Pics from the 2011 TDR Rally!

[RSchwarzli]

“A once in a lifetime experience”. It is a term used far too often as a general description. For a small group of Ram enthusiasts, it was literally a once in a lifetime experience to tour the holy grail of all things Ram! 100 lucky members of the Turbo Diesel Register (TDR) got a chance to tour the Warren truck plant, Dodge City, in Warren, Michigan.



So what is the plant like? Picture this. 4. 2 MILLION square feet and almost a mile long!



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More than 900 Dakotas and Rams coming off the line EVERY DAY!! To top this off, this is a closed plant: meaning even most of Chrysler’s own staff are not even allowed to enter this plant! This plant is locked down tighter than a vault at Fort Knox and we were getting a tour! But I am getting ahead of myself as usual. Let’s get back to the start of the story.



The Turbo Diesel Register is a Ram/Cummins pickup club. The club’s Ontario, Canada chapter was able to book a tour for 100 people through the plant. Registration was on a first come, first serve basis and the tour booked in less than 36 hours! The group covered club members from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Maine, Virginia, Florida, Ontario, New York, Minnesota, Connecticut, Georgia, and even California and Washington! Wow what a drive they had!

Wednesday started early in the morning with the destination of Warren in the GPS’s. For your author, he would be driving his heavily modified 1990 W250 Ram on the five day tour, covering over 1500 miles. The Ontario group’s drive to Warren started in Ontario, driving to Michigan in a convoy.



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When we arrived at the plant, the parking lot was already buzzing with TDR members from all over the continent!



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The trucks in the parking lot consisted of Ram trucks ranging from some of the original 1989 Cummins Rams, right up to the new 2011 trucks! Upon arrival, we checked in and proceeded to the plant auditorium where a few Ram trucks were waiting. The truck mix consisted of a 3500 Cummins cut away show truck, a new 1500 Long Horn, and a 1500 rolling chassis with no body to allow for maximum chassis inspection! Just amazing to see first-hand all of the engineering that is normally covered up by the body!



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Around 2:00 PM, a large group of Ram engineers arrived to join us and answer in depth questions regarding the trucks; as well as a special guest Ram CEO Fred Diaz! You don’t get to meet an automaker’s CEO everyday! Once everyone had arrived, the group had a photo shoot on the front lawn of the plant to remember the occasion.



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Once the photos were done, we watched a presentation on the history of the plant, and also were shown a map of the plant lay out. The plant does its own stamping, painting, welding, and assembly; and was originally opened as a Dodge truck plant back in 1938! Talk about a flexible, well built plant to still be in use over 60 years later!

With our plant history fresh in our minds, out onto the plant floor we went. Now when you tour a plant of this size, it takes a long time to walk from one end to another. So for our tour, we all got to ride on oversized golf cars. This also prevented people from walking into walls or other people due to the distraction of the assembly line!

 

[RSchwarzli]

So what did we see? What we saw was beyond words. We started off in the cab welding area. This area literally takes multiple sides of the cab and box, brings them all together robotically, and then welds it into one solid piece! Next up, doors and remaining sheet metal go on the body, then the body heads for paint.



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Next stop was the frame assembly. The bare frame comes into the plant on railcars and is then placed onto the assembly line where it is then fitted with axles, suspension, brakes, fuel tank, wiring, steering components, and even the motor with transmission!



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[RSchwarzli]

Remember that body that went to paint? Well, once the chassis is complete, the body is dropped down from the ceiling by a special crane and lowered onto the truck frame.



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From this point they install the interior, any remaining body items like headlights, tail lights, and under hood components are connected. By the end of the assembly line, the trucks are 100% finished and even have fuel filled into the tanks!



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Last stop for the trucks is a rolling chassis test to ensure that the truck accelerates smoothly and everything functions as it was designed to. After the test, it goes out the door and is loaded onto a truck to head to your nearest dealer!



With the tour complete we went back into the auditorium and had a question and answer session with the Ram and Cummins engineers. Questions covered everything from body components, to driveline changes, even a few were related to future product!



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By this time the pizza had arrived, and dinner commenced with engineers, plant managers, Chrysler staff, and a few plant workers all eating alongside the members of the TDR!

With the dinner coming to an end, the TDR expressed their thanks to the people of Ram for allowing this opportunity to take place. Before your author left, he made one last stop before leaving the plant. For my truck, it came off the very assembly line that we toured, but on October 23, 1989. My truck had come home to its birthplace, so a few special photos were in order to commemorate the occasion!



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[RSchwarzli]

Once the pictures were taken, the next stop on the week's tour list was the hotel in Monroe, Michigan to get some rest. The following day would be day two of our journey, and there would be a Caravan of Ram trucks driving down to Columbus, Indiana for a tour of the one and only Cummins Midrange Engine Assembly Plant!



Thursday morning started off with a group meeting in an old outlet mall parking lot. This would serve as the Convoy to Cummins meeting place for those camping, and those staying at hotels. By 8:15, trucks were on the road and heading south down I-75 toward Dayton.



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Now, most would consider a 300 mile drive a long haul, but for our group, the drive seemed like it lasted for less than an hour! We had eight Ram trucks making the drive. We had almost all generations of Ram making the trip, including both 12, and 24 valve versions of the trucks! After a quick stop for lunch in Dayton Ohio, we were back on the road for the final stretch to Columbus, Indiana.



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Now when arriving at the Holiday Inn in Columbus, what we saw was beyond words. There were Ram trucks everywhere! The parking lot was full of Rams of all various body styles, motors, colors, and every truck sporting different accessories! It was like a family reunion for the trucks! After checking into the hotel, we were off to CERAland to pick up our event registration packets.



Holiday Inn Interior:



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Now for those that don't know what CERAland is, let me try to give justice to what this place is about. CERAland is the Cummins Employee Recreation Area. It is the ultimate outdoor resort for Cummins employees and retirees. For the TDR, this would be our home base for the next few days, and accommodations for those camping. What is so special about CERAland you ask? It's just a trailer park, right? Wrong! Picture this:



Located on 345 acres in the middle of the hilly South Indiana countryside, CERAland offers its guests a private go cart track, camping, boating, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, football fields, golfing, fishing, horseshoe pits, mini golf, RC airstrip, Volleyball courts, shuffleboard court, fitness center, a skeet range, and even its own water park! All without leaving the park! Talk about great accommodations for the group! As I said, ultimate outdoor resort!



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When we arrived at CERAland, we had our second wave of Ram fever! We pulled into the main parking lot and the TDR group had started a Ram truck show with over 300 Ram trucks! It was beyond amazing! Nearly every model and color of Cummins Ram was represented, right back to 1989!



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[RSchwarzli]

After drooling over all of the trucks, we finalized registration, and joined the giant ice cream event! There was a full ice cream truck set up for unlimited ice cream consumption for the entire group! After popsicle and ice cream consumption reached near dangerous levels (thanks in part to the sunny 95 degree day!), we proceeded back to a car wash and then to the hotel to get some much needed rest!



Friday morning came to the neighborhood with the sound of 100 Cummins trucks starting up and heading to Cummins Engine Manufacturing. Cummins Midrange Engine Plant is an assembly plant, 100% dedicated to the assembly of motors for Ram. At an average of 100,000 motors a year, this is a diesel lover's ultimate destination! By 7:00 am, over 425 TDR members and their trucks had descended on the rural assembly plant of CMEP for the day's activities.



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For my group, we started off with a seminar on plant history with Wayne “Rip” Ripberger, the plant manager. After our history session, we were off to our next seminar: How to properly maintain your Cummins Ram's motor.

 

[RSchwarzli]

The next stop for our group was a tour of the plant floor. Now, this is not just a plant! This is a world class facility that is almost clean enough to eat off the floor! Watching close to 400 motors working their way down the assembly line is breathtaking. From bare block, to camshaft and crankshaft installation, right down to the paint booth and quality check, this is a full assembly plant.

One thing that was very nice to see is the attention to detail the craftspeople at Cummins take. Cummins has a reputation for building the best motors in the world to power your Ram truck, and we got first-hand experience on what they do. EVERY motor is tested in a sound chamber where high sensitivity microphones that listen for any sound that should not be there. EVERY part, of EVERY, motor is inspected for signs of inferior quality. Randomly off the assembly line, motors are pulled and run through a battery of tests to ensure maximum quality. Some are even run in a test cell for over 40 hours, and then torn apart and inspected for signs of inferior workmanship and parts! Now that is dedication to quality! By the time the tour of the plant floor was over, we all had a new respect for the motors in our Ram trucks; and a better understanding on how the motors live up to their designed life of 1,000,000 miles! I think it is fair to say the engineers over at the “other” two manufacturers do not put that much thought into their motors!



Once the tour of the plant floor was complete, we were off to a question and answer session with the Cummins engineers. We were able to ask detailed questions regarding the motors, emissions systems, designed durability of the motors, and the future emissions laws.



By the time the tech session was over, we were once again hungry, and timing was perfect for lunch! Lunch for our group would be shared with the Cummins employees off the assembly line, and would be complimented with a show of all of the Ram trucks! To top it all off, Ram brought out the Raminator monster trucks and proceeded to pulverize a few unfortunate non Chrysler vehicles! Talk about lunch and entertainment to go with it!



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After lunch, our next stop was a product information seminar with Ram.



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They covered some of the newest truck options ranging from the high quality interiors of the new Ram Longhorn Edition, the off road capability of the Power Wagon, and even a sneak peak of the option on the new Ram Long Haul Edition! For those that have not seen the Long Haul, it's based off a Long Bed Mega Cab, but Ram added full front and rear air ride suspension, integrated 5th wheel and goose neck hitch, quad bucket interior with Longhorn Edition trim, 19. 5 Alcoa wheels, 800 ft/lbs Cummins motor, and to top it all off, 170 gal fuel tank! Now you can not only just tow your house down the road with your powerful Ram, you can tow it all the way from New York to Texas without stopping to refuel!



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[RSchwarzli]

After listening to all the talk of the new Rams, doesn't it make you wish you could test one? Well, we all sure did, and Ram did not disappoint! Anticipating the thirsting need to test a Cummins Ram after the fantastic presentation, Ram had brought along five Rams for us all to test! To top it all off, Cummins and Ram built a test track OFF ROAD and ON ROAD for us to get the full feel of the new trucks! From off road articulation reaching a point of where you felt your brain trying to slosh out of your ear, to near vertical hills to make you look at the sky and feel like the space shuttle launch, and then looking at the ground like a diving eagle! They missed nothing! They even set up close to 20 railway ties for maximum suspension rebound testing! I think anyone who has not had the opportunity to test one of the new Rams needs to get out to a dealer to see what they are missing out on!



New and Old:



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After the ride and drive, we were off to our last seminar: The history of Cummins and Ram delivering the first Cummins Ram back in the summer of 1988 put on by Troy Simonson (Retired - Chrysler engineering) and John Keele (Retired - Cummins Engineering). What an opportunity to be able to hear the story of how Ram ended up with the only Commercial Duty motor that was available in a pickup.



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Pics of the prototype mule:



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Last stop on our Cummins tour was a group photo on the manicured front lawn of the Cummins plant! One vehicle representing each generation was chosen to be a part of the photo, as well as the first Cummins Ram off the assembly line; followed by a photo shoot with all of the first generation Rams (1989-1993) that attended the event.



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[RSchwarzli]

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The very first Ram/Cummins off the line in 1988:



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[RSchwarzli]

With that it was off to CERAland for a large BBQ dinner, as well as some activities around CERAland. For a few that stayed late, they got to hear first hand, undocumented stories of the early years of both Dodge and Cummins engineering told directly from Cummins and Dodge engineers. For a few people that stayed to hear the end of the stories, it would be after midnight before they would be heading for some rest before Saturday's trip out to the race track.



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Saturday began with a sight that was beyond imagination: A 300 truck long cruise with the destination of Lucas Motorsports Park in Indianapolis, Indiana! Once the group arrived at the track, we were in for a full day of drag racing, sled pulling, dynometer pulls, and shopping at the vendor's midway. Most large aftermarket vendors were represented offering products' ranging from performance clutches, tuners, wheel and tires, and general accessories! It was a pick up lover's paradise!



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Why you buy a Ram and not a Chevy:





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Ultimate Hemi BBQ?



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After a full day at the track, the day came to a close. It was the end of the 2011 TDR Rally, and with the following morning, a cruise back home with the Ontario Chapter of the TDR.

In closing, I would like to say a special thank you to the following people:



From Ram: Fred Diaz and the Ram Team,



From Warren: Jason Ryska, Janet van Havermaat, Dominic Ventola, and the rest of the Warren plant staff,



From Cummins: Wayne “Rip” Ripberger, Sena Adekpuitor, Tracey Embree, Lanre Ige, and Dave Gowin.



Without these people, our tours never would have taken place. My sincere appreciation and thanks for their efforts, and hard work in helping to make these two tours possible!



Keep those trucks shiny side up,











So thats it guys and gals!



If you were not there this year, make sure you are in 2013, casue we are going to do something like this all over again!



Anyone have an interest?

 

[HHhuntitall]

Why you buy a Ram and not a Chevy:





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Anyone have an interest?

Does Rosie O'Donnell eat? Does a bear ***** in the woods? Does a beaver like trees? Oh, yeah, I'm interested... ... and you just had to put that pic in there didn't you!! Love it!!

 

[RSchwarzli]

Does Rosie O'Donnell eat? Does a bear ***** in the woods? Does a beaver like trees? Oh, yeah, I'm interested... ... and you just had to put that pic in there didn't you!! Love it!!

Oops! Did I put that shot in there?



I could not resist taking the shot in the first place!



Well next round I expect to see you there then! And the crew will be there so you REALLY had better be! LOL

 

[bheiting]

Thanks BSchwarzli for the great write up. If you took those photos, you missed your calling - excellent. My wife and I did the Cummins CMEP tour last fall, and it was awesome. I will not miss the next TDR extravaganza.

 

[Nyoest]

I'll be there even if I'm dead.



Will we have to start at 6:30 a. m. again ?

 

[HHhuntitall]

Hey, by then, our old square trucks will be all the more classic!!!

 

[HBarlow]

Looks like it was a great event. Now that I've seen the photos and read your captions I regret not attending.

BSchwarzli, if you are not employed in the automobile journalism or magazine publishing business those industries have failed in their recruiting efforts. You are a genuine professional. Beautiful work.

 

[RSchwarzli]

Thanks BSchwarzli for the great write up. If you took those photos, you missed your calling - excellent. My wife and I did the Cummins CMEP tour last fall, and it was awesome. I will not miss the next TDR extravaganza.

Thanks for the kind words.

I'll be there even if I'm dead.



Will we have to start at 6:30 a. m. again ?

:-laf Priceless.



YEs, Maybe I will plan to have it start at 6:00 am just for you!

Hey, by then, our old square trucks will be all the more classic!!!

Yes, and every first gen in the TDR better be there! Next 1st gen photo shoot needs to be 10x the size! Oo.

Looks like it was a great event. Now that I've seen the photos and read your captions I regret not attending.



BSchwarzli, if you are not employed in the automobile journalism or magazine publishing business those industries have failed in their recruiting efforts. You are a genuine professional. Beautiful work.

Wish you would have been there too! Would have loved to meet you!



Thanks for the thoughts as well! That means alot coming from you Harvey!

 

[mwilson]

Nice job!!!



Where's all that video of the convoy making the trip to Columbus from Warren???

You know, the one with all of the black smoke... ... ... ..... :-laf:-laf



Mike.

 

[RSchwarzli]

Nice job!!!



Where's all that video of the convoy making the trip to Columbus from Warren???

You know, the one with all of the black smoke... ... ... ..... :-laf:-laf



Mike.

LOL I tackled the pics and story first. Now I have to look into the videos. I know I want the one of the entry into the raceway uploaded. THAT was awesome!

 

[MLee]

Mr B;

One final question on the Cummins plant tour, Did you meet, or see the GORILLA that installs the filters on those engines?

Great write up, and pictures.

On the black smoke on the drive to warren I bet they shut the Hiway down due to HAZE.

 

[Jim W]

Nice write up and and pictures. Wish I could have attend the event.



I am surprized that cameras were allowed in the plant at Chrysler. I know at Caterpillar you would have been told to leave them either in the car or in the visiter waiting area with the receptionist.

Jim W.