My 2016 RAM 2500 Hemi, the Doghouse Dodge Build

[Jenzz]

Hey everyone,

after lurking on ExPo for way too long and stealing tons of ideas from your build threads, it’s finally time to give something back and start one of my own.

This won’t be a classic “from bare frame to finished rig” build. My RAM is technically “done” – or at least as done as an overland vehicle ever is. In my world it’s always work in progress.

A bit of background:
I’m the second owner of this truck. The original owner already did the big, expensive steps – the AEV suspension and the camper box on the back. We bought the RAM in 2019, right before COVID turned everything upside down, and since then I’ve been slowly turning it into our rig: tweaking, fixing, improving, undoing some choices, adding others… you know how it goes.

Because of that, this thread is going to jump around in time a bit:

• I’ll start with what I’m currently working on (electrics, small layout changes, maintenance, etc.).
• Then I’ll mix in older photos and stories from when we bought it and from the first trips.
• Over time I’d like to document the whole evolution of the truck – not just the shiny “after” pictures, but also the learning curve, mistakes, and re-do’s.

So if the timeline looks a little non-linear at first, that’s by design.

What to expect in this thread:

• RAM 2500 with AEV bits and a custom camper box (GFRP Sandwich and wedge style top
• Lots of “version 1 vs. version 2” changes instead of ground-up fabrication
• Ongoing changes rather than a finished show truck
• Plenty of photos from Europe (I’m based in Germany, so you’ll see the rig in France, Spain, etc.)
• Probably too much nerding out on details

Next post I’ll dive into what I’m currently changing on the truck and add some recent photos, then work my way back in time.

Thanks for reading – comments, questions and ideas are more than welcome. And yes, I’ve been procrastinating this thread for years… so let’s finally start.
Special thanks to RamblinChet for his inspiring stories

 

[Jenzz]

Current Setup:

Vehicle (2016 RAM 2500, 5.7 HEMI, 4×4)

• AEV DualSport suspension
• 37×12.5R17 Cooper STT pro mud-terrains on AEV Salta HD 17×8.5 wheels
• Air Lift 5000 Ultimate rear air helpers
• Bilstein 5100 shocks
• TJM Front steel bumper with (chinese) 16,500 lb winch and Factor 55 UltraHook
• AEV Snorkel
• AMP Research Power Steps

Camper Box / Habitat

• Custom GFRP sandwich camper box (PUR core, ~40 mm)
• Alu-Cab 180° Shadow Awn
• Roof solar: 200 W flat-mounted panels

Electrical System (Victron-based)

• 2 × 200 Ah Victron Lithium Smart NG (400 Ah total)
• Victron Lynx Smart BMS 500 NG as the heart of the system
• Two Lynx Distributors (one on the “in” side, one on the “out” side) for clean, fused DC bus
• Victron Cerbo GX for central monitoring (voltages, currents, SOC, temps, solar, shore, etc.)
• Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 DC-DC charger from the truck alternator into the Lynx DC bus
• Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 solar controller feeding the same bus from the roof array
• Ective CSI30 Pro 3000 W inverter/charger for 230 V AC and shore power integration
• 12 V distribution for all camper loads (fridge, lights, water system, heating, etc.) taken from the Lynx DC bus
• Starlink Mini powered via dedicated DC converter (12 → 48 V) tied into the Victron system

Water

• water system with multi-stage filtration and UV-C treatment for safe drinking water

 

[Jenzz]

What I’m currently working on: the tent canvas of the pop-top is getting replaced – the old one had a few drawbacks we’re fixing now. And since we’re in there anyway, I’m also stripping off the carpet on the roof to replace it with felt, relocating and adding some lights, changing how the canvas is mounted to the roof, and add airline rails along the full length on the inside. In other words, I’m tearing everything apart. Again. My wife suffers in silence… but at this point she’s used to it.

I suffer too. I spent two full days in the unheated garage, working overhead to remove the glue...

 

[Jenzz]

Abandoned “Voice of America” Relay Station – Kavala, Greece (visited 2023)

During our 2023 travels through Greece we took a detour to one of the most surreal “industrial archaeology” stops I’ve seen: the abandoned Voice of America (VOA) relay station near Kavala.

Back in its prime, this site was one of the world’s largest and most impressive international broadcasting facilities—a massive shortwave relay station built to push signals far beyond national borders. In the Cold War era, it wasn’t just “radio”; it was a major tool of U.S. public diplomacy, projecting news and messaging across huge distances via high-power transmitters and enormous antenna fields spread over a vast footprint.

When VOA KAVALA ended operations in 2006, it left behind a nearly 2,000-acre site. What’s particularly interesting (and a bit tragic) is what happened next: the Greek government reportedly hoped to reuse the equipment and asked the U.S. Army not to destroy the base, which was apparently standard protocol for a shutdown. But the reuse never materialized. Over time, the place slipped into limbo—unused, unmaintained, and slowly picked apart. The transmission equipment is now gone—dismantled, sold, recycled, or simply looted.

A quick personal note for context: we’re not hardcore “lost place” explorers. But on our trips we do enjoy checking out abandoned structures—old churches, ruins, forgotten infrastructure—especially since we both studied architecture. Still, this location felt different. It has that uneasy mix of “we probably shouldn’t be here” and “we have no idea if someone else might be here, too.” The scale, isolation, and the site’s former purpose make it feel unusually tense and fascinating at the same time.

One moment from that visit is still stuck in my head. I stepped into the giant generator hall and a warm Mediterranean breeze pushed through the openings in the building. A few pigeons flew into the air as I moved, and the whole space answered with that low, hollow hum of wind through concrete and steel. And in that hum I swore I could hear music—faint, drifting, impossible to place. For a second I thought it might be “Break On Through” by The Doors. The idea was absurd, and I knew it, but the thought wouldn’t let go.

I snapped a few photos in a hurry, picked up a couple of papers that were scattered across the floor in a side room, and headed back to the truck where my wife was waiting. Without saying much, I asked her to take a quick look inside the hall as well. She went, came back, and when I asked if she’d noticed anything, she just said: “Somehow it sounded like a radio was playing somewhere…”

Maybe it was only wind, imagination, acoustics, or something else entirely—but for a place that used to broadcast music across continents, it felt strangely fitting to leave with the sense that it might still be whispering.

I’m sharing a few photos from our visit because it’s such a unique overland waypoint: part Cold War history, part abandoned mega-infrastructure, part reminder that even the biggest projects can end up quietly fading back into the landscape.

Note: As always with abandoned sites—be respectful, don’t force entry, and use common sense. Conditions can change, and places like this can be unpredictable.

The last picture shows the beach we stayed for the night. The Generator Building can be seen to the very left.

 

[Jenzz]

When we bought the RAM from the original owner with just 16,000 km on the odometer, we immediately knew we’d be redoing the entire interior build-out. The L-shaped bed layout meant you had to sleep with your feet overlapping—completely impractical. On top of that, the overall space utilization had some major shortcomings, and from our architect’s perspective the design was, frankly, unacceptable.

So we started the way we always do: sketches first, then a scale model, and then it was time to get to work.

Our layout makes much better use of the available interior space, gives us noticeably more usable counter/work surface, and the 195 cm interior width is plenty for me to sleep comfortably with my body oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel.

One thing we really appreciate is that the fridge is still easily accessible through the open rear tailgate—super convenient on quick stops. And even with the roof closed, we can still sit up comfortably inside and sleep without any hassle.

 

[mog]

So we started the way we always do: sketches first, then a scale model, and then it was time to get to work.

Awesome CAD (Cardboard Aided Design)

 

[Jenzz]

Haha, true. There’s nothing better than a tangible three-dimensional model. Since I earned my architecture degree back in 2000, I’m probably part of the last generation that still drew in ink and could build competition-level architectural models. The second photo shows one of the models from my diploma project. It’s aged a bit after 25 years, but I still keep it in a drawer.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

What an amazing rig! Following along.