A Cummins swapped ’85 Dodge packing a compound turbo’d, VE-converted 6.7L Cummins…
The guys at Plowboy Diesel are back, and they’ve once again transformed an old Dodge into something unlike anything we’ve ever seen… Now, the same crew that brought us a ’70 Sweptline powered by twin, 12-valve Cummins power plants has pieced together a brow-raising, VE-pumped 6.7L Cummins. That’s right, the late-model, 24-valve engine’s high-pressure common-rail system and all of its electronics have been scrapped in favor of the same mechanical injection arrangement employed on first-gens—and it’s all packaged in a Power Ram that’s been in the family since it was factory-ordered back in 1985.
But that’s not all. More than simply being an attention-grabbing anomaly, the truck was in fact built to make power. The de-common-rail’d 6.7L Cummins sports a set of compound turbos, an air-to-water intercooler, and a heavily tweaked, competition-ready Bosch VE with proper supporting injectors. Additional points of interest include an NV5600 transmission, a completely restored (and significantly reinforced) chassis, and 100-percent original sheet metal. Yet again, Plowboy Diesel has produced a one-of-a-kind, old-school Dodge that both baffles the mind and illustrates what this small group of highly motivated farmers is capable of.
Who says old Dodge trucks don’t last? We kid you not, every factory body panel on Jody Mollet’s ’85 Power Ram is original. Even more impressive, aside from the last few years the truck has never really been stored indoors. Defying all odds, its sheet-metal has somehow survived nearly four decades of Midwest weather. “It’s basically an awesome barn find,” Jody tells us. Once upon a time, the truck even sat on 20-inches of lift and 44-inch rubber. But after being invited to Firepunk Diesel’s Battle Of The VE dyno day back in August, Jody, his son Dakota, and good family friend, Andrew Geiger, decided the ’85 would be the perfect donor for their unique engine idea. The truck’s chassis was restored and its frame beefed up to make way for the Cummins transplant.Before the work required to retrofit a VE pump to the 6.7L Cummins’ block began, the folks at Plowboy Diesel knew the larger displacement and higher flowing, 24-valve cylinder head would be extremely advantageous. A billet-aluminum Gridlock girdle from Bean Machine was added to what is otherwise a stock bottom end, with the valvetrain having been upgraded thanks to a 178/208 camshaft and three-piece, 7/16-inch pushrods from Hamilton Cams. A fire-ringed D&J Precision Machine head, complete with Hamilton 103-lb valve springs is anchored to the block by way of ARP Custom Age 625+ head studs. As you can see, the head was also topped off with a billet-aluminum Bean Machine valve cover.Due to the limited power window a VE pump provides, proper turbo sizing is a vital piece in the horsepower-making puzzle. For that, contact was made with Air-Tec Innovations, and the Cantril, Iowa based company responded with an S462 over S480 compound arrangement. The 62mm S400 serves as the high-pressure unit and bolts to a T4 Steed Speed exhaust manifold. All exhaust piping and boost tubing was fabricated in-house at Plowboy Diesel. With both chargers operating at full steam ahead, the truck’s 60-psi boost gauge pegs out in short order.No ordinary Bosch VE, the mechanical, distributor style injection pump on the engine was transformed into a competition-ready unit in the highly capable hands of The Hungry Diesel’s Eric Gilbert. The 12mm pump benefits from a longer fuel screw (known as The Dominator), a “Magic Bullet” fuel shutoff solenoid (FSS) brass plunger from Holy Performance, a 4,200-rpm governor spring, and a flat ramp design fuel pin. According to Jody Mollet, The Hungry Diesel competition VE flows 330 cc’s of fuel (roughly three times what it could flow stock). It feeds a set of competition injectors (also from The Hungry Diesel) equipped with 6×16, 128-degree spray angle nozzles. The task of mating the VE to the engine itself entailed sourcing a factory first-gen front gear housing, followed by drilling and tapping the block.Ensuring the VE always enjoys a steady diet of fuel is essential for making the 700-rwhp fuel-only number the truck is capable of. Of course, sufficient low-pressure fuel supply is also crucial for the VE’s longevity. A 220-gph AirDog II-5G system mounted along the driver side frame rail is trusted to handle the job. The powerful lift pump draws diesel from a Bean Machine sump installed in the factory fuel tank, and supplies 18-psi worth of pressure to the VE.They don’t come much beefier than the NV5600 manual. This cast-iron case, 360-pound six-speed boasts some of the largest internals of any standard shift gearbox placed in a diesel pickup. The NV5600 was rebuilt by Dewal Wuebbels prior to being installed. To make it work behind the 6.7L Cummins, a custom, 6061 billet-aluminum adapter plate was sourced from Diesel Conversion Specialists. A street-friendly, ceramic button, triple-disc clutch from Valair provides efficient power transfer.Underneath the truck’s original body, its foundation has been prepped to both survive the immense grunt turned out by the Cummins and live another 40 years. A restored frame, all-new suspension, and a rear Dana 70 equipped with a Far From Stock disc brake conversion (complete with direct fit rotors, bolt-on brake line brackets and copper-nickel lines) can be seen here. Also notice the tail-end of the truck’s 4-inch, turbo-back exhaust system. What you can’t see are the homegrown traction bars that tie the Dana 70 in with the frame in order to keep axle wrap at bay.Up front, a Dana 60 resides under fresh leaf packs from St. Louis Spring. As for the frame, its restoration began with a full tear down of the truck. This was followed by the frame being epoxied, block sanded, painted gloss black, and buffed. But prior to that, and because the early Dodge trucks were notorious for rear frame weakness, laser-cut reinforcement panels from Speed Fabrication were plug welded into place. Crossmember upgrades were also part of the work involved in prepping the chassis to handle what the Cummins would be dishing out.Working on a tight deadline has both its drawbacks and its upsides. Because they ran out of time to have a custom air-to-air intercooler built to fit behind the grille, the guys at Plowboy Diesel improvised with an air-to-water system based around the use of a Frozen Boost unit. And although a bit unorthodox, it’s served its purpose and then some. In fact, thanks to the air-to-water intercooler’s tremendous efficiency, Jody tells us “we have positively zero issues whatsoever with heat,” and that keeping tabs on the pyrometer is never necessary.Speaking of gauges, every parameter—from engine rpm to boost and drive pressure to oil pressure—is measured via eight Isspro units. Each analog type gauge is installed in a piece plucked from the farm’s stockpile of John Deere tractor parts. And thanks to the plug and play nature of the Isspro gauges, they can all be disconnected, removed, and the truck’s interior is 100-percent factory again. Full disclosure: all of the Power Ram’s original gauges are still in place (and functional) in the truck’s dash.Right out of the gate, and at the event the truck was built to compete in (Battle Of The VE dyno day), the old Dodge laid down 589 hp and 1,064 lb-ft of torque on fuel. Next, the truck cleared 649 hp and 950 lb-ft aboard the M&M Repair mobile Dynocom at the 2023 Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. This was followed by similar numbers being made on Maverick Diesel’s Mustang dyno. While these are strong numbers, something tells us the Plowboy team wants to crack 700-rwhp. “Once we get a better fuel-only number, we’re going to add nitrous to the truck,” Jody tells us. “We want to see how much horsepower and torque we can get out of it.” Whether it’s strapped to the rollers or idling through the show ‘n shine, look for Plowboy Diesel’s VE-pumped 6.7L Cummins creation to be out and about in 2024—where it will no doubt continue to turn heads.
