It’s hard enough searching for a used truck these days without having to deal with owners who apparently don’t understand the difference between “excellent” and “good” when it comes to listing the truck’s true condition on their online listings. I know I struggle at the DMV when they make me take the eye test, but I have no idea how some of these truck owners pass any type of an eye exam.

While on the hunt for a pre-DEF diesel (like everyone else it would appear) for our next full-blown project truck, I’ve had my share of challenges. Project trucks are the foundation of our magazine and we’ve had some really good ones over the years so there’s a little pressure on me to find a good one and not mess it up. Of course those who have been with us a few years might recall our obnoxious yellow, two-wheel drive dually Dodge Cummins we called the Honey Badger. That sorry excuse for a project truck might go down as the worst magazine build of all time–just say’n.

Whoa, sorry for the tangent and the trip down memory lane. Let’s get back to my challenge of finding our next stock truck to build up. I admit it: I’m a little particular when it comes to finding the right foundation for this magazine build so I tend to be picky about what I’ll even look at while searching online through pages of trucks that are for sale by owner.

Truth is I’ve come to the realization that finding a Cummins, Duramax, or Power Stroke that was built in the early 2000s isn’t really all that hard. These pre-DEF diesels are still readily available. However, finding one that isn’t completely worn out and abused is a different story. Of course it can be equally challenging when the owner has the truck listed for $30K over its true book value.

Regardless of whether it’s overpriced or severely beaten, it can be a little frustrating when a seller puts “excellent” for both the interior and the exterior on the condition of a 2000 truck with almost 300K miles on the odometer. It’s over 20 years old and it’s basically being listed as perfect? Whoa, c’mon Bro! Of course the outrageous price the owner is asking only proves he’s delusional, and clearly he’s wasting both his time and ours by not being more realistic. I believe in sentimental value but why does love have to be so blind?

After racking up some test drive miles lately I’m happy to announce Diesel Tech’s next build is currently underway. It’s a 2004 Dodge RAM 2500 5.9L Cummins that has quite a few miles but we believe she has plenty of life still left in her. We’re calling our build Project Lefty because this truck was “lefty” for dead until we got our hands on it. I’m not promising SEMA, but if what we currently have planned all works out, the truck will at least be SEMA-worthy by the time the 2023 Las Vegas Show comes around.

Keep an eye out for the build series in our magazine as well as updates through our social media channels as we bring this ’04 Cummins back from the dead. With the current price of a new diesel truck we’re hoping to inspire others to choose to build up older trucks into dream trucks and we’re going to give you a solid blueprint to get you started or at least give you some ideas to consider.

Brady L. Kay,
Diesel Tech Editor