C-CAL Style Second Gen Ram

Louie Soares hails from Modesto, California. This town is at the top of the Golden State’s central valley, an agricultural bread-basket. As a dairyman and farmer, Louie’s at home with diesel-powered equipment, but his favorite oil burner is his bright red 2001 second gen Dodge Ram. Louie tells us some friends talked him into buying his 2500 in late 2000, right as the new trucks hit the dealerships. Of course, it didn’t take much convincing, as he’d been planning on getting a new truck as a graduation present to himself. Hard work and frugal spending ensured he would have the down payment to get his dream truck and begin this build. For a short while, it was stock and used as a daily driver, every once in a while used to haul cows to auction or move tractors to job sites. However, stock trim was not ideal for this born tinkerer and long-time vehicle upgrade artist.

The first upgrade on the list was a lift. Louie and his buddies have been into lifted trucks since they began driving, so a raise in ride height was inevitable. This Ram is lifted 14 inches with a custom suspension designed by Louie and some friends. The front coils were swapped for taller units, and the shocks were upgraded too. The front upper and lower control arms were custom built, as were the new upper coil buckets on the frame. A single longer shock rides in the stock position, and two others are mounted behind the axle on each side for a triple setup. The Rancho shocks are chrome plated to add to the look. In addition, a hydraulic Ram assist steering system was installed. In the rear, leaf springs were retained, and a set of traction bars was added. Of course, triple chrome shocks are used here too.

Driveline upgrades include a Dynatrac ProRock 60 front axle and a set of 4.10:1 gears front and rear, along with Detroit lockers. The front billet diff cover is standard with the front Dynatrac axle, while at the rear a chrome cover was used on the Dana 70. J&H Performance upgraded the stock transmission with a stack of parts from DTT Diesel Performance. According to Louie, the DTT-2006 auto transmission is tough and durable.

On the power front, the stock 5.9L Cummins 24-valve now sports a K&N intake and Holset H2E 21mm turbo. An Edge programmer and 5- inch exhaust with twin 6-inch tips also help with the power output. A nitrous system adds a little extra boost on the track. The bottom line is that the truck is putting out around 500 horses and 1,000 lb/ft of torque at 1,800 rpm.

500 HORSES AND 1,000 LB/FT OF TORQUE AT 1,800 RPM”

On the outside, the entire truck is painted Dodge Viper Red and the doors, tailgate and stake pockets have all been shaved. There’s no getting into this truck without the remote. The underside is accented with chrome plating and red paint, and the 14-inch lift let’s you see most of the gnarly suspension, too.

While this truck started out as a simple work rig, it’s now Louie’s pride and joy. Oddly enough, though, it only had 50,000 miles on it when we got a chance to see it: That’s less than 5,000 miles a year! Yet again, who says you have to drive far to have fun in something like this? UDBG

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