Grudge Match Gladiators: Morgan Evans

If you are a fan of classic Dodge pickups, then Morgan Evans’ Direct Connection Grudge Match machine is sure to tug at your heartstrings. Evans and her fiancé, Jason Kastner, have built a 1987 Dodge D150 that has just 79,000 original miles on the odometer – having been found on a farm in Georgia.

This 1987 Dodge half-ton pickup was stock when they got it, but today, it is powered by the twin turbocharged Hurricane inline-six engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Power is sent to the wheels by a built Moser Engineering Mopar® 8 ¾ rear differential, allowing it to handle plenty of power and completing the all-Mopar drivetrain.

“Given that it’s a Ram and now the new Rams are getting Hurricanes, I thought it would be cool to make the swap as factory as possible so we tried to make it a very clean install complete with the factory airbox,” said Evans. “I plan to do drag and drive events with the truck going forward, so we focused on creating a nice balance between street and racecar.”

To improve ride quality and handling, Evans and Kastner added Viking coilovers up front and Calvert Racing split mono-leaf springs with Caltracs out back. Wilwood components help get this 1987 Dodge D150 stopped on the track and on the street, while JEGS SSR Spike wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson tires are the only indication that this classic pickup is hotter than stock.

This 1987 Dodge D150 has a safety cage, JEGS racing bucket seats, JEGS safety harnesses, an AEM CD7 digital dashboard and a custom center console that even has cup holders.

In addition to the brands mentioned above, Cold Case Radiators, H3R Performance and Motul assisted in this build project. Check out Morgan’s beast at Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, tickets are still available!

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