A 1,500 HP Stock-Appearing King Of All Sleepers

Mark Rojee’s Stock-Appearing, 1,500 HP ’18 Ram

What do you get when you take a Hemi junky’s half-ton Ram away from him and give him a -ton Cummins? If you’re Mark Rojee, you turn your new workhorse into a 1,500hp daily driver that’s just as much of a terror on the street as it is at the track. Five years after purchasing his brand-new ’18 Ram 2500, an Enforcer Series 6.7L Cummins dwells under the hood, a 48RE sits in place of the 68RFE, and the full interior crew cab runs 6.40s in the eighth mile. But by far the best part about Mark’s fourth-gen is its retention of the factory 20-inch wheels, the presence of the half-worn all-terrains, and the stock tailpipe. Trust us, it doesn’t get any more inconspicuous than this.

As the owner of Village Garage and Mahky’s Performance, and with a background in the Hemi world, it makes sense that Mark would own a Ram—but why would he want to build a 1,500hp Cummins? Well, as it turns out he works on diesel, too, and who wouldn’t want a truck that can do it all? “The plan from the beginning was to daily drive it, make big power with it, and tow with it,” Mark tells us. “The truck has been making big power since about 14,000 miles, back when it had a single S480/96/1.15 on it and the stock engine that I eventually blew up.”

Sleeved & Deck-plated 6.7L

After reading the aforementioned factory 6.7L, Mark contacted D&J Precision Machine and rocked one of its Performance series Cummins power plants for a while. Recently, however, he stepped up to an Enforcer—the same engine that’s won Ultimate Callout Challenge two years running. The cast-iron 6.7L block is sleeved, cut to accept fire rings, and topped off with a deck plate. It sports a factory crank secured by way of a girdle, which spins a set of D&J X-beam rods capped with cast-aluminum pistons. A Stage 3 (fire-ringed) head with oversize valves, 115-lb valve springs, and titanium valve spring retainers flows nearly double what the factory unit did and fastens to the block courtesy of 9/16-inch ARP head studs.

Compounds, Nitrous, And 110-psi Of Boost

Anytime an engine with a high-flow head sees a triple-digit boost, you know some serious horsepower is being generated. In conjunction with a shot of giggle gas, Mark’s compound arrangement makes more than 1,400 hp possible at the wheels. It begins with a 91mm atmosphere charger from Forced Inductions, complete with a 104mm turbine wheel residing in a 1.32 A/R exhaust housing with a T6 inlet. The primary turbo, also a Forced Inductions unit, hang from a T4 Steed Speed exhaust manifold and boasts a 72mm compressor, an 87mm turbine, and a 1.00 A/R exhaust housing. Two stages of boost combine with a potent shot of nitrous before passing through the factory intercooler.

S&S And AirDog Fueling

A healthy dose of fuel is present in Mark’s nitrous-assisted, 1,500hp equation and he went with S&S Diesel Motorsport to get him where he needed to be. It starts with a 14mm stroker CP3 to maintain adequate rail pressure for a set of 250-percent over injectors to use. Of the high-speed variety, the high-pressure pump is good for fueling well beyond 3,000 rpm. A 200-gph AirDog II-4G system keeps the low-pressure fuel supply clean and consistent. It pulls the fuel from the factory’s 31-gallon tank. Well-versed in EFI Live software, Mark uses it—in conjunction with the factory ECM—to dial in the injection system.

A 48RE With All The Right Parts

It didn’t take long for Mark’s aspirations for a big power to outrun what the 68RFE platform could support, so he converted to a 48RE and pressed on. “I was trying the whole ‘big power, 68RFE thing’ but it wasn’t working out well,” he told us. “So I swapped to a 48RE that I built myself.” Input, intermediate, and output shaft upgrades, Raybestos GPZ clutches, and a 2,300 to 2,500-rpm stall triple disc Goerend Converter and 12-bolt flex plate fortify the four-speed, while a high-pressure valve body from Goerend complements its converter. From inside the cab, Mark uses an Anteater Pro to program and command the 48’s shift points as well as a lockup.

6.40s In The Eighth

All of the above, combined with Ram’s factory suspension, axles, tire size, and wheels, has culminated in 1.5-second 60-foot intervals and blazingly-quick 6.40s in the eighth mile at more than 110 mph. Spotting the stock wheels and tailpipe yet also noticing the “6.70” written on the windshield definitely caught our eye. Sure enough, Mark’s crew cab short bed didn’t disappoint, immediately letting us know some very big power was concealed under the hood. Our first encounter with Mark and his Ram was highlighted shortly after that when the truck went 6.42 at 110 mph—the quickest the truck would storm the ‘660.

Now for the sad part. A recent front driveshaft failure caught a nitrous line during a full-effort eighth-mile pass and started the truck on fire. The damage was extensive and Mark decided not to rebuild. However, he did order a ’22 Cummins—and he plans to do the exact same thing to it. With absolutely no reason to doubt Mark’s knack for building the ultimate sleeper, be on the lookout for a factory wheel and tire fifth-gen packing 1,500 hp and racing at a diesel event near you in the spring of 2023.