BRANDON DAVIS’ 750 HP OFFROAD CREATION

Brandon Davis took nearly three and a half years to build his '07 Ram 2500; and, to this day, he's still working on it, adding more and more.

Sick of cookie-cutter crew cab show trucks, Brandon decided to take a different path and build something the other trucks weren't: a regular cab, with lots of power and a completely custom suspension. It all started after a bad quad accident made Brandon rethink riding. He still loved offroading and sand dunes but needed something else to blast around in. A regular cab Dodge seemed like the perfect choice. It would be simple, capable and attention-grabbing. So, he started building.

Brandon began his project by doing something that 99.9 percent of truck owners don't do: He bought a truck with 28,000 miles on the clock and then stripped it down to the bare frame. “There was nothing out there that I wanted, as far as suspension goes,” says Brandon. “So, I made my own.”

The suspension design Brandon came up with—with the help of Signature Metal Fab—is a front link, rear trailing arm design that would give the Ram a huge lift, as well as an immense amount of travel.

“I must have had the truck apart and back together a dozen times before I got it right,” states Brandon.

Before it went together for the last time, Brandon also took up the task of smoothing the factory frame and had buddy John Vincet smooth and paint the underbody of the truck. The front suspension also received numerous upgrades so that it could match the rear in terms of performance. Carli Suspension ball joints were added,

along with the lift, as was a PSC Motorsports big-bore steering box with hydraulic assist.

When Brandon saw lifted trucks, most of them didn't have much power. In fact, most of the time, they kept their hoods shut.

Determined to set his regular cab apart from the crowd, Brandon set to work on the 6.7L Cummins engine next and more than doubled the factory output. Brandon and buddy Jared Oltmanns built a stout foundation first by adding ARP 625 head studs, along with pushrods and 4,000 rpm valve springs from Hamilton Cams.

The cooling systems were also upgraded with a radiator, intercooler, and boots and hoses from Mishimoto. Power came next; and here, Brandon stepped it up—big time. A complete turbo setup from

Fleece Performance was selected. It included a 67.7mm S400based turbo, air intake and even an exhaust brake. Fleece handled the fuel with a Power Flo lift pump and injectors from Dynomite Diesel Products. The end result of this awesome combination is an estimated 750 rear-wheel horsepower, along with a stump-pulling 1,600 lb-ft of torque.

With all his hard work on the engine and suspension setups, Brandon sure didn't want his driveline to blow apart, so that was heavily modified as well. Ram 68RFE transmissions are known for disliking power increases, so Brandon didn't take any chances and installed a fully built M3GA 68RFE from Suncoast Diesel. The Suncoast transmission literally has the "kitchen sink" thrown at it—with redesigned apply pistons, drums, sprags and apply plates. The valve body has also been calibrated to handle the extra power, especially in overdrive.

Finally, a Suncoast triple-disc torque converter ensures that the transmission hits lockup correctly every time. With a transmission up to the challenge of the big 6.7L's torque, Brandon finally turned to the axles, where he added 4.56 gears from Yukon Gear, as well as front and rear ARB air lockers for ultimate control.

And then, there was the body (you didn't think Brandon was going to leave that alone, did you?). Perhaps the most visible modification is the Mercenary Off Road front bumper, which actually increases tire clearance instead of limiting it, and is designed for applications just like Brandon's.

Lighting was upgraded with a third brake light and high-power lights from Rigid Industries. The front of the truck was upgraded with a T-rex grille and the rear with a Truxedo low-pro tonneau cover. Brandon even took the time to add such touches as pin-striping by

Wayne Yates and braided brake lines from Crown Performance. Surprisingly, the paint is still the factory white; it's just been very well taken care of.

After our photo shoot, we saw Brandon headed out of the location to go drive around.

“I know it took a long time to build, but I want to actually enjoy the truck,” says Brandon. “You get good at cleaning it,” he laughs.

In the end, it's not one part that makes Brandon's truck what it is; it's the whole combination. It has won best of shows on numerous occasions (including Scheid's Diesel Extravaganza in 2017), and it still has more power than the average Corvette. And that's why we think Brandon's Ram is truly ... one of one.

 After doing some math, Brandon was able to build suspension mounts that bolted to the frame and would give the truck an estimated 16 inches of lift, along with 14 inches of travel. West Coast Chrome in Modesto, California, did all the chrome for the steering links, four link arms and driveshafts.

 The front suspension setup on Brandon’s Ram is something you don’t see every day. In fact, we’re not used to seeing coil-over shocks this long outside of monster trucks. The custom front suspension uses King 2.5 adjustable-rate coil-over shocks.

 With a foot and a half of lift, one can never be too careful when it comes to the steering. A PSC big-bore steering box was incorporated into the crossover steering arrangement, which is also hydraulically assisted.

 Brandon’s powerplant has received some stout upgrades, including ARP 625 head studs, pushrods and valve springs from Hamilton Cams, along with Dynomite Diesel 150-percent-over injectors. After these photos were taken, he also added a valve cover from Fleece, as well as a dual fueler kit with a 10mm CP3 pump.

 The rear suspension is a trailing arm design we’re not used to seeing outside of trophy trucks. The shock is mounted midway through an ultra-strong arm to give the rear suspension extra travel. Limiting straps are also used to limit droop in case the truck ever comes off the ground in the dunes.

 The rear shocks are the same King 2.5 coil-overs as the front suspension. The bypass design gives a huge amount of dampening—which is good when your truck weighs more than 7,000 pounds.

 There’s a whole other truck’s worth of work under Brandon’s Ram. The frame, bolts and everything else he could get his hands on have been smoothed, painted or chromed.

 One of the hardest-working parts of Brandon’s ride is the 68RFE transmission. Even with mild power increases, the Ram transmission needs help; and with the size and horsepower Brandon’s Ram was making, he figured he’d better go big: He went with a full Suncoast Diesel M3GA competition transmission.

 An intake from Fleece Performance Engineering feeds a 67.7mm turbo—also from Fleece Performance—which sends 60 psi of boost into the 6.7L Cummins engine.

 With the injector and pump modifications, there was no way a stock fuel system was going to support the power Brandon had planned on. An Airdog 4G lift pump takes fuel from the tank and sends it up to the hungry diesel engine.

 The Mercenary Off Road front bumper is a truly unique design that just seems to work with the rest of the truck and allows the front tires to clear at both full compression and full droop.

 The Jamo exhaust not only gets rid of exhaust gases, it looks good too. Everything from the downpipe to the back of the truck has been completely chromed and doesn’t use a tip. The rear rollpan was made in-house by Brandon.