This article originally appeared in the March 2021 issue.
We definitely don’t see too many of these old beasts on the road anymore, and this one sure looks great for its age (now 30 years old)! This is the second model year to feature the Cummins turbo diesel in the Dodge/RAM trucks. Ben Kirkland, who owns this 1990 12-valve 5.9L, lives in the greater Sacramento, Calif., area and has it quite well built up.
“I bought this truck when I was 17 years old, and I plan on completely rebuilding it,” says Ben. “This truck is my daily driver back and forth from work, though I also take it to truck meets and have other sorts of fun with it.”
The amount of work done on this old rig is definitely involved, to say the least. Other than sitting on a 6-inch lift with 15-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch tires, the truck has its share of powertrain and engine work that includes a built A727 transmission (completed by Pro Built Transmission in West Sacramento), a BorgWarner S369SXE turbo, a built VE injection pump from Hungry Diesel, and a killer dowel pin (KDP) repair kit. The truck may have quite a few years on it now, but Ben is certainly determined to keep in going for some time.
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