Dale Sellers, a heavy equipment operator from Turbotville, Pennsylvania, likes to play dirty. During the work week, he spends eight to 10 hours in the seat of his massive D9 Cat reshaping the earth into something commercially appealing. But on the weekends, nothing gets his adrenaline pumping faster than churning up some sod in his built Dodge Ram. A stock Chrysler 5.2L V-8 mill with electrical upgrades by Bosch, Accel, and Champion sends power through a four-speed automatic tranny and then to a NP241 HD T-case. From here it splits to a Dana 44 front and Chrysler 9 ¼-inch rear axle. The ring-and-pinion gears were replaced using 4.56:1s and help spin 36-inch Gumbo Mudder radials. These gnarly meats are mounted to 15x10 Eagle alloys and get clearance from a 3-inch body lift by Performance Accessories.
For suspension mods, Dale went with a 5-inch Skyjacker system with coils up front and leaf springs in the rear. Custom traction bars, built by Dale himself, are attached to the rear axle and were designed to eliminate wheel hop. Six Skyjacker Nitro shocks (four in front, two in the rear) damp the ride while a Skyjacker Nitro steering stabilizer controls side-to-side motion.
Additional metal fabrication by the owner includes an aluminum skidplate along with front and rear tubular bumpers. A Flame Red spray-job and stripes by Duane at Toyz Unlimited in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, as well as a Lund sun visor and rear roll pan, add the finishing exterior touches. A batch of KC Daylighters light up the night sky. Interior mods include Corbeau racing seats and a slew of audio components that include a Kenwood X-811 stereo, Kenwood 501-F/301-T amp, Polk Audio speakers and Kenwood 10-inch sub-woofers.
Dale’s fullsize Ram is a fine example of a functional, well-built, late-model rig. It’s a truck that’s not too showy, with the capability of getting down and dirty anytime and anyplace.