Building the Ultimate 2005 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins

How to Build the Truck You’ve Always Wanted

“I wanted something that stood out,” Cody Martin of Gallatin, Tennessee, told us as he tried to describe the theme for his white ’05 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins- equipped truck. Obviously, he has accomplished that goal. But the reality is that he’s never finished building the truck and probably never will be finished. So it will continue to stand out for as long as Cody keeps dreaming up new ideas. When Cody got the truck, it was partially built by a shop, but he took everything apart and started over to make it all his.

The 21-year old started tinkering with trucks at the young age of 15. The seed planted thanks to his dad having owned a few F-250s and a Duramax. His first truck was a 10-inch lifted F-150. “I knew I wanted a diesel,” Cody said, but that took a little bit of time. “I ended up getting an ’05 Dodge,” he said, “and I was working at a custom truck accessories shop in Gallatin called Rocky’s Tuff Trucks as an installer. When working on and building trucks is your job every day of course your personal vehicle doesn’t stay stock for very long.”

SUPPORT

When deciding exactly how to build the truck, Cody wanted to pay attention to every detail: the lift kit, the audio system, the engine, the interior. Basically he wanted to make sure there was something for everyone to like. He had a lot of help along the way, with the number one guy being his dad. “He is always in the garage with me helping and giving ideas,” Cody told us. “And it seems that he’s always the one running around picking up parts while I’m at work. He grew up building muscle cars back in the day. So now I get to learn a lot from him about all the things that are very similar.”

The next person on Cody’s list of helpers is his buddy Will Browner. “We have been messing around with trucks since we could drive,” Cody said. He added, “We have even owned a few of the same trucks! We go to all of the shows and events together and always help each other out. I can always count on him to help if I need it.” Then there’s Cody’s cousins who drove down 1,100 miles from Connecticut to help him get the truck finished in time for the TS Performance Outlaw event where the truck took home a trophy for Best Suspension. How do you thank people enough for that kind of dedication? Then there’s the girlfriend who shows ultimate patience as Cody works till midnight at work and on the truck most of the time.

“WHEN WORKING AND BUILDING TRUCKS IS YOUR JOB EVERY DAY, OF COURSE YOUR PERSONAL VEHICLE DOESN’T STAY STOCK FOR VERY LONG” – CODY MARTIN

PERFORMANCE CHASSIS

Since the suspension was what wowed the judges at the TS show ‘n’ shine, let’s get into the details of it. It’s a Kelderman air ride system that uses 4-link brackets on the front and rear. Everything is powdercoated Deep Waterblue and Sky White, and it’s all spotless. A custom cross-over steering system looks good and functions perfectly. Two Fabtech remote reservoir shocks control the steering damping. Also, two Fabtech remote reservoir shocks control the rear suspension with two more on each front corner. That’s ten shocks if you weren’t counting. Cody installed 4:10 ring and pinions in the front and back axles to help spin the larger tires. Also, the front diff has a Dyna Track locking hub conversion. The transfer case has been clocked to align the driveshaft, but the new driveshaft was not ready in time for the photo shoot. The rear benefits from the addition of drilled and slotted rotors and triple piston billet calipers from SSBC. A new master cylinder was installed and all brake lines were extended.

After the suspension was installed, the addition of some big wheels and tires was critical. Cody went with 22- inch KMC Model XD Diesel wheels. To frame the wheels, Cody selected Toyo Open Country M/T tires in the 40×15.50-22 size.

BIG POWER

In the engine bay, there’s a few significant upgrades that should be mentioned. First, ARP head studs keeps the head in place, and second, a Wicked Diesel coolant bypass aids cooling to the rear cylinders. Cody also installed a Banks Power high ram intake elbow and a BD Diesel intercooler. An ATS Aurora 5000 compound turbo kit supplies a healthy 50 psi of boost as the wastegate is currently setup although it’s capable of much more. A three-piece ATS exhaust manifold gets the spent gasses out of the engine efficiently while a four-inch exhaust (into a Y- pipe) dumps out at the axle into two six-inch tips. A Glacier Diesel Power intake manifold ensures that plenty of air gets into the cylinders while the Dynomite Diesel Performance 120-hp injectors make sure enough fuel gets in to mix with the air. A FASS 150 injection pump and Industrial Injection dual CP3s do their part supplying the DDP injectors. A Snow Performance water/methanol kit ensures lower combustion chamber temperatures and decent performance boost at the flip of a switch. A Smarty S06 programmer pulls everything together and the BD tire calculator keeps the speedometer accurate. With all this power, Cody needed a stout transmission so he went with a BD Diesel full billet complete transmission and flex plate. The converter has a BD HD triple disk converter.

MORE TRICKS

Out back, the bed is lined with a Bed Rug. A custom wall houses two Alpine amps, a Rockford Fosgate amp and a system capacitor. A third Optima yellow top battery is hidden in the bed, plus a custom low profile fiberglass cover keeps people from tampering with anything.

The body of the truck has plenty of little tricks to make it look better. For example, the mirrors are color-matched to the body and there’s a mesh insert in the grille. Amp power steps make it easier to get into the truck and hide away when the doors are closed. LED strobes were installed into the headlights and the taillights are LED.

Inside the cab there’s four Autometer gauges, three of them on the A-pillar and one on the steering column. Two more gauges for air pressure are mounted on the dash as Cody uses the AccuAir E-Level system with his Kelderman air bags. There are switches for the water meth, wheel well LEDs, train horns and more. TV screens are strategically placed in the backs of the seat headrests. A Kenwood 7.5-inch flip out touch screen monitor controls the A/V system. Two Alpine amps combine with one Rockford Fosgate amp and a Stinger system capacitor for plenty of power. A 10-inch JL Audio sub under the seat provides the rumble while the two Rockford Fosgate 6×9 speakers and two Rockford Fosgate 6.5 speakers cover just about everything else. But, just to be sure, Cody uses a pair of Kicker tower speakers. The Limo tint keeps the sun’s rays and prying eyes from seeing what’s inside, which is a bit counterintuitive as Cody loves showing off his dream truck. DW

“AN ATS AURORA 5000 COMPOUND TURBO KIT SUPPLIES A HEALTHY 50 PSI OF BOOST”