Boogielander Build - Part 1 - Introduction

by Eric Jackson

Introduction

In this blog post, I will be detailing a few key items regarding the build such as:

  • What is boogielander
  • Ordering Process and Delivery
  • Build purposes
  • A brief overview of the truck

This will be a long post, so buckle up!

What is Boogielander?

Boogielander is a combination of two words: boogie and overlander.

Boogie refers to the act of going fast through desert terrains, especially skipping through whoops, bumps, and dips. Catching air is not required, but strongly encouraged.

Overlander refers to people who participate in overlanding, which is an activity in which participants drive long distances to some remote locations to camp, and often off-road driving of various terrains is required. The process of getting there is a big part of "fun," while destination is equally important. Modern overlanders are often associated as gear junkies or bougie campers, and I may or may not have the problem of carrying too much gears that I don't use. 

Combining the two concepts, it is easy to see what "boogielander" is: it is someone who enjoys overlanding and boogieing, and I will explain more on that later.

Ordering Process and Delivery

The truck is factory ordered, meaning the truck was built to my specific needs. There are many dealers around the country that accept factory orders, but I picked Mark Dodge of Lake Charles, LA to handle my business. 

Mark Dodge is known for their great deals on factory ordered CDJR (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram) vehicles and customer service. When I placed my order on 6/29/2022, when every single dealer was charging markups even for factory ordered vehicles, Mark Dodge was offering up to 6% under invoice before incentives. My total out the door price was roughly around 16-18% off MSRP, in 2022! Their customer service was top notch, too! Sandi, my sales representative, is very knowledgeable and patient with me, and their finance team, titling team, and delivery teams are all great. This was the most painless and pleasant vehicle purchase experience I've ever had. 

My friend (who ordered his truck through them about 2 months before me) and I had sent over 10 people to Mark Dodge, and everyone of them had very pleasant experiences with the dealer.

Here's how it works:

  1. Go to ramtrucks.com and build your truck. When you're done, save your build into a PDF and email it to Sandi (samrith@markdodge.net) or Aaron (aarong@markdodge.net).
  2. Sandi or one of Aaron's team members will review your build and respond with a quote, along with the steps you'll need to take to place your order. Follow the steps, and wait for a POC (Priced Order Confirmation) Now would be a good time to ask about incentives or anything like that. You'll want to ask every question you have now.
  3. Wait for factory to build your truck. You can also check the status with the tracker that Ram will send you. 
  4. Finance team will contact you once your truck arrives at the dealer. You can shop for your own financing, or utilize the locked in financing when you placed your order. I used the locked in financing.
  5. Delivery team will contact you regarding delivery. You can go to the dealer to pick up the truck and shake hands with the great people of Mark Dodge, or you can have them help you find a shipper for your truck.
  6. Enjoy your truck once you take delivery!

It took me about 5 months for the whole process. I placed order on 6/29/2022 and received my truck on 11/7/2022. 

Build Purpose

As previously mentioned, boogielander is a combination of two terms. However, executive of this concept is not easy, and that is because boogieing and overlanding are two opposite spectrums of truck building.

Boogieing focuses on high speed, and in order for the vehicle to withstand the stresses and flexes, most builds focus on removing unnecessary items. It's like building a racecar- anything and everything that does not contribute to improving the performance of the vehicle is removed to save weight. Another concept is like trophy trucks: those trucks are fast in the desert, yet they are built with a minimalist mindset.

Overlanding, on the other hand, focuses on comfort. That's why overlanders have roof top tents, showering system, kitchen, fridge, and other creature comforts. That is also why most truck-based builds are built like RVs.

Building a truck that is capable of both is not an easy task, since the concepts contradict themselves. But that is precisely why I took up the challenge: I want to prove that with enough creativity and industry support, I can build something that does well on both ends of the spectrum. This is also why I started this blog series: I want to showcase my build, my trials and errors, and my findings. 

Truck Overview

Why RAM? Well, I've worked on enough Ford and GM products to know that I don't want to work on those. Being a part-time technician, I don't want to pay someone to do the work that I can do myself; and Ford and GM products are no fun to work on. 

So, I picked the Ram 1500 DT Rebel. I've never owned a blue vehicle before, and this is likely my last new vehicle (with the way electrification and phasing out of V8s) so I told myself, "YOLO!"

It is a Hydro Blue Two Tone Rebel, with standard crew cab, Bilstein 1" lift from factory, 3.92 axle ratio, and rear locker. 

In addition, I ordered Level 2 package, Ram12 package (Harmon Kardon sound system and luxury seats), trailer brake controller, and 33 gallon fuel tank. I figured I could add my own front camera later, so I did not opt for the 360 Camera system. All other options are nice to have, but due to my budgeting and longevity of electrical components, I did not choose them.

The build will consist of few aftermarket parts:

 

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