Grandson honors promise he made to late grandfather as he drives Dodge Ram across North America for restoration

A Dodge Ram 1500 with a HEMI under the hood became more than just a truck when it became the centerpiece of a promise to a man’s late grandfather.

For more than a decade, Mitchel Matthews held onto the idea of restoring the 2005 pickup his grandfather left him.

The truck had sat rusting in Winnipeg, Canada, as Matthews relocated to Miami and started a new life.

This fall, he finally kept his word, embarking on an epic four-day journey to drive the battered Ram across North America to Florida for its second chance.

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At one point, he was pulled over by the police

In a recent YouTube video, Matthews admitted that the Dodge wasn’t pampered in its early years.

He took it everywhere, even through mud and water, and eventually gave it a towering presence with an eight-inch body lift, a five-inch suspension lift, and 38-inch Mickey Thompson tires.

The once-proud Ram 1500 became a hulking, sky-high machine, but years of use and neglect left it rusty and in desperate need of attention.

Still, the HEMI-powered truck carried emotional weight.

Matthews always knew he’d bring it back to life, not just for himself, but for his grandfather, who never got to see the restoration happen.

Driving an oversized, weathered vehicle thousands of miles wasn’t easy.

Matthews was pulled over early in the trip for missing a front license plate and for his massive tires.

Later came violent shaking that forced an impromptu wheel rotation, followed by a whining differential that made him question if the truck would survive the journey.

On the final stretch, overheating nearly stopped him cold.

Matthews pressed on, alternating between daytime and overnight driving, stopping frequently to let the engine cool.

He plans on fitting a Hellcat engine into the Dodge Ram 1500

Four days later, exhausted but relieved, he finally rolled into Miami with the Dodge Ram 1500 parked proudly beneath palm trees.

Now, the real work begins.

While Dodge fans have been asking for the return of the HEMI V8 in the Dodge Ram for years, Matthews has grander plans for his truck.

He plans to replace the original HEMI with a supercharged Hellcat engine, pair it with a beefier transmission and rear axle, and give the truck a new bed and a full overhaul.

Beyond just horsepower, this restoration is particularly meaningful because it’s all about fulfilling a decade-old promise.

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