In a Full-size Dodge

Long-term projects take time and money. Unfortunately, time isn’t our friend when it comes to building a quality ride that has to serve double duty as the family transport during the week and hit up weekend cruises and car shows. When he picked up his new ’02 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab, Rigo Rodriguez had plenty of ideas and couldn’t wait to get started making them reality. Of course, the first thing on his agenda was to get the truck down to an acceptable level.

THE OUTSIDE OF THE DODGE TAKES ON THE SAME RED AND BLACK COLOR SCHEME AS THE INTERIOR.”

One of the challenges with getting any full-size truck down low is to make the front suspension work properly on the road. There are several different methods available, but Rigo started with help from his friend Scott Roberts. Scott did a 2-inch Z-notch, which changed the telemetry of the overall drivetrain, even with the planned air suspension pieces. To keep the drivetrain properly aligned, as well as provide some extra ground clearance when the truck is down low, the transmission cross member was also raised to help put things back in the right perspective. In addition to the frame work, the upper control arms were raised a total of 3 inches, and a pair of Firestone single-port 2,800-pound airbags was installed to complete the front suspension modifications.

Before the rear setup could be fabricated, the factory fuel tank had to be relocated to inside the bed area where a new bed cover that hides the changes, as well as provides some protected storage for road trips, covered the custom installation. For the rear suspension on the Ram, a custom 2-link setup was created, and a set of Firestone 2600 single-port ’bags was installed to complete the rear suspension setup. The current setup of custom chrome is four 22×9.5 AKUZA wheels that are wrapped in Toyo rubber, measuring 285/35R22, to give the truck a nice, wide track, and there has to be enough power under the hood to keep the Dodge rolling on the wide-open roads across Texas.

The factory 4.7L V-8 engine is rated at 235 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque at only 3,200 rpm, which is okay for a slow roller, but a throttle body spacer has been added to help improve the responsiveness and overall performance. Along with repositioning the exhaust for the suspension drop, a complete 2-inch Flowmaster exhaust runs out to the rear of the truck, where turndowns drop the exhaust on the pavement.

The massive interior of the Dodge quad cab keeps the factory functionality as well as a custom look, with a little help from “Joe Bro” of Dallas. The interior build started with the custom black leather seats that have bright red ostrich inserts to match the planned exterior color scheme. Under the rear seat lays a pair of 12-inch Rockford Fosgate subs powered by a Rockford Fosgate 300-watt amp. In addition to the subs, the dash-mounted Pioneer head unit also controls the Memphis 6×9 speakers that are located in each of the front doors to provide a full range of sounds.

The outside of the Dodge takes on the same red and black color scheme as the interior. The body got a few basic changes, such as the shaved roll pan. Starting with solid black factory paint, Jessie Gonzales applied several layers of Sikkens Ferrari Red on the lower half of the Dodge to create a very cool two-tone color scheme that says performance. Since this is still a driver that needs to maintain dependability, the door handles were not shaved, instead they were painted to match, along with the side-view mirrors. The one-piece bed cover was also painted to match the factory black to give it an OEM look. Now Rigo’s ride is ready to roll. ST

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Rigo A. Rodriguez
2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab
Granit Shoals, TX Last Minute, Inc.

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN

• 4.7L/235 hp
• Throttle body spacer
• 2-inch Flowmaster exhaust with turndowns
• Four-speed automatic

SUSPENSION

• Front frame Z’d 2 inches
• Upper control arms raised 3 inches
• Firestone 2600 airbags
• Custom 2-link suspension
• Transmission cross member raised
• Fuel tank relocated to inside bed
• Battery relocated to front frame rail

WHEELS & TIRES

• 22×9.5-inch Akuza OJ wheels
• 285/35R22 Toyo Proxes S/T

BODY & PAINT

• By Jessie Gonzales, Marble Falls, TX
• Factory black over Ferrari Red
• Shaved roll pan
• Painted to match solid bed cover
• Painted to match door handles

INTERIOR/STEREO

• By Joe Bro, Dallas, TX
• Custom black leather seats
• Red ostrich inserts
• Red ostrich fold-down front center storage
• Matching red and black door panels
• Matching grab handles
• Custom-painted step plates
• Custom red and black dash
• White face gauges
• Pioneer AM/FM/CD head unit
• Rockford Fosgate 300-watt amp
• Memphis Audio 6×9 speakers mounted in the front doors
• 12-inch Rockford Fosgate subs mounted in Probox

Special Thanks From Owner: My wife Cirenia for supporting me during the long nights to get ready for a show and to my sister-in-laws for helping to clean the truck at the shows

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