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The Rules Have Changed... 20 Years Ago! 1994-2001 Dodge Ram

WOW ! You've done your research Black Dodge ! Good right up ! And your truck came out "killer" by the way , Good job !
 
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BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS, Utah, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A Dodge Ram pickup truck, powered by a remanufactured 5.9 liter in-line six-cylinder Cummins turbo-diesel engine, set a land speed record in the stock "C/PS" classification. Driven by Ritchie Petty, the lightly modified truck attained an average top speed of 141.256 mph in two runs over the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats.

The land speed record Cummins Ram truck is a joint skunkworks project of Cummins Recon, the aftermarket division of Cummins Engine Company, and Dodge Truck engineering. "When people think of a Cummins diesel engine-powered Dodge Ram, they usually think of durability, reliability, torque and power," said Mike Beavers, Senior Project Engineer at Cummins Recon and leader of the land speed record team. "We thought we'd show that a Cummins diesel can also produce top end -- and do it with what is fundamentally a stock remanufactured motor."

There were only limited modifications to the Ram three-quarter ton regular cab pickup truck. "Basically we just made those modifications necessary to ensure safety at high speeds and to keep the rear wheels on the ground under a tremendous amount of power," added Dave Perrine, Manager of Dodge Truck powertrain programs.

In its land speed record configuration the Cummins Ram develops an estimated 900-plus ft-lbs of torque and 450 horsepower. Nevertheless, it still achieves more than 20 m.p.g. on the highway.

Dodge Truck has offered Cummins turbo-diesel engines in heavy-duty Ram pickups since 1989. Since then, this winning combination has produced a loyal owner-enthusiast body nearly four-hundred thousand strong.

SOURCE Chrysler Corporation -0- 09/30/96

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Few more pics of the Dodge when it was on display at the WPC museum.

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Here's the truck that got me into Dodge's. My 1995 Ram 3500 with the Cummins and 5 speed. I ordered it around Halloween of 1994 and picked it up a few days before Christmas of '94. I loved that truck but rust was showing up so I sold it a couple years ago to some kid who wanted it really bad.

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Here's the truck that got me into Dodge's. My 1995 Ram 3500 with the Cummins and 5 speed. I ordered it around Halloween of 1994 and picked it up a few days before Christmas of '94. I loved that truck but rust was showing up so I sold it a couple years ago to some kid who wanted it really bad.

Sweet 12-Valve... awesome color!!! Hopefully its in good hands with the new owner. I have always liked the dually 2nd Gen Rams as they really complete the big rig look! I had a 1999 24-Valve 5-speed. I took the silencer out of the turbo and ran a straight pipe on it... man the 5.9 sounded great!!!
 
From Auto Week's coverage of the 1993 Detroit Auto Show... January 18, 1993

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I think this was the original T300 concept truck that was shown to the public? I remember seeing pictures of it in a few magazines back in the day. This picture is from the May 11, 1992 edition of Auto Week.

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That's what I did with my 12 valve too. That has such a nice sound. There wasn't any performance stuff available so you had to kind of deal with it at the time. I had gotten the chrome valve covers for it until the the performance industry started to bring upgrades out.
I still have my info book with all the packages (SL,SLT) colors and options yet.

I used to take my truck to some shows and the only show it took first place was in the 1995 class at the TDR Nats at Columbus,IN back in 2002. Boy what a fun weekend that was!

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Still have my '01 which will be with me for a very long time. I had shown this truck a couple time but don't anymore. It's pretty much my truck for going on trips and hauling my car to shows. I have my '06 3500 that's like my daily driver now so the '01 goes in hibernation for the winter.

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From Dodge Ram Trucks 1994-2001 Photo History by Don Bunn

The new Ram pickups, code named T-300, launched in 1993 as 1994 model year trucks, were the most important new product launch in the history of the Chrysler Corporation, maybe the entire industry. Other historically important truck launches were Ford's 1953 to 1956 Series which put Ford on the road to overtake Chevrolet for the truck leadership honors and Chevrolet-GMC's 1999 models. These launches differed from Dodge's in that they were geared to increase market share whereas Dodge's goal was first to survive and then to gain market share. The former Dodge truck series was in its 22nd year and obviously long overdue for replacement. Chrysler's management would have replaced it years earlier with a new truck code named Phoenix but when it was looked at by focus groups they decided to scrap it and try again. Focus group members told management that the Phoenix was a "good" truck, it was "just like the competitor's trucks." The problem was that Dodge was only getting 7 percent (80,000 units in 1993, half diesel powered) of the 1.3 million vehicle pickup truck market.

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The 1988 Dodge Phoenix prototype pickup never made it into production. Note its grille which is nearly identical to the grille used on the 1991 to 1993 pickups. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)


Management sent the designers back to the drawing boards for another attempt. The new Ram design was shown to focus groups. Whereas the Phoenix had received ratings of 6 1/2 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, the new Ram received ratings of 9s and 10s, and also zeroes, 1s, 2s and 3s. In other words potential customers either loved it or hated it. Management felt that if many of those who gave it a high rating purchased they would be far better off than getting 7 percent of the total market with the Phoenix.

Looking back at when the new Ram began to be sold I vividly remember how the buzz was that buyers either loved it or hated it. What's interesting to note however is that these feelings didn't last very long. The new Ram's revolutionary shape was quickly accepted and completely redefined the

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The standard cab was the only cab offered in 1994, a 1994 1500 V8 powered pickup is shown. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)



American pickup. Ford was too far along with their new F-150 at that point in time for a major redesign and so they had to launch it as it was. They were able to give their F-250 and F-350 Super-Duty models a new big truck, Dodge-like design, however. Watch for a big truck, Dodge-like design for the new Chevrolet and GMC one-ton trucks to be introduced soon.



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A Club Cab model was added to the Ram lineup in 1995. A 1995 Dodge 1500 V8 is shown.
(Photo: DaimlerChrysler)


We all agree that the design of the T-300 was a winner, after all its the first thing you notice about the new Ram, but to be successful the new pickups needed more than good looks. The other major hallmarks of the T-300 included its cab interior. Market research disclosed that more than cab comfort, interior room



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The 1998 Dodge Quad Cab was the industry's first four-door extended cab pickup. (Photo DaimlerChrysler)


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Dodge built its one-ton pickups only with dual rear wheels. A 1998 Cummins powered one-ton Club Cab is shown. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler).

and storage, and better interior design was highly valued by pickup buyers. Dodge designers hit a home run with their new cab - with its industry first Business Center, big tilting and fully adjustable seats, another industry first, a behind-the-seat storage system, available 40/20/40 seating and more hip, shoulder and head room.

A better ride and better handling for 4-wheel drive pickups was made possible through using a version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee's front suspension and the rear springs were a foot longer than the rear springs on the previous truck.

T-300's engine options featured Magnum engines -- a 3.9 liter V6 and 5.2 and 5.9 liter V8s, the most



powerful engines in their class; the industry's most powerful diesel and a new 8.0 liter V10 which featured even greater horsepower and torque than the diesel.

The only model change with the new Ram was that the former single rear wheel one-tons were dropped. All Ram one-tons came standard with dual rear wheel. Ram's 3/4 ton replaced the former single rear one-ton.

A Club Cab option built in Mexico was added in 1995. Total factory Club Cab production was sold out in the first month. The big Club Cab allowed adults to ride comfortably on a full-width bench seat in the rear.



Dodge Truck increased its manufacturing capability from one plant (Mound Road in Warren, Michigan) to a second plant in St. Louis and two plants in Mexico. Dodge soon tripled its market share to 20 percent. As of this date the Ram is the industry's oldest pickup but yet retains its sales and market share. Current Annual Sales are running at 418,000 units. Total industry full-size pickup sales are projected at 2.1 million units for 1999.

The 2000 Dodge Ram will add a new 6-speed manual transmission built by New Venture Gear. It was engineered specifically for Cummins powered pickups in order to take maximum advantage of the diesel's power band.


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Bright Solar Yellow paint was offered by Dodge for the youth market and to draw attention to Dodge pickups. This color was only offered on half-ton Rams and Dakotas. Solar Yellow was chosen by 2 1/2 percent of Ram buyers. A 1999 Dodge 1500 Club Cab is shown. (Photo: Don Bunn).


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2000 Dodge Diesel with 6-speed manual transmission. (Photo: Don Bunn).

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Still have my '01 which will be with me for a very long time. I had shown this truck a couple time but don't anymore. It's pretty much my truck for going on trips and hauling my car to shows. I have my '06 3500 that's like my daily driver now so the '01 goes in hibernation for the winter.

Nice '01 Sport! Is it a 6-speed truck? That's one of my favorite trucks in the 2nd Gens! I think it was around 2000 when the HD Rams came standard with four wheel disc brakes. When Dodge did that the overall width of the axles was slightly wider than the previous drum / disc setup. So they also changed the back spacing on the new rims... I just think that gave them a better looking stance! My Dad had an 06 Cummins and they make awesome power stock! Sweet Demon by the way! I've seen you on a few post over at A Bodies Only... I'm FJ5 Duster over there. My next project is my 70 Duster but after that I'm thinking about a 12-valve swap for my Black Dodge.
 
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Now that truck has my name written allll over it ! lol
 
The 2nd Gen Rams also brought Chrysler Corp. back into the big leagues of stock car racing. Competing in the Craftsman Truck Series not only gave them their first wins and Championship since the 70's... it also laid the foundation for Dodges return into the Cup Series!

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Honestly , when this gen first came out I wasn't sure if I liked them or not . In the early 90's I was working three jobs one of them was a custom automotive upholsterer ( So I could learn the trade ) and I was also working for a trim shop . The trim shop is were all the local car dealers sent there cars and trucks to have all the goodies put on them like leather interiors , chrome wheel lips , audio systems , etc. . Basically we installed any of the options that a customer wanted on there new ride . Bummer for me because we had mostly Ford accounts . But then we started getting the Mopar accounts and I was liking my Job a whole lot better . Then my first Ram came in . It was a gun metal 2500 4x4 long bed with a 5.9 ( gas ) stick truck . If I remember right I had to redo the interior in leather , add heated seats , chrome wheels lips , and maybe a couple of other things ( I can't quite remember everything ) . I was done with the truck and parked it in the cleaning bay to be detailed . While it was being cleaned up my boss came over to me and said that he needed a favor . The Ram was now a rush and the dealer needed that Ram back ASAP and our trailer truck wasn't here , so could I drive it back to the dealership ? Of course I said hell yeah ! The chaser car left about 15 min's before me and I got to the dealer about 20 min's before him . At this point I now "want" one of these trucks ! . Flash forward to today and I'm on my second Ram from this gen , The first being the black 95 that I had and the 97 Sport that I currently own . drive and building my way . Life is good . lol
 
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