"No electricity, no hybrid. You're not eating wheat grass and kale chips in this thing," said Jay Leno. "This is a man's truck!" On a new episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Leno pays homage to one of the most famous heavy-duty classic trucks of its era, a 1991 Dodge W250. Many would argue that the best part of this truck is its engine, the famous 5.9L Cummins turbodiesel, which some journalists have referred to as "the engine that saved Dodge trucks." This particular truck was restored and upgraded by Tim Stevenson of the YouTube channel Decent Garage.
A Dodge Ram with a Turbodiesel Heart
In the late 1980s, things weren't looking good for Chrysler's truck division. The third-generation Dodge D/W Series had been introduced in 1972 and was getting long in the tooth, especially compared to its rivals. GM had just launched its new GMT400 C/K Series in 1988, and Ford released the eighth-generation F-Series in 1987. While the D/W got a refresh and a new "Ram" moniker in 1981, it wasn't enough to gain ground on Chevy/GMC and Ford.
Above: Decent Garage's 5.9L Cummins was upgraded with a set of large Borg Warner compound turbos.
Dodge stopped offering its 440ci big-block V8 option in 1978, so for several years, the biggest engine available for its heavy-duty trucks was a 360ci V8. Leadership knew they needed a bigger and more powerful engine to stay competitive, so a partnership was forged with Cummins, a brand that was already famous for its commercial truck engines. This led to the addition of the 6BT 5.9L 12-valve Cummins turbodiesel as an option in 1989.
The 5.9L Cummins was the only pickup truck turbodiesel in its class at the time, produced class-leading 400 lb-ft of torque, and offered outstanding towing performance. It also proved to be an extremely reliable engine. Dodge backed it with a 7-year, 100,000-mile warranty to give buyers even more confidence.
Decent Garage's Dodge Ram Restomod
Back in 1991, the 5.9L Cummins produced 160 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Today, that sounds insignificant, but back then, it was substantial. Decent Garage showed the true potential of this tough engine by rebuilding and boosting it all the way up to 660 horsepower and 1,560 lb-ft of torque. It's paired with a newer G56 six-speed manual transmission and a twin-stick manual transfer case.
Above: Earlier versions of this build featured original-style wheels with hubcaps. The aftermarket projector lights seen here were also swapped for original-style reflector headlamps.
Bigger 13-inch front disc brakes from a 2013 Ram and a rear drum-to-disc conversion provide stopping power for this heavy and powerful rig. The suspension was also fully reworked with a coilover 3-link setup in front and lengthened rear leaf springs, plus large Fox shocks with remote reservoirs. It rides on US Mag wheels wrapped in 33x10.50R17 all-terrain tires.
This Ram may look like it's ready for a show, but it retains plenty of practicality for everyday use. The 8-foot bed has a gooseneck hitch for large trailers. It even has an exhaust brake and remote-controlled helper airbags to facilitate towing and hauling heavy loads.
The interior and exterior have been fully overhauled, with a charcoal grey on white two-tone exterior and red accents. The factory bench seat was reupholstered, and digital gauges and Vintage Air A/C were installed. "It's got a great vintage look, but it's brand new," remarked Leno.
Check out the full Jay Leno's Garage video below to learn more about this truck build:
Looking for Dodge Truck Parts?
Parts for classic Dodge trucks are often harder to find than parts for Ford and GM vehicles, which is why Classic Industries is working hard to offer more restoration and performance parts for the D/W Series and Ram. Click the button below to browse our growing selection of Dodge truck parts:
