Ram trucks are synonymous with the Hemi, but the Hurricane inline-six is the real barnburner. Sure, the brand is currently on an apology tour after ditching the V8 for a while, though it still can’t touch the boosted 3.0-liter’s power specs. We’re only just starting to see the turbo engine’s tuning potential, and right now, it’s being showcased in this 1987 Dodge Ram D150 that makes 802 horsepower and 740 lb-ft of torque.
It’s the work of Morgan Evans and Jason Kastner, who run the Torque n’ Tungsten YouTube channel. If you kept up with last month’s Roadkill Nights event at the Woodward Dream Cruise, you’ll know that this truck won the Grudge Match against some other mighty impressive builds. The duo didn’t stop there as they just ran the rig on a 1,200-mile drive and drag event across Michigan.
The Dodge pickup runs a stock 3.0-liter long block, but instead of a twin-turbo setup like the engine ships with from the factory, it has a big single turbo. Specifically, it’s a Precision Next Gen 6870, which the manufacturer rates at up to 1,200 hp. Given that Evans and Kastner are both stellar fabricators, they worked up all the necessary plumbing as well as new manifolds to make sure that air does what it’s supposed to. The result is a buzzin’ half-dozen that just broke a Hurricane world record by running 9.39 seconds in the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 140 miles per hour.
All that power is pumped through a ZF eight-speed transmission, so in that sense, it’s a lot like you’d find in a new Ram with the Hurricane. It’s not identical, though, because Evans and Kastner upgraded to a Circle D torque converter with a higher stall for drag passes. There’s a Moser 8.75-inch rear end out back, and they’ve experimented with both slick tires and drag radials. Apparently, the truck prefers the latter.
The D150 is a work in progress as Evans and Kastner continue tweaking it to find the sweet spot. After their last run at the Sick Michigan Miles event, they agreed that the rev-limiter needed to be kicked up a notch as Evans hit it during her best pass. Still, the front Viking coilovers seem to be pretty dialed in as the truck stayed composed after lifting the tires a good three or four inches off the ground.
While people certainly have feelings about the turbocharged I6 in the new Rams, nearly every comment I’ve found on the build’s YouTube videos has been positive. It probably helps that they didn’t pluck a V10 out of a Viper like that other guy did. The Hurricane really is like the Mopar 2JZ.
Sick Michigan Miles: Can We Survive Another 1200 Mile Drag & Drive?!
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