Christian is back at Big Tire Garage where he and Ian are cracking into a rare piece of Cummins-Ram history. Since it was originally stuffed with a 12-valve Cummins 5.9L turbodiesel engine to help prove the feasibility of the concept
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00:00 This time on 4x4 Garage we're back at Ian's shop and we're going to dive into the Cummins Ram.
00:04 We're going to rip off the factory bed and install this service bed.
00:07 This is one of the first 12-valve Cummins Dodge truck test mules. In 2019, Cummins repowered it
00:23 with a 24-valve 5.9 for SEMA, which is why it's so quiet. However, when they did that,
00:30 they used a two-wheel drive six-speed transmission. So we're going to take this vehicle,
00:34 convert it back to a proper 4x4, and throw some off-road goodies at it.
00:39 The original engine was a 5.9 liter engine, inline six. You know, it started out as a bit of a
00:50 skunkworks project to explore options for getting some of our power into the Ram truck. As we're
00:59 looking at the development of the units, what our customers expect, they expect an engine,
01:04 a powertrain that will last the life of the vehicle, of course. We have customers that are
01:10 running 100,000 miles a year, and so that's the expectation that's on our engines. And when there's
01:16 a Cummins C on the side of the truck, that's the expectation, is they've got power for life and
01:22 durability for life. When you're talking about Cummins-powered Rams trucks, this thing is one
01:26 of the origins of the species. I mean, this is number 06. So Cummins, at some point in time,
01:31 took this truck and they modernized it yet again. It's still being used as something of a test mule
01:36 for them. They took out the old 5.9 liter 12-valve and they put in a new 5.9 24-valve. When they did
01:43 that, they used a G56 six-speed transmission out of a two-wheel drive truck. So one of the things
01:49 we're going to do is convert this back to a four-wheel drive with an MP205PK.
01:52 This one and this actual application has a six-bolt round pattern. So hoping we can just
02:03 unbolt this, unbolt the two-wheel drive portion of the G56, and slap them together. We'll see.
02:13 My thought process was the Ram would just make a really cool support vehicle for their Heritage
02:18 Center. Like I said before, the Heritage Center is where they keep all that iconic Cummins
02:23 memorabilia and history. And I think if we basically make a service truck, almost like a
02:28 chase truck for them, maybe put some cool old logos on the side, just give it that old style,
02:33 like an old hot rod shop truck for that shop, I think it'd be perfect for them. So we're not
02:38 going to go crazy. We are going to make it four-wheel drive again. We're just going to make it cool.
02:43 [Music]
03:09 So we got the bed off the truck. It can't hurt us anymore. But before we put the service bed
03:14 on here, we're going to take the opportunity while we've got easy access to put some new
03:17 Radflow shocks on. These are Radflow 2.5 with a one-inch shaft. They're going to really do wonders
03:24 to help control the extra weight of the service bed and all the equipment we're going to be
03:27 hauling on this. It's going to be nice and plush, yet controlled.
03:31 [Music]
03:47 We're at a technology crossroads, not only kind of where the technology is going,
03:52 but also where the regulations are taking us. The roots are still in that original inline 5.9-liter
03:59 engine. And over the years, we've gone from increasing boosts, going to variable geometry
04:05 turbos, EGR systems, EGR coolers, and all the componentry that goes in making this an efficient
04:14 engine and one that's really clean for the environment. As a bigger company, we're invested
04:20 in everything from hybrid to fuel cells to battery, electric to low-carbon fuels and an
04:30 internal combustion engine, everything from natural gas to propane to even hydrogen internal
04:35 combustion engine. So this is a place that we're invested in. A lot of those technologies were
04:40 actually in production in different markets.
04:43 [Music]
04:46 We got the Radflow shocks installed. And while this thing's still up in the air right here at
04:50 chest level, we're going to address these axle flange nuts. So one of the things that can happen
04:54 with heavy, heavy use on these full-floating rear axles is the nuts can back off and allow the axle
05:00 shafts to kind of walk out. But what we're going to do is install these stage 8 locking fastener
05:04 kits back here. It'll make sure these things, once we tighten them down, never move.
05:09 [Music]
05:18 You've got this little lock tab here. It indexes the heads on the bolt.
05:22 The locking tab is going to keep the bolts tied to each other so they can't back out.
05:26 [Music]
05:46 We got the bed in place. It's kind of sitting on the frame. Right now we're measuring and just
05:50 jocking the position a little bit, make sure we have it perfectly where we want it,
05:54 and then we have to fabricate a couple mounts.
05:55 [Music]
06:23 [Music]
06:39 So what we're doing here is kind of one of the older logos that they used to use. We're doing
06:44 it all hand-painted, keeping the patina so it matches the rest of the truck. So I started with
06:49 the initial design that they supplied from the archives, and I scaled it up to the size that we
06:55 wanted it on the door. Then I projected it onto a pattern and then transferred that pattern to
07:00 the door and just started filling in the lines.
07:03 [Music]
07:12 So I feel like what makes the hand-painted stuff kind of cooler on these trucks is it brings a
07:17 little more like human to it. It gives that, you know, there's those little imperfections that kind
07:22 of really add to it. Doing this logo, we wanted it kind of more patina to match the rest of the truck.
07:30 So to do that, I kept the paint kind of thin and I didn't work as hard to layer, you know,
07:37 to get good coverage. You want it to kind of be transparent in some areas to kind of mimic how it
07:42 would have worn off over the years. And then once it's dry, I'll come back and kind of knock it down,
07:47 knock the shine down a little bit, rub through some more areas just to make it look like it's
07:51 been there for 40 years or so. Hand-painted kind of lends itself to a little bit more authenticity
07:59 maybe. And then with the other things that have been done to the truck, just kind of customizing
08:03 it and being more unique.
08:06 So the Dodge is still sitting on its factory 16-inch wheels with a 235/85 R16-inch tire. It's
08:13 kind of a tall and skinny tire. We've got these Nexen Rodian ATX tires. It's an all-terrain tire.
08:19 It's going to be great on the street, still have great bite off-road. And this is a 285/70 R17
08:26 size. We're going to be able to source 17-inch wheels a little more commonly. And this one's
08:31 going to be not only just a little bit taller, but nice and wider too.
08:57 So our friends at the Heritage Center, when they take the vintage race cars, especially out on the
09:02 track or out on display, those cars don't have onboard starters. They don't have batteries. So
09:08 they are now bringing starter carts everywhere they go with these things. We thought it would
09:13 be cool to give this thing its own power generation so that we could bypass that.
09:18 We wouldn't need to bring the cart around. We could just make an extension cord. And when I
09:23 reached out to our friends at O&N, our power generation division, they took it one step
09:28 further and they gave us some brand new technology. In addition to a 2800-watt gas generator,
09:34 they also gave us almost 7-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. And then there's this
09:39 cool power distribution hub that manages the conversion from if I need to use the battery
09:45 and I don't need the gin set, I have quiet, free power, that battery needs recharge,
09:50 the ginny kicks on just enough to charge it. And for the Heritage Center guys,
09:54 that's just less stuff those volunteers have to drag around.
09:58 I think the guys at the Heritage Center are absolutely going to love this truck. I know
10:11 this wasn't a crazy build, but that's not what it was supposed to be. This truck was just supposed
10:16 to be a vehicle to help them do their job. That's why we put the service bed on the back.
10:22 And now that they have the ability to have power on site when they're at shows or supporting the
10:27 teams that they support out in the field with their new O&N generator, I think that's a big deal.
10:33 Ian and Christian really did their homework on this one. They found a bed that matched
10:36 the truck so it doesn't look out of place. They kept the suspension and everything
10:42 true to the nature of the truck, but tuned it a little bit. They got the four-wheel drive
10:46 working again, which we needed. We've got all these extra bits installed for auxiliary power.
10:52 And what we really have now is a truck to deliver back to them, thanks to
10:55 Ian and Christian, that not only looks cool, but it's super functional for that team.
11:00 [Music]
11:12 [Music]