In the popular Facebook video, the Honey Badger takes down a Cobra in one fell swoop. In real life, our 2002 Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins dually Honey Badger project truck can smoke a Mustang into submission. That’s just how it rolls.
When a just-off-the-lot Ford Mustang came up behind Chris Searle, owner of the Honey Badger, on the two-lane country road, the driver thought he would prove the point that his Mattel Hot Wheel version of a car was the superior model.
“After he rode my bumper for almost a mile without passing, I thought to myself, ‘Really?’” says Searle. “So I dropped the hammer on him and covered his vehicle in smoke. It’s not my fault the sun roof was open.”
From that point on, the Mustang kept its distance, not even daring to come close at the next stop sign.
“I stayed put for a little extra time so he could catch back up to me,” recalls Searle. “But he wouldn’t even get within four car lengths of me.”
Nice try, Mustang, but you have no idea what you’re dealing with here.
The Honey Badger was a virtual zombie of the diesel truck world when Searle found it. This old tow vehicle had 200,000 plus miles on it and looked like a heap of junk. But that’s the great thing about this build. Breathing new life into a truck can be done and that’s what he set out to do.
A Rebirth
Before we get into the new stuff, let’s recap. The first part of the build focused on how it breathed with the addition of an S&B Stage 3 cold air intake system, an Edge Attitude CTS and a 4-inch Turboback exhaust kit. The next part of the build focused on power delivery with a complete overhaul of the transmission. The fuel system was up for the third part of the build with a new lift pump from AirDog, a new Bosh VP-44 injector pump from Certified Injection and 50hp injector nozzles from Dynomite Diesel Performance.
In the last part of the build we added some serious power in the form of a new turbo. We replaced the stock turbo with a new D-Tech 62mm turbocharger from Diesel Power Source. The new turbo was a great fit for the Honey Badger delivering more power, but still remaining a great daily driver.
Outward Appearance
With all the power mods finished, we got right to work addressing how the truck looked. We wanted the Honey Badger to stand out from all the trucks on the road. Most importantly, we wanted the styling to be aggressive and intimidating but still be practical for Searle, who at a whopping 5-foot, 7-inches tall doesn’t need any more height challenges in his day-to-day world.
“When I was designing the overall look, I was going for something squatty and intimidating,” says Searle. “Like the feeling you would get if you were between a fat woman and the last Twinkie on earth.”
To help us get the vision right, we went to Custom Auto in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Bed Bars
To make the Honey Badger have a uniquely different profile than other trucks on the road, we decided to go with Go Rhino!’s bed bar. This bed bar was a great choice because the black powder coat finish fit perfectly with the color scheme of the truck.
The best part of the bed bars is the reaction it receives from people.
“It’s not something that you usually see on duallies,” admits Searle. “I see a lot of diesel drivers taking a double-take at the truck.”
Installation of the bars in the bed of the truck was simple and easy, thanks to the bolt-together design that leaves no exposed welds. Having assembled it outside of the truck on the floor, we lifted it into the bed where we wanted it, marked the drill holes and moved it out of the way. After having drilled the bolt holes, we moved it back into position and secured it with the proper bolts.
The provided plastic gaskets to eliminate metal-to-metal contact and the 5-year warranty were also nice touches.
Sidebars
At the same time as the bed bars, sidebars were added to help make the look of the Honey Badger remain solid. We went with Go Rhino!’s 6-inch O.E. Xtreme Sidebars that were designed perfectly to match up with the truck’s cab body. Also black powder-coated, the sidebars were a great addition to the low, sleek look of the Honey Badger.
What we really loved was the easy installation. Brackets were included to help secure the custom-fitted bar to the side of the truck—no drilling was required. This is a great way to help keep rust to a minimum.
The bars also come with black plastic end caps and UV-resistant step bars. Go Rhino! also delivered extra peace of mind with a limited lifetime warranty.
Bumpers
For the Honey Badger, the stock bumpers definitely did not help the truck look intimidating at all. To help upgrade the looks of the bumpers, we purchased new front and rear bumpers from Buckstop, which was a great fit for the truck.
“I really like the look of their Outback bumpers,” says Searle. “Wanting the lower profile truck with the meatier feel to it and wanting the truck to have more of a wider profile to it, the Outback really fit my needs.”
Both bumpers were black powder-coated from the factory to match the look of the Honey Badger. The front bumper extends above with bars to protect the grill and headlights. We love that it includes a fully-enclosed winch area if we decide to add it later.
We were most impressed with its durability during the installation process. The first indication was its weight. The new front bumper is almost 190 pounds heavier than stock and it took a forklift and three people to finish the installation.
Thankfully, we were pleased to find that the installation went quite smoothly, requiring no welding or drilling. The bumper mounted extremely well with Custom Auto making the comment that, out of all of the bumpers they have done, this one was engineered the best. The bolts were in great spots, the mounts were all in the right places and the additional support was spot-on.
“Not only was the quality there on the outside, but from the installation you just got a feeling how durable the bumper was because of what was underneath it,” says Searle.
Installation for the rear bumper went smoothly. The rear bumper includes opening for 4-inch reverse lights. Together, the new bumpers provided the one element that the Honey Badger was missing: intimidation.
“I can see when I am driving down the road and have a little car driving towards me, you can see the intimidation in their eyes,” says Searle with a smile.
Light It Up
The items up next for an upgrade were the lights. We wanted to make sure that the Honey Badger gave other drivers something nice to look at before and after we pass them on the road.
For the lights we needed ones that matched well with the design of the truck. We decided to go with AnzoUSA for all of the lights because they have one of the largest selections out there. They had a great selection for our older truck so we easily found some lights that we knew would look great on the truck.
For the taillights, we decided to go with a full LED setup. Proven to be more durable and longer lasting, LED lights also help to make things safer with quicker illumination and visibility. The lens for the lights are smoked and once installed, looked really slick against the black of the Honey Badger. We also updated the dually fender and dome lamps with brighter amber LED lights.
We also went with AnzoUSA to help with keeping the road ahead lit up bright with projector headlamps. In line with the rest of the lights we installed, the lenses are also smoked.
“They really help with visibility at night, getting rid of the yellow, dingy color of the old lights,” adds Searle. “They look really slick on the truck.”
Wheels And Tires
For the Honey Badger, the stock wheels just weren’t cutting it. They were in need of a serious upgrade. To do just that, we went to KMC Wheels. Once we saw their 17-inch XD766 Rock Star matte black wheels, we knew it would be the perfect fit.
It was a great match because the matte black was exactly what we were looking for to complete the look of the Honey Badger. Also, Searle loved the way the thicker spokes looked.
“The thicker spokes were a lot meatier and gave a lot more of a solid feel to the wheel,” says Searle.
The tires that were on the truck when it was purchased were also in need of a replacement with not much tread left. The old tires were replaced with Falken Tire’s aggressive-looking Wildpeak LT245/70R17 tires.
A Sight To Behold
With all of the modifications to the exterior finished, the Honey Badger is almost complete. We like to think, though, that it is a new beginning for the truck. It’s truly a daily driver for Searle, who has given it the guts to keep going for double the 200,000 miles it already had in place.
Now the truck has major attitude, but that’s just one of the few reasons it never fails to turn heads.
“Yes, I’m using my truck to compensate for my small arms,” says Searle. “Even T-Rex can drive the Honey Badger.”
