Ram 5500

Wounded RAM

Everything seemed to be in place and Hopkins was elated with the end result, or so he thought. Not long after finishing what he believed to be the only work necessary for the Ram 5500, he again had to limp the massive truck back home due to a head gasket failure. Hopkins brought the wounded Ram to a local shop to have the gasket replaced, but doing so led to the discovery of yet more issues within the engine. Overheating, due to hauling incredibly heavy equipment, left a hairline crack in the number 6 piston. What began as a head gasket replacement soon turned into a massive engine overhaul. Wanting to ensure that the issue would never show up again, Hopkins decided the engine should be rebuilt, essentially making it bulletproof.

The list of engine upgrades was soon put together, and a new set of polished 12-valve rods, a stage 3 COLT cam, ARP main and head studs, heavy-duty valve springs and push rods and a set of GDP Torker 100 injectors were wrenched in. Then, an ATS 7500 turbo kit was put in to replace the insufficient stock turbos, and an ATS Dual CP3 injection pump was installed. A GDP stage two intake horn with a new grid plate replaced the Shibby horn, and finally a GDP Air Boss plenum and Hellmann custom crank case breather were put in. With everything finished up, the 5500 was, again, back on the road and this time, stronger and exponentially more reliable than ever before. Only now Hopkins wanted to make sure that everything was properly reinforced.

To make sure the transmission could hold up the incredible energy the engine delivered, the truck made a visit to ATS Diesel in Aurora, Colo., to have a Five Star billet torque converter installed.

While at ATS, Hopkins met up with Ryan Milliken of Hardway Performance and enlisted his help to have a MCCbyRyan tune put into the truck to add the final touch. With everything finally put together the way Hopkins wanted, the truck was finished and capturing the stares of everyone who glanced its way. In the future, Hopkins has even more plans with a potential NV5600 conversion in store for the Ram. Until then, whether he's out for a simple day of highway driving, or hauling tons of heavy work equipment, he finally has the robust, hard-working beast of a truck that he needs to get the job done right.