Bigger Is Better: 2019 Ram 3500 Built for Style

• January 27, 2020
• Story By
  Jason Mulligan
• Photos By Tim Sutton, Kristin Cline

Sometimes a build starts with one person willing a vision into reality, and other times it starts with an arrangement. When Houston Haskins was approached to build a new truck to display at the SEMA show, as the crew at Superior Off-Road in Gresham, Oregon have done many times in the past, he knew he would need to buy or find a truck to start with. At the same time, Houston’s brother Austin just so happened to be in the market for a new truck. The two put one and one together, and a deal was struck, with Austin picking up a brand new 2019 Ram 3500 to be used for the build.

Despite them having just under a month to tackle the task of designing and building it, the Ram was finished in time to hit the road to the show. But, it wasn’t the easiest road to get there, as not a lot of aftermarket parts were available yet for the freshly redesigned 2019 Ram 3500 platform.

A Step Up

Austin and Houston wanted to give the Ram a more aggressive look, so the first major modification, aside from the massive lift and tires, was installing a set of bumpers from Road Armor. The Identity series bumpers not only added to the aggressive styling, but provided plenty of steps and mounting points for lights and other accessories. The bumpers still had to flow with the rest of the truck, so the crew at Superior Auto Body color matched the set.

Under the rear bumper, which was also outfitted with Rigid Industries backup LED lights, is a pair of power steps from RBP with full-length steps handling access to the interior of the truck.

Up front, a full black mesh RBP grille compliments the front bumper that houses a 30-inch Rigid SR LED light bar, factory sensors and recessed Rigid D-Series Dually LED lights.

With organized storage in the bed being a necessity, a pair of Undercover storage boxes were mounted inside of the bed, along with an Undercover tonneau cover.

Power to Move 

While the 6.7L Cummins diesel, backed by an AISIN six-speed transmission, was kept mostly stock to give them more time to focus on the other parts of the build, an MBRP 4-inch exhaust system was added for a deeper sound and more power.

If Austin ever wanted someone to get out of his way on the road—or get even more attention rolling down the block—a simple blast from a set of Hornblaster Horns does the trick.

Lift-Off

The guys at Superior Off-Road put their shop skills to work in the few weeks leading up to SEMA to bring the ground clearance up 10 inches with a front coilover and four-link suspension setup from Krazy Kustoms that was balanced out with a steering stabilizer and Driveline Plus driveshaft. The suspension kit provided ideal mounting points for the FOX 3.0 coilovers and FOX 2.5 Race Series shocks. Helping to dial in the suspension lift in the rear is a set of 3.73 gears, lift blocks and Krazy Kustoms traction bars finished off in silver powdercoating.

A Perfect Fit

Austin next looked for the perfect wheels and tires to compliment the custom suspension. Working with Rolling Big Power, a set of 24x14-inch RBP 37F Horizon wheels with a brushed and polished center were mounted up using True Spike lugnuts. Helping put the rubber to road on the way to SEMA is a set of Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. The 40x15.50R24 mud tires were the perfect fit for the wheels.

More Than Details

For a finished truck to roll out of Superior Off-Road’s doors, it has to not only run well, but look good, too. The auto body side of the shop handled color matching the bumpers and emblems, and an Elite protective clear bra ensured the miles put on the truck wouldn’t leave a trace.

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