Sitting in the dentist’s chair turned into a full blown debate about the best diesel trucks you can actually buy right now without spending a hundred grand and which generation of Dodge Cummins is still king of the road. In this episode of the Power Driven Podcast, the crew sits down to talk through the best used diesel trucks for real world owners. They focus on Dodge because that’s where their experience runs deepest, covering everything from the old school 12 valve and VP44 setups to the newer common rail Cummins engines. The guys also touch on Fords and Duramax trucks, but most of the conversation centers on what makes each generation of Dodge unique, how they perform on the dyno, how they tow, and what to watch out for if you’re looking to buy one.

The conversation starts when one of the hosts is asked by his dentist which truck he should buy for a daily driver and weekend warrior. That simple question turns into a deep dive through the generations, starting with the first generation classics and moving through the second and third generations that shaped modern diesel performance. The crew explains why the 1998 half year trucks are so special, how the shift from mechanical to electronic injection changed the game, and why the 98 12 valve with quad cab doors is still one of the most sought after Cummins trucks ever built. They also break down what makes the second generation platform so popular among diesel enthusiasts while pointing out the little quirks like vacuum boost brakes, steering slop, and aging wiring that every owner eventually learns to deal with.

As the talk moves into the third and fourth generation years, the team digs into the big improvements that came with common rail Cummins engines and stronger automatic transmissions. They explain how the 48RE and later 68RFE transmissions changed towing for good, making it easier to handle heavy loads without beating up the drivetrain. There is also a real world discussion about emissions systems, from the rough years when DPF filters caused endless frustration to the more refined setups found on 2013 and newer trucks. The crew doesn’t sugarcoat anything, they call out what works, what fails, and why 6.7 Cummins engines with proper tuning and maintenance have become a favorite for serious towing setups and daily driving reliability.

Throughout the episode, the guys talk about dyno testing, towing with built second gens, and the importance of building your truck for your purpose. Whether you are chasing horsepower numbers, towing your camper across the country, or just wanting a reliable Cummins to drive every day, this discussion covers it all. They also touch on the modern 2019 and newer trucks, explaining the problems with roller lifters and the lighter CGI block and why some owners are already converting back to old school solid lifters to keep their engines alive.

This Power Driven Podcast episode is packed with hands on knowledge, no nonsense advice, and plenty of stories from the shop and the track. If you are into diesel performance, turbo upgrades, dyno testing, drag racing, and real world Cummins truck builds, this one is for you.

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This episode of the Power Driven Podcast features Will, Todd, and Meyer sitting down with Josh after his record setting dyno hit. They cover the whole story from his three thousand horsepower number at UCC to the follow up run in Richfield where he picked up uncorrected power and set a new benchmark. They also dig into why corrected versus uncorrected numbers always stir debate and how altitude, air density, and weather factor into the Dyno sheet.

Josh explains what it is really like strapping in for a pull at this level, running full safety gear including a fire suit, helmet, suppression system, driveshaft loops, scatter shields, and even a plate carrier. The team also laughs about viral comments, correction factors, and the reality that after a record hit, the truck still has to drive onto the trailer.

On the hardware side, the build is based on a cast Cummins block with a deck plate, forged internals, upgraded pushrods, and ported headwork that really shined on the exhaust side. A Steed manifold and smart waste gate setup helped improve airflow, while a refreshed transmission with a tighter converter and updated clutch packs put more of the power to the rollers. The combination came together cleanly, making less boost and drive pressure than before, but more horsepower on the sheet.

The episode also covers the Dyno process itself, how the rollers measure torque and rpm, how correction factors are applied, and why a one second pull can carry so much weight in the diesel performance world. For a full second, Josh’s truck held over three thousand horsepower and climbed through the fours, leaving the shop silent and then cheering.

This is diesel performance at its wildest, record breaking Dyno numbers, Cummins power pushed to the limit, and shop talk that blends serious tech with real world racing stories.

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We took a slammed short bed second gen Dodge that used to blow the tires off in overdrive and turned it into a four wheel drive street truck that rips no prep airstrips and accidentally does four wheel drive burnouts. What started as a 12 valve five speed Shorty evolved through an auto swap and a clean common rail conversion that made 1,061 horsepower on its first dyno event, grew into compound turbos, broke parts, got better parts, and finally landed where it needed to be all along, four wheel drive and actually usable on sketchy surfaces.

This episode of the Power Driven Podcast tells the story of the Shorty, a truck that went from a chopped two wheel drive hot rod to a Duramax chassis swapped Cummins that can finally hook on the street. The guys share how the build came together, from cutting down frames and moving torsion bar mounts to dealing with CV axles pulling apart when the front end was lowered. These are the little challenges that only come from real shop time, and solving them made the truck ride right without losing its daily manners.

On track the results speak for themselves. With a Power Driven Diesel Aggressor 98 over a 467 compound setup, the Shorty went 7.12 in the eighth mile on its first solid pass, cutting a 1.66 sixty foot on a no prep surface. Later it even raced eliminations in the rain and ran a 7.33 against a fast F-150, something it could never have done back when it spun all the way down the track as a two wheel drive. Now it leaves straight, carries speed, and does it with a full interior and street friendly setup that you can still drive every day.

The crew also shares updates on pushing the limits of block strength. After breaking more than a few 12 valve and 5.9 Cummins blocks, testing has shifted to a 6.7 base under a 12 valve head. Welding coolant passages, experimenting with girdles, and chasing fuel only horsepower in the 1500 range shows how far development has come. The focus is always on real power that lasts, with parts anyone can buy and run on their own builds.

If you are into diesel performance, Cummins builds, dyno testing, drag racing, turbo upgrades, and truck builds that prove themselves on and off the track, this episode is for you. Subscribe to the Power Driven Podcast, follow for more episodes, and check out Power Driven Diesel for the tech, tuning, and parts that keep this community moving forward.