1990 Dodge Ram 1/2 Ton Short Box

- 440 V8
- Fun and Fast

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1990 Dodge Ram 1/2 –Ton Short-Box Pickup on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 160 photographs, as well as a short walk-around-and-startup video, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.)

“To put things simply, a sleeper is essentially a car that other drivers might not expect to perform in a certain way. You could even say other drivers might underestimate these vehicles. A sleeper vehicle is fast, powerful, and efficient, but not flashy.” Audi of Devon, Pennsylvania, Dealer Newsletter

There are sleepers… and then there are sleepers. Start with a nothing-special short-bed, ½-ton pickup truck; in good shape, with under 60,000 miles on it. A Dodge Ram like so many 30 year-old trucks that have faded away or gone to the scrap yard. Paint it “utility white” so it could be just another service vehicle or landscaper's ride. Change out the branded front grille for an anonymous-appearing black one from an aftermarket supplier. White bumper in front, no bumper behind the short bed. Put small hubcaps on the blackwall tires. Inside, leave the black vinyl bench seat pretty much the way it came from the factory. Same with the steering wheel: stock. And that's it… with apologies to the mattress people, the perfect sleeper. Almost.

As they say on TV: “But wait… there's more.”

In this case, the “more” is a LOT more: a 440 cubic-inch V8 engine fills the engine bay with more Mopar power than would've ever come in it from Detroit. Off the line, this truck will surprise—and humble—many newer, fancier, and far pricier vehicles.

To be fair, the interior of the truck does display a few hints that there's more than meets the eye. Left of the steering wheel, a Sunpro tachometer with a 5000 rpm redline is mounted, and the dashboard includes two engine-monitoring gauges that didn't come from the factory: one for oil pressure; one for water temperature. Both “hide in plain sight” surrounded by simple black dash trim.

For a complete and faithful look at this sleeper Ram (certain to soon be called "White Lightning"), be sure to check out the more than 160 high-definition photographs at the Garage Kept Motors site online. Please note the excellent condition and orderliness of the truck's undercarriage and engine bay. There's also a short walk-around-and-startup video so you can hear the Mopar power. We welcome in-person inspections of the truck at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom, and ask only that prospective purchasers contact us by phone or email in advance. That way we can devote our full attention during their visit.

Back in the day, street racers used to compete for “pink slips.” The winner got the title to the loser's car. If that sort of competition was still in vogue, the next owner of this sleeper could probably start his own used-car business before long.

Wanna race?