$100K SECOND-GEN

A 750HP 02 DODGE COMMON-RAIL THAT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY

When you’re a second-gen connoisseur, chances are pretty good you’ll own a few of them. As for Kenneth Donkersgoed, he’s held the title of more than a dozen ’94-’02 Dodges in his time—but none of them have been like this. After obtaining a straight bodied ’02 Quad Cab as a roller from Jake Schlosser of Sloshfab, Kenneth did something most second-gen owners never do: he treated his pride and joy to a show-quality, $20,000 paintjob. Then he broke the mold again, this time in ditching all thoughts of a P-pumped 24-valve for a common-rail 6.7L. “I wanted to have the nicest second-gen out there,” he told us. “Something that you can’t just go buy.” After a year of being under the knife at Fleece Performance Engineering, Kenneth’s $100,000 common-rail second-gen is alive—and it’s unlike any other ’94-’02 Cummins you’ll come across.

6.8L CUMMINS

With the truck being purchased as a roller, there was no 5.9L to pull. However, a new power plant had to be sourced. Turning things over to Freedom Racing Engines, a Stage 2 6.7L-based Cummins was put together. The bored, honed, decked, and blue-printed block is furnished with a factory crankshaft, 9/16-inch main studs, Carrillo connecting rods, and Mahle replacement pistons. Freedom’s fire-ringed performance series 6.7L cylinder head, fitted with oversized valve seats, Manley Performance stainless steel valves and 103-lb Hamilton valve springs, anchors to the block via 14mm ARP head studs.

STROKER CP3 & 100-PERCENT OVER STICKS

To make the truck fun to drive, Fleece and S&S Diesel Motorsport teamed up on the fuel system.

Leaving his VP44 and P-pump knowledge in the past, Kenneth Donkersgoed had Freedom Racing Engines piece together a stout 6.7L Cummins common-rail for his ’02 Dodge. The balanced and blueprinted power plant is graced with 9/16-inch main studs, Carrillo rods, Freedom’s fire-ringed Performance series head, 14mm head studs, and was topped off with the ’03-’05 marine valve cover that’s visible here. Along with overseeing the entirety of the truck’s build, Fleece Performance Engineering’s Jake Richards executed the common-rail swap to perfection. Ironically enough, dropping a common-rail Cummins into the old Dodge required Kenneth to run one of Fleece’s second-gen turbo swap kits to achieve the kind of power he was after. The charger spec’d out for his build is an S400 with a 63mm compressor wheel, an 83mm turbine wheel, and a .90 A/R exhaust housing. The S400 breathes through Fleece’s 5-inch Mantake cold air system and is efficiently driven thanks to a T4 exhaust manifold from Steed Speed. Making use of some of the most proven fuel system parts in the industry, a Fleece Powerflo 750 CP3 supports a set of 100-percent over injectors from S&S Diesel Motorsport. While the single 10mm CP3 stands no chance of supporting an all-out effort from the 100-percent over injectors, by running an injector that’s larger than what’s needed, stock-like injector duration can be commanded. This means the truck’s 750-800hp is achieved without the engine having to endure excessive EGT or stress to make it happen.