Wicked Wednesday: 1918 Dodge Brothers Rat Rod Uses 5.9L of Cummins Turbo Diesel Power
Dodge Brothers’ Rat Rod began life as a Model 30, but $90K worth of fabrication work has transformed it into a showpiece.
A 1918 Dodge Brothers Model 30 was a 5-passenger touring car that came with an inline 4-cylinder engine making about 30 horsepower. The Dodge Brothers Rat Rod you see here was built from that simple touring car. Yet, John Francis and Horace themselves may not even be able recognize the origin car. We love crazy custom builds here, and this is one of the wildest that you will ever see.
This week’s “Wicked Wednesday” is all about this 1918 Dodge Brothers Rat Rod. It was built by the folks at Vice Unlimited based out of Lincolnton, North Carolina. A video walk around was posted on the FSD Hot Rod Ranch YouTube channel. What makes this car qualify as wicked? Well, just look at it. But beyond what you might immediately see there are a ton of one-off artistic touches on this car. It is powered by a 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel that makes about 400 horsepower and about 650 pound-feet of torque. It has a 1.5-ton front and rear axle out of a 1952 Ford fire truck. There is a four-link rear suspension with a cantilever air bag setup, and disc brakes all the way around. If that is not wicked enough for you wait until you hear about some of the other details.
103-Year-Old Metal
The car has been chopped, channeled, and lengthened. In fact, there is $90,000 worth of fabrication work that was done to this Rat Rod. However, some of the original metal that came on the 1918 Dodge Brothers Model 30 remains. It is very cool to see that even with all the customization that some original material remains. But there is not much else from the original car is in place today.
Engine and Suspension Details
The pressure gauges you see around the engine are actually from the original car. The tubing for the turbo is all custom made. The car rides on a cantilever air bag setup and you might assume the large round tanks you see on the back of the car are air tanks. But you would be wrong. Those tanks hold diesel. The air tanks are custom made and are tucked up inside the frame. We mentioned above the axles were from a 1952 Ford fire truck, well, so are the wheels. They are wrapped in Coker whitewall tires.
Interior
The interior was custom designed and built by Dan Belanger and Joshua Phelps. There is over 250 hours of work on the interior alone. It is made from a red oakwood that has been stained a maple brown. The steering wheel is made from six layers of wood. The rear panel is made up from 10 to 12 layers of wood. Wood is gorgeous but not very comfortable to sit on. So, the seats are 3-piece tan and ostrich leather units that were also custom designed. The gas and brake pedals are also custom fabricated.
Other Details
As you will find on all cars this 1918 Dodge Brothers Rat Rod has brake lights. But unlike all cars, this one is special. It comes from a vintage VW Samba Bus. When the driver hits the brake, the light goes red and shows the car behind STOP.
Drive Time
Time to hit the road. When the car is fired up you can immediately tell that it is powered by a Cummins Turbo Diesel. And despite the exhaust facing in the cabin, it is designed so the driver does not roll coal into his own face, and it flows nicely over the passenger compartment. You have to checkout the video below to see this vehicle for yourself. It is one of the coolest Dodge builds you will ever see.
Join the Dodge Forums now!
