We recently attended the OBX Outlaw race in Creswell, North Carolina, and stumbled upon an interesting find—a show-quality, one-owner truck still wearing its original paint. We were even more surprised to learn that owner John Porterfield has racked up 307,000 miles on his '96 Dodge Ram 2500 since he bought it new in December of 1995.John took the slow approach in building his rig. For many years, a Holset HX40 turbo, Bosch 370 injectors, and a Scheid Diesel-tuned injection pump were the only modifications John performed on his 5.9L 12-valve Cummins-powered rig. But soon the itch to go fast became too much to bear, and John decided to do a complete buildup.
In 2004, with 220,000 miles on the odometer, a lower-mileage engine was found and rebuilt with Scheid Diesel parts. The crank and rods were balanced and blueprinted, Scheid Diesel pistons were fly-cut so a larger cam (also from Scheid) could be installed, and the cylinder head was ported and polished. The engine was also fire-ringed and fitted with 14mm head studs to make sure there were no head gasket issues.
Lots of chrome and compound...
Lots of chrome and compound turbos take care of the show, as well as the go.
The transmission that has the task of holding a dyno-proven 840 hp and 1,650 lb-ft of torque was built by ATS. It's a Dodge 47RE fitted with billet input, output, and intermediate shafts, along with an ATS Five Star torque converter and Co-Pilot controller. The rest of the truck is surprisingly stock—there is no lift kit, lockers, or suspension modifications other than a set of CalTracs traction bars.
 John has his water and nitrous...  John has his water and nitrous set up on Hobbs pressure switches to make sure neither one comes on, or stays on without full boost. |  Both Schwitzer turbochargers...  Both Schwitzer turbochargers are internally wastegated to control drive pressure and increase efficiency. Together they combine to produce 80 psi of boost, which is sent through a Scheid Diesel intercooler then hit with a spray of water before entering the engine. |  Oversized 0.093-inch-diameter...  Oversized 0.093-inch-diameter injector lines are used to ensure there are no restrictions between the injection pump and the big injectors. John briefly tried 0.120-inch-diameter lines but found them too temperamental for the street. |