SWITCHED FROM GAS TO DIESEL

PEOPLE CAN CHANGE, ESPECIALLY AFTER SEEING THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS. SO SURELY A GASOLINE GUZZLER CAN FIND A NEW LIFE AS A DIESEL ENTHUSIAST.

 Just ask Kim Schwindt. Readers might recall his name from the April 2012 Diesel World cover story (see “Trail Boss”). He had already embraced diesel performance by that time, but he recently revealed a checkered past involving a 1995 Ram powered by a 5.9L—but not the beloved Cummins inline six. It was the V-8 version instead, which gulps down gasoline like a binge drinker on a bender (about 12 mpg combined, according to factory figures).

Schwindt did his best to make the most of his pickup’s bad habit, since he was only 21 at the time and simply didn’t know any better. He had fallen for the stylish Sports model and a flashy color scheme, a she-devil dressed in red and black. But this infatuation turned into a familiar tale of woe: love-at-first-sight gone wrong.

There’s ultimately a happy ending here, though, so just bear with us as we retrace his missteps, and how Schwindt finally found contentment with a trustworthy 5.9 Cummins under the hood. His early recollections of this first pickup are relevant, as they help to explain his youthful indiscretions, and also have a direct bearing on the oil-burner beauty shown here.

Looking back with regret, Schwindt recounts the reason for his impulsive choice. “I knew nothing about diesel and at the time I remember thinking they were slow and they stunk,” he admits. “Man, how times have changed!” (True enough, and a statement we’ve heard many times from experienced diesel owners.)

Anyway, after driving his “bad romance” off the lot, Schwindt took it down to California Concepts to get a TrailReady lift, chrome PCW wheels, Stillen billet grille and Cervini hood.

Sure, you can dress her up, but can you take her out? Well, Schwindt certainly tried. “Through the years, I went everywhere in that truck, practically living out of the thing in Santa Cruz, California, to being a starving student in Chico, California,” he recalls. Clearly he was smitten, despite her obvious flaws, and couldn’t help but gloss over her failings.

“I always managed to buy cool new parts for the truck,” Schwindt admits. “You know, one of those never-ending projects.” Excuses, excuses.

Expenses continued to mount for various cosmetic treatments and even some reconstructive surgery, starting with a Reunel bumper for the front, then a Road Armor piece for the rear. Schwindt then redid the suspension, four-linking the rearend and adding Fox 2.5 coilovers and bypass shocks up front. Baby then got new pairs of booties: a set of Swampers, 42-inchers fitted on TrailReady wheels. The effect made him delirious: “I was loving what the truck had turned into!”

What came next, though, was something out of a cheesy episode of The Bachelorette TV series—she dumped him. But not for some greasy guy holding a wilting crimson rose. Instead, she just headed south, nearly into oblivion with a blown engine.

Like any loyal companion, Schwindt attempted an intervention—“A Viper [engine] transplant nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” he confesses. Ten years and five fabrication shops later, it still was not done. Much poorer for his well-meaning efforts, he suddenly had an epiphany, a bolt of insight. “I bought a 2007 Dodge Ram Sport and built the truck of my dreams,” he says (the same truck mentioned at the outset).

So what happened to the object of Schwindt’s initial infatuation? Would she end up in the arms of another misguided owner? Or perhaps cruise the streets in a debased form of mechanical existence? Neither prospect came to pass.

Instead, for having done him wrong, she initially sat in a warehouse collecting dust and spider webs. Schwindt had all but given up on the project when an interesting (and far more alluring) opportunity presented itself. His good friend Stacy Hunt was selling her 2001 Dodge Ram Sport extended cab diesel for a screamin’ deal. Reminiscent of the ill-begotten gasoline girl, she (the pickup, not Stacy) had the same bright lipstick-red paint job, and was the last year of the same body style he found so enticing—only this time with a proper engine of desire.

Several sleepless nights led to hooking up with this far more satisfying surrogate, and then promptly taking it to the desert trophy truck-building gurus down at Fabrication Unlimited in Lemoore, California. “They had done work on the 2007 Dodge, and it was some of the cleanest I have ever seen, not to mention very fair priced,” Schwindt says.

And what of the previous Ram? Since she had not proved a loyal helpmate, Schwindt felt he owed her no allegiance. Once he came to this realization, it was time to act. She would become a donor vehicle, stripped of all her unappreciated embellishments for repurposing to a new project.

“So I told them the plan,” Schwindt relates. “Swap all the parts from the 1995 to the 2001 that they could, plus throw in a few extras as well. These included trussed Dana axles (60 front, 70 rear), ARB lockers, Yukon 5:70 gears and rear Purple Cranium diff cover guard. The four-link rear with Panhard rod allowed him to retain the stock fuel tank. A set of King 2.5 coilovers sticks up through the Line-X coated cargo bed, which also carries a TireGate rack modified for a 42-inch spare. Bringing up the rear is the same Road Armor bumper, but with Rigid LED backup lights. And also out back is MBRP’s 5-inch exhaust with an RBP tip.

At the front is the same Cervini hood, plus a Carriage Works black billet grille, flanked by Glassworks fenders fitted with Spyder black projector headlights. Mounted on the shaved Reunel bumper is a Warn 12000 winch and PIAA lamps.

The AGR Rock Ram hydro steering rack now has a custom radius arm with Panhard bar. “Basically I gave Fabrication Unlimited control on how to do the linkage since they are engineering masters,” Schwindt admits.

Then he had crew at FU drop the 2001 as low as it could go, yet still clear 42-inch Swampers. Even so, the rig was still tall enough that Schwindt needed AMP Research’s retractable side steps for climbing into the cab.

The rims were powder coated black, along with the bumpers, which were shaved clean of any ugly bars and D-ring knuckles. Next, Schwindt had them custom make a free-standing light rack on the roof for a half-dozen Rallye 4000 HID lights since they had already made one for the 2007 and it came out awesome.

As on the other Dodge diesel, Schwindt likes to be well prepared for off-roading, so he’s outfitted the DWS lockbox in the bed with a CO2 Power Tank and a red-anodized air nozzle for the coiled airline to air up those Swampers. Also mounted inside is a RaceWorks 3-ton jack. When he gets around to some rock crawling, he’ll be transplanting the Klune V gear-reduction box with a Atlas 2 transfer case.

For rockin’ the house when Schwindt’s out rock crawling, DFM Stereo added a pair of JL Audio W6v3 10-inch subwoofers under the back seat in a custom-ported fiberglass enclosure. The tunes come from a Kenwood Excelon DNX 9990 HD multimedia DVD receiver with navigation, Bluetooth and satellite radio that’s powered by a Soundstream 10.0 bass amp. The system also pumps through Focal 6.5 KRX2 front speakers, and MB Quart Pro Series 6.5-inchers in the rear. To protect his investment, Schwindt had a Viper alarm with a valet start installed. Soft, fresh Katzkin suede covers finish off the seats.

To be honest, the mature diesel Sport wasn’t quite as pretty as the brand-new gas gal at first sight, but Schwindt, wiser for his pain, now knows that beauty is only skin deep. So he gave the worn-out paint a makeover by taking it to RWT in Ukiah, California, for tint and detailing.

As with his other trucks, Schwindt hasn’t been content to leave things alone, and is now adding some serious engine and tranny mods at Total Performance Diesel in Santa Rosa, California. These include Industrial Injection’s Dragon Fire P-pump conversion, racing twin turbos (BorgWarner S480 and a Silver Bullet 66), ARP Space Age 625 head studs, injectors, 110-lb valve springs, AirDog II fuel/air separator, street cam, and Keating Machine valve cover.

Since the target output is more than 1,000 hp and gobs of torque, Schwindt’s also beefing up the tranny with Sun Coast’s billet input, intermediate and output shafts, plus a drum, torque converter and manual valve body (a dragster’s trick to hold gears to max rpm on auto trannies).

How’s life the second-time around (actually third, if you include the other Ram)? “Tell you what, it feels good to finish a 10-year project that ends up lookin’ the way this Ram does,” Schwindt says smiling. “It’s definitely one of the meanest second gen Dodge trucks around these parts. Now all that’s left is convincing the old lady I need both of them!” Well, let’s hope she’s not the jealous type. UDBG

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