Since we paid $2,700 for our '89 Dodge Ram D250 we affectionately refer to as Project Rust Bucket, it has racked up more than 20,000 miles as a daily driver, gone from 170 rear wheel horsepower to 340, and from 19 mpg to 23 mpg. It's still rusty, and it's still low-buck, so the heart of the project remains intact. If you haven't been following along, now is a good time to start, because we're doing a year-long recap on Rust Bucket-all the modifications, dyno numbers, and costs will be here in one spot. You'll see some behind-the-scenes photos, as well as feedback from our readers. So, enjoy Rust Bucket in review, and we'll be back with some more action from everybody's favorite '89 Dodge in the upcoming months.
One Year In The Bucket
One of the first things we did was buy a set of injectors. Since we knew our goal was to make more than 300 hp, we acquired a set of Dynomite Diesel Stage IV injectors, a Dynomite Diesel fuel pin, and turned the full power screw in about four turns. The result was nearly 100 hp more than stock (from 170 hp to 264 hp), while fuel mileage and drivability were still very good.
With a lot more fuel, we needed to know what was going on inside our engine. Non-intercooled trucks can have high exhaust gas temperatures, so monitoring EGTs was a vital step. We installed DiPricol boost and EGT gauges so we could see how close we were to our self-imposed 1,600-degree F limit, as well as keeping an eye on boost pressures. Anything above 35 psi is bad news for stock turbos, and our truck checked in at 28 psi of boost and 1,500-degree EGTs with the modifications we had performed so far.
Next up, was a complete rebuild of our Torqueflite 727 transmission by J&H Performance, along with a TransGo shift kit install. The guys at J&H also whipped up a custom flexplate and installed a Goerend torque converter. The result was another 23 hp and a whopping 124 lb-ft of torque. We also gained an extra 4 psi on our boost gauge, which showed the new converter was loading the engine more.
Our engine still had some basic restrictions, so up next was an intake and exhaust upgrade, which helped us barely eek over the 300hp mark with 301 rear wheel horsepower, while torque checked in at 624 lb-ft. Our cobbled-together air filter and exhaust made a big difference up top, where we picked up almost 50 hp at 3,200 rpm.
 As the year progressed, dyno...  As the year progressed, dyno numbers went from 170 hp at the rear wheels, to 339 hp with nitrous. We're not done yet-in the upcoming months we'll be shooting for 500 hp. |  Our pump got a bit of tinkering,...  Our pump got a bit of tinkering, including a modified fuel screw and a 3,200rpm spring. This increased our top speed from 77 mph to more than 90 mph. Look for even more injection pump tweaks in the near future, including the installation of a 14mm injection pump head that should give us all the fuel we'll need. |  We have to give a big thanks...  We have to give a big thanks to J&H Performance for building a transmission that can handle some serious power. With a good set of clutches and a TransGo shift kit, our transmission shifts much harder and can handle far more power than stock. |