2008 Dodge Ram Commercial

2008 Dodge Ram SRT10 Commercial

Dodge Ram History

From the first Dodge Brothers automobile in 1914, the Dodge brothers' durability and quality earned their company a strong reputation and good sales. - four cylinder engine! But by 1921, after the death of both Dodge brothers, Graham Brothers started selling 1.5 ton pickups through Dodge dealers; it had Graham bodies and Dodge parts. In 1928, Chrysler acquired the Dodge Brothers company, just after launched its DeSoto and Fargo truck brands, both of which competed directly with Dodge Brothers. Fargo trucks (see our separate history) sold in the US from 1928 through 1930, and continued for decades as an export brand; they had nothing in common with Dodge trucks, sharing parts with Plymouth and DeSoto instead.

Dodge introduced a half-ton pickup for 1929 just after its acquisition by Chrysler, the last "oriiginal" Dodge Brothers-designed truck. For this year, three engines were available - two Dodge engines with six cylinders (63 and 78 hp), and a Maxwell four cylinder that was substantially smaller than the Dodge engine, but produced more power (45 hp). The trucks had four wheel hydraulic brakes, a significant safety feature by no means standard on competing pickups, but standard across Chrysler Corporation vehicles.

The Chrysler Dodges

Beginning in 1933, Dodge trucks abandoned their own engines and used Chrysler Corporation engines across the board, borrowing from Plymouth, DeSoto, and Chrysler, but (as in the present day) modifying the stock engines for better durability. In 1935, Dodge increased its range by selling 3/4 ton and one ton trucks based on the standard 1.5 ton pickups.

The Fore-Point cab series

Moving the engine and cab forward increased the usable bed space. The six cylinder engine was unchanged, producing 70 horsepower from 201 cubic inches, coupled to an optional synchronized three-speed manual floor shift. The 3/4 and one ton pickups stayed in production, moving to the new platform, and selling for the same price as the big truck.

The six cylinder was expanded to 218 cubic inches, producing 75 horsepower. In 1940, engineering started on a military four wheel drive truck, leading to the first stock light-duty four wheel drive pickup in 1946; these were made in a new, massive truck plant. Dodge also made their first diesel truck, using their own diesel engines. Only two automakers made their own diesel engines for their trucks before World War II: Mack in 1938 and Dodge in 1939. Dodge had good reason to brag about their trucks; while some competitors upgraded their smaller, lighter vehicles to create 2-ton-and-up models, Dodge made many more changes to make their bigger trucks tougher and more durable. (Stay tuned for an in-depth view of these trucks.) The postwar B-trucks were introduced at the same time as GM and Ford pickups, and yet managed to beat both those larger companies. The front axles, wheels, and engine also moved, shifting payload to the front axle so the truck could carry more on the same axle and springs. Dodge took advantage of their increased capacity by deepening the cargo boxes.

The Dodge C series

While the B series were very popular, the C series ushered in a new era of more powerful trucks, with advanced (optional) PowerDome V8 engines pushing out 145 horsepower (many times the original 35!) and 215 lb-ft of torque...at low rpm. Cosmetic changes from 1955 through 1975 (later for some export heavy-duty trucks) continued in front of the cab. The original A-type 318 saw truck duty in 1959, with 205 horsepower (downgraded to 200 in 1960), as the Hemi left truck duty until 2002. Half-ton pickups could get an overdrive unit on the manual three-speed instead. After a few years, the marketing of the C series pickups was updated, even as the basic truck remained the same. Dodge introduced the name "Power Giant" in 1957, adding an optional, wider "Sweptline" cargo box in 1959. Along with the new name, Dodge began to use the industry-standard rating system, calling its half-ton pickups the D100 (today, Ford uses that numbering system, while GM and Dodge have inflated their numbers to 1500, 2500, and 3500).

The Dodge Truck in Modern Times

This made the trucks harder to drive and hurt handling, while increasing capacity and durability under tough conditions. The good news came in a pair of modern six cylinder engines, the tough and advanced (for the time) slant six, producing 101 horsepower from 170 cubic inches or 140 horsepower from 225 cubic inches. In 1962, Dodge trucks sales rose sharply to 108,244 units, the best performance since 1956, partly due to the company’s announcement in May 1962 that improvements would be made as they were developed, rather than waiting for new model years; not to mention the new heavy duty six cylinder engine, four door six-passenger crew cab truck, new medium-duty Perkins diesel engine, and new wiring protection package. In August, the 5/50 warranty was brought out for trucks; on some heavy duty trucks, the company went up to 5/100 on powertrain. (Crew cabs are four-door cabs with room for four to six passengers.)

The high-performance truck market began with Dodge's Custom Sports Special, a 1964 model which could include the formidable 426 Wedge engine - it preceded the "L'il Red Pickup Truck" by a good decade. This truck's high performance package included a 426 Wedge engine that generated 365 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque; it had a three-speed automatic, power steering and brakes, tach, dual exhausts, and rear axle struts. The HP Package was only “officially” offered in 1964 and 1965 on D100 and D200 LWB trucks. Dodge management only authorized 50 trucks could be built with the 426 Street Wedge High Performance Package — according to former Dodge truck engineer Bruce Thomas of the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, who said that far fewer than 50 examples were actually produced. Currently the registry recognizes 31 trucks with these packages or combinations of them. (Click here for more information on these trucks.) Dodge's first compact trucks - the A-100 - were also brought out this year. Closely related to the A series trucks were big, over-the-road, diesel-only L-1000 series tilt cabs, the company's biggest trucks to date. 

In 1976 and 1977, new custom-van and "specialty truck" options were added; 1977 saw minor changes. These specialty trucks and other contemporary information are in our 1977 trucks page.
The diesel engine used in 1978 (and possibly later) D150s, D250s, and Power Wagons was the Mitsubishi 6DR5, 3950 cc, with 105 hp at 3500 rpm; it was reportedly virtually identical to the Land Cruiser diesel engine of the time. Dodge, caught up in Chrysler's economic crisis, leaned on Mitsubishi for a compact pickup, selling the D50 as a Dodge even though it was designed and built entirely by the Japanese auto firm. The Ram symbol (including a hood ornament; Iaccoca loved 'em) was added with the phrase "Ram tough;" it had been used from the 1930s through the 1950s, and was made part of the naming system (two wheel drive trucks were Rams, four wheel drive trucks were Power Rams). In 1989, Dodge garnered another industry first by shoving a massive Cummins turbodiesel - designed for tractors and big rigs - into their full size pickups, greatly increasing the truck's capacity to compensate for the massive, torque-filled engine.

More Dodge Ram History

The first-generation Ram trucks, named for the Ram hood ornament that first graced Dodge cars in the 1930s, was introduced in 1981. Dodge kept the previous generation's model designations: "D" or Ram meant two wheel drive while the "W" or Power Ram meant four wheel drive. Like Ford, Dodge used 150 to mean a half-ton truck, 250 to indicate a three quarter-ton, and 350 for one-tons. Standard cab, "Club" extended cab, and crew cab versions were offered along with 6.5 ft (2.0 m) and 8 ft (2.4 m) bed lengths and "Utiline" and "Sweptline" styled boxes. Externally, the first-generation Rams were face-lifted versions of the previous generation Dodge D-Series pickups (known by their trim designations of Custom, Adventurer and Power Wagon) that dated back to 1972. The new model introduced larger wraparound tail lamps, single rectangular headlamps, and squared-off body lines. Available engines for these trucks were the 225 cubic inch, 3.7 L slant six, the 318 cubic inch, 5.2L V8, and the 360 cubic inch, 5.9L V8 with a variety of carburetors available for each engine. Engines were updated for the 1988 model year. The 5.2 L engine also received electronic fuel injection in 1988. Additionally, Dodge introduced a new automatic overdrive transmission that allowed for an extra gear and higher speeds, while reducing fuel consumption. The Ram 100 model designation was dropped and these models folded back into the "150" range for 1990 due to the introduction and sales success of the Dodge Dakota pickup. Additionally, Dodge redesigned the gauge cluster in the trucks to show more recent technology. To market the improvements on the engines, Dodge brought back the "Magnum" name. The Ram line was redesigned for 1994. Dodge Truck Product Planners recognized that while some customers would not identify with the unique design, it would mandate instant recognition for the new Dodge full-sized pickup. The purpose of the light duty and heavy duty 2500 trucks were for the heavy duty 2500 to take the place of the discontinued one ton single rear wheel trucks. In 1998, Dodge introduced the "Quad Cab", which used smaller suicide doors in the back for a door opening. This was offered as an option on the extended cab for the model year. While Dodge introduced a new Ram 1500 for 2002, the old second generation style Ram was still produced for the 2002 model year 2500 and 3500 trucks. It would be another year until the new third generation Ram took over Dodge's heavy duty truck market. The 2500 and 3500 trucks in 2002 were still 2nd generation body styles.

The third-generation Ram debuted for 2002. It included a larger grille, and special models kept interest up as most competitors had adopted the Ram's separate-fender look[citation needed]. The Dodge truck was on the John's 10 Best Engines list for 2004. The four wheel drive light trucks (1500 series) lost their live axles in favor of an independent front suspension, but the 2500 and 3500 series retained the live axles for maximum longevity and durability. The redesigned trucks bolstered sales, with 400,000 sold in 2002 and nearly 450,000 sold in 2003, a new high point for the Ram name. At the same time, both Ford and GM trucks were increasing in sales from a 2001 peak over 850,000 to the 900,000 range[citation needed]. With the introduction of the new 2007 Tundra, styled and engineered similarly to the Ram[citation needed], Dodge was forced to significantly increase the incentives to keep demand up for their vehicle.

Special Dodge Ram Models

The 2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10

SRT-10 - This is a regular or quad-cab body with the Dodge Viper's V10 engine, 22" wheels and Pirelli tires, lowered suspension, bucket seats, body modifications, and a spoiler. The 2004 version was available only in a single cab with a 6 speed manual transmission with a Hurst shifter. For 2005, Dodge released a Quad Cab version of the Viper V10 powered truck with the 48RE four speed automatic transmission from the 3500 Ram with the Cummins turbodiesel engine. The SRT-10 production ended on June 30, 2006.

The PowerWagon

This model, introduced for 2005, is an off-road focused version of the Ram. It comes with the 5.7 L Hemi engine, electronic locking differentials, disconnecting sway bars[vague], 33" off-road tires, handlebar, fender flares, "Hemi" nameplates instead of the standard Ram badging, and a 12,000 pound winch. This truck is built on the 2500 platform.

The 2005 Dodge Ram Rumble Bee

Rumble Bee - The Rumble Bee package was a limited sport-truck version of the Ram. It was available only on regular cab/short-box pickups and included lower body cladding, 20" wheels, a hood scoop, upgraded exhaust and a specially-trimmed interior including a serialized number plate. All Rumble Bees were either black with yellow trim or yellow with black trim. It was available in black, red or silver, and with either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The HemiSport was discontinued for 2006.

The Daytona

Introduced for 2005, the Ram Daytona is a new sport-truck edition of the Ram. It is available in Regular or Quad-Cab styles and features lower body cladding, 20" chrome wheels, SRT-10 hood, Borla dual exhaust, serialized number plate, and a tall rear spoiler reminiscent of the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. GTX - In 2004-2005, L.A. West created a new GTX package. In 2004, the GTX was mainly available in a standard cab but a few Quad Cab version became available in 2004 and more were released in 2005. 2002 5.9 Ram 1500 - 2002 was the only year the newly redesigned Ram 1500 could be had with the 5.9 L (360 CID) engine. Some early 2003 models could also be equipped with the 5.9 as well since Dodge had to use up their supply of 360s.

The Prospector

Throughout the 80s, this package was available for the Ram pickup. Prospector was a package that usually included a different fuel tank, cloth seat and carpeting. Sno Commander - known as the Sno-Fighter in the older D series trucks, the Sno-Commander came with 4-wheel-drive and the V8 engine as standard equipment. It included a snow plow, heavy duty cooling, a larger battery, and provisions on the engine to hook up hydraulics to work the plow as well as a cab controller[citation needed]. Early model Rams also had a badge on the box side. This package was discontinued after the redesign in 1994, but a similar package is offered through Chrysler called the Snow-Plow Prep package.

The NightRunner

2000 of these were assembled from January 2006 to December 2006. The NightRunner trim includes 20-inch (510 mm) black chrome rims, the 5.7 L Hemi engine, dark shaded headlamps, NightRunner graphics, and the NightRunner logo on the speedometer.

Limited Edition Indy Pace and SS/T pkg

The Dodge Ram Indy Pace Truck was available in 1996-1997. The SS/T (Super Sport Truck) version was available from 1997-1998 and included all the same uprgrades except the door sticker. The Indy Pace Trucks were available only in white with blue stripes and blue with white stripes. The SS/Ts were available in blue/white, white/blue, red/silver, black/silver, and green/silver. A total of 3500 of each were built.

Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab

The 2006 Dodge Ram is an updated version of the previous generation. One notable addition is the Mega Cab, featuring a 6-foot (2 m) cargo box and 20 inches (510 mm) of extra cab space, allowing seating for six with rear recliners. The headlamps have been redesigned for better performance.

The 2009 Dodge Redesign

The fourth generation Dodge Ram was introduced at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. A photo of the new model was leaked through Dodge's own Mopar website in 2007. On Dodge's website, the interior photos of the vehicle ad depict a crafted interior with bucket seating in the front. A built-in tool box on each side over the wheel wells called the "ram box" will be available on the crew cab model only.