The Smart Way to Build a 4th Gen CumminsThe Diesel Podcast · Jul 17, 2026
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Car
power stroke
“Power Stroke” is Ford’s name for its diesel engines. It’s brought up here because the speaker has experience with Ford diesels before getting into Cummins.
The Ford Mustang is a sporty car made by Ford. People often buy it for performance and style, and many parts are available to modify it. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because the speaker owned one before switching to other vehicles.
The Ford Bronco is an SUV designed to handle off-road driving. Some owners lift them to make them taller and fit bigger tires. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as the vehicle the speaker moved to after selling the Mustang.
A “lift” means raising the truck’s suspension so it sits higher. That usually helps with off-road clearance and gives the truck a more aggressive look.
The ECU is the car’s main computer for the engine. When you “tune” it, you change how the engine runs—like how much fuel it injects—to make more power.
They mean you want one vehicle that can do two things well: feel fast like a sports car, but still be useful like a truck. That’s why people build diesel trucks for both driving fun and real-world capability.
“Small block” is a nickname for a certain kind of V8 engine that’s popular for performance builds. People choose it because it’s common, parts are available, and it’s easy to make power.
The LS platform is a popular GM V8 engine family that a lot of people swap into other cars. It’s popular because it’s strong and there are lots of performance parts available.
“Big injectors” are fuel injectors that can spray more fuel than the factory ones. More fuel (when matched with the rest of the setup) helps the engine make more power.
A DPF is a filter that catches the smoky soot from a diesel engine. It periodically cleans itself by burning that soot off so the exhaust stays cleaner.
The “DF/DEF” system is the part that uses a special fluid to clean up exhaust. It helps turn harmful exhaust gases into less harmful ones before they leave the tailpipe.
The check engine light is a warning that the car’s computer found a problem. On diesel trucks, it can come on when the emissions systems aren’t working right.
Concept
utmost reliability standpoint
They’re talking about how dependable the trucks are—how often they break and how well they hold up. It’s basically the “will it keep working?” point of view.
Term
DEA
“DEA” sounds like it’s referring to emissions equipment on a diesel. The point being made is that emissions parts add cost and complexity to the truck.
EPA laws are U.S. rules that limit how much pollution vehicles can produce. The speaker is saying some trucks end up outside the U.S., so they may not have to meet the same emissions requirements.
The Dodge Ram is a large pickup truck. In the podcast, it’s mentioned with diesel engine talk, meaning the conversation is about how these trucks are maintained and what owners watch for. The key point is that Ram trucks can be discussed specifically in terms of diesel engine ownership.
They’re talking about a newer Ram truck (from 2020). The point is that newer diesel trucks can be harder to fix because they have more systems that control emissions and engine behavior.
Car
L5P
“L5P” is a specific diesel engine used in some GM trucks. The speaker is saying that newer diesel engines like this can be more complicated to fix than older ones.
Car
Detroit diesels
“Detroit diesels” is a nickname for diesel engines made by Detroit Diesel. The speaker is saying older Detroit Diesel designs were often simpler to repair than newer emissions-controlled engines.
Fail-safe mode is what a car does when it senses a problem—it may limit power so the engine doesn’t get damaged. People don’t like it because it usually means there’s a real issue that needs fixing.
Car
Cummins
Cummins makes diesel engines, and they’re known for an inline-six design. Here, they’re comparing it to other diesels and talking about how engine layout can make repairs easier or harder.
A turbocharger is a device that helps the engine make more power by forcing extra air in. If it’s tucked away in a hard-to-reach spot, it can make repairs take longer.
Term
plug and play add on parts
Plug-and-play parts are aftermarket upgrades that are meant to install easily, usually without cutting or rewiring. The speaker is saying his work is mostly the simpler, easier installs.
The BYD Seal is an electric car. The podcast mentions it because the speaker had leaks and is emphasizing that maintenance matters. The main takeaway is that problems like leaks should be fixed and fluids/maintenance should be kept up with.
This is a filter that helps keep the engine’s internal “breathing” system working correctly. If it gets neglected, it can contribute to oil leaks because pressure builds up inside the engine.
In this context, “maintenance” is the idea of staying on top of service intervals—especially filters and fluid changes—to prevent expensive component failures. The speaker emphasizes that neglected ventilation and transmission service can lead to seal and transmission problems.
A downpipe is part of the exhaust system that carries exhaust gases away from the engine/turbo area. People upgrade it to help the exhaust flow better, but it can be tight to reach on some trucks.
Pushrods are parts inside the engine that help move motion from the camshaft to the valves. If they’re hard to reach, certain repairs become more work.
The Dodge Power Wagon is a more off-road-capable version of a Ram pickup. It’s built for tougher driving than a standard truck. In the podcast, it comes up because the speaker was considering buying one but didn’t end up going that direction.
They’re talking about convenience features that warm or cool things for you, like heated seats or cooled storage. It’s mentioned as part of the “must-have” options list.
A leveling kit is a suspension upgrade that makes the truck sit more level (usually lifting the front). It can help with tire fitment, but it may require proper alignment afterward.
“Stock trans” means the transmission is the original one that came with the truck. If it’s still stock, you’re relying on its history and condition rather than a replacement or rebuild.
An “SS Camaro” is a higher-performance version of the Chevrolet Camaro. The host mentions it to explain how they judged a used car’s history and condition.
The “Rust Belt” is an area of the U.S. where cars often rust faster because of winter salt and moisture. That’s why buyers worry about rust when they see a car from there.
An “EPA regulated state” is a place where emissions rules are enforced more strictly. That can affect diesel trucks because they may need to meet specific emissions equipment and legality requirements.
A grid heater is a diesel cold-start heater that warms things up before you start the engine. It helps the engine light off more easily when it’s cold.
Blow-by is when some of the engine’s combustion gases slip past the piston rings and get into the crankcase. More power can make that happen more, so you may need better ventilation.
Brookville, Indiana is where the host says they’ll go to get the truck dyno-tested. That’s where they’ll measure the engine’s power and torque.
Company
Wild Hoosiers
Wild Hoosiers is the name of the place the host plans to use for dyno testing. It’s where they’ll measure the truck’s power.
Term
dual fuelers
Dual fuelers means adding more than one fueling setup to get more fuel into the engine. More fuel usually means more power, but it can stress the rest of the truck.
A remanufactured engine is an older engine that gets rebuilt with new or refurbished parts. The goal is to make it work like a properly rebuilt unit, not like a random used engine.
ISO 9001 is a quality standard that companies follow to make sure their process is consistent. In this case, it’s being used to say the engine rebuilding is done with documented quality controls.
A warranty is basically a guarantee that if something goes wrong within a certain time, the company will help cover the repair. They’re saying this rebuilt engine comes with strong coverage.
Fuel economy is how efficiently an engine converts fuel into distance traveled, typically expressed as mpg or similar measures. The segment ties it to internal engine technology (pistons) aimed at reducing losses while maintaining power.
This is a product feature meant to make the truck’s soot-cleaning cycles happen less often. The idea is to keep the exhaust filter healthier and avoid getting clogged.
Drag racing is when two vehicles race side-by-side in a straight line to see which accelerates faster. It’s usually about quick launches and strong power.
A burnout is when you spin the tires on purpose to make smoke and heat them up. It usually wears out tires fast and can be hard on the truck’s mechanical parts if you do it a lot.
A lower gear range means the truck stays in lower gears longer instead of shifting up quickly. That can help the engine and transmission work more smoothly, especially when you’re working the truck hard.
“On the fly” shifting means changing gears while you’re already moving. Some drivers prefer controlling it themselves so the truck doesn’t shift in a way that feels harsh or stressful.
A tunnel cover is a cover for the back of your truck bed that helps keep stuff protected. Some are powered and roll open/closed, which can be convenient but may take up space depending on the design.
That’s a rigid bed cover made of plastic that you fold up when you need the bed. Hard covers are usually tougher and better at protecting cargo than soft ones.
Cargo management just means organizing and securing what you carry so it’s protected and easy to reach. On trucks, that often involves covers and lockable storage so tools don’t get stolen.
Fiberglass is a strong, lightweight material made from glass fibers. It’s commonly used for rigid truck covers because it holds its shape and is tougher than soft fabric.
Term
leather snap covers
These are soft truck-bed covers that fasten with snaps and are made from leather (or something similar). The point is that they’re an older style and generally not as secure as harder covers.
Side bed toolboxes are lockable storage compartments mounted on the sides of the truck bed. They’re handy for keeping tools organized and protected, and they reduce the chance of theft.
Term
square body stuff
“Square body” is a nickname for older pickups with a boxy, angular look. The speaker is using it to talk about how older trucks had fewer convenience features than newer ones.
“OBS” is a nickname people use for an older truck body style. In this conversation it’s just referring to older pickup generations compared with newer ones.
An adapter plate is a bracket that lets you mount a different fuel filter than the one your truck came with. It’s basically what makes the new filter setup fit and work.
Fuel filtration systems are extra filters that clean the diesel before it goes into the engine. The goal is to keep dirt and junk from reaching expensive parts like the injectors.
CP3 is the high-pressure fuel pump that pressurizes diesel for the injectors. If it doesn’t get steady, clean fuel, it can cause problems—especially on tuned or high-power trucks.
If air gets into the fuel lines, the engine can get fuel inconsistently. That can lead to rough running or damage over time, so people try to prevent it with better fuel system parts.
Head studs are stronger bolts that hold the engine’s cylinder head in place. When you push a diesel harder with tuning and power upgrades, studs can help keep everything sealed under higher pressure.
It’s an aftermarket upgrade that helps the diesel engine get fuel more effectively. People use it when they’re planning on running a stronger tune for more power.
An EFI tune is a software change that tells the engine computer how much fuel (and other settings) to use. It’s how people safely turn up power—usually along with hardware upgrades.
Diesel fuel quality means how good the fuel is—how clean and consistent it is. If the fuel isn’t great, a strong tune can behave worse or be harder on the engine.
Car
2008 6.7 Cummins
This is a 2008 Ram truck with a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. People like it because it makes strong low-end torque and there are lots of parts and tuning options.
The Power Wagon is a special off-road version of a Ram pickup. It’s meant to handle tough terrain, and in this chat they’re talking about the diesel engine and the extra off-road gear.
Concept
second gens and the third gens
They’re talking about older versions of the same truck model. The point is that earlier generations were less comfortable inside, while newer ones are nicer.
“Disconnects” here likely means parts that can temporarily disengage some drivetrain functions. The truck can run more efficiently when you’re not off-roading, but still lock back in when you need traction.
“4 low” is a setting for off-roading that makes the truck crawl with more pulling power. It’s used when you’re going slowly over rough ground or when traction is poor.
“Thousand horsepower” means a very extreme power goal for a modified truck. It usually takes a lot of upgrades and tuning, and it can get expensive quickly.
Term
five to 600
They’re talking about aiming for a moderate power level for a modified truck. The idea is to build something fun and usable instead of going extreme.
LIVE
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Welcome to the Diesel Podcast presented by DFC Diesel.
Jacob, welcome to the Diesel Podcast. How are you doing today?
Hey, man, doing pretty great. How are you doing?
It's going well. I thought I was able to connect with you today.
I appreciate you tagged us in your truck that's behind you.
Tagged us in some stuff you're doing on the build, and I thought, you know,
I haven't done like a Cummins build episode with somebody in a while,
and it would be really cool. And then through getting to chat with you a bit,
there's a lot of other stuff I think we can jump into with your background with
the decals and being in the military and just different parts of being a diesel enthusiast.
So I look forward to talking to you.
Yeah, man. Absolutely. I'm glad you reached out.
I try to tag and reach out to a bunch of different diesel pages and hopes to connect
like we are right now. So I'm glad you reached out and you did.
So we could get together today and talk about this.
I love starting at the beginning because it helps me see the process of...
Well, I think I heard the term once, like it's like the life cycle of a diesel enthusiast, right?
And like I've said on the podcast before, I didn't grow up around diesels.
I didn't grow up around them to use them for work or farm or anything.
It was just like a friend of mine got a power stroke, bought one like new back in 06
and then did a bunch of stuff to it. And I'm like, I got to get on this train.
And that kind of started my whole process.
But where did yours begin with getting, you know, a Cummins and having an interest in building one?
Yeah, man. So I had an interest in cars.
Ever since I was a kid, man, I was always going to the car shows.
I was collecting model cars and trucks and started out with, you know, I didn't have a need for a truck.
I always just like speed. So I had a five speed must add to five speed must things actually.
And I was always in the Fords and I started getting the classics and then long story short, you know,
I bought a house out in the country. I got five acres.
I got trees that fall down. I got stuff that needs fall.
I have a side by side that needs pulled the tractor that needs pulled, you know, wherever I'm trying to go.
And man, I, I was just like, you know, I think I need a truck.
So I got a truck and I was looking at trucks and then I'm like, you know, I had to sell my Mustang.
Well, I had to lift the Bronco, man. That's really where it started.
But it was a gasser. So I sold the Bronco because it was it was bad ass looking truck, man.
But it was just, you know, it was had a motor from the 80s that made like 200 horsepower.
I mean, it was cool looking truck though. But so I sold it.
I sold the Mustang. I said, man, I want to get a truck.
And I was just looking at those diesels.
And it was kind of like when I was he had worked on them in the military, which we could dive into in a minute.
And I had, I had, yeah, I had worked on them.
And I just, I had some buddies that had some Cummins and I was, so I started looking at mobile parts and I think I want to,
because I'd worked on a power stroke that worked out a shop for a little bit when I got out of the military.
But yeah, so I, so I found this truck and I said, man, it's kind of like, you know, it's lifted like my Bronco was,
but it has the speed like my Mustang because dude, I haven't had a dyno since I had some work done to it to the ECU.
But before when I had it, dyno, I first got it, it was making like 400 horsepower, 900 foot pounds of torque.
So it's definitely those numbers are up from there.
So it's kind of like having that sports, you know, like how I once had a sports car, it's kind of like having that, but having the truck too.
So I mean, that's kind of what I, what I fell into, man, is kind of like getting the best of both worlds.
But it's, I mean, it's automatic. It doesn't have that manual appeal.
Like I prefer it, but my wife loves to drive it and she's not a big fan of it.
So it worked out.
I think that's really where so many, so many of us became enthusiasts.
It was exactly that for me.
Like I originally wasn't into diesel trucks.
It was, it was really gas trucks.
And then it's kind of like, I wanted the speed side.
So then it was like, well, what kind of small block stuff can I get into?
What about like the LS platform?
And then, you know, some friends would have like that time it was like terminators.
And like I've always loved, you know, cobras and stuff, but then I needed more capability.
I couldn't just have a two door car like that.
And I'm really dating myself, but like that means 2000 range.
It was like, you could have a truck, you have to get like a 59 or something like that.
You throw a set of compounds on some big injectors, build transmission, you're making 800, 900 horsepower.
It's probably going to be like low 11 high tens in the quarter mile.
And if you wanted to, you could, you know, haul something with it, tow drive it every day.
So you could have like one vehicle to do a little bit of both.
And that's where I think the whole industry just spawned from that exact, that exact point you just mentioned.
Yeah, I think you're right, man.
I mean, you can kind of, it's very versatile.
You know, you can go to a show on a Friday night, the next, the next day, take your rig and haul your toys to wherever you're going.
And, and can be very, very family friendly, you know, especially if you have a full cab or mega cab.
And so it's very versatile.
You can, and you can go hot rod and around.
You could pull stuff, go to shows, haul family, you know.
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What was it like going from being in the military and working on working on diesel engines, equipment, that kind of stuff?
Did that lay the foundation, do you think, in a way for that process you mentioned of looking for a Cummins and then wanting to build it?
Yeah, man.
So funny enough, life can really be like a butterfly effect or your whole trajectory can change just off one little change you make in your life.
So I was originally going to be a helicopter mechanic because my scores were high enough, which I was like, great.
But I was going to have to wait six months or more.
I was like, man, I'm ready to go now.
And they had a short contract for a 911 Bravo, which is all-wheel vehicle mechanic.
But all the vehicles were diesel, man.
I mean, so they liked the Army.
I was in the US Army and none of them, I can remember, had a gas motor except for maybe some little transport vans we had.
But yeah, so I was always in the cars and I went to college for a brief time in Indianapolis trying to do like the NHRA whole thing.
That's a whole other story.
But anyway, so I did, I went, I got in there for vehicles and trucks.
And I want to say that was the first time I really was introduced to diesels, man.
I went in and I started getting very familiarized with Caterpillar and Detroit diesel later on.
But they were mostly focusing on a Caterpillar because I think they're starting to try to, they're kind of motioning out Detroit diesel,
which I'm not a huge fan of, to be honest with you.
I mean, I like all diesel motors. They're cool in their own way.
I'm not biased to anything.
But yeah, that's kind of where it all started.
And then when I got out, I started working in shops and I've worked on a few power strokes and stuff.
But yeah, that's kind of where I was introduced and took me a few years later to finally get my own.
But man, happy I did.
I think one of the, one of the big topics we talked a little bit about about it before the podcast was,
I don't know when it was, but somebody got like a video of a like US Air Force F 250, 350 and they were showing how that comes with like no emissions on it from forward like that.
And I had mentioned to you like those when we talked about that on the podcast, it's been huge.
And I thought of kind of a little bit different angle to ask you about is being in that position and keeping this equipment or these vehicles running.
Like what was, what sort of opinions do you have or point of view do you have when it comes to like in my mind,
a military vehicle needs to have the utmost reliability possible for what it's intended to do.
And I think where it gets controversial here is I don't find it controversial.
Let me step back and say that.
But like people use these trucks to make a living and support their family.
So to me, it still has an incredibly important purpose.
But they feel like I have to have this DPF system, this DF system, this EGR, I have to put this DF fluid in and I'm getting check engine lights.
I'm getting all these sort of things.
So you've, you've seen it from both sides.
You've seen it at its utmost reliability standpoint.
And then also, you know, here in the States of like some issues that they can have,
like what is your opinion on that?
If you have one, what are your thoughts?
Yeah.
Yeah, Patrick.
Yeah.
Dude, I could talk for probably an hour just about that topic alone.
But we got time.
But to keep it on the shorter side about things, you know, I'll dive into a few things about it.
And the first thing is when I was at station in Korea, I know there was, I was outside of Osan Air Base and I saw some of their trucks, but I didn't, I didn't really get to like chuck under the hoods or anything.
So I don't know exactly.
I didn't see any like forwards or anything like that or Durham axes that I saw.
But working on the trucks personally and on the army bases, I worked on a few army bases in Missouri, Virginia, and over in Korea.
And, and man, I think it could go a couple of ways.
You know, first off, you got a cost factor.
So, you know, these trucks don't even have, they don't have alarm systems.
They don't even have a key.
You know, they have a switch on the ignition and they use a padlock to lock the back of the doors, you know, so they don't have like heated seats or anything.
You know what I mean?
So it doesn't have a lot of luxuries that we have in commercially or like a regular daily vehicles that your average American drives every day.
So, I mean, it could, it could be, of course, I never talked to the guys that brought these trucks in, you know, but as a mechanic that was in the army standpoint view that I came up with on my own.
One of the ways is it could be a cost factor because you got to think the EGR systems, the DEA, you know, all that stuff can get pretty costly to put on these machines.
I mean, really, it's a pretty expensive system, even though it's unlike system by many.
And then on the other hand of that, it could be like, hey, we don't use these trucks that often.
And a lot of them are out of states where it's not even part of it's not even under the the EPA laws, you know, all these trucks get sent overseas.
So you have that too.
So I mean, it could very well be a mix between both of those factors.
And that's kind of my opinion on it.
And honestly, it makes it way easier for us to work on because I want to say like most most of these trucks you have a lot of issues stem from these systems, you know.
Yeah.
I think like, I'm sure some of those Detroit diesels you mentioned were probably a lot more straightforward to work on than like, what a, you know, 2020 or 2023 Ram or Powerstroke or L5P or any of that stuff would be just from,
just from how simple they are and reliable.
And I think that's a that's a huge factor.
And I find that's what a lot of people really just want.
Like, I know we're both into power and torque and those kind of numbers or stuff, but people just want them to start up and work and not end up in, you know, fail safe mode or something like that or not get stuck with a big repair bill.
But that's a pretty, pretty heated topic in the diesel spaces.
I'm sure you know is that.
Yeah, the caterpillar motors personally are my favorite.
They were in line six motor just like the Cummins, which, which the Detroit diesels though, I mean, I want to say compare like you said, absolutely.
You're correct.
I mean, compared to the days diesels that are straight out of the factory all the way and yeah, absolutely any day.
But compared to the caterpillars, I didn't like them as much because they put the turbos all the way in the very back and a lot of the systems are kind of hard to reach.
But see the thing in the army and a lot of shops, I mean, a lot of the internal work, you don't really get into as much because if it gets to that point, they'll just have you pull the whole motor and slap a new one in.
So I'm really specialized in a lot of the outer shell of the motor, you know, I'm really good at dressing motors up and doing maybe a little head work but but mostly just to just the plug and play add on parts.
I got a lot of guys I'm friends with that do a lot of this work but yeah.
Yeah, it's as far as why I got the vehicle I got those because I really distinct that, you know, being able to work on your own stuff is a big one for me, because this stuff can get expensive just with parts but then labor on top of that I mean,
maybe a nightmare. And I think I looked at some power strips and duramax is I think it's I think they're pretty solid you know it's all about how you take care of your stuff to man, because when I got this truck, it had a couple like seal leaks.
And when you don't change your crankcase ventilation filler which a lot of people overlook stuff like that will blow your seals out. And that's exactly what happened by when I got this and I had to fix that.
But I mean that's the biggest thing is do the maintenance, you know, to feel filters a crankcase ventilation filter on the oil filter you know how hard is it.
I think a lot of people overlook that probably and the chance if you're doing a lot of Holland man a lot of people, especially with a gas truck or car, they never open that transmission pan, you know, 100,000 miles it's never gets open you know and with these trucks, especially when you're
even when you're not you know, 30,000 to 50,000 miles you need to pop that cover and just change both those filters and fluid you know and that that will that will save you a transmission because I'm sure you got the topic on here plenty of times about about the 60 or FB or maybe with the power stroke and
I mean sometimes the transmissions can go. I'm sure it's been a topic maybe in the past.
Oh yeah. I think it's a really good point that you mentioned is that the ease of working on a truck. And I do appreciate all diesel vehicles and I've really, I think like what you could buy today like brand new you're getting like the best of each brand is ever built as far as like
the refinement horsepower torque, the efficiency of the transmission like what they do but you pop the hood on them. And it's like the truck behind you on a 67 comments like you can see and with not too much effort be able to reach pretty much anything that you need to reach and I know there's a couple areas where
you know the downpipe could be a little tough or like getting the push rods out of the back but like you can do it all from your garage relatively easy I think that's something that really draws people in because they don't have that budget to say oh I've got to dig into the engine let's just put a new engine in it.
So you're looking at like how do I take care of it how can I work on it myself.
Yeah that's absolutely right brother. I mean that's the biggest thing is being able to have something that you can learn on yourself and honestly the legendary that's why the five nine's are really legendary because there are a lot of it's just mechanical and guys can get in there.
I mean before I even got a diesel truck and that's what the audience needs to understand is I'm not biased at all because like you know behind you is an old Ford and I have a Ford tractor but I got a lot of Fords man I've always been a Ford guy you know I think that probably came from my parents were the same way.
But when I start getting to that world though you know I did a lot of studying and just I listen a lot I listen to what people say I read in the forums and watch on the videos and and that's the biggest thing you know that everyone was just kind of pointing towards those.
Now I think every brand Duramax power strip comes they all have their weak points you know like the 60 RFP like I was just kind of mentioning a minute ago that's like a big weak point with these trucks now I have an issue.
But again when I bought it it was rebuilt but again I mean it's all about how you take care of your stuff I mean heard the G56 I want to say it's a six speed I want to say those are great to put behind the.
Behind the six sevens now what the Duramax is I think the Allison transmission is probably superior in that world you know in this in the diesel world from what I understand I think the Duramax is a pretty good but you know I get a lot of mixed reviews when it comes to a lot of when it comes to the power train or the power
strips and like the 64 for example that's a huge one in the industry that's like it made big power but it was extremely unreliable you know I don't know if you had talked about how those topics brought up in the past but that those are some interesting points.
Yeah I think I think understanding that for like somebody's that's listening maybe they don't have a diesel truck and they're looking at what to get is like they all they're all going to cost you money to to upgrade or get where you want to go it's just kind of what sequence do you have to do to do stuff in and finding really like the right the right
truck that you want like how did how did you find that one like was it something you were what you decided I want to get a comments you'd honed in on a particular color cab configuration like how'd you find it.
Oh that's a great question so I was actually started looking at the Ram rebels and power wagons because I thought they looked sweet but once I started like I think I want to do it get a comments man once I started really getting I started looking everywhere I mean I will look
really relentlessly you know online till I get a headache and I got fine to put the phone down sure we've all been there some of us anyway and there's a place in southern Indiana called Corbin Indiana it's like north of Louisville Kentucky.
And it was just one there was like a you know it's like a soft it's like off the beaten path you know it's like one of these places you can easily overlook and I just happened to spot a few trucks and they, you know they were stand up guys but at the same time in the eyes of the law and all the regulations we had you know they were they did a lot of the they were you know kind of they just barely did enough where they could keep open if that makes sense.
I was lucky to find them though man because they had where all the hard work was already done with with what we're most what we're all usually looking for and just had a regular toe set up on the on the computer.
And so I mean but it had like 130,000 miles.
I mean it had all the feed you can't always get everything you want man like if there's a checklist if you can get like seven checks out of 10, I'd say you know you're doing pretty good so yeah mostly what I wanted like all the heated and cooled stuff and and had the lower miles which this the thing is, I mean you could buy one for the what I paid for this that has 200,000 miles I had like 130.
But you know I had like a leveling kit so it sets that out and this is just a good base to work off of I saw and I was like and the biggest thing for me was I didn't have the cash to just buy one outright or it would have been a lot more simple.
If you have the cash to buy what you want outright comes a lot easier but but see this place was able to find it so that's that's why it took me so long to look.
But man I forget the name of the dealership but anyways yeah they're out of Corbin India they're the only ones you can find it probably pretty easy if you looked up online but yeah they had they had that what I wanted where I could finance it so that's kind of what happened and then yeah.
Was it.
If it's not negotiable for me would be I mean, again, a lot of these guys will argue all day that these trucks will run forever as long as you take care of them so you know 250,000 miles is still getting broken and some guys say it now I don't know about all that I mean personally me.
I mean, I almost when I was sitting in the bank to get the money out stuff I was sitting there out of Crossroad I almost just said honey.
Another day let's get in the truck and go I almost did because you but we haven't been looking so long.
And because the biggest thing for what this truck is that something you know some some some kid had it or whatever see they had rebuilt the transmission so I had a fresh transmission, but the back tires were burnt off of it now they took some money off for that.
That was really the two of the two biggest concerns like someone was a little hard on it, but it did have a fresh rebuild trans.
And I can get new wheels and tires which I did in it you know right after.
But that those are two things I was like you know because you don't want to get a truck that's just been beat the hell out of her.
But it's kind of hard you know unless you're buying something brand new it's kind of hard because these trucks you know this one I want to say from the factory was like 62,000 brand new.
And when you spend that money I mean there's going to be someone either haul it doing stuff with it it's not just going to sit in a garage.
So I think the biggest thing for me is if it had like two over 200,000 miles I was like and if it still had like the stock trans and especially if it looked like it was ran hard.
That'd be kind of raising an eyebrow you know because those are the biggest things for me personally I mean you can kind of tell when you look around.
I mean sometimes you can get fooled you can I mean you can be looking at all looks the part and the next thing you know a week later driving down the road stuff's falling off you know.
It's interesting you mentioned that he like took me on like a time travel back to like the way that diesel trucks are used differently like when I mentioned when I was younger I was like I really wanted to get into the LS world right.
I found this guy selling this SS Camaro.
And he was from Illinois and he had just like moved where where I lived and the thing only had like 18,000 miles on it or something but my first hesitation was Illinois Rust Belt.
How you know how bad is it and he's like this thing never even went outside if it rained like I bought a brand new it sat in my garage.
And I believed him and I mean it was true there was nothing there was no rust or anything but when you look at a diesel truck like and you spend 60 70 80 what do they cost now 90 100 115 depending what kind of term you get.
They're being used mostly outside in the elements maybe tons like every day every week so it gets harder to kind of find those things and you have to be willing to give on some just because the nature of these trucks and how they're used.
That's absolutely right yeah you kind of got to give you know on some stuff I mean that's just the way it is and I mean because you know I spent somewhere in the 30s you know early 30s for this and.
And so I said I looked at everything that's what you have to do is kind of look at all the all the factors with your vehicle and your price range and you know if it makes sense but yeah if you have 80 200 grand.
Go for it but personally my biggest thing that's half the battle unless you live in an EPA regulated state and not and you know is what it is but if you don't and you're looking for that particular type of truck with with that setup that you want then.
Then then also so you got to ask yourself is buying brand new I mean because then not just driving off the lot and the depreciation it gives right away but.
But then the work you're going to have to do after because I mean I drove this for a year before I really started throwing money at it and doing work to it you know I mean it's like night and day without I mean just the passing month all the work I've done to it.
But it was just ready to go I was already kind of where I wanted it and I just kind of put the sprinkles and cherry on top if you will you know you're lately.
With the build itself like you picked of the trucks last like 15 years like you pick the platform that has in my opinion the highest ceiling with what you want to do.
Yeah like if you get tired of the 68 there's 48 swaps there's Allison swaps there's tons of other things if you want.
You know an engine that'll do 3000 plus horsepower you got it like so you have so many choices like on that's on that end but then you can also have it and make a solid 55600 650 horsepower drive it every day.
Where where was where's your mind with the build like where do you want to take it.
Yeah I mean that's a good question you know I'm just going to throw out there you know I if it was just about power immediately you know I want to say if you just jump to like a power stroke.
I mean they make way more power out of the box but but I mean it's all about how you build them you know and and you can get you know so that doesn't really matter if you start building on them but when it comes to this you know I put the banks ran there and really once I did the computer configuration how I wanted it the rest was just.
To help help with that to kind of add to that so the banks I want to say it helped it breathe and I will say if you do by the banks you definitely want to do the dual coil setup because the original grid here.
Puts out like 1500 Watts and one of those coil on puts out 750 so unless you live in a warm climate though if you live in a warm climate that doesn't even matter.
A lot of guys just take them off and put the just a regular intake corn on and forget the grid here because they just started doing the glow plugs here lately.
This year this year or they started last year but before then it was just a grid heater and I put the dual and it works great with the dual coils.
But yeah so you know I just I cleaned it up really well I helped the crank I changed out the crank case crank case ventilation setup so it can breathe better because once you start out in power at these machines.
I mean you start really increasing the cylinder pressure and once you do a lot more blow by so you kind of need to it starts to get to the point where the stock system isn't working too much anyway and then eliminates the whole filter thing you don't even got to worry about it.
My my future things what I see right now I kind of got in sweet spot.
It's a sweet street build you know it's probably making 500 horsepower thousand foot pounds of torque and which I'm going to get dyno than August at the Wild Hoosiers and Brookville Indiana.
I recommend that if anyone's in driving distance they should come check it out.
They do have a dyno there.
It's pretty sweet but back to your question.
Sorry for deviating off of that but I think that I want to just mostly do more aesthetics and maybe do some more suspension stuff because once you start getting into turbos and injectors then you're talking about you know studying studying the block.
And and and having to go through and I see already has some pretty good internals but you know you're going to eventually need to step the block and then don't even and then once you do all that I mean now you're looking at the transmission doesn't matter how well it's built.
I mean you put too much power it's going to bluster so you start you start talking about $30,000 pretty pretty quick.
So I'm going to think I might just try and maintain man because once you put it put the foot to the pedal man just put you back in a seat and that makes me happy.
It has this like cycle where you get it and especially if it's your first diesel truck you're just happy with stock power stock torque like it's it's great right and then you get used to it and you do one thing couple things and then you're happy with it.
And that platform is so dangerous because it can quickly end up with a billet block and dual fuelers and 400% overs and you know a huge single turbo or compounds and then you're finding like the transmission like that just architecture of it can't hold the power.
So now you're looking at a 15 to $25,000 kind of transmission set up with it and then before you know what you're trailering at places so it's real tough to like not going that far into it unless you want to.
You're not kidding man you're not kidding brother I mean that's literally the name of the game.
I mean once you start getting used to a certain level I mean that's just the way humanity is with all things it seems like it's really cool at first but that's not good enough anymore.
And you got to do some more to make it exciting again and it just it's this endless revolving door you know so I agree with you there.
That's true that's very true and you know what you have the money and you go for it you know that's I'm all I'm all for it I think those bills are sweet you know when I go some of these shows and I see some of the bills I'm like yeah I'm all about it.
Man I got so many hobbies though from classic hot rods and side by sides it gets pretty expensive quick you know.
So I just kind of I don't put all my eggs in one basket but it's just one of those things where it's like I do what I can here and there and now that I'm starting to work with.
I'm starting to get my foot in the door with some companies like speed labs.
I'm starting to get some sponsored parts which is cool so so I'm starting to dive into that realm and hopefully take it as far as I can really.
A common question we get from you guys a lot is hey I need a diesel engine I either you know I can't wait this long to get one or normal place I get stuff from it.
It just takes too long or I don't they don't have the parts in it that I need maybe my truck's not stock or I tow heavy with it.
I don't want to go back with just a stock engine.
DFC diesel is a sponsor of the podcast we worked with them you know hand in hand on doing episodes answering technical questions.
They have a complete lineup of Cummins Duramax and Powerstroke remanufactured engines that are set to a standard of ISO 9001 2015 standards which is a huge deal in the aftermarket and there's certain levels of quality testing validation that are required for that.
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And you know the other thing with that is you know sometimes the options that are out there it's just it's a basic OEM engine you want a little bit more you don't want to have the same failure.
Again so there's a bunch of different series of engines that they have from core street tow hull and also the speed of air series which we've covered on the podcast before there's a lot of really cool benefits to it.
And if you have questions about that reach out to them if you don't know the type of engine that you're looking for if you go to dfcdiesel.com there's a ton of info there you can send an email or you can reach out to them.
Also they're working with speed of air pistons which it's the only piston that pays for itself and there's a lot of really cool technology behind it so you can add that into your build and be able to get better fuel economy.
You know increase power increase torque and better engine life out of it.
You know some of the most common engine applications or series of engines that they have with that lead time a lot of them are in stock or they have really short lead times.
So you can check your favorite retailer or go to dfcdiesel.com check them out to see what's in stock see what you can get if you have questions maybe you want to do you know something that's outside of the normal series of engines.
They have tons of choices for rods cranks pistons valve train upgrades tons of different things so if you're in the market definitely make sure and hit on over and check them out.
Time is money with a diesel truck and if it goes down it can cost you a ton of money and also time and stress either trying to get it towed get to a repair shop or just to find parts for the truck.
One of the biggest issues with newer diesel trucks is keeping the DPF clean and also the fuel system.
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I think that that kind of power level in the way that like what you want to do with that truck is where the majority of I find diesel enthusiasts are like yeah it's really cool to talk about an insane build with exotic parts and stuff like that
but it's so hard for someone to relate to I'm going to sink $100,000 $200,000 into this this truck and go race it or go do different things with it.
I think it kind of I don't know if it's the economy or just priorities that people have or maybe age factors into it a little bit.
But it's really hard to identify with that verse 5600 horsepower something you can drive every day you can you know haul things around your property or you know take the family on vacation or something like that and go to an event in August and throw it on a dyno.
It allows you to participate in all different all different things for versus you know in some cases depending where somebody lives it's like a mortgage on a house in a truck build.
Oh man, you're not kidding. I want to say my first house was like $85,000 and when I just got out of the army I was starting out.
And then there yeah that's that's a cost of a new truck now or and sometimes you can't even get yeah like those $100,000 trucks I even are cutting so you're right there and I want to say that yeah I mean it's more relatable to a bigger audience with stuff that's more in the wheelhouse of a certain meeting of income.
Now you got some guys that like I personally know that they have one hobby and one hobby only that might be trucks you know the diesel truck they have and they throw everything they have at it.
I mean it'd probably be crazy if I if I was that way with this truck I'd be nuts.
I got too many hobbies I don't throw it all in one basket but yeah I know I know like there's one guy down the road man and he he has this badass truck that he's just done so much as a third gen but it's got way more money probably than this but he's really he's really good at what he does.
And he goes to polls with it and and he shows it pulls it and I want to say drag yeah drag races it and it's a sweet bill too man but I want to say I mean he has to have like 90,000 at least minimum I would think I mean.
But again if you know how to do all this work yourself I mean the parts is it is the only there's only thing staying in your way.
And it was usually got to start having other people that aren't your buddies they like a shop or something you know $150 an hour $200 an hour starts to really rack up on some of this stuff and not everybody knows.
I mean, unless you go to college or work that late nights in the shop with guys that know what they're doing.
Maybe it was in a profession like the military where you learn so it's a whatever. I mean it's hard it's hard and it's hard to know what to do I mean, because it's a very niche area. It's a very niche thing.
So, so far in owning that truck would you say you've made any mistakes with.
I don't want to say brands of parts but parts that you thought of doing or upgrades or maybe you haven't made one yet maybe you've taken a lot of time to research and get people's opinions where you've avoided it so far.
You know I got a little excited on the wheels. I mean I get compliments on a lot and it's just one of those things where unless you own it and drive it and have to stare at it every day.
Most people are going to think what are you talking you know they wouldn't even think that it's one of those things when you know most maybe you and many guys watching this.
They'll they'll you know how they have something on their truck that no one even thinks anything about but they bodies then.
And I want to say the first thing that comes to mind is the wheels I wish I would have waited I got a little I got the truck I was all excited.
I had some money burning a hole in my pocket and I was just I was really wanting to put a nice set of wheels on there and really I needed to because the back tires like I said mentioned earlier they were someone burn them off man doing burnouts or whatever.
But that's how you mess these trucks up they will do a nice burnout. But I want to say you know I had a few guys tell me if you keep it in a lower gear range it's fine.
But if you manually like on the I want to say they call the gear shift on the fly that you have there if you control it.
But because we really mess these transmissions up when you start letting them shift in like forfeit and six gear but but yeah back to your question.
Yeah just really the wheels I want to say you know I was installing a few parts on the truck.
I was was a little hesitant or unsure at first but then once I got it in there and had it all hooked up it gained my confidence but I believe probably later on down the road.
Well I'll name I'll say this the tunnel cover it sounds silly but they actually have some really cool ones that's more of a static it's not an engine part component but they have some really cool ones I didn't see two way later I got just a basic hard plastic fold up I just
knew I wasn't wanting to get the leather material the cheap so I say I mean it works great I'm not going to get another one probably unless someone sponsors it to me but they got some really cool tunnel covers where you can just push a button and it just rolls itself open because I do a lot of haul
and then guys on here that do that haul a lot with your truck I mean it can get sometimes can take up space when you have on certain town covers that don't go all the way back and it can sometimes make things not as convenient so that I will I will say that the wheels were really the biggest things that come to mind.
It's funny when you mentioned having other hobbies like sometimes my friends or people I know say Patrick how can we don't build a truck and I'm like man you know many other hobbies I have like I can't just dedicate whatever free money I have to just like one hobby right but when you mentioned like
like tunnel cover like I know on this podcast we talk a lot about engine parts and maintenance and trucks and stuff but like sometimes with some of my hobbies I put them in the bed and I don't want anyone to just have access to what's in the bed and
like growing up they were always kind of like ugly right like they were either huge or they had like those those struts where you'd lift it up and it's like cargo management is so important especially I think for like outdoor stuff and it's really cool what what the aftermarket offers for like cargo management in the bed and there's like even those drawers you can pull out like so you can put stuff like
the cab and be able to pull it out and everything and lock it away so there's there's a lot of really cool stuff with that.
Yeah when it comes to the trucks I mean there's a lot of different features and cool stuff you can do with them besides you know when like you were saying just engine components and horsepower you know because I want to say I mean especially when if you're show
not if you're using your truck on a regular basis and even showing it I mean all this stuff doesn't matter now like when it comes to the tunnel cover now it's more functionality and but also could be aesthetically
I remember when I was a kid my grandpa bought he went from the cheap leather cover to the hard paint matched strut thing that lifted up that was made out of fiberglass I think and like that was a big deal back in the early 2000s because
because that's what everyone rocks was just the old leather snap covers yeah but I mean that's the big like you said though you want to want to wear no one can just take a pocket knife and cut it open steal your craft you know I mean you want to have something that where you can secure your other stuff that you put in there I saw those drawers you
kind of looked into those those are kind of me really you know I love what ran did with the side bed toolboxes have you seen that yeah I thought that was a great idea especially for your blue collar man that a lot of them by trucks like this I thought was a
I mean they're doing a lot of cool stuff man I mean if you think about like the early 2000s and 90s the OBS and square body stuff I mean it had near as many features like they do now like the little steps that come out so you can get up in your truck easier
I mean they I want to say Ford even has a tailgate has a handle you can lift up so you have something to hold on to like a like a railing almost getting in and out when you're doing work I mean there's all sorts of awesome features these companies are really they
should have been doing years ago like you haven't lived till you're like a kid or a teenager and your dad asked you to get in the back of the bed to get something and you step up on it and slip off and like hit your knee
or your leg on the bumper and I'm like now they open in the middle they've got a step handle you can get in there or you can do different stuff those are thinking to pass now
Now with the truck and like where you're we're at with the mileage and and the maintenance side like is our maintenance upgrades or parts something like transmission cooler maybe not like the go fast parts but the other stuff like
Have you thought about upgrading that or is that on your radar something to do next
Yeah I saw fast fuel systems and you know they actually comment and like a lot of my stuff and I think there's some cool guys over there I know they do a lot of fuel filtration systems and they also have an adapter plate where you can put a caterpillar fuel filter
and you know I think that's great you know if you're running high really high horsepower builds you know we're field is running fast through those injectors right now I feel like it's not a necessity but but yeah it's definitely something I'm thinking about maybe in the future
It's interesting you mentioned that because I had the owner of fast on not long ago and we were talking about exactly that and I told him like my whole truck ownership time I thought I didn't need a fast kit or an upgraded lift pump till I was trying to make power
and he was talking to me about just like how much air gets in fuel stock and how like what it can do to the system downstream and I'm like you know I never added those until I I needed more fuel for my injectors or my cp3 but I think like for the quality of diesel fuel that we have
and ways to prevent potential issues it can be a worthwhile upgrade so might be something to check in or like chat with those guys about is like a solid kit that you know maybe not trying to make huge power but just keeping
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they're very low numbers out of every guy that owns one of these trucks
like you know 1000 out of 100,000 but still just just that that being a possibility I removed them immediately they make like a $10 piece that's made out of aluminum build aluminum for those transmissions and then
and then there's there's there's a few preventative things with these again the killer grit killer what they call it the engine killer grid heater
the bolt
but yeah as far as the fuel system yeah I probably will look into that a little bit more in the future because like you say air getting into the system and contaminates you know it could be a real issue and that could be just the easy thing to prevent you know and you say do you have any of those parts
we haven't even asked you what do you dry
I have a 0659 that's there's hardly anything done to it it's got like a
oh really
yeah it's got a tune it's got an air intake still on a stock transmission it does have a fast on it and it's just like I just kind of kept it that way because like it starts all the time I don't
I do have to fight the urge to like throw head studs on it and injectors and upgraded CP3 like some compound turbo set and build the transmission but like I said I have so many other like hobbies that kind of pulled me in different directions
that I just saying how can I keep this thing running how can I just keep it kind of where I want and
how many miles is on it
92 92,000
oh so you've had it a long time
I've had it since 2017
man I want to say that's really low mileage
I don't I don't drive that much
yeah I don't drive that much
it's just
I'm gonna say I mean even even if you just got it that's extremely low mileage for one that that year
yeah so that's awesome yeah and you say you put a fast fuel system on it
yeah I did do that
at the time it was because I wanted to run like the highest level EFI tune that I could but
like through like talking with them I realized and there's other companies who've talked to me about diesel fuel quality and just other stuff and I
I want to upgrade things when I want to
versus being forced to I need to buy this transmission I need to buy this turbo I need to buy this stuff because it's not fun when you have to do it you know
oh you're telling me brother I know exactly what you mean
yeah so it's a relatively relatively stock but it's I can't justify getting rid of it I can't justify selling it like what you mentioned like the simplicity and
yeah I would love a newer like the 4th gen 5th gen interior like I love them like
oh yeah there's so many creature comforts and you know like the third gen it's just all plastic and that you get rattles and stuff and the seats kind of suck but
I mean it's yeah I really love the way the third gen's look man I think they had a good body style I want to say I love the first gen's back in the 80s
maybe all the way to like the early early 90s the second gen you know if you I've seen you guys do them up where they kind of look pretty good but
they're like my least favorite model when I was a kid those were like the brand new and I was completely deterred from them and
DTU from them I mean and but once I want to say once the maybe a third or fourth gen dropped I started getting interested and especially when I started kind of
you know hearing about the diesel world and kind of getting into that I started learning about the Cummins motor because I tell people all the time I said man Ford would have picked up Cummins
maybe I never owned the Chevy but hey if Chevy even picked up the Cummins especially with the Allison transmission I probably probably be seeing that behind me right now
you know so I know a lot of people go off brands and stuff again this is my first motor product which my wife was happy about because she that's I guess that's all she's ever owned her whole life but
but yeah man I was just all about that motor really and the trans kind of worried me but I was just like man that motor is I really had my sights set on and you know it's not like the
Duramaxes and power strips aren't good motors at all it's not what I think at all you know but you know when you get fixated on something that's just the way it goes
that was the driving force for me like my first diesel truck ever was a 2008 6.7 Cummins and it was I've wanted it because of the engine that was the only I like the styling but that was really really the driving force for me
and I appreciate the other trucks like I do really like the 6.7 power stroke like body style like the power that they make and all that stuff but like you I think not that I'm a mechanic but I can do some stuff on it
or if I can't you know that's just a little bit more straightforward to work on but that's what that's what pulled me and I think what's really changed with Ram over the years and actually I had them on earlier this year which was really cool
we were talking about like you mentioned you were looking at power wagons I always love the power wagon but I wanted a diesel and they were talking about the new ones having a 6.7 Cummins in it and I was like man where was this like in 2008 or 10 throughout the whole lifestyle or life cycle of it
but just how much they have
leaped ahead with I would say interiors and comfort and options and things like that it's not like the old days of like the second gens and the third gens where you had to accept kind of a mediocre interior or something like that like you get you know a really good package
oh brother man you just pulled the words right right from me because I was just talking to my wife earlier today and I had a picture I was looking at the old photos on my phone and I had a picture of like a 2019 which was like the start of the fifth gens we were looking at a power wagon there's like a pretty blue
and you know but man had like now the creature comforts and they wanted like it was like way more in this truck to have like so it was like one of those a beautiful truck let me not get a topic there it was a nice truck and it had this but these power wagons you know they got the disconnects sway bars the winch
they had a lot of cool features and I was just telling her today and we talked about this plenty of other times to why I mean a lot of guys I mean I've heard this so much as why didn't they make that an option I mean I really just don't understand because I mean it's the same chassis the 2,500 3,500 chassis so it's not like it couldn't hold the motor and maybe the only thing I could think is maybe because the hammy is a lighter weight in an off road situation
I guess you want you want to try to keep the weight off as much as possible which I haven't even looked on I mean I even Google or really look to see the weight comparison I know that's around like 8,000 pounds but man I got like I said I got five acres I got my tractor stuck last night doing some work and then I put that thing and four low I'm probably even need to but just do anyway so I'll put my up everywhere if I do get kind of stuff and then I was I went up a hill I mean I had I went up and kind of like that on ease I mean so I mean and most of these guys
you gotta think maybe in 20 years when these are old power wagons but no one's going to buy a new freaking power wagon and take it to an off road park and tear it up you know so but yeah I don't know what they're thinking was on that but I'm with you man I really I mean that would have been a whole
rail in my opinion a power wagon commons I would have been all over I think a lot of people would have
I'll send you that episode when we're when we're done if you want to check it out and they were talking to me about like the the idea to do that and create it and I was like it's really cool when an OEM like listens to enthusiasts I think Ram's doing a really awesome job it's
it's not even just with diesel trucks like they're doing it with their cars and other stuff like they're really listening to people and and that's really awesome I think connecting with you like like I said being able to relate to a truck or a
builder a story is so important and these are such popular trucks there's so many options for them I think a lot of people are going to look at that and think I'm in the same spot I'm kind of torn which truck I want to get or I don't want to build a thousand horsepower
truck and spend all this money on it like I want something five to 600 that's fun that I can use for people that want to like check out your page if really like good videos you document the build you mentioned you
know doing some more stuff like in in the diesel space to like showcase it well how can people find you. Yeah man I bloody asked on my YouTube channel I can I may have pretty simple so my YouTube channel is jacob.conner.robinson
and my Instagram is jacob.conner.robinson and the cost of finding on on Facebook if you type in Jacob Robinson 96 and want tick tock tick tock under jacob.conner.robinson as well and you can and really I want to say I do a lot of this on my
YouTube I do a lot of the build and the tutorials and truck content on my YouTube and Instagram so that'd be the main places I go I do I do a lot of stuff on a lot I do a little bit of everything on a lot of those pages but
but yeah and anyone that's interested in trying to get any discount parts for the diesel truck whether it's a power stroke Duramax or Cummins you know I work with speed labs and if you use Robinson 10
for the promo code it's a 15% offsite wide so there's that
very cool I appreciate you reaching out to us tag us in those videos and yeah I'll send you a link to that Ram one but there's a lot of really informative stuff I think would really like with your focus on maintenance and keeping that truck where you want that that's in some of our previous episodes and
like they've helped me and I've been like into this stuff for like gosh I don't know 18 years now and I'm like still learning like every episode every time I do this.
There's a lot of cool stuff out there but keep keep me updated on the truck and like new stuff you're doing or maybe you're like you know what Patrick I just decided I'm going to do a transmission or I'm going to do a turbo or I'm going to do this so I love to like follow the
builds throughout the years so I appreciate it.
Absolutely Patrick yeah I'll definitely make sure I tag you guys and keep you updated with everything.
Very cool thanks again Jacob I appreciate the time.
Yeah man no problem.
Don't forget diesel fans make sure and head on over to kershaw.kausa.com use code TDP 40 2026 for 40% off MSRP.
It's a great way to save some money get some cool gear if you're on the market for a new night for hunting fishing EDC around the job side around the house.
Then we got you covered with a bunch of different choices for blade steel blade shaped different handle designs different opening mechanisms.
They've had a bunch of new releases in 2026 so again if you're in the market head on over to kershaw.kausa.com use code TDP 40 2026 and get 40% off MSRP.
Also want to give a shout out to some of our Patreon supporters Robert TSW diesel John all of our other Patreon supporters all of you who subscribe on YouTube and podcast apps follow us on social media.
We appreciate all your support here in year 10 of the DS podcast and look forward to bringing you more of the content that you want to hear in 2026 till next time keep the shiny side up.
you
About this episode
A Cummins build conversation that starts with how diesel enthusiasts find their way into the hobby, then follows a guest from lifting a Bronco to planning a 4th-gen Cummins. The hosts connect performance goals to real-world reliability: emissions systems, fail-safe behavior, and service access all matter. They also cover practical maintenance and shopping tips—like prioritizing a fresh transmission, watching rust, and servicing crankcase ventilation and transmission filters—before getting into fueling, DPF care, and bed/storage upgrades.
This week's guest shares his journey from working on diesel vehicles in the military to finally purchasing the Cummins truck he'd always wanted. We talk about why he chose a Cummins, the upgrades that transformed it into a dependable 500-horsepower daily driver, the parts he recommends, what he'd do differently, and the future plans he has for the truck.
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