Most of us - even dyed-in-the-wool truck guys - would think that Dodge's latest take on semi-truck styling imbues the Ram with sufficient big-rig credibility (especially when equipped with the Cummins diesel). Greg Severt apparently does not, and that's probably because his day job involves playing with the real thing. So he did what seemed right, removing the cab and bed from a 2005 Ram 3500 and replacing it with sheetmetal from a 1994 Peterbilt. Rounding out the conversion is a bed from a '53 Chevrolet pickup, with a set of Peterbuilt front fenders replacing the original stepside quarter panels.

The stock Cummins engine remains intact, and resides under the forward-tilting hood. That particular feature required shortening the front frame rails by two inches - a move that had to be rather nerve-racking on a brand new pickup. The look is rounded out by a set of 40" tall Mickey Ts on some 20" Weld Racing wheels, with a mild lift providing the required clearance.

Interestingly enough, the conversion actually resulted in a weight reduction, as the cab and hood are aluminum (weight being very important in the heavy truck industry, where every pound of truck is one less pound of cargo).

[Source: Diesel Power]

When a Dodge Ram just isn't sufficiently "truck-like" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week we saw a picture of a heavily-camouflaged 2008 Ford Super Duty; this week brings additional shots of vehicles in more revealing livery - something that looks more like Mossy Oak. The sharp eye of Chris Doane found three examples - a single-rear-wheel truck, a dually, and a medium-duty flatbed - undergoing hot-weather testing in the desert.

The most obvious change is in the area of the headlights, with these vehicles sporting lamps that look much like the Ford Tonka concept of several years ago. The hood has a less-prominent budge than the current Super Duty, and the front fenders appear flatter along their upper edge. The openings in the front bumper appear to be larger and the grille has grown in height, likely to accommodate the increased cooling needs of a more powerful twin-turbo diesel. Those who tow trailers on a regular basis will likely appreciate the mirrors, which appear to be only slightly smaller than the average billboard and carry relatively large turn signals.

A peek at the interior shows some styling cues from the contemporary F-150, but it's hard to say what trim level we're seeing. A final assessment will have to wait until all the pieces are in place and the data acquisition equipment is removed.  

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

Spy Photos: 2008 Ford Super Duty originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The 1957 V8 Chevy panel truck featured on MTV's Pimp My Ride in August of 2005 is up for bid on eBay. Xzibit and his crew painted the outside red with yellow flames, installed several flat screen TVs with a DVD player and PlayStation 2, bolted on chrome bumpers and a chrome steering wheel, and outfitted the vehicle with 20-inch Axis tires and a ten-speaker, three-thousand-watt stereo system.

The bid's currently at $25,100, but the reserve hasn't been met yet. Wife and child not included.

[Source: Ebay]

Thanks to Ty for the tip.

Ebay find of the day: PIMP'd Chevy panel truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 May 2006 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.