Readers Rig: Greg Alberalla’s First-Gen Ram

For the majority of truck owners, a truck is just something used to haul things. Some modify them more than others and some simply leave them alone. For Greg Alberalla, trucks are his life. If you’ve been on YouTube, chances are, you’ve heard of Greg or seen him on his YouTube channel. This year at the 2019 Rudy’s Fall Truck Jam in North Carolina, we got to catch up with Alberalla and see one of his most popular projects, his First-Gen Ram.

Although Alberalla has many different projects going on at this time, the first-gen is what made the trip to Piedmont Dragway for a day of racing. While this 1993 Dodge D250 is just an old truck, if you’re familiar with anything of his, it’s morphed way beyond its original form. In fact, this D250 is much more powerful than Dodge ever intended it to be.

first gen

The First Gen Ram was originally purchased for $3,000. After seeing the truck in person, it really is in good shape for that price. Nice find, Greg. So, if you want to replicate this build, how deep are you digging into the pocketbook? “The cost to build is ten times the cost of the truck,” a laughing Alberalla says. “I’ve been digging into the first-gen for going on two years now and we aren’t done modifying yet.”

Personally, when most people sink money and time into something, they almost get scared about tearing it up and scratching it. For Alberalla, that was the same thing he was thinking. “After building a lot of newer trucks and making them faster or nicer, I just wanted something a little more budget-friendly that I didn’t necessarily care about as much or care to tear up,” Alberalla says.

As expected, he’s been into it ever since he came home with it. It’s been 300 to 400 horsepower, and now, it’s 800 horsepower. This chassis was already surprised by the new power but it has no idea what it is in for in the future.

He continues, “I wanted something with mechanical injection so I could have that old truck feeling and I could hop in and have fun with and not worry about it getting scratched. I came across this truck on Craigslist. It was nearly nine hours from me in South Carolina and went for it. The old man I bought it from said it was in his family since new. It was perfect. Straight grandpa status.”

When the truck was purchased, it was known that the odometer said 350,000 miles. Knowing that Alberalla already anticipated he would be replacing and upgrading different items. What he didn’t know at first was the odometer stopped reading at 350,000 miles, so who really knows the mileage on this ole truck? Regardless of the mileage, this old dog was about to learn new tricks, whether it liked it or not.

“My first goal for the truck was to make as much power as possible with the original VE injection pump. After some pump work, the addition of an aS363 turbo, a Muldoon’s Diesel Stage 4 48RE swap, and a ratchet shifter, we were able to squeeze out 411 horsepower,” says Alberalla. “After that, things really got out of hand fast. Over the course of the last year or so, we transformed this into its now-current state.”
first gen

A truck that is almost 30 years old with an engine bay that looks this good is unheard of. Alberalla picked a perfect color to powder coat all of these parts with.

He continues, “We’ve replaced the VE injection pump with the far superior Farrell Diesel 12-MM P-Pump, a set of Stainless Diesel five-blade compound turbochargers, and swapped a Dana 80 rear differential into it. At this level, she is cranking out around 800 horsepower and has a personal best track time of 11.24 seconds in the quarter-mile.”

What’s next for the first-gen Ram? “The plans for the truck are to continue to push it to a higher power level,” says Greg. “I want to continue racing and dynoing the truck and see how far we can push this 350,000-mile-plus stock bottom end. We’ll utilize a better cylinder head from Hamilton Cams and trade in our 12mm injection pump for a 13mm and see if we can’t dip into the 1,000 horsepower range. Who knows, maybe we’ll throw in some nitrous too.”

first gen

On the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but with the mixture of the patina look, roll pan, and 20-inch American Force wheels, it looks pretty damn tough.

Under the rustic hood, hiding under that hood stack is the fun stuff. This high-mileage 5.9-liter Cummins engine has been band-aided with a set of ARP 625-head studs to hopefully keep that resurfaced cylinder head held down. Inside the walls of this inline-six is a Hamilton Cams camshaft, tappets, pushrods, and valve springs.

Thanks to Banks Power, the first-gen is fed with super cool air via their upgraded plumbing and intake system.

Hanging off the side of this engine is a pair of Stainless Diesel five-blade S468/480 turbos and a Steed Speed exhaust manifold. They are matched with the 640cc-capable Farrell’s 12mm pump and 5×25 fuel injectors. Keeping the injectors and pump fed with fresh fuel, Alberalla trusts a custom-built Air Dog lift pump.

first-gen Ram

Backing the powerplant in this first-gen Ram is the Muldoon’s Diesel Stage 448RE with a Suncoast stubby output shaft. Alberalla controls its every move with a full-manual valve body and ratchet shifter. The rest of the driveline is held in tight with custom 1480 U-joints and driveshaft, and the transmission is kept cool with a Derale cooler. For suspension, the first-gen uses the Dana 80 swap with a spool, SCS Gearbox axles and drive flanges, and a set of Calvert Racing traction bars.

first-gen Ram

With a TCI Automotive ratchet shifter, Alberalla is able to control this truck’s every move, including lockup of the torque converter.

Hop into the driver's seat and you're riding in comfort. Alberalla's interior consists of a pair of Corbeau Racing seats, GM center console, black carpet, and headliner, and a custom gauge pod with ISSPRO gauges.

We’re glad we got to catch up with Greg and discuss the future plans for the first-gen Ram and look forward to catching up with all of the other projects soon.

first gen Ram

For more information on this first gen build and the others, be sure and check out Greg’s YouTube channel here. Stay tuned to DieselArmy.com for more features on gems like this one. Are you a fan of the old-school Ram trucks? What would you do to one if you had one? Let us know in the comments below.

About the author

Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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