If you are a fan of Ram trucks, you surely bemoaned the fact a manual transmission is no longer available in the HD models. The G56 manual transmission was used in various Dodge Ram heavy-duty trucks from 2005 to 2018. In 2005, it replaced the NV5600 manual transmission, and it was used until the fifth-gen Ram HD lineup transitioned to only using the 68RFE and Aisin AS68RC automatic transmissions.

The G56 was available behind both the 5.9- and 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engines, but not all of them. In 2019, the 3/4- and 1-ton manual transmission era was over. However, with shops like Full Send Diesel at your disposal, anything is possible.In fact, in the last eight months, Full Send Diesel’s Kevin Kubinak and the team have been transforming a customer’s Ram pickup into an unbelievable machine. This fifth-gen Ram is far from ordinary and unlike any other truck. Unlike any other fifth-gen Ram HD, it features the G56 six-speed manual transmission. “There is this huge misconception about G56 transmissions inside these newer trucks,” Kubinak said. “Oftentimes, people think that transmission tuning is required to function properly, but that is not true.”

“If you have engine tuning on a fifth-gen Ram, it will not affect how this transmission functions,” Kubinak said. “If you revise the tuning later on, still, it will have no impact on the performance of the transmission. The transmission and its electrical infrastructure are controlled by our module.”

Building A Super-Cool Fifth-Gen Ram

On top of a manual transmission swap, this monster dually had to get some interior upgrades as well. The truck obviously came with a center console, but it needed to be modified and outfitted with a shifter — and more. With the help of Kingspeed Race & Repair, a new center console was designed to hold the newly added, short-throw shifter handle. “The billet center console was a joint effort between us and Kingspeed, and the shifter features a custom, interior-matching leather by Stitch Boots,” Kubinak said. “The short-throw-style shifting range mirrors a sequence and throw of a sports car even though this is the farthest thing from a car.”

Full Send has discovered that many of the things they thought would be easy were, in fact, not. However, some of the more difficult tasks they knew they would face, turned out to be much easier than planned. Although there is no way to put a price tag on a swap like this, you can bet that it will cost a few extra pennies to have it done properly and as cleanly as this looks. On top of the awesome, old-school style manual transmission, this truck features quite a few extras to boot.

Good-Looking Power

To make more room in the prettied-up engine bay of the fifth-gen Ram, the passenger-side battery was relocated to the frame rail, and the truck earned the Full Send Diesel touch with virtually everything they had to offer for appearance and functional upgrades. This includes an FSD billet valve cover, coolant tube upgrade, billet brake fluid reservoir cover and cap, billet power steering reservoir cap, and a billet fuse box cover. To top it off, it is all covered in a beautiful Cherry Red powder coat.

The next time someone tells you a modification can’t be done, just remember that anything is possible if you’re willing to put in the work. This one-of-a-kind project is surely the stuff of legend. We look forward to seeing what else comes out of this camp in the near future. Maybe the guys at FSD will let us come visit in the near future to see what other great things are happening in the shop.