Regular Cab 2006 Dodge Dually

Eric Helton’s Stunning Single Cab 2006 Dodge Dually

There’s absolutely nothing regular about Eric Helton’s regular cab 2006 Dodge dually! The 34-year-old machinist from Rogersville, Tenn., has wanted a dually since he was a young boy and finally realized his dream in 2006 when he bought the truck new to tow his 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS show car. Not long after that, he realized that the itch to show his dually needed to be scratched and he started slowly working on the machine with the goal in mind of building a clean and not overdone show truck that would have the “stock but not” look throughout the build.

5.9L Cummins engine
The highly detailed 5.9L Cummins engine under the hood looks awesome and has the oomph to back up its good looks, having put down nearly 700 hp and 1,250 lb-ft of torque on the DP Tuner mobile chassis dyno.
turbocharger with a polished stainless steel Stainless Diesel second generation exhaust manifold and Borg Warner S363 turbo
On the passenger side of the engine, Helton replaced the factory manifold and turbocharger with a polished stainless steel Stainless Diesel second generation exhaust manifold and Borg Warner S363 turbo that features a polished compressor cover. He also painted the intake and boost tubes.
Glacier Diesel Performance Air-Boss intake plenum and CFM+ Intake horn
To get maximum airflow into the engine, Helton replaced the factory intake elbow and grid heater with a Glacier Diesel Performance Air-Boss intake plenum and CFM+ Intake horn that was also painted to match the exterior. A TurboSmart blow-off valve is installed in the boost tube coming into the intake to help prevent surging.

Helton started with the upgrades when the truck first needed tires, opting to go with a set of polished 10-lug 22.5-inch Alcoa Classics for the front and outer rear wheels and Accuride 22.5-inch inner wheels. American Force adapters are used to mount the 10-lug wheels to the 8-lug truck. All six of the 22.5-inch wheels are wrapped in Sumitomo 255/70R22.5 ST727 OTR tires to provide plenty of longevity on the one-ton rig. Long spiked lug nut covers make the highly polished wheels really stand out. After the wheels and tires were mounted, Helton was hooked, and he went to work in earnest. The end result is the beautiful truck that you see here—although Helton says, as most gearheads do of their project trucks, it’s still not finished.

MBRP 5-inch exhaust, 6-inch polished stainless steel tip, Viair compressor, tank, and dual air horns
Peaking under the rear bumper you’ll see not only an immaculate chassis, but also the MBRP 5-inch exhaust and 6-inch polished stainless steel tip as well as a Viair compressor and tank for the dual air horns and the Bilstein 5100 series shocks Helton installed to tame the ride. If you look closely you will also see the filters for the FASS fuel pump and filter system mounted high on the driver side frame rail.
Flight Fabrications ladder-style traction bars
From the front side of the rear axle you can see the Flight Fabrications ladder-style traction bars that Helton installed to prevent axle wrap with the huge tires when he mashes the loud pedal.
BD Diesel Performance steering box brace and adjustable track bar and Bilstein 5100 series steering stabilize
Up front, Helton installed a BD Diesel Performance steering box brace and adjustable track bar along with a Bilstein 5100 series steering stabilizer to keep the big truck pointed in the right when he’s heading down the highway. To level things out and improve the ride he installed a ReadyLift leveling kit with Bilstein 5100 series shocks and fabricated custom dropped sway bar blocks to keep everything properly aligned.

Body modifications for the Dodge came next after the wheels. It was stripped of its badges and then Helton sent a sport model grille, along with the mirrors, door handles and bumper trim, out to Shannon Smith at Smith Body Shop in Rogersville, Tenn., to be smoothed and treated to fresh coats of PS2 Bright Silver Metallic paint. The grille shell was gutted of its center bars and smoothed out before RDX billet inserts were installed. Matching RDX billet aluminum inserts were installed in the now color-matched bumper. Joey Davenport of Joey’s Hot Rods reworked the tailgate, removing the third brake light and refinishing it before repainting it. Helton opted to relocate the brake light to the bed below the tailgate.

2006 Dodge Ram Husky floor liner mats
Helton’s interior is mostly stock but in good shape and features a few slick customizations like the paint-matched radio trim bezel and door panel inserts, Cummins “C” embroidered in the headrests, billet aluminum door lock knobs and shift knobs as well as Husky floor liner mats to keep the cabin clean.
Auto Meter triple gauge dash pod and trio of Isspro factory match gauges
Helton installed an Auto Meter triple gauge dash pod and trio of Isspro factory match gauges to easily keep an eye on the engine’s boost, EGT, and fuel pressure while driving.
Dodge aluminum shift knobs with Cummins “C” , EFILive CSP5 switch
Both aluminum shift knobs feature the Cummins “C” engraved into the top. Notice the switches and knob in the forward part of the center console, the switches control the underhood LED lights and blow-off valve operation while the knob is for his EFILive CSP5 switch to select tunes.

The bed itself is protected by a Rhino Linings spray-in bedliner from the guys at Truck Toys & More in Johnson City, Tenn., to help it hold up to work duties without showing signs of wear. Helton also installed a set of motorized Kodiak sidewinder power folding side steps to help him and his wife Charla get in and out of the truck a bit easier. All of the bulbs throughout rig were replaced with DDM Tuning LED bulbs except for the headlights and fog lights, which received DDM Tuning HID upgrades. To give the roofline a sleeker look, Helton replaced the cab lights with fourth-gen clear models, and finally he tinted all the window glass to round out the exterior upgrades.

Spray in Rhino Linings bedliner
While the truck is a show truck, it’s still ready to work when needed with a spray in Rhino Linings bedliner. Helton straps a motorcycle jack into the bed to securely hold the custom baby dually where he can raise it up to be seen at shows and events. Notice that the baby dually even has a tailpipe similar to the big truck’s.

After the body was looking the way Helton wanted it to, he turned his attention to performance. He started with a modest 70hp programmer then eventually found the wonder of EFILive tuning to really wake the engine up. Cody Hale at Anarchy Diesel Tuning in Riceville, Tenn., handled writing the performance EFILive tunes to get the most out of the powerplant. The complete long block is still stock, but Helton has installed plenty of bolt-on performance items including a polished stainless steel Stainless Diesel second-gen swap exhaust manifold and a Borg Warner S363 turbocharger to pressurize the intake charge. He painted the intake and boost tubes and valve cover silver to match the exterior and polished the compressor housing on the turbo to further dress up the engine bay.

2006 Dodge Ram paint-matched modified sport grille, paint-matched valance and bumper trim, billet aluminum grille and bumper inserts
Helton installed a paint-matched modified sport grille and paint-matched the valance and bumper trim as well as installing the billet aluminum grille and bumper inserts to dress up the Dodge’s front.

The painted boost tubes carry the compressed charge to and from an On3 Performance intercooler. Helton installed a TurboSmart blow-off valve in the boost tube leading to the intake to help prevent surging when shifting gears with the Dodge’s manual transmission. To cover his fueling needs, Helton installed a FASS 150HD fuel pump and filter system on the driver-side frame rail tucked up near the rear wheel opening. Once the clean fuel reaches the engine the pressure in increased by the stock CP3 before being fed into a set of stock fuel injectors with 50% over Extrude Honed nozzles. Helton has dynoed this truck on the DP Tuner mobile chassis dyno, where it put down 687.7 horsepower and 1,250.9 lb-ft of torque at the rollers through the massive rear tires. Helton’s potent Cummins is backed by the stock G56 6-speed manual transmission that receives the power through a South Bend 3250 dual disk clutch and flywheel. He has run a best 1/8-mile time of 9.20-seconds at 82 mph, which is not bad at all for a big, heavy, manual-shifted tow rig.

polished 10-lug 22.5-inch Alcoa Classics for the front and outer rear wheels and Accuride 22.5-inch inner wheels. American Force adapters, 10-lug wheels to the 8-lug truck
With the baby dually lifted in the bed and fully visible, the profile of Helton’s truck is striking. It really is one of the cleanest trucks we have ever seen.

To help fit the large semi-truck tires and wheels on the Dodge 3500, Helton installed a ReadyLift leveling kit up front. He also installed Bilstein 5100 series shocks on all four corners to improve the ride. Up front, a BD Diesel Performance steering box brace and adjustable track bar work in concert with a Bilstein 5100 series steering stabilizer to keep the dually pointed where Helton intends. He also fabricated custom sway bar drop brackets to achieve proper alignment of the suspension. In the rear, Helton installed a pair of Flight Fabrications ladder-style traction bars to prevent axle wrap. And of course, he paint-matched the bars and brackets before installing them.

Sumitomo 255/70R22.5 ST 727 tires, spiked lug nut covers
Up front, Helton relies on a pair of Sumitomo 255/70R22.5 ST 727 tires wrapped around polished 10-lug 22.5-inch Alcoa Classics complete with spiked lug nut covers. To make room for the massive wheel and tire combination he installed a ReadyLift leveling kit.

Moving inside the regular cab, Helton left most of it stock but keeps it in immaculate shape even when driving around with his wife and 2 1/2-year old daughter Lilly snuggled close together in the small cab. A set of Husky floor liners help trap any dirt or debris that might get tracked into the truck at shows and events. He paint-matched the radio bezel and door panel inserts to bring more of the silver exterior into the cab. Then, to help keep track of the engine’s performance, he added an Auto Meter dash-mount triple gauge pod and a set of Isspro factory match gauges. To wrap up the interior modifications, he installed billet aluminum weighted shift knobs, had Cummins “Cs” embroidered into the seat headrests, and replaced all lighting with LEDs.

“he does enjoy driving it when he can and tries to attend as many diesel events in the region as possible.”

For the final touch, Helton purchased a Power Wheels Dodge dually kids riding truck and painted it to match his own rig using the same PS2 Bright Silver Metallic paint he used for the other paint matching he performed during the build. He also did a truck bed lining in the rear, built a custom faux exhaust to match the bigger truck, and installed a billet grille that he cut down from a Chevy S-10. Last but not least, to boost the performance for little Lilly, Helton made a 16-volt conversion on smaller rig—and of course installed spiked lug nut covers to match Dad’s.

2006 Dodge Ram Cummins single cab
While the baby dually was built before Lilly came along, she really enjoys her show truck—and Charla and Eric are proud of their diesel loving family.

The Ram 3500 is not Helton’s daily driver since it primarily performs tow and show duties, so he has only racked up 62,000 miles. But he does enjoy driving it when he can and tries to attend as many diesel events in the region as possible. Amazingly, except for the clutch installation and the exterior paint and body work he farmed out, Helton did all the work on the big truck and the baby dually right there in his own driveway, illustrating that anyone can build a show-stopping rig if they put in the effort. He has won several Best Dodge, People’s Choice, and Best of Show awards. Even Lilly has won awards with her baby dually. This is a potent pair at the shows; if you get a chance to check them out, do it. You’ll be glad you did.

 

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