Inside Our Custom 2023 RAM 2500 Build
March 23, 2026
We Installed a Kelderman Air Ride Kit on a Ram Cummins — Here’s Everything That Went Into It
What We Built
When the winner of our latest giveaway told us he already loved his Ram Cummins but had one dream mod left—a Kelderman air ride lift kit—we knew we had to make it happen. What started as “how hard can one lift kit be?” turned into a 150-plus-hour, three-week adventure that pushed our shop, our mechanic, and our sanity to the limit.
The finished product? A fully custom, powder-coated Kelderman air ride suspension giving 1 to 9 inches of adjustable ride height, paired with new wheels, tires, mirrors, and a long list of details that turned Christian’s truck into something he says doesn’t even look like his anymore—in the best way possible.
Below is the full breakdown of every part that went into this build and what the install actually looked like from start to finish.
Who We Built It For
Christian won our last Custom Offsets giveaway. He already had his dream truck—a Ram Cummins in Del Monaco Red—running a leveling kit, Fox suspension, and a set of wheels and tires sized for a 3-inch lift. But the one mod he’d been chasing was a Kelderman air ride kit, and he hadn’t pulled the trigger yet. So we did it for him—and then went above and beyond with powder coating, new wheels, tires, mirrors, and more.
Kelderman Air Ride Lift Kit
The centerpiece of the entire build is the Kelderman air ride lift kit. Technically rated as a 5- to 6-inch kit, the air ride functionality gives an adjustable range from about 1 inch all the way up to 9 inches, with a comfortable cruising height around 5 to 6 inches.
These are not mass-produced, bolt-on kits. Every Kelderman kit ships with its own serial number and is built for specific applications. The company comes from an agricultural background, and that heritage shows in the engineering—heavy-duty track bar brackets, new front track bar with heim joints, a redesigned pitman arm, beefier sway bars, air bags, accumulator tanks, an air management system, height sensors, and all the plumbing and wiring to tie it together.
Fun fact: Kelderman actually flies mechanics to their home base to certify them before they’re allowed to install their products. That alone tells you the level of complexity involved.
Custom Powder Coating — Illusion Cherry to Match Del Monaco Red
Rather than leaving the Kelderman components in their factory black finish, we sent the entire kit out for custom powder coating. The goal was to color match Christian’s Del Monaco Red—one of the hardest Ram colors to match. Our powder coat shop used an Illusion Cherry finish, and in sunlight the suspension and the truck’s paint are nearly identical. It was a months-long lead time to get it right, but the result speaks for itself.
Wheels: ARKON FORGED Anvil (24x14)
Christian’s old wheel and tire setup was specced for a 3-inch lift, so jumping to 6 inches meant new rollers. ARKON FORGED stepped up with their brand-new Anvil in a 24x14 size. The real chrome overlays on these wheels pop against the Del Monaco Red paint and Illusion Cherry suspension—exactly the aggressive, clean look this build called for.
Tires: Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T (37x14.50)
Wrapped around the Anvils is a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T tires in 37x14.50. They add serious beef underneath the truck to match the new ride height and wider stance. The Baja Boss M/T is known for its off-road grip and aggressive sidewall styling while still being streetable—a great pairing for a lifted Cummins that’s going to see both pavement and the occasional dirt road.
Tow Mirrors: Boost Auto Chrome Tow Mirrors
When Christian’s truck arrived, the passenger mirror and driver mirror didn’t match—one was from a fourth-gen and didn’t work, and the other was floppy. We remedied that with a full set of Boost Auto chrome tow mirrors. Every function works the way it should now, including switchback turn signals. Christian specifically wanted the chrome look, and these delivered. As a bonus, the new mirrors also restored his blind-spot monitoring, which had been throwing dash warnings because the old mirror sensor was shot.
Additional Mods and Fixes
Beyond the headliners, we knocked out a handful of smaller items that added up to a much more complete build:
- Replaced a shattered passenger window and retinted the front two windows.
- Swapped the chrome exhaust tip for a Polar Diesel polished stainless tip that won’t rust.
- Installed new wheel sensors to eliminate the dash warning lights (“Christmas tree” as Christian called it).
- Removed and reinstalled the truck bed to access weld points for accumulator tank brackets and other rear suspension components.
The Install: 150+ Hours of Blood, Sweat, and Pry Bars
Week 1 — Tear-Down
The truck went up on frame stands instead of a lift so we’d have a clear floor underneath—helpful when every Kelderman bracket weighs a small fortune. Front bumper came off first, then both drive shafts, followed by a full strip of the front axle: steering, radius arms, leveling-kit spacers, shocks, and brake lines. We moved to the rear, pulling the factory shocks and sway bar to make room for the air bags and new sway bar end links. By the end of the first week, the truck was torn apart and we’d barely started reassembly.
Week 2 — Rear Suspension and Welding
With the original two-week timeline slipping, Christian gave us a crucial third week. The rear got upper and lower bag mounts (including drilling new holes), the beefier powder-coated sway bar, and accumulator tanks welded to frame-mounted brackets. We also pulled the bed off the truck for better welding access—something Kelderman recommends and we initially tried to skip. Lesson learned.
Week 3 — Front Suspension, Transfer Case, Wiring, and Plumbing
The front was even more involved. The new Kelderman pitman arm went in—tapered on the bottom instead of the top so the drag link angle works with the added lift. The transfer case had to come out, get clocked, and go back in with a new Kelderman crossmember. A sway bar bracket required cutting, grinding, drilling, tacking, welding, and re-bolting to a very inconvenient spot on the frame.
Then came all the plumbing (air lines to each bag and accumulator tank) and wiring (air management system, height sensors, in-cab controls). This alone was a multi-day effort. The mirrors and finishing touches wrapped up the final day.
Is a Kelderman Kit Worth It?
In a word: yes—but go in with your eyes open. This is not a read-the-instructions, bolt-it-in lift kit. You need welding capability, specialty tools, and a solid understanding of how your truck’s suspension, drivetrain, and electronics work. Our mechanic put it best: “I’m probably going to pay Kelderman to put the next one in.”
That said, the ride quality difference is night and day. Christian immediately noticed how much smoother the air ride felt compared to his old Fox setup, even on rough roads. The adjustable height—from slammed to well over stock—is a game-changer for anyone who tows, hauls, or just wants their truck to look right in every situation.
Christian’s Reaction
When Christian saw the truck for the first time, he was shaking. His words: “It doesn’t even look like my truck anymore—it’s so much better than what I expected.” From the color-matched suspension to the chrome Arkon wheels to the working mirrors and clean dash, every detail came together to turn his already-loved Cummins into something he says he might need to wrap in bubble wrap.
That’s the goal. Build it right, give back to those who deserve it, and make someone’s dream truck a reality.
Full Parts List
- Kelderman Air Ride Lift Kit (5–6″, adjustable 1–9″ with air ride)
- Custom Illusion Cherry Powder Coating (color-matched to Del Monaco Red)
- ARKON FORGED Anvil Wheels — 24x14
- Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T Tires — 37x14.50
- Boost Auto Chrome Tow Mirrors with Switchback Turn Signals
- Polar Diesel Polished Stainless Exhaust Tip
- New Wheel Sensors
- Replacement Passenger Window + Front Window Retint
