Vulcanized
Stronger, Harder and Tougher Than the Original Version
Stronger, Harder and Tougher Than the Original Version
ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO, I WAS BUILDING A TRADITIONAL HOT-ROD TRUCK WITH AN EARLY HEMI; IT WAS A FULL CUSTOM FRAME SLAMMED WITH AIR RIDE AND A SOLID AXLE FRONT END WITH BIG WHITE WALLS AND A SERIOUS CHOP AND CHANNEL JOB. Then I had my first born and a few years later my second, so when I was finally able to get back to my project, I realized my whole family wouldn’t be able to cruise together. So, that’s how I decided to build a crew cab, but I had the idea to build a first-gen Cummins Dodge years before when I owned one as my work truck. I thought slamming one on air with some Alcoa’s would be sick and, of course, different.
I found this truck on Craig’s List, it was originally from North Carolina where they did the Cummins swap back in the early ’90s. The truck was sold to a guy in Midland, Texas, who was doing oil field work and decided he needed a newer truck. That’s when I swooped in and made an offer. I drove it home where I used it as a work truck for nearly a year before I started the tear down process in the spring of 2015.
I stripped the truck down to the chassis and cab and set it on my frame table where I proceeded to rebuild the chassis from scratch. I started with the redesign of the front suspension using only the factory spindles. I designed and built my own upper and lower control arms, and then I built the bag and shock brackets, mounted the steering rack and finished it off with a beefy sway bar. Then I moved to the back half of the truck where I used 2x6-inch square tubing to build a whole
new rear frame. The rear suspension consists of an extra-long parallel four-link with a diagonal bar and rear-mounted sleeve bags. I used another beefy sway bar on the rear as well to make sure the truck was a great-handling truck even when loaded down or hauling a trailer. Areas of the frame haves been boxed in to give rigidity, and all new cross-members were custom fabricated for the transmission, fuel tank, driveshaft loop and gooseneck hitch.
After the chassis was completed, I moved onto the sheetmetal work. I smoothed and cleaned up the firewall, inner fenders, roof skin and the entire bed. The bed includes hidden boxes to access the electrical system as well as the custom air over hydraulic brake system. Hidden bed rails were built into the bed sides to allow the ability to tie down cargo, like a motorcycle, if needed.
Once all this custom sheetmetal work was done, the truck was sent off for bodywork and paint while
...THAT’S HOW I DECIDED TO BUILD A CREW CAB, BUT I HAD THE IDEA TO BUILD A FIRST-GEN CUMMINS DODGE YEARS BEFORE WHEN I OWNED ONE AS MY WORK TRUCK.
the chassis and drivetrain were cleaned up and coated, and then assembled and readied for the body. The truck later got its interior completely reworked and updated while the wiring process was also started. In early 2017, we began the final assembly in hopes of finishing the truck for the Lone Star Throwdown, one of the nation’s largest custom truck shows, to make its public debut.
First and foremost, a special thanks to my awesome family for their support and understanding, especially my dad who is always available when I need a hand, and my wife for knowing it takes late nights and long hours to build some of these projects.
Additionally, I want to thank some local guys who didn’t hesitate a bit to get behind this project, including places like West Texas Auto Colors, Lubbock Bolt Bin, Farmers Hose Supply, Benitez Mobile Truck Repair, Elite Media Blasting, Seminole Diesel Service and Mario’s Trim Shop.