2003 Dodge Ram 2500 - Dirt Devil

After thousands of miles of pounding off-road, normal, rubber-isolated exhaust hangers tend to fail. So the Ram's exhaust was cradled by a set of steel brackets welded directly to the frame.

In order to compete in the Dakar Rally (whether it's in Africa or South America) the truck was outfitted with two full-size spares, an 8,000-pound race jack, a twin-cylinder air compressor (the intake draws filtered air from inside cab), and containers for water, fuel, gear lube, and oil. There's even a pair of stainless steel coolers for food.

The Ram's wheel and tire combination is as off-road race as it gets. A set of 37x12.50R17 General Tire Grabber competition tires were mounted on Weld Racing Commando Pro forged beadlock wheels.

When Kent originally bought the truck it was fitted with an NV5600 manual transmission. That six-speed was replaced when it melted down after a rollover in the Parker 400 race (no oil) with this five-speed NV4500. To cope with the torque of the Cummins (and the heat of Africa), the transmission was fitted with a South Bend clutch and dual aluminum PTO coolers.

The rear suspension is just as fortified as the front and features Deaver Spring progressive leaves and 3-inch-diameter Fox bypass shocks. Also visible from this angle are the Warn Air-Power VTC compressor, FASS lift pump, and one of the Optima Yellow Top batteries.

To meet the safety rules for both SCORE and ASO racing, the Ram was built with a chromoly rollcage and three race seats to protect the occupants. More like a cockpit than a pickup truck--the interior also features an intercom system with three headsets, a Lowrance GPS, Icom VHF radio, and an Iridium marine satellite phone.