Silver Bullet: A Cummins-Powered Dodge Built in Just Four Days

A Four-Day Wonder

Some project vehicles take weeks, months or even years to ﬁnish, but Leo Petropoulos from Los Gatos, California, had his 2004 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab built in just four days! His four-day wonder was completed just before the last SEMA show and, in fact, was the last rig to roll into the Las Vegas Convention Center. Petropoulos is an engineer who’s used to deadlines, so why should this project be an exception?

The Fab Fours Elite front bumper sports a Superwinch, four KC Rally 800 halogen lights and a grille/light bar. A custom fiberglass Street Beat dual-nostril hood with chrome grille and insert enhances the aggressive transformation.

A Kelderman 8-10-inch four-linked pneumatic lift suspension gives the Dodge plenty of rough terrain clearance.

Petropoulos turned over the keys to Jeff Arabia and his team at Arabia’s Overkill Jeep Fabrica- tion in Los Gatos, where they quickly tore into the four-day thrash. After removing the entire factory suspension, a Kelderman front and rear air setup was in- stalled, complete with a Kelder- man 8-10-inch lift kit, Bilstein shocks and Firestone air springs. A programmable AccuAir con- troller that can be pre-set at three separate heights manipulates the pneumatic suspension. Dual 12-V VIAIR 444C compressors and 3- gallon air tanks make sure that Petropoulos’s Dodge is quickly lifted. Rolling style was obtained with a set of RBP 22×11 polished aluminum wheels wrapped with Toyo Open Country 40/15.5-22 rubber.

“Petropoulos’s four-day wonder, ‘Silver Bullet,’ is quite an accomplishment in such a short period of time and was surely noticed at the SEMA show.”
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Lifting the hood exposes the mighty six-cylinder 24-valve Dodge Cummins diesel. Airflow was increased with the installation of a Bully Dog RFI (Rapid Flow Induction) system. Horsepower and torque performance were further enhanced with both Nitrous Works NOS injection and Bully Dog propane injection.

A rugged Fab Fours HD rear bumper features corner steps, tow hook mounts, license plate cove and lights. An Anderson Mfg. adjustable aluminum tow ball was slid into the hitch receiver under the bumper.

The muscle comes from a Cummins six-cylinder turbo diesel producing 650 hp at 2,500 rpm and 1,500 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,000 rpm. A Bully Dog nitrous oxide system works with a propane system to add 300 hp to the Cummins’ performance. A Pacbrake system was installed to achieve better exhaust braking under load. A pair of 4-inch, through-the-bed vertical exhaust stacks allows the mighty Cummins to exhale the occasional puff of black diesel smoke. A factory six-speed 68re automatic transmission handles the in- creased power and torque just ﬁne.

The rear suspension is supported by a Kelderman four-link suspension and sway bar.

Massive Firestone air springs and Bilstein shocks were mounted at each corner, replacing the factory springs.

A set of KBP 22×15.50 wheels were encased in Toyo Open Country 40×15.50R-22 LT rubber.

The Dodge Ram Quad Cab, bed, fenders and hood were given several fresh coats of silver metallic paint and multiple coats of clear by S&S Customs in San Jose, California. The Fab Fours Elite front bumper/grille/light guards and rear bumper received multiple coats of contrasting purple to add to the aggressive attitude. The front bumper was equipped with a 16,000-lb Superwinch, grille and light guard ﬁlled with four KC Rally 800 130-watt halogen lights. The rear received a Fab Fours Premium bumper with a 9,000-lb Superwinch, steps and hook/tow brackets. The bed is protected with a durable Rhino Linings spray-on coating.

Four Kodiak SideWinder power steps were installed under all of the Quad Cab doors for easy access.

Road trip info and audio/visual entertainment are handled by a Clarion VRX935VD DVD/CD/MP3 receiver with a 7-inch touchscreen monitor.

Though the interior of the cab was left mostly in stock condition, the factory stereo head unit was replaced with a Clar- ion VRX935VD DVD/CD/MP3 receiver with a 7-inch color LCD touchscreen and ampliﬁer.

Petropoulos’s four-day wonder, “Silver Bullet,” is quite an accomplishment in such a short period of time and was surely noticed at the SEMA show. Just think what Petropoulos and the gang at Arabia’s Overkill Fabrication could do with a full week’s time limit… DW