FACTORY FRESH

A BASICALLY-NEW, 2007 RAM 3500—WITH 1,058 HP

- MIKE MCGLOTHLIN

Keith Burwinkel knew exactly what he had from the get-go. In 2010, at a time when the verdict was still out on the new 6.7L Cummins, he got a smoking deal on this ’07 5.9L—and he still owns it today. And thanks to growing up around oil burners at his father’s shop, JB Diesel Service, working for Cummins for the better part of a decade, and spending a fair amount of time on the dyno, Keith’s single rear wheel Ram 3500 is making some pretty serious power. But not only that, he’s doing it with a very simple setup—and surprisingly few dollars invested.

LOW-MILE, PRACTICALLY-UNTOUCHED 5.9L

Never having been apart, from oil pan to head gasket Keith’s 5.9L is just as it left the assembly line in Columbus. While the head has never been removed, ARP2000 head studs out of a friend’s engine were threaded in one at a time. To handle high.er rpm and boost, Keith traded for a set of 110-pound Industrial Injection valve springs and installed them one cylinder at a time, along with trading for a set of Hamilton Cams’ extreme duty pushrods. Keith also bartered for a Hamilton 181/210 cam, which helps bring his big single turbo to life sooner.

FACTORY FRESH

SINGLE S400

Though the truck was still equipped with the factory Holset when he bought it and sported an S364 for a time, Keith’s higher horsepower endeavors kicked into high gear with the addition of an S400 frame turbocharger. Sourced from Engineered Diesel, its billet compressor wheel and corresponding compressor housing has grown from 66mm to 71mm to 75mm over the years. The 75/87/.90 charger blows boost through a Spearco intercooler and bolts to a T4 exhaust manifold from BD Diesel. Improving upon what the 181/210 camshaft did to help spool up, Keith added a BD Diesel turbine diverter valve, which makes the truck surprisingly responsive at low engine speeds.