Neal Nissen’s daily driven ‘12 Ram 1500 packs a P-pumped 12-valve, a full manual valve body 47RE, complete factory functionality inside the cab, and 750 hp.
The simplicity of a 12-valve, the creature comforts and ride quality of a fourth-gen, and 750 hp to have a little fun with… Meet Neal Nissen’s Cummins-swapped ‘12 Ram 1500. It’s not the only Cummins-powered half-ton he owns, nor is it the first conversion he’s performed—but it’s the one he drives every day. Thanks to Neal’s mechanical and wiring skillsets, his shortbed Ram is far from the average, run-of-the-mill 12-valve swap you may be used to seeing. The fine-tuned Cummins burns clean, the truck drives exceptionally smooth, and everything works like factory—even the ignition switch. But that’s not even the best part…
Neal yanked a built and supercharged Hemi out of the truck in favor of a P-pumped 5.9L. And no, not a built 5.9L. A ’98 model year 12-valve with factory rods, pistons, and that’s never had its head removed. With the right pump tweaks, injectors, and turbo matched to a manual valve body 47RE with a properly stalled converter, Neal has built one of the best-driving, 750hp 12-valves we’ve come across. It’s a well-executed build that combines 6BT Cummins simplicity with late-model looks—and that can sip fuel on the highway or run low 11’s at the track.
Once a test mule for ProCharger, this low-mile, short bed standard cab ‘12 Ram ended up in Neal Nissen’s care after passing through its second owner. Four months later, the 78,000-mile acquisition was sporting a P-pumped 5.9L Cummins under the hood, a manual valve body 47RE behind that, and a 7-inch stack in the bed. Now, the miles (and smiles) are starting to rack up. “I drive it all the time,” Neal told us. “Weekends, road trips, you name it.” He divulged that the truck gets 23-mpg on the highway, and roughly 19-mpg when the rear Proxes see a few additional revolutions.Originally plucked from a dilapidated, calico-colored ’98 second-gen with 300,000 miles on the odometer, the 12-valve spent eight years in an ’03 Ram 1500 before Neal swapped it into this half-ton. Its mileage is unknown, and the furthest Neal has ventured inside of it was to perform a reseal. It sports a bone-stock bottom end and a head that’s never been off the block. Here, you can see the handiwork of CC Elite Performance, the shop that fabricated the air intake, intercooler piping, and the coolant overflow reservoir that’s just out of view. A one-piece valve cover from Keating Machine ties in nicely with the raw stainless plumbing.Built at a time when Neal was on a very tight budget, a set of standard ARP head studs were threaded in one at a time in order to keep the high-mile head gasket alive. Eight years later, it’s still holding strong. To withstand elevated rpm and resist valve creep under high boost, Neal installed 60-lb valve springs (one at a time) as well. As part of his well-planned build, Neal has also strategically limited the truck’s power to 750 hp— the level right before better rod bolts become highly recommended.Tapping into today’s tremendous off-the-shelf turbo technology, an S369 SX-E provides sound low-rpm response, strong midrange, and plenty of flow up top. The BorgWarner charger conceals the company’s FMW 69mm compressor wheel, a 73mm turbine wheel, and an .80 A/R exhaust housing. It hangs from a T3 Steed Speed exhaust manifold and benefits from an internal wastegate. Under full load, the S369 shoves 58-psi of boost through a factory ’12 model year 6.7L Cummins intercooler. The exhaust system consists of an HX40 style downpipe and a 4-inch section underneath the cab that feeds a 7-inch stack in the bed.Because it was initially attached to an NV4500, Neal’s Cummins came equipped with the highly desirable 215hp P7100—a great starting point for making serious power. The P-pump has been treated to 7mm delivery valves, 30-degrees of timing advancement and a fuel plate delete. And thanks to Neal’s familiarity with these pumps, precise tuning of the AFC has produced a truck with tremendous street manners. The fine-tuned P7100 sends diesel to a set of Ducky Fuel Injection injectors equipped with SAC-style, 5×0.018-inch nozzles. It’s also dual-fed 50-psi courtesy of a 240-gph FASS system, which pulls fuel through a Bean Machine sump installed in the factory tank.The fact that Neal has been beating on this 47RE for eight years now tells you everything you need to know about his transmission building abilities. When the four-speed automatic was initially pieced together, Neal went with a master overhaul kit from Goerend Transmission. It’s also graced with a TCS billet input shaft, a triple-disc, billet front cover torque converter with a 2,200-rpm stall from Diesel Performance Converters, and the BD deep pan you see here. The built 47RE sends power back to the truck’s ZF rear axle, equipped with the original 3.21 gears it left the factory with.One look in the cab and you immediately know how serious things are under the hood. A full manual valve body allows Neal to handle all of the 47RE’s shift points, and this Pro Stock model shifter from B&M calls the shots. Neal built the console and mount, as well as performed the clean wiring job required to make everything work. Aside from the unmistakable presence of the shifter, the Ram’s original interior is the same as its exterior—virtually untouched.This is what low miles and lots of TLC gets you: an impeccably clean, 12-year-old interior. “Someone loved it,” Neal told us as he allowed us to climb aboard. In our ride-along, it took very little throttle input for our heads to find the head rests. The quick response of the S369 and the light overall curb weight of the two-wheel drive, half-ton Ram was also immediately apparent. After a short trip in the passenger seat, we definitely understood why this is Neal’s everyday driver. Fun factor: 10.While a lot of 12-valve swaps consist of wiring nightmares where nothing works, Neal’s is a truly “finished” conversion. Every gauge in the cluster is operational and even cruise control is fully functional. With somewhere between 30 and 40 hours wrapped up in wiring the truck, Neal told us he “had to strip down the OEM wiring harness and figure out all of the key-ons, then trick the truck into thinking it had a transmission in it.” “I also had to go through all the pin-outs and figure out what I did and didn’t need during the process,” he went on. “A lot gets thrown away.”Curb appeal is enhanced thanks to a set of 22×10-inch Scorch wheels from Weld Off-Road, while Toyo Proxes S/T’s do everything they can to maintain traction. The popular all-season tires, each one sized at 305/40R22, do a good job of holding the road, but any attempt at hard acceleration under 40 mph is practically begging for a smoke show. At 40 mph or faster, Neal tells us the truck dead hooks. In particular, it pulls extremely strong up top, thanks in large part to the factory 3.21 axle ratio helping to load the Cummins harder than 3.55s would.With a Cummins-swapped, 6.70 Index class half-ton race truck already in his arsenal, Neal maintains that this one will remain his daily driver. That said, he isn’t against seeing what it will do in the eighth-mile if the opportunity presents itself. On fuel, and with a pair of slicks bolted on out back, Neal believes the 4,800-pound Ram could easily scoot through the ‘660 in the low 7-second range. With a little bit of nitrous sprinkled in, 6’s would likely be a cinch. Until then, however, you’re more likely to find him cruising the streets, knocking down 23-mpg, and challenging the occasional Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger to a duel out on the highway.
