though.

Post up pics if you get 'em.

CB
 
#109 ·
Thanks!
 
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