Go Big

Going big has its advantages. Just ask Jason Cade about his 2015 Ram 3500. With all the right junk in all the right places (mainly the massive dual rear wheels), he nicknamed it "Project Fat Bottom." And up front, it ain't no stick-figure silicone Barbie doll either. Fusion's beefy bumper, enhanced by a gleaming billet grille from T-Rex, gives this Ram a serious head-buttin presence. After all, diesel enthusiasts expect their trucks to be brawny. A skinny little piuckup just doesn't cut it.

- Steve Temple

Even so, Cade admits: “Originally the truck was just going to be a very mild, daily-driver tow pig.” But he and Jen Hess, his fiancé, decided to put that diesel rumble in the right state of tune for the 2015 SEMA show, partly for personal reasons because there was something special about SEMA that year…

SEMA SPARKS

“Ten years ago I met Jen in Vegas at SEMA 2005,” Cade explains. “I built a 2005 Dodge Ram dubbed ‘El Negro,’ and she had provided sponsorship [through her employer Bully Dog] on a couple trucks that we built that year.” As a way of saying thanks, he took her out for dinner after the show. They hit it off and they’ve been together ever since.

In 2011, Cade’s first Ram was totaled, which left a void that numerous other custom builds couldn’t fill. With this in mind, they set off to build a similar truck, but on a new platform, this time the 2015 Ram 3500 shown here. They started with a rendering from KEG Media, then teamed up with the guys at Power Tech Diesel in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and put a plan together.

650HP CUMMINS

Although built in only four weeks at PowerTech (with the help of EJ Wyatt, Jeremy Powell, Nick Snarr, Tyler Olsen, Jen Hess, and owner Brent Willsey), the truck received numerous upgrades. The drivetrain mods that make it a reliable 650hp daily driver began with Hardway Performance’s compound turbo kit. It utilizes the stock turbo and incorporates an S475, which is a completely bolt-on setup. Glacier Diesel provided intake parts to furnish better airflow. With way more air rushing in, they had to add a bunch more fuel and did so via DDP 50hp injectors. A FASS 150 Titanium Series lift pump ensures steady delivery of clean, air-free diesel.