Sled pullers are a fanatical bunch, and Joe Occhipinti is no exception. With only 21,000 miles on the clock, Joe made the decision to completely disassemble his '05 Dodge Ram 3500, and turn it into a dedicated pulling truck. What you see here is the result of lots of welding, fabricating, and hard work. And in only a few months, Joe turned his stock Dodge into a competitive 3.0-inch inducer class puller.
When Joe first bought his Dodge, he started with basic upgrades such as a programmer and injectors. Then he added a turbo, then, well, he got a little carried away. When the transformation into a serious sled puller began, the first big change was the engine. The electronically controlled motor was ditched, and a 5.9L 12-valve Cummins was dropped in its place.
The engine was built by Mass Diesel, and has made a whopping 1,149 horsepower on an engine dyno. So perk up your ears, because we're going to tell you all about it. From the oil pan up, the engine features a balanced and blueprinted bottom end, and a stock 12-valve crank swings a set of shot-peened rods. Arias racing pistons were used, and give the engine an incredibly low 11.5:1 compression ratio. For durability purposes, the engine received 14mm head and main studs from Haisley Machine. A Scheid billet cam was used, and the head was ported and polished by A&M Machine, then assembled with parts from Haisley.
With a strong foundation to support plenty of power, and a cylinder head and cam that promote airflow, it was now up to the turbocharger and the injection system to provide the air and fuel. And boy, do they ever. A Nippondenso 13mm injection pump with a 7,000rpm governor provides the fuel, while a turbocharger from Haisley Machine forces air into the hopped-up Cummins. While we found out the pump was set to 1,000 cc of fuel, we couldn't get any specs on the turbo other than it moves enough air to produce a whopping 92 psi of boost.
 The Cummins engine in Joe's...  The Cummins engine in Joe's pulling truck makes an outlandish 1,150 hp despite being limited to a single, 3.0-inch-diameter inducer turbocharger. |  We don't know much about the...  We don't know much about the turbo other than its non-wastegated, 3.0-inch-diameter inducer design, but it provides a whopping 92 psi of boost to keep the truck moving. |  A custom set of wheels from...  A custom set of wheels from A&M Machine are used in case Joe wants to turn his truck into a dualie. A set of 35-inch Boggers are used for traction. |
 The lift pump is driven off...  The lift pump is driven off the front gear cover, as is the Haisley Machine six-nozzle water injection system. The water injection system is responsible for keeping EGTs down to about 1,700 degrees during a pull. |  Similar to a Bosch P7100 pump,...  Similar to a Bosch P7100 pump, a Nippondenso P-pump is used to provide the truck with all the fuel it needs. |  Cylinder head sealing is very...  Cylinder head sealing is very important at these power levels, so a set of 14mm head studs are used, along with fire-rings from Haisley Machine. |