CUMMINS C10 DREAMING
wanted a Cummins diesel stuffed under the hood. He also loved the retro classic paint look, and couldn’t resist that orange two-tone.
As Lima started on the build he ran into problem after problem trying to get the big Cummins to fit in the original 1967 Chevy frame. In the end it wasn’t wide enough or strong enough to support the big diesel. A frame swap was going to be required.
Lima says that the running gear under the Dodge frame from the same vintage as the engine he chose, 2003-2007, was “the world’s worst,” so he decided to use a Ford chassis. He found the axles, steering, suspension, etc… to be superior to a 2000’s Dodge truck.
As he started working on the truck more and more he quickly realized that he couldn’t justify not doing the build perfect. He had built a nice 1995 K3500 Silverado several years before, with a 12 Valve Cummins in it, but when he was done he knew there were a few things he should’ve done differently. Lima couldn’t stomach having that feeling again with this build.
DOING IT RIGHT
At this point the personal build budget went out the window and Lima focused on doing every aspect of this project just right, and to his personal style. He aimed to build a show truck that was an extremely capable weekend driver and was every bit as aggressive on the road as it would look.
Of course, as with most projects like this, it took much longer and cost much more than expected to build. Lima had to keep putting this personal build on the back burner as his business grew, he moved into a larger building, sold his house and the usual life events happened.