This wont be a 'walk in the Park'. Driving cross country in a matter of days is always going to be difficult BUT It will be exciting, very exciting!!! We will make good time by being on the road except for fuel and bathroom breaks. Pat: the SLT+ was the top package offered on these trucks. It has four wheel disc brakes, front and rear sway bars, H.D. Shocks, Front&Rear OverLoad springs. Dana 80 rear 60 Front solid live axles, the rear is a floating design. The transfer case for the 4 wheel drive is a the snow plow unit thats a bit beefier than the standard case for extended abuse. The Frame is boxed. The front shocks are adjustable for height with a plow or any other heavy component such as heavy steel front bumpers, winches, off-road wheels and tires. At the time, 2002, you couldnt buy a stronger package. The transmission, axles, T-Case ectt are all sought after by hardcore off roaders when these trucks are salvaged, they love the strong components it was built with. sadly, Dodge doesnt use Dana axles anymore. 2002 was the last year, they went to AAM axles the same that GM uses. Which is why I bought my 2002! Another thing is the transmission. I can safely say the NV 5600 6 speed is the strongest manual transmission in the trucking industry, Period,(non-commercial). It weighs over 550lbs.!! The clutch is 13" but even with all this brute strength, this truck drives as easy as a Jeep grand Cherokee, no joke. As far as power, observe the next time you're out on the interstate, you'll see these Dodge CTD's,(Cummins Turbo Diesel's), all over the place pulling WAY over their rated load of 8-12 tons pulling weight. I've seen guys&gals pull everything from Farm Implements to a Huey Chopper! It also has a heated leather interior, DVD with steering controls, electric seats fully adjustable, heated mirrors, tilt steering, farme mounted Class V hitch with 7 pin connector, 16.5" forged alloy wheels, dual batteries, 160 Amp alternator, heavy duty wiring, Extra Cooling capacity, limited spin rear axle, 'chicken lights' on the top of the cab. A few more items,,,ect blah
Drew, its great to have an AMC brother along!!