Every time Albert Mendes hooks to the sled, he says a little prayer and thanks his parents for looking down on him. The Cows Landing, Calif. resident knows that they can't physically be there to watch him pull, but he also knows that doesn't mean they aren't watching from up above. His father used to pull with tractors, and the sport rubbed off on the younger Mendes. Instead of tractors though, his means of sled pulling comes via a '97 Ram 2500.
His Dodge carries the moniker "O.G." When he first bought the truck, his friends decided to play a joke on him, removing all of the letters in Dodge except the O and the G and the name stuck. Since then, it has evolved from a typical work truck to a custom-painted puller with several parts that Mendes fabricated himself. It's a privateer effort that couldn't have been done without the help of his family and friends.
The block on the 5.9L was sent to Waltmen's Machine in Modesto, Calif. where it was prepared for Arias pistons and a custom cam grind from Erb Brothers' Ag Equipment Repair that Mendes calls, "The Sam Erb Special." Lodi's Wes King of Wes King Racing worked his magic on the head, porting and polishing the Cummins 12-valve. When the head and block were complete it was assembled by Performance Paul Lourenco, who also pits for Team O.G.
With the engine back in the Ram attached to a Goerend Brothers automatic with all the bells and whistles, it was time for Mendes to work on fabricating his own twin-turbocharger setup that revolved around a pair of custom turbos from Erb Brothers. Along with help from Lourenco, fellow crew members Jason Machado and Albert's younger brother Robert, O.G. Racing worked several long nights until the twin setup was working properly. Just to make sure there was more than enough power, a tweaked NOS nitrous system was used and 6-inch chrome stacks were added to top things off. The one-off fab work wasn't over yet.
To make the suspension up front sit higher, Mendes crafted his own 4-inch lift with an extended 4-link. Keeping the lift company is a Dana 60 front axle with 3.55 gears. Mendes also used his handy skills to make a 4-inch lift for the rear and incorporate custom traction bars into the rear. Vern at Modesto Differentials in Modesto, Calif., fit a Dana 80 with 3.55 gears, Mag-Hytec cover and a Detroit Locker before it was re-hung under the Dodge's bed. Mounted to the Danas are 20x12 Weld Racing wheels with 35x14.5 Nitto Mud Grapplers.
When the guts of the Dodge were complete, the Ram was sent to Cen Cal Creations in Turlock Calif. where the body got a makeover starting with a custom fiberglass hood. The tailgate handle was shaved before the truck was sent into the booth to be sprayed with a one-off blue mixed by Nino at Jester's Auto Body. After the basecoat was dry, flames were airbrushed all over the body and then tribal graphics were applied over that. And of course the initials O.G. were painted right on the middle of the tailgate.
Because of the countless hours of airbrushing going into the truck, hanging a set of rusty weights onto the nose when it came time to pull didn't make much sense. To remedy the situation, Mendes sent his weights to Cal Hot Coating in Turlock, Calif., where they were powder coated to match the rest of the underbody suspension components. It might look a lot better, but the heart of the Ram still belongs to sled pulling as is apparent by the lack of luxuries inside of the cabin. The only thing added to the interior is three S.P.A. gauges on the A-pillar to keep tabs on the modified Cummins.
Mendes says he'll never be done with his truck. He'll always be looking for a little more power out of the 5.9L and searching for different ways to capture an edge over the rest of the field. That doesn't mean he's not enjoying what he has created thus far, though.
"I don't have any big name sponsors, but all of the local businesses really helped out," he says. The truck looks crazy flashy, but I'm just a good ol' dairy farmer who likes to go out to the local pulls and have a cold beer and good times with friends." Well said.
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 The Cummins, assembled by Paul Lourenco, is fitted with Arias pistons, a custom Erb Brothers cam, a head ported by Wes King and a twin-turbo setup fabricated by Mendes
 Mendes sent his weights to Cal Hot Coating in Turlock, Calif. where they were powder coated to match the rest of the underbody suspension components
 Cen Cal Creations shaved the tailgate handle off before applying a unique blue paints and airbrushing flames and a tribal design. The truck wouldn't be complete with O.G. on the tailgate.
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