VP FEVER

A RESTORED AND REBORN 550HP ’01 DODGE

- MIKE MCGLOTHLIN

You can’t buy trucks like this anymore, but if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool second-gen fan, you can certainly do your best to preserve one, restore it, or even transform it into the ride of your dreams. With a preference for the ’94-’02 body style, a love of the VP44, and a background in truck pulling, Michael Asher recently treated his garage-kept ’01 quad cab to a cab-on resto and enough go-fast parts to make a cool 550 rwhp. His reason for breathing new life into the near-300,000-mile Dodge was both simple and honest “I’ve always thought the 24-valve second-gens looked and sounded the best,” he told us. “Plus, I’ve always been a fan of the underdog—and a VP44 truck is definitely the dark horse there.”

CAB-ON RESTO

Not that the truck was dilapidating, but after 18 years and more than a quarter-million miles, several areas of the Dodge’s sheet metal required attention on account of rust. The fenders, cab corners, rockers, both bed sides, and the suicide doors all needed work. When Michael dropped his pride and joy off at Pop’s Garage and Restoration in Camden, Ohio, for all of the above, he had one additional demand: “if it’s going to become a problem in the future, fix it now.” Just nine weeks later, all the work was complete, and the fresh PB3 Chrysler Intense Blue Pearl paint job— a factory color—turned out perfect.