1998 Dodge Ram 2500: Full Race

Diesel drag trucks are gaining popularity, and it takes a pretty outstanding truck to make us stop dead in our tracks—but that’s exactly what we did when we saw Tim Schmitt’s ’98 Dodge Ram 2500. Everything from the 1,500 hp engine to the B&J Funny Car transmission was over-the-top impressive, as was the level and quality of fabrication. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, as there’s also a story behind the truck.

The ’98 was originally owned by Tim’s son, Jeramy Schmitt, and it was his daily driver when he attended high school. Unfortunately, Jeramy passed away in 2005, and since then, his father has taken ownership of the vehicle and raced it in his memory. “People who still remember Jeramy and the truck come up to us,” said Tim. “It’s a good way to remember him.”

During the course of the drag truck build, there have been some pretty rough times. An overheating transmission once sprayed fluid all over the engine and caused the truck to catch fire at a race. The flames left the Dodge in bad shape and left Tim with a resolve to stay away from automatic transmissions from then on.

Manual truck transmissions are strong but slow shifting, so Tim decided to try something different. The Ram was fitted with a B&J four-speed manual that was originally designed for 3,500hp funny cars. It’s strong and quick shifting, as there’s no need to push in the clutch to change gears.

Getting the big turbos to spool was also important, so a four-disc Molinari clutch was sandwiched between the engine and transmission, using a custom-designed bellhousing and starter. This allows the driver of the truck to make 4,000-rpm launches at the dragstrip without worrying about tearing stuff up. The owner of B&J Transmissions made Tim a deal: “If it survives, send me a check; if it breaks, send it back to me in a box.” So far, it has been completely bulletproof.

Numerous safety features are built into the truck, such as this air shutoff, which is in place in case the engine hangs a rack or goes into a runaway state. Once the butterfly valve is closed, the engine will suffocate and stop.

Numerous safety features are built into the truck, such as this air shutoff, which is in p

The transmission has no easy task, as Scheid Diesel built Tim a 5.9L Cummins that’s capable of producing an insane amount of power. The powerplant had its water jackets completely filled, and the engine was fitted with a stud girdle and 14mm main studs. The rotating assembly was modified with a set of forged-aluminum Arias pistons. The head received a set of 14mm ARP studs and was O-ringed for strength and ported for airflow. Since Tim wanted to run some serious rpm, the block was machined for roller bearings to support the billet-steel roller camshaft. Roller lifters and chromoly pushrods were also added to the build sheet.

Scheid Diesel built the turbos, injection system, and killer 10-nozzle water injection system. It also installed the Corsa data acquisition setup that keeps tabs on vital engine functions. After the engine build was complete, the Cummins was tested on an engine dyno, where it made a whopping 1,500 hp and nearly 3,000 lb-ft of torque.

The interior of the truck is quite busy. The large handle operates the four-disc clutch, and the two smaller handles operate the custom, 28 percent overdriven SCS transfer case. There’s also a lever for the parachute and a button for the fire-suppression system.

The interior of the truck is quite busy. The large handle operates the four-disc clutch, a

With mega-horsepower and a bulletproof drivetrain, the rest of the truck had to be fortified to live up to the abuse. That meant lowering the rig and eliminating as much weight as possible. The truck’s ride height was dropped a whopping 8 inches, and the engine was remounted lower in the chassis for a better center of gravity. The front and rear four-link suspensions were redesigned to help the truck hook at the dragstrip, and the axles have been converted to work with lighter, five-lug wheels and Wilwood disc brakes. A spool and Moser axles fortify the rear Dana 70, while an open differential resides in the front axlehousing. Tim estimates the truck weighs 5,700 pounds without driver Josh Schmitt inside.

While a brake pressure gauge may seem like an odd addition to a drag truck, it is necessary because of the clutch transmission. The truck is held at the line with the brakes and bumped into the beams by increasing the engine speed and clutch pressure.

While a brake pressure gauge may seem like an odd addition to a drag truck, it is necessar

So what does all this add up to? One fast and beautiful Ram that’s capable of running 9.79 seconds in the quarter-mile at 139 mph. Since this is only the first season for the truck, Tim expects there’s a lot more left in it, and he’s hopeful that he has found a unique and creative transmission solution for other folks who own trucks capable of making similar power. We wish him good luck and hope to see an 8-second pass from this immaculate rig next year!