Dodge Ram 3500 Sled Pulling Truck That Isn’t To Be Overlooked

Vanessa_Thumb

Pulling is a family affair. It you don’t have the full support of those that you love, then you generally don’t end up staying in this sport very long. It becomes very hard to justify all of the time and effort you invest into the truck and the time you are away when all it does is bring conflict.

Dog

Vanessa Hyndman “We found that in the truck when we bought it! It’s kinda been the trucks good luck charm ever since. His name is buddy!”

Buck Hyndman was extremely fortunate when he found Vanessa Finstad. The two of them both really enjoy the sport and together they make a pretty powerful team. Hyndman has been one of the top contenders in Texas for a number of years (won this year) and when he realized that the misses wanted to not only go pulling, but pull herself, he was in!

Hyndman was in the process of getting a new truck and they decided this was the perfect opportunity to turn his 2003 Dodge 3500 dually into a pulling truck for her. Now, with him on top, he couldn’t just put together a decent puller for her. He wouldn’t have that. So, the two of them, along with Rob Webb, Justin Trammel and Ritchie Shafer started building what you see here.

Any good pulling truck starts with a stout chassis. Luckily for Finstad, the 2003 Dodges had a fully boxed frame. So, the crew went to work on the axles. Both are running 4.56 gears. The rear AAM 11.5 axle has a Greensberg Machine locker. The axle shafts are 38 spline 300m steel axles by Branik Motorsports that feature 40 spline drive hubs. To keep the axle from flexing during the pull, a truss system was fabricated. Up front, new control arms were installed along with a Detroit Truetrac locker.

IMG_7999

Vanessa_Sled

Six 17 inch Eagle Alloy 589 are wrapped in 315/70R17 BFGoodrich A/T tires. These have proven to be a good all-around tire for the wide range of tracks they run on.

IMG_8027At the heart of this beast is an 6.7 Cummins they pulled from an ’08. Hyndman disassembled the engine and started collecting parts. Once he had the rotating assembly in hand (Carrillo rods, new stock pistons, and the crank) he sent everything down to Ledford’s Performance Center in Waco, Texas.

Ledford cleaned and inspected everything. Once it was determined that everything was good to go, they prepped the block and balanced the rotating assembly. The intake was milled off and a ZZ Fabrications custom sheet metal intake was installed. When the valves went back on, a set of Hamilton Cams 110lb springs were installed to keep everything in place.

Once Ledford was done with the engine, Hyndman started putting it together. To complete the short block after the rotating assembly was installed, he opted to use a Hamilton Cams Billet Steel 200/220 camshaft. On top, the head was installed with a set of ARP studs and a set of 70LPM injectors from Industrial Injection went in.

IMG_8029

IMG_8032

To support that much fuel, a Haisley Machine HX60 2.6 PPL legal turbocharger was mounted to a Steed Speed T-6 exhaust manifold. Once the engine was assembled and installed, Hyndman was able to fabricate the custom CAC (Charge Air Cooler) tubes to and from two air to water intercoolers. The cold sides runs around the Industrial Injection dual CP3 kit and into a Banks Power High Ram intake elbow.

IMG_8026Tuning the truck is a TST stacked with a Smarty TNT. There are plans to switch this to EFILive over the winter but this combination has served them well for a few years.

To keep the engine fueled, a ten gallon aluminum fuel cell was mounted to the bed and an AirDog DF200 fuel pump feeds the CP3s.

Inside, the truck is all business. The interior has been stripped (to the rules) and a custom switch panel was made to control the electric fan, water pump, fuel pump, and lights. Gauges were mounted on the A-pillar as well as the center console.

Together, Hyndman and Finstad have been in the top of the TTTPA’s (Texas Truck and Tractor Pulling Association) Super Street diesel class. In fact, this year they went one, two. This story doesn’t end there either. During the 2014 season (this past season) Hyndman finally married Finstad and now the leader board reads; Hyndman 1, Hyndman 2.

8025

Enlist in the Diesel Army newsletter.

Receive the latest newsletter with the content you love from Diesel Army, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
Diesel Army NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Diesel Army

DieselArmy

We'll send you the most exciting Diesel articles, news, truck features, and videos every week.

Diesel Army

Diesel Army NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Diesel Army

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


ORX
Off road, Jeeps, 4x4s
enginelabs
Engine Tech
dragzine
Drag Racing

Diesel Army

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • ORX Off road, Jeeps, 4x4s
  • EngineLabs Engine Tech
  • Dragzine Drag Racing

Diesel Army

DieselArmy

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Diesel Army

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading