Reaper; A 2006 Ram 3500 That Is Not To Be Messed With!

IMG_1351National events are great for seeing some of the coolest trucks in the surrounding area. When we went to Ennis, Texas for the NHRDA World Finals, we bumped into Kenda Proper and couldn’t help but admire her 2006 Ram 3500.

IMG_1385Proper’s husband builds and races trucks. So, she has been around diesel motorsports for quite a few years and in April of 2013, was finally bitten by the bug. She decided that she wanted to participate and show her truck instead of just watching her husband. “I wanted to prove that women can build trucks just as good as men,” exclaimed Proper.

As a member of multiple forums she started build threads and decided to hold a naming contest. Reaper was quickly chosen as the name of the project and so, Reaper was born.

The base truck is a 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 with a 5.9l Cummins backed by a 48RE automatic. Under the hood she has kept things pretty conservative due to her transmission. She is currently on number 4 and it is giving her problems. So, for power, she added a Smarty S06. She, also, upgraded her exhaust to a 5” exhaust system with dual 10” matte black tips.

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IMG_1377A set of Firestone Ride Rite air bags in the back help keep the truck level when it is hooked to a trailer. Proper owns a mobile detail company and the truck is pretty much hooked to a trailer everyday (hence, the tranny problems).

Now that we have covered all the stuff you don’t immediately see, let’s talk about what you do see. To give the truck the right stance, a Rough Country 2.5 inch leveling kit was installed up front and then paired with a 5 inch suspension lift all the way around. With 7.5 inches of lift, the Reaper is able to clear 38/13.5R20 Toyo Tires MT Open Country tires that wrap Fuel Off Road Maverick 20×10 wheels.

Now you cannot have the truck named Reaper and have stock bumpers. So, Proper turned to Iron Cross Automotive to really toughen up the truck. Behind the front bull nose bumper is a Rok-Tek Fabrications grille insert. To ensure that Proper can see at night, the headlights were upgraded to Recon LEDs and a LED light bar was mounted on the front of the bumper. The rear taillights were, also, upgraded to a set of LED Altezza lights.

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The most in your face aspect of the truck has to be the wrap. Graffix Xpress out of Odessa, TX designed and installed the wrap. The Reaper theme is not only along the side of the truck, but the hood and top of the cab. No matter how you look at this truck, there is something looking back at you.

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With this being Proper’s daily ride, she installed a set of N-fab running boards to help he get in and out of the truck a little easier. On the inside, the center console was reworked to fit a standard double din head unit. Currently installed is a 7 inch Kenwood, that is wired into the factory speakers. The center console was, also, wrapped with flames.

Future modifications for Proper include a manual transmission conversion, larger lift and roof rack. If you dig the truck, make sure and follow the Reaper on Facebook!

About the author

Chad Westfall

With diesel running through his veins from childhood, Chad has more than a decade of experience in the automotive industry. From editorial work to wrenching, there isn’t much he hasn't conquered head-on. When he’s not writing and shooting trucks and tech, you’ll find him in the shop working on turning the ideas floating around in his head into reality.
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