Two Military Trucks Became One Incredible Cummins Rat Rod

Each One Is More Interesting Than The Last

Sharp-eyed readers might recognize the name, José Lugo, who is a prolific rat rod builder from Miami, Florida. José works in his family’s electrostatic industrial painting business, which specializes in powdercoating. He can transform your ride from average to amazing by adding the perfect finishing accents. When he’s not working on customer rides, his real passion is the creativity involved in building one-of-a-kind rat rods. You may have seen previously published creations of his, like his 8-wheeled Octo Rat, Mack Rat, or his latest, a COE flatbed that showcased his diesel-powered rat bike. It was on the cover of our December 25 issue. When one is completed, it’s not long before the next one is underway, and there is a noticeable pattern across the board. Each build distinguishes itself thanks to a seismic shift in design, engineering, and a bit of mayhem! You never know what to expect.

In addition to dispensing with such traditional touches like chrome and paint, José believes the rat rod builder’s challenge is assembling an imaginative collection of unrelated parts and adapting them to traditional roles. He generally starts with something that’s not immediately recognizable. In this case, if you are having difficulty trying to figure out what his current ride is, we’ll give you a hint by telling you that his favorite donors have become vintage military vehicles. José met a man while attending a car show last year who admired the rat rod that José had on display. A conversation ensued, and the man explained that he owned a pair of huge military M35 series 2½-ton 6×6 cargo trucks that had creative potential. Although the man was not interested in selling at the moment, situations changed, and José became the proud owner, trailering the monstrous pair to his shop in Miami.

Dispensing with such nonessentials as the chassis and motors, José retained only the cabs, chopping both tops four inches and welding the pair front to back. The change gave him four doors and four separate seats, ensuring plenty of room for the family. The pickup bed is the result of drastically shortening and narrowing one of the original beds and then repurposing the fold-down aluminum seats. The front end sports an early Kenworth grille, chopped and augmented with a pair of 12-inch Ryan-Lite vintage headlights, circa 1925.

Once the rough dimensions of the body were established, José put it aside and turned his attention to creating a full custom chassis. Knowing the significant amount of weight that the stretched chassis would have to manage, he bought lengths of 2×6 steel square tubing from his friend, Tony, at Remote Access Sales in Miami—his source for metal over the years. With a clear plan in mind, José began adding multiple chassis cross members and suspension mounting points to ensure rigidity. The uniquely engineered steering began with a front I-beam setup from a ’99 Chevy C30, augmented with handcrafted wishbones made from 2×3 square tubing. Taking parts-swapping to a new level, José then incorporated a ’97 Dodge Ram 3500 power steering box (flipped upside down to create right-hand drive) along with Ford F-350 disc brakes and a power booster.

The heavy-duty Ford F-350 rear end, complete with disc brakes, is held in place with leaf springs and easily handles the heavy load. To get the chassis rolling, José thanks Frank from Diesel Wheels in Miami for his help putting together a temporary set of 19.5-inch steel rims from the C30 and 70-series Goodyears up front. In the rear, huge 22.5-inch aluminum dump truck rims were wrapped in Continental commercial truck rubber. An even more radical wheel package is coming soon, so be on the lookout for that. The final touch was a rat rod necessity—an air suspension package that puts altitude under fingertip control. The package uses Slam Specialties bags, three HornBlasters compressors, three 5-gallon reserve tanks, and quick, half-inch lines. One of those compressors and one of those reserve tanks power the HornBlasters train horn, which is guaranteed to speed your progress through downtown Miami traffic. A full row of switches on the dash brings the rig to ride height or plants the rockers on the ground while the rest control lights, fans, compressors, and ignition.

With the partially complete body still safely stored in the rear of the garage, it was the perfect time to install the powertrain in the new bare chassis. Every one of Jose’s recent builds uses diesel power, and this one is no exception. Taken from a ‘97 Dodge Ram 3500, the Cummins 5.9L 6BT 12-valve inline-six diesel engine was the answer due to its mechanical simplicity, fuel efficiency, and the fact that it is one of the most reliable diesel engines ever produced. Naturally, since running second was never part of the plan, performance upgrades added to the fun and were accomplished early on. Felix from Outlaw Diesel in Miami handled much of the upgrades, beginning with a combination of DAP 100hp injectors and a FASS custom electric pump to supply the fuel needs of the primary Holset turbo. Rather than settling for a simple upgrade, José believes the goal is always to make a strong statement, so he chose an “in-yo-face” mounting for the second 75 mm, twin-scroll Borg-Warner turbo that is perched at windshield height for all to see. Custom fabricated 5-inch round piping, painted white to amplify the statement, snakes its way around the engine, feeding the turbos. Similar 2.5-inch white painted tubes feed the radiator. To guarantee a cool fuel/air mix, the Precision Turbo air-to-air intercooler teamed up with a custom Champion aluminum radiator that is cooled by three 10-inch SPAL electric fans. Power is sent to a Dodge 47RH four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, known for improving fuel economy and towing durability thanks to its lockup feature. The shift lever is on the dash.

Moving inside, the modern stuff you don’t get is stuff you won’t miss. “Nanny” additions like adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and annoying speed warning chimes were never part of the plan. In fact, the Spartan atmosphere is probably more reminiscent of World War II desert combat ops. The four lightly padded military seats, on either side of the huge driveshaft tunnel, may not work well for long drives but decidedly reinforce the rat rod aesthetic. The same is true of the painted steel doors, devoid of any padding and sporting only window cranks and door handles. After the dash was cut in half, the steering wheel, pedals, and shift lever were moved to the passenger side, and a comprehensive package of modern and vintage gauges were added to the center. Analog controls were purposely chosen to avoid the pitfalls of today’s screen-centric setups. The original glove box was returned, now residing on the left side of the dash. While the interior has a certain primitive vibe, the stereo is sophisticated, thanks to Manny Velez from ALN Customs in Miami. The receiver is a Pioneer Bluetooth unit controlling multiple amplifiers and speakers throughout the cab.

Paint was never part of the plan since it would interfere with the sought-after patina vibe. The faded army green is essentially maintenance-free. This latest build took a lightning-quick 3-1/2 months, and we photographed it at the November Turkey Run in Daytona. Even as we speak, there is another unique rat rod under construction in the Lugo family workshop. This one will be number nine! Stay tuned. We’ll have more for you soon from this prolific rat rod builder.

97 Dodge Ram 3500

Owner

José Lugo
Miami, FL

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN

• Cummins 6BT 5.9L 12-valve inline-six
• DAP 100hp injectors
• FASS custom electric pump
• Holset turbo
• Borg-Warner turbo
• Custom fabricated 5-inch round piping
• Precision Turbo air-to-air intercooler
• Champion aluminum radiator
• Custom fabricated 2.5-inch tubes for cooling
• (3) 10-inch SPAL electric fans
• Dodge 47RH 4-speed automatic overdrive

Chassis & Suspension

• 2×6 square steel tubing frame rails
• Custom-fabricated wishbones made from 2×3 square tube
• 1999 Chevy C30 front I-beam
• Dodge 3500 power steering box flipped upside down to create right-hand drive
• Ford F-350 disc brakes and power booster
• Slam Specialties air bags
• (3) HornBlasters compressors and train horn
• (3) 5-gallon reserve tanks
• Half-inch lines

WHEELS, TIRES & BRAKES

• Front 19.5-inch steel rims with Goodyear 245/70R19.5 rubber
• Rear 22.5-inch dump truck aluminum rims with Continental 445/50R22.5 HTL1 tires

Body & Paint 

• (2) M35 series 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck cabs, chopped and welded together
• Sectioned Kenworth front grille
• 12-inch Ryan-Lite vintage headlights
• Sectioned and shortened military pickup bed
• Folding aluminum slat seats
• Military taillights

Interior

• (4) individual military seats
• Tan canvas upholstery
• Military and modern instruments
• Pioneer head unit
• Multiple three-way component sets
• (2) 10-inch subs
• (2) four-channel amps up front
• (2) four-channel amps in the rear
• 1000-watt mono amp for the subs