Grandpa Truck? The Golden Single Cab Cummins Build!

In this episode we dive into Cam the camera man's latest build, a "grandpa gold" 2012 Ram 2500 Cummins with a 6 speed manual. In this episode we tackle everything from suspension, bumpers, motor work, and more!
Thanks to Jesse Adams and Pete Slippy for the extra set of hands.
Video shot, edited, and produced by Cameron Hotchkiss
Dirthead Shirts:
thedirtheadshe...
Thanks to the brands that helped make this build happen.
‪@CJCOffRoad‬
‪@thecarlisuspension‬
‪@comeupwinch5721‬
‪@falkentire‬
‪@bajadesigns‬
‪@FullriverBatteryUSA‬
‪@Quigley4x4‬
‪@truckbossdecks‬
‪@Archoil‬
Fred Williams
Dave Chappelle
Dirt Head Shed
Dirt Head Dave
Cummins
G56
6.7
Single Cab
Regular Cab
Snowmobile Hauler
Crawler
Hauler
Carli Suspension
4 Link
Long Arm
King Shocks
Sled Deck
AEV
American Expedition Vehicles
Prospector XL

[@CJCOffRoad]

We love how this truck turned out and we're glad we could be a part of the process!

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thanks so much. The suspension is dialed

[@HOOTCHCREATIVE]

Rides like a dream! Thanks crew.

[@jimpearmain7882]

Wow. Way to kick up the production values. The music, the banter, the project! Just wow.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It was a fun project

[@randymcelwee9603]

Ditto

[@AS-ng5pi]

​@thedirtheadshed I really prefer your typical video as I want to see you doing and talking more than the other folks you had in this one. Nothing against Cameron or Lenny or the others, but they don't have your style/vibe/mojo and I was feeling bored....just being honest. I am a huge DED fan and can't wait for more Dirthead Shed merch! No shade, just one dude's feedback.

[@thedirtheadshed]

I appreciate it

[@markusvurrgh4549]

Really dig that style of intro. Another excellent video, Dave! Thanks for continuing to share all your Playing Trucks and Cars adventures with us!

[@thedirtheadshed]

Glad you like them!

[@bgee461]

We are so fortunate to still have guys skilled at doing real engine machine work. I really hope in the coming decades guys get into the trade.

[@petefromhouston]

Love seeing regular cab longbed trucks built up!

[@thedirtheadshed]

They have great style

[@bgee461]

Especially late model trucks, I feel like the bulkier bodywork is in better proportion to a long bed 👍

[@JMEproductions]

You’re right about the color, but only after the chrome was taken off. Super rad truck!

[@thedirtheadshed]

It does look good

[@richardw.smithjr.6683]

Truck got class, especially on the road. Longbed 4-Wheel Drive: Clean As Money.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It does have good style

[@tree18is]

the odd colors will live forever, and these are gonna be awesome as they age.

[@thedirtheadshed]

True fact

[@alexanderrichards6236]

This is awesome. Because of louis viten I jumped in the standard cab market and stumbled upon a pawpaw brown (caribou) f250. I can't wait to get started on it.

[@thedirtheadshed]

That’s awesome

[@gregchapdelaine4889]

Love this kind of build. In the PNW a reg cab long bed with sled deck is an indispensable rig. Would love to see more sled hauler content on this channel.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Winter is just around the corner

[@shoveI]

I got a reg cab old man ram too, had it ten years and plan to keep it as long as it lasts. That AEV bumper on Cam's truck is excellent.

[@thedirtheadshed]

They are the classiest looking ones out there

[@jeffhutchins7048]

The six speed stick makes up for it being gold 😊

[@thedirtheadshed]

Hahah

[@bgee461]

Whoever specd out that truck is the real MVP

[@thedirtheadshed]

That’s the truth

[@djwhitney8991]

I love your videos!!! But we're gonna need more Cam. He's bringing a lot to the table and only adds to the value. Keep up the awesome work!!!

[@thedirtheadshed]

A fun series is coming up

[@rustyintheoutdoors]

Been waiting for this video!! Cam dude, your truck looks so clean. Can’t go wrong with AEV & Carli. Awesome that you two could collab on this project, hope there’s more to come in the future!

[@thedirtheadshed]

It sure came together!

[@HOOTCHCREATIVE]

Thanks dude! I'm so glad you're stoked on the truck. Means a lot.

[@steely1neverwane]

A professional consumer?

[@rubuk2996]

33:45 those white Nomads looked good on the van!

[@highvoltagebeaver6640]

I really appreciate how long this build took. Some might say it wasn't really long, but it was. Very cool truck, Cameron, you should be proud, dude!

[@poppyneese1811]

It’s beautiful! Regular cab trucks look the best!

[@thedirtheadshed]

They have great style

[@jimalton1564]

Great video and great truck! It makes me miss my old Ram. '97 with '04 axles (ditched the vacuum disconnect, got rear disks, and the much better front track bar and bracket) which I converted to myself in a dirt driveway. It was destined to get a manual trans but the New England rust dug into it too much and I had to sell it. We can't have nice things here in New England, at least not for long. I give that gold Ram a 98/100. It would have been a perfect score if it weren't for the low hanging reservoirs on those rear shocks. That will be very expensive the first time it goes over even a small rock. I took extra time to raise everything on my JKU to protect it- rear shock mounts raised, and I was careful to set up the ram assist so the ram and hoses are well protected from just about anything.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

The truck looks GREAT! What an improvement! Should be a lot of fun times from now on.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It is definitely a cool one!

[@MatthewHarrington72]

That was an odyssey! That was fun and educational!

[@mikesnifferpippets3733]

Glad I found your channel Dave. Dirt Every Day was one of my favorite shows.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Right on, welcome in!

[@JamesBlack.177]

Cam, you need to do a intake horn that will replace the factory grid heater. It is a major point of failure on the 6.7 cummins.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thanks for the heads up

[@adayoftruthandknowledge6357]

I like Dave D50/Mighty Max Overlanding refrigerator!! He could camp for months with that thing!

[@rabidcoyote97]

That turned out awesome!

[@hedrives]

TDHS... Friday fun. Woot. Great episode.

[@michaeldonivan4955]

That video was a blast to watch. Love the builds. It has me so fired up to tackle the lift on my jeep. My buddy is an ASE suspension mechanic and volunteered to help me with it after he heals from hip replacement. Lol ..guess I won't rush him.

[@thedirtheadshed]

He can heckle you and make sure you’re doing it right

[@michaeldonivan4955]

😅​@@thedirtheadshed

[@davidshevlin5735]

Great video as always

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thanks again!

[@stephenlea5765]

Cool! Watching this from 100 degree Houston & that snow looks inviting!

[@thedirtheadshed]

It’s hot here too, that was filmed last winter

[@orangeyeller2027]

Some killer B roll 📸

[@thedirtheadshed]

Cam is good at the detail shots

[@MPSoC]

Just got your shirt. Love the design. Looking forward to more. The t-shirt is NICE material

[@thedirtheadshed]

Glad you like it. Thank you

[@peteslippyphoto]

Such an awesome video! Gramps is jammin!

[@thedirtheadshed]

It’s got the style!

[@HOOTCHCREATIVE]

Dave! This was a fun one homie. Thanks for all the efforts.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Yep! Great end result!

[@Nickwillfixit]

He will need one of those slide out bed trays to make getting stuff from up the front easier when it slides up to the cab out of reach I always have one in my beds.

[@HoundofWar]

Great job. You’re right about the tires

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thank you

[@tysonharvey3628]

Tim’s a killer machinist. He did the head on my Suzuki sidekick a couple years ago. Top notch guy. Thought that was him when he first appeared.

[@HOOTCHCREATIVE]

He's a legend! His shop is epic.

[@Gilmore304]

Where yall out of?

[@wranglercody8422]

Single cab 6 speed Cummins 4x. That’s darn rare nowadays.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It wasn’t easy to find

[@jessepitt]

It took me most of a year to find my g56 crew cab drw Laramie. Rare as hens teeth.

[@KirkAntons]

Nice truck and great work guys 😂😂😂

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thank you

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

Can’t beat Grandpa Gold!

[@thedirtheadshed]

I love it

[@scottr9900]

Got the shirt. It’s awesome. A word to the folks who live in SoCal or down south. This shirt is amazing, but it’s winter weight. Awesome.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It is kinda thick. Get 2. Cut the sleeves off one

[@scottr9900]

Had to explain the ST vibe to my wife. She gave me a Pepsi.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Nice!!

[@cantwalkful]

EXCELLENT choice going with Carli suspension! Absolutely love my 4.5 Carli kit!! Hopefully you used CJCoffroad. Those guys are fantastic

[@thedirtheadshed]

Yep yep. Good stuff

[@mjwhite130]

Anyone else yell at the screen “show me the groove” when they were talking about the headgasket wear? I will forever wonder haha

[@thedirtheadshed]

People like to see the details

[@alefgardhero]

Love when Cam does the edit lol

[@thedirtheadshed]

Me too

[@leestefanski8919]

This truck looks sick!

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thank you

[@bradgrose7965]

The Negative 9s first hit single Stop the Flop

[@HardEarnedBacon]

Wish AEV did more parts for the 1500

[@thedirtheadshed]

That would be great

[@WayawayAdventures]

STANDARD CABS RULE

[@thedirtheadshed]

True fact

[@teejaded]

Quite a different format from usual. I think I like it also.

[@thedirtheadshed]

We try to make a few nice videos a year

[@grahamgeiger3206]

I don't like how it skipped over so much of the details. I get it that some time there is time constraints but what I like about this channel is the diving into the details. I love the truck but this is one of my least favorite videos.

[@bradcarroll5265]

Great video. Awesome Ram!

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thank you

[@michaelkoepp432]

Great truck! My favorite color too!

[@thedirtheadshed]

I agree with you

[@hoeynoey7451]

I need a camera guy budget!!!!😮

[@thedirtheadshed]

Right!

[@bobbolieu9013]

The music in this episode is some of the best that I have heard in a really long time.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Cam did a great job with it

[@JeepnJeff]

Love seeing big trucks do big truck stuff. Sure beats overloading a smaller platform. Those 37's look great on there. It's funny now 37's are a small tire. Thoe AEV's look great on 40s though.

[@thedirtheadshed]

They do. The prospector xl is a great truck

[@RockRick450]

As usual Dave is cool,layed back and does a great job every time. Im going to have to learn the recipe for moms spaghetti. I know one ingredient necessary that I don't have is more Argon gas lol

[@thedirtheadshed]

That one is simple!! It’s right down the street

[@RobertLocke-wp2ru]

Yup, I've got a 1998.5 Dodge Ram 2500, with the 24 valve Cummins, long box quad cab, I've been thinking 🤔 about bob'n the bed since I bought it. The only gripe I have about it is, it's a 1998.5 it was made like October of 1998, if it was 3 or 4 months older it would have a 12 Valve in it. 🙄 I wanted a quad cab short box though, but I got such a good deal on it, I couldn't pass it up. I'm sure you know how that goes. 😆 😉. Cool build!! 👍

[@TerinasAdventures]

Awesome video guys!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thanks Terina

[@dipe277]

3 times the engine guy talked about grooves in the head, that we never got to see???

[@thedirtheadshed]

No grooves for you!

[@4x4_mark]

That thing is so core 😮

[@thedirtheadshed]

It has the vibe

[@HOOTCHCREATIVE]

Mark, you're a legend

[@Jason.O379]

killer build, carli stuff is the bees. I'd love to know where Cam got the color matched grill, I'm looking to source one.

[@dbfabworks5320]

Love the diesel stuff!!!!! Keep it up!!

[@jeffhaddock4238]

That's a nice rig!!!

[@thedirtheadshed]

It’s cool ! I agree

[@nicknamean]

Bad ass rig!

[@thedirtheadshed]

I agree

[@kevinzimmerman2304]

Watch out for the grid heater bolt. Maybe throw some Banks parts on there❤

[@thedirtheadshed]

Ok

[@hedgehog6973]

That color would look amazing on my Dodge Journey.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Heck yeah it would

[@Stoney429b]

You do realise you've now set the bar for production quality on your videos? 👌🏼

[@thedirtheadshed]

We do a few of these really well produced videos a year. Fun to mix them in

[@jasonscharf97tj]

Looks good ! Good job to all involved! Alot of effort for a dodge though just kidding! Mostly lol!

[@thedirtheadshed]

I sold mine before going this in depth

[@jeffhutchins7048]

A Cummins/Ram with Carli Suspension and selectable lockers if the ULTIMATE!!!

[@Ben_Stanziale]

Gramps is dialed!

[@thedirtheadshed]

Props!

[@i-like-turtles4900]

Better get a clutch on order. Those factory ones are tough as glass.

[@thedirtheadshed]

He did the clutch right away

[@QwikVidz]

Love these diesel dudes

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thanks.

[@Boardr721]

I love this truck!!! A manual behind that motor is the way to go. Carli suspensions are good stuff. How stout are those front ends? Is this truck destined for a Dana60? Time will tell.

[@thedirtheadshed]

They are not great, but it’ll be fine for this rig

[@MegaCabCummins6]

@@thedirtheadshed I've had my Von Heimer trussed 9.25 since 2013 and zero issues, this is a third truck it's been on. It was on Cole's truck from @CJCOffRoad before that, and then another truck before that, that had numerous trips to Baja. Cole put DynaTracs in it, I just rebuilt those a year ago.... I completely neglected those poor things, still work awesome. So with a proper truss an AAM front axle will survive under a Cummins no problem. Really like the Carli truss, but cost and strength has to go to Thuren's.

[@Gilmore304]

The hands on machinist is almost as extinct as that G56.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It’s hard to get a machinist stoked

[@JimPenix-u1v]

Not ready to see snow yet!

[@Andrew-dx8hv]

Live in Utah been watching you for along time started with dirt every day can I come hang out?

[@spyder1364]

Another awesome episode, appreciate the effort you put in on all your videos! On a side note are you going to be at the duct tape drags this month?

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thank you, but I can’t make it this year

[@btm11109]

Dude! It snowed in Eastern WA???😮

[@RockRick450]

OMW I just started watching Dirt every day now that I use KZbin every day instead of cable. Dave you are a calm cool master technician. You come to 🇨🇦 I will offer you a hot or cold beverage on me. Your the kinda dude I want to know. Keep up the gnarly fight with unusual and interesting tactics. Cheers bro

[@thedirtheadshed]

Thanks, sounds good. I need to get up there

[@RockRick450]

Yes you should come to yonder Canada one day. I'm living 20mins away from Sumas border crossing.

[@SalvadorAviles408]

Just need white Knick sliders

[@thedirtheadshed]

It may need something down the line

[@jakehauber]

This truck looks amazing but I agree with Dave, 37s are not big enough for these trucks. I just got 40s on my 02 2nd gen standard cab cummins and it finally looks correct to me.

[@thedirtheadshed]

I think a 38 on here would be sweet

[@jakehauber]

@@thedirtheadshed 🤝

[@lyndonhamby7432]

Cummins 👍🏻💪🏻🇺🇸

[@mazevx2451]

That minus the sled rack would be great

[@williamkidd5710]

Snow? Is this early season, or older footage?

[@thedirtheadshed]

We started on it last winter

[@lilorbielilorbie2496]

I'm not familiar with these bed covers. Is there some kind of ramp to get your stuff up onto them.? As for ultra cool IMO Dave's Mustang II is just Bitchin. And the Dodge D -50 and the slammed Nissan.

[@thedirtheadshed]

Those are some Of my favorites too

[@quitr13]

I want that truck

[@thedirtheadshed]

It’s a good one

[@dupe3d]

Where did summer go? Is it not September first over there!?

[@thedirtheadshed]

Nope. Totally snowing here in September

[@dupe3d]

@@thedirtheadshed wild! My Aunt lives out in that area, she said it’s always a gamble. That’s why she owns a 4Runner Big Yota Family

[@jonhill9564]

Support

[@paulwebber1657]

Lights before lockers

[@bobbyb9479]

Where are you guys that it's already snowed?!

[@thedirtheadshed]

That was last spring

[@suzu9404]

It’s winter in the southern hemisphere, duh

[@bobbyb9479]

@@thedirtheadshedThank you, was curious since you just dropped the video!

[@HarrisonJamesSmith]

Do you guys use any corrosion prevention products up there? I’ve been using Fluid Film here in Wisconsin.

[@thedirtheadshed]

I use fluid film on my daily drivers

[@fitz2187]

Wish they would have tuned it at some bank products etc

[@thedirtheadshed]

There is time for the easy bolt ons later

[@Damage_Incorporated.]

How are the bags going to hold up to the conditions in the Pacific Northwest?

[@thedirtheadshed]

They will be fine. Trash trucks and semi’s don’t have issues

[@Damage_Incorporated.]

@@thedirtheadshed Good point.

[@stevecasaus2398]

What winch is that? 16k #?

[@thedirtheadshed]

It’s from Come Up, check them out

[@888johnmac]

SNOW ?? when was this recorded ??

[@thedirtheadshed]

We started on it last winter

[@888johnmac]

aah , this project was started early this year ??

[@jakeg2312]

@@thedirtheadshedjust aged like fine wine is all 🤙

[@HOOTCHCREATIVE]

Haha yea this video took a bit longer than expected. Hope you enjoyed!

[@ltx383]

I’d say middle of summer for sure with that much snow

[@sseibonnevilleman]

I have seriously considered selling my Jeep to pay for an AEV conversion on my Power Wagon.

[@thedirtheadshed]

They make great rigs.

[@OjaiBonsai]

Is that snow in August?

[@dipe277]

you said they ride nice. I come from a Dodge truck family. obviously newer Rams are different, 'cause EVERY one of ours drove like herding cats down the road.

[@thedirtheadshed]

You didn’t have Carli suspension

[@brandonbaldwin6845]

Oh geez, it took so long to get it done that you've already sold yours lol

[@thedirtheadshed]

Yep! That happens

[@ipdjbt]

Please tell me this was filmed last winter. There's no way you guys already got snowfall this year.

[@thedirtheadshed]

It was filmed last winter

[@ipdjbt]

@@thedirtheadshed Call me Captain Obvious. I figured it out the further I watched the video. Duh me.

[@tylerlentz9448]

V10!

[@JimPenix-u1v]

How does one blow a head gasket on a Cummins with 50,000 miles??

[@reggien737]

He turned the tune up and planted his foot. The 6.7s have Variable Gas Turbos and bad tuners make them spool so fast that they put 1000s of pounds of extra cylinder pressure on the head when the turbo is first spooling. This is largely been corrected by the after market but he either used way too big a tune on a stock truck or had a really old tuner

[@thedirtheadshed]

He bought it damaged. I’m sure the previous owner had something to do with it