RAM bringing an old and new, lowered and raised trucks to SEMA 2019

Christopher Tracy

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Mopar is going to debut two trucks at SEMA this year. The Ram 1500 OTG (Off The Grid) concept is an overland-themed vehicle and the Mopar Lowliner concept is a reimagined 1968 Dodge D200. Both trucks are going to be gathering a lot of attention throughout this year’s SEMA show.

Mopar Lowliner

Mopar Lowliner

This Dodge has much more work applied to it. This is a 1968 Dodge D200 that has had the original C-channel frame fully boxed. The truck has been lowered and the wheelbase lengthened. The front axle was moved forward three inches and a custom air suspension was added. The engine has been replaced with a 5.9L Cummins diesel, 6BT. Mated to the Cummins is a six-speed manual transmission with a floor-mounted shifter.

The steel wheels have the “smoothie” look. The front tires are 285/35-22 and the rears are 325/35-22. The rear wheel wells had to be lengthened five inches to accommodate the larger rubber.

Mopar Lowliner Interior

This looks like a great cruiser and it has to do wonderful burnouts. The look of the ‘60s Dodge pickups is fantastic and a lowered version is always good. Especially when you bookend it with Jonathan Ward’s lifted Dodge D200. There isn’t as much support to restore early Dodge pickups, and it’s nonexistent for Dodges from the ‘40s. But if you want to stand out, the 1960s Dodges are where you should go.

Ram 1500 OTG

The Ram 2500 Power Wagon is the usual choice of overlanders from Ram’s offerings. FCA has decided to outfit a Ram Rebel model based on 1500 platform.

Ram 1550 Rebel OTG

The shortlist of upgrades, accessories, and features include

  • Two-inch Mopar lift kit
  • Snorkel
  • 35-inch Goodyear tires
  • front bumper mounted winch
  • LED lighting (front & rear)
  • Hi-Lift jack
  • traction boards
  • bed rack
  • Yakima Basecamp rooftop tent
  • fridge/freezer
  • solar panels
  • roof storage box
  • drawer system including gas stove and water
  • 270-degree batwing awning.

Ram 1500 Rebel OTG

The Ram OTG is equipped with the 3.0L V6 Ecodiesel and a 33-gallon fuel tank. Ram will boast about 700 miles of highway range. The 35-inch tires, the weight of accessories, and wind resistance will reduce the range. Highway speeds are not uncommon for the overland crowd, but not the majority of the driving. I’d be interested in the range number at an average speed of 25-35 mph.

It’s definitely dressed for the part. Neat.

About

Christopher Tracy

Christopher Tracy

Chris works in marketing by day and writes offroad automotive pieces by night. Chris is the producer/cohost of the Off The Road Again Podcast. A dad trying to get his kids outside more. IG: @overlandingdad.

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5 responses to “RAM bringing an old and new, lowered and raised trucks to SEMA 2019”

  1. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    I want to love the ’68, but I think it’s a set of wheels away from greatness. In my opinion, smoothies and steelies start to look stupid beyond 18″, and I don’t like any wheels over that diameter on classics, period. I’m glad they didn’t completely slam it, though, and the colors are nice. I think slate blue or moss green metallic would also work well with the cream trim. The diesel/6-speed combo is spot-on perfect for this truck.

    The overlanding Ram is pretty sweet, other than the snorkel, which is the off-road equivalent of a massive rear wing (mostly for looks– rarely does anyone take advantage of them in practice).

    Reply
    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      I did hear a suspension guy say that very low profile tyres aren’t very good on live axles, because when one tyre hits a bump both get tilted and can lift part of the tread face off the road, giving a sudden reduction in grip.

      The overlanding Ram – bah, Sema rubbish – how much dust is that kitchen setup going to be smothered in?

      Reply
      1. Zentropy Avatar
        Zentropy

        I hadn’t considered the dust– yeah, that would be annoying. Nothing a camper shell wouldn’t remedy, I suppose. I could do without the roof tent (for reasons discussed elsewhere), but like the awning.

        Reply
  2. neight428 Avatar
    neight428

    Overlanding seems all the rage, maybe it’s because I live in a swamp only made inhabitable through persistent industrial effort, but the thought of regular camping sounds like a horrible way to spend limited leisure time.

    Reply
    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      Psst: most of those overlanding people probably spend the majority of their time staying with friends or in comfortable hotels, they just don’t post THAT part on Instagram.

      Reply