2002 Dodge Ram Quad Cab - Silver Streak

The '02 Dodge Ram Rod

From the April, 2002 issue of Mopar Muscle

By Robert Genet

Photography by Robert Genet

As always, dozens of specially-built vehicles made their debut at the annual Las Vegas SEMA show last October. However, few garnered more attention than the latest creation from Performance West, the red-hot RamRod based on the all-new '02 Dodge Ram Quad Cab. Larry Weiner's team proved once again that they are on the cutting edge of modification, taking laser-guided aim at the sport truck market with Dodge's newest redesign to the Ram truck series.

Indeed, Dodge made several improvements to the new '02 Ram without sacrificing the heritage of the Power Wagon, to which Performance West added a prototypical full-body styling kit from Xenon, including the front and rear facia. Tying the Xenon front and rear fender flares together is a slick pair of integrated running boards. A tight-fitting bed tonneau cover was custom-designed and built by Gaylord Lids, who also installed the charcoal-colored carpeted bed liner. Covering the RamRod's body is a paint about the same sheen as the shark-skin suit worn by Sammy Davis Jr. on the night he opened at the Desert Inn in Vegas, circa 1965. This is a lustrous shade of silver that subtly changes its rainbow-like hues as the light moves across the RamRod's body surfaces. The official name of the paint is SpectraFlare Radiant Silver; Flex Products blends it and Mike Face is the one who applied it.

Next, the RamRod's comfortable interior was made more so by Katzkin's leather seats, trimmed in silver and black to complement the exterior color. The rear-seat passengers can sit back and watch a movie by plugging in their favorite videotape and folding down the KVE LCD screen from its headliner mount. Mopar Accessories provided the polished stainless door-entry guards and Dodge logo floor mats.

Under the massive Dodge Ram hood resides the reliable and efficient 4.7 litre overhead cam Magnum V8. This engine loves to be supercharged and with the addition of a Kenne Bell Twin Screw supercharger, horsepower and torque have been substantially increased. In conjunction with refined microprocessor technology, the supercharger, at only six pounds of boost, generates in excess of 325 horsepower at over 411 ft.-lbs. of torque. Helping with the power increase are a set of Kenne Bell Pulse Divider headers and a after-cat exhaust system that terminates in a set of '70 Dodge Challenger R/T tailpipe tips.

You can have the best-looking vehicle, tires, and rims in the world, but if the stance isn't "right," no one will give it a second look. The RamRod's perfect stance rides on 23-inch diameter by 10-inch wide Giovanna chrome-plated wheels shod with sticky Toyo Proxes directional ST 305-40x23 tires.

In today's crowded world of SUVs and sport trucks, it takes something special to stand out from the crowd. Such a vehicle must have killer original styling, a solid powertrain, and the right body and chassis modifications. The new Dodge RamRod has enough of the classic Ram design to confirm its heritage and the right blend of performance and styling additions to make it a winner.