One year and $6,610 later, Project 300 is finally a reliable daily driver. To get to this point we've had to battle leaks, squeaks, and caked-on grease, which came with our '87 Ford F-250. Sure we surpassed the $300 purchase price a long time ago, but we have a new perspective when it comes to spending money on an old truck. Instead of thinking of it as sinking money into a clunker, we view it as making $500 monthly investments. For example, instead of a car payment this month, we spent our money on the cooling system. This is a way for a person with little money to own a vehicle without having a large lump of cash. Also consider the savings in licensing, registering, and insuring an older vehicle. Plus, auto recycling is good for the environment and local economy.inline_mediumwraptextrightLeft Side Angle27884479/tech/ford/1003dp_1987_ford_f250_buildup1003dp_01+1987_ford_f250_buildup+left_side_angle.jpgTrue

Perhaps the performance benchmark of the diesel industry, the '94 to '98 1/2 Dodge Ram is one of the most tried-and-true platforms for diesel enthusiasts. Horsepower levels of up to 1,500 hp can be had with the legendary P7100-pumped 12-valve engine, although we'll admit that's quite outside most people's budgets. Still, within our $1,500, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000 budgets, you'll find that the 12-valve Cummins can pack quite a punch.inline_mediumwraptextrightDiesel Power had a '97 12-valve project that made 272 hp at the wheels with minor fueling modifications. We eventually hit 340 hp with an aftermarket turbo, intercooler, exhaust, and intake, but never quite made the power we were looking for due to a lack of tuning.1997 Dodge Ram 350026375015/tech/dodge/1002dp_1994_to_1998_dodge_ram_power_recipes1002dp_01+1994_to_1998_dodge_ram_power_recipes+1997_dodge_ram_3500.jpgTrue

Perhaps one of the most overlooked model of Dodge trucks (besides first-gens) is the '98 1/2 to '02 Dodges equipped with the Bosch VP44 computer-controlled rotary injection pump. We've seen these trucks make some pretty impressive power numbers with minimal modifications. The key to high horsepower numbers seems to be big injectors, which will provide all the fuel that the VP44 pumps can produce. Injection pump reliability is also a big concern, and it's our recommendation that if you have one of these trucks, you upgrade the fuel system ASAP. You'll see this reflected in all of our buildups, from $1,500, all the way to $10,000. While VP44 trucks don't have the mechanical simplicity of their earlier P7100 pump brothers, or the easy power of the later common-rails, they seem to bridge the gap between the two, and with the right parts, can make 500 to 600 hp within our top-tier budget.inline_mediumwraptextrightAdam Winslett is seen here making an 11-second pass down the dragstrip in his 1,060hp VP44 truck. The record power number was produced with the help of a Left Coast Diesel three-stage nitrous system.Dodge Truck26644175/tech/dodge/1003dp_1998_to_2002_dodge_ram_power_recipes1003dp_01+1998_to_2002_dodge_ram_power_recipes+dodge_truck.jpgTrue

No matter how sophisticated electronically controlled diesel injection systems get, they will still always have a weakness. Their Achilles' heal has to do with electricity itself, and the fact that if the electrons stop flowing, the engine totally fails. On any given electronically controlled engine, there are an infinite number of possible failure points. For example, if any of the circuits, sensors, wires, switches, fuses, or the processor shorts, overheats, or becomes exposed to certain radio frequencies or lightning-the outcome may be failure.inline_mediumwraptextrightCable Activation27546922/tech/1002dp_steyr_mechanical_emergency_drive_system1002dp_01+steyr_mechanical_emergency_drive_system+cable_activation.jpgTrue