Army Vet’s 2019 Ram 1500 Warlock Gets a Free “Dream Build” From YouTube ChannelEight years before he'd earn his captain's bars, Josh M. was sitting in an 8th grade English classroom when history changed. "I always sort of had a push or a desire to join the military ever since I was really young," he said. "I remember sitting in 8th grade English class, watching the towers fall in real time. That confirmed it for me."From that moment, his path was set. He completed an ROTC program, served a deployment to Kuwait with the Second Brigade, and rose to the rank of captain as an infantry officer. He came home, kept his head down, and bought himself a 2019 Ram 1500 Classic Warlock. It's his daily driver, his family hauler, and the truck that pulls his camper across upstate New York winters.YouTube channel AmericanTrucks recently handed him something he didn't ask for: a complete dream build, free of charge, as part of the channel's second veteran-focused giveaway. The full video dropped earlier this year, and the parts list alone tells you this wasn't a light touch-up.Everything That Went Into the BuildThe truck arrived stock with its factory suspension, the original small infotainment screen, and a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 that Josh had grown to resent for one specific reason – the Multi-Displacement System, which drops the engine to four-cylinder operation under light loads. Before the build got underway, Josh made one thing crystal clear to the team: getting rid of that cylinder deactivation for good was at the top of his list.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Whatever you guys can do to make sure that I never have to worry about that four-cylinder deactivation again would be fantastic," he told the team before the build kicked off. When asked how far they should go overall, his answer was simple enough: "Let's do it all. Justin, let's do it all."The suspension work came first. A ReadyLIFT Tow Haul Sport system went in at both ends, providing roughly 2.25 to 2.5 inches of front leveling lift via aluminum-body Falcon monotube shocks and tubular upper control arms up front, paired with Falcon piggyback rear shocks featuring a three-position compression/rebound adjustment dial. To address the camper-towing squat Josh regularly dealt with, the team added an Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 air spring kit capable of up to 5,000 pounds of load-leveling support, controlled wirelessly through a single-path management system with a 444C compressor and two-gallon tank. The whole setup aired up to 65 PSI during testing without a hiccup. Stopping power got an upgrade too, with PowerStop Z36 drilled-and-slotted rotors and carbon fiber pads sized for truck and trailer duty.Living in the rust belt, Josh had a practical ask for the exhaust: stainless steel, not too loud, family-friendly. The team fitted a Flowmaster Signature Series setup in 304 stainless with black chrome tips – and by all accounts it delivered exactly the deep, measured tone that works for a truck that hauls kids as often as it hauls cargo.Out front, a Chassis Unlimited Octane Series bumper in 3/16-inch plate steel replaced the factory unit, making room for a Barricade 12,500-pound winch and a full suite of Morimoto lighting. That includes Morimoto XRGB Evo headlights with RGB-controllable daytime running lights, amber sequential turn signals, and supercharged LED drivers that can boost output by 30 percent when used off-road. Banger series fog lights and ditch lights – the latter pumping out more than 6,000 lumens in a spot-flood combo — round out a truck that can genuinely illuminate a snowstorm. A matching Octane rear bumper, Morimoto Gen 2 XB LED smoked tail lights, and a rapid-flash third brake light tied the lighting package together at the back end.AdvertisementAdvertisementFuel Sledge wheels – 20×10 with a negative 18mm offset in matte black and gloss black – went on wrapped in Atturo Trailblade ATS rubber carrying the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe snow conditions. A practical necessity for Western New York. Go Rhino electric power boards handle the added step height now that the truck sits taller.Inside, the factory screen was pulled and replaced with a Linkswell XL head unit running a 15.6-inch display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and integrated climate controls. Heated seat pads went in under the factory cushions, then the whole thing was recovered in black leather with red stitching from Kustom Interiors. The team also swapped the worn steering wheel for a fresh unit to match.Under the hood, an aFe Momentum GT cold air intake, a silver bullet throttle body spacer, and a JNL oil separator joined a DiabloSport Trinity T2 tuner paired with a new PCM. The tuner handles the cylinder deactivation delete Josh specifically wanted, and with 93-octane fuel loaded it's estimated to unlock 20 to 30 additional rear-wheel horsepower and around 20 lb-ft of torque. Nobody buys a 5.7 HEMI to listen to half its cylinders loafing down the interstate – a point the host drove home without much ceremony: "You don't buy a V8, a 5.7 Hemi to hear a four-cylinder while cruising on the highway."Josh's Reaction Says EnoughWhen the truck was finally uncovered, Josh's response was amazing. There was no pause, no measured composure, just four words that said everything: "Holy crap… You nailed it. You more than nailed it. This is amazing. I appreciate it." He later added: "I feel so undeserving. This is just a super humbling experience. The things you guys do for vets is amazing."AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Warlock nameplate has an interesting backstory – Dodge originally used it in the 1970s as part of a custom-truck package, and Ram resurrected it for the outgoing-generation 1500 Classic as a way to keep that platform competitive once the all-new model arrived. Josh's version now goes considerably further than anything that rolled off the assembly line, with genuine towing capability, lighting that would embarrass most purpose-built off-roaders, and a V8 that finally runs the way a V8 should. For a truck that spends most of its life towing a family camper through upstate New York winters, that's not excess. That's just the right build.
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