Surprising Stock 1,100-RWHP Dodge

It’s always a bit of a gamble on how much you can push the envelope of a stock vehicle before parts start to give way. Perhaps one of the nastiest trucks we’ve seen in recent years that ignores the factory’s 325-hp ratings is Eli Wallis’s Dodge Ram 2500. This truck uses largely factory long-block components and a stock transmission to make an estimated 1,100 horsepower to the wheels! How is this possible? Well, we’ll tell you.

The Goal In Mind

It all started with Wallis being trapped in the Bay Area, where there were less hot rod diesels, and more muscle cars… Corvettes, Mustangs and Camaros. Despite the manual transmission, some impromptu freeway onramp races convinced Wallis that he could make his diesel truck run with the sports car crowd. Pretty soon instead of the garden-variety hot rods, he was running against blown ZL1 Camaros, Shelby Mustangs, and ZR1 Corvettes.

The interior of the Dodge is subtle and clean. A couple of boost gauges hide in the upper visor area, but everything else is pretty much stock, save for a huge speaker box in the center that extends throughout the entire truck.

Short-Block Mods

Wallis’s truck didn’t get to be as fast as it is without a lot of hard work. Still, only the parts and pieces that needed upgrading were replaced. The long-block, for instance, is mostly stock. No special pistons, girdle, main studs or connecting rods for Wallis. Instead, the Cummins was modified for higher rpm operation with a 188/220 Hamilton camshaft, a ported head, ARP 625 head studs, and 60-lb valve springs. We kept prodding for more information, but really that’s it. That’s all the engine needs to survive four-digit power levels.

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Since Wallis has been known to hit the occasional sled pull, the tires on his ride are fairly aggressive 315/70R17 Goodyear Wranglers.

Another item that was left stock are the wheels. To match the lower half of the truck, they were powder coated black.

Go-Fast Hardware

The horsepower producing hardware on the other hand, is quite an extensive list. The factory Dodge turbo is only good to about 500-550 hp, so that had to go. While the truck has had a few different turbo setups on it, the latest one is quite a piece of work. Fabricated by Total Performance Diesel, the setup mounts a 66mm Industrial Injection Silver Bullet turbo on a Steed Speed T4 manifold, and a mammoth 88mm Big Brother charger under it. The setup is good for nearly 90 psi of boost. Fueling is also cranked to the max, with a stock CP3 and 33-percent-over CP3 mounted with an Industrial Injection kit, feeding 55-lpm injectors from, you guessed it, Industrial Injection.

“Some impromptu freeway onramp races convinced Wallis that he could make his diesel truck run with the sports car crowd.”

The 101,000-mile 5.9L Cummins engine in Wallis’s Ram is mostly stock, save for a few choice upgrades. A set of high-dollar ARP 625 studs that keep the head gasket from blowing are probably the most expensive short-block upgrade.

The engine bay in Wallis’s 2006 Dodge is always kept neat and clean. Whatever isn’t painted is chrome, and whatever isn’t chrome makes some good power. With a compound turbo setup, dual CP3 pumps and EFILive tuning, Wallis has the choice between his 900-rwhp “mild” tune, and the 1,100-rwhp “dyno killer.”

Large 55-lpm injectors from Industrial Injection are paired with an EFILive tune from Total Performance Diesel, which is then supported by dual CP3s; one stock, and one that’s modified to produce 33-percent more flow.

A Steed Speed T4 manifold is used for both reliability and flow. At this power level, the Steed Speed is usually worth a few horsepower, compared to either the factory manifold, or an aftermarket three-piece version.

A BD Performance X-Monitor has been on Wallis’s Ram for a long time, and monitors boost and EGT, and can provide warnings and recall functions for both.

A subtle lift and aftermarket link arms are used to clear the Ram’s oversized tires. The arms and 4-inch lift are both products from Top Gun Customs.

Power To Pavement

With these stout parts, horsepower wasn’t much of a problem, but sometimes reliability was. Amazingly, a South Bend 3250 clutch wasn’t quite up to the task of holding the power, and had to be upgraded to a 3,600-lb unit. The truck is also on its second G56 transmission, and Wallis hopes this one will live thanks to a LazarSmith girdle, which should hopefully keep the case from flexing. The rest of the drivetrain is mostly stock (again, Wallis didn’t upgrade where he didn’t need to), with custom traction bars, factory 3.73 gears, and aggressive Goodyear Wrangler tires providing good grip during everything from drag racing to sled pulling.

“The setup is good for nearly 90 psi of boost.”

The top turbocharger is a 66mm Silver Bullet from Industrial Injection. The turbo has a 74mm turbine for improved flow, and uses a T4 mount.

The bottom turbocharger (visible through the fenderwell) is a massive 88mm “Big Brother” turbo, also from Industrial Injection. Both chargers combine to make a whopping 85-90 psi through the factory intercooler on the hottest tune.

Payoff

With EFILive tuning from Total Performance Diesel, the truck is a rocket ship. While 1,100 rwhp doesn’t happen overnight, Wallis did an awesome job putting together all the right parts so that the Dodge could still be daily driven, yet stay ahead of the competition when it came to performance contests. Well done, indeed. DW