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’48 Fiat: John Robinson’s Power Service Altered

One of the most colorful characters in diesel drag racing today is John Robinson, who campaigns the Power Service Altered that’s run a best of 6.72 seconds at 212 mph in the quarter mile. John is also known for his off-the-track antics, whether it’s blasting his golf cart’s train horns at other racers, or flying remote control helicopters into their pits. “This racing stuff is supposed to be fun,” commented John, “It’s serious business of course, and money and egos are involved, but we all got into this to have a good time, right?” John’s easygoing nature and honesty have earned him fans throughout the country, where he can be seen running in the Top Dragster class at a variety of NHRA events.

The fast '48 Fiat-bodied altered has a chassis built to Top Fuel Funny Car specs, and comes in at 2,670 pounds with driver and fuel. The engine responsible for the fast times is a 2,500 horsepower Cummins-based power plant that's built by Scheid Diesel. Capable of 6,000 rpm engine speeds and more than 3,000 lb-ft of torque, it's truly a monster.
The fast ’48 Fiat-bodied altered has a chassis built to Top Fuel Funny Car specs, and comes in at 2,670 pounds with driver and fuel. The engine responsible for the fast times is a 2,500 horsepower Cummins-based power plant that’s built by Scheid Diesel. Capable of 6,000 rpm engine speeds and more than 3,000 lb-ft of torque, it’s truly a monster.

2,500 horsepower aluminum-block Cummins from Scheid Diesel

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

While John’s ’48 Fiat-bodied altered is extremely impressive, John’s drag racing experience came from humble beginnings. To promote his shop, Texas Diesel Power, John built a dragster with a mild Cummins engine back nearly a decade ago. “I think our first pass was in the ‘9s, if I remember right…a lot of people thought that was pretty slow for a dragster, but every pass we made progress and learned something,” said John. Eventually, on towing twins and a 47RH-based transmission, John’s dragster dipped into the 8-second zone, catching the attention of some curious companies.

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FUNNY BUSINESS

In 2009, John teamed up with Power Service Diesel Additives to campaign something a little different…a diesel funny car. Having a sponsor also meant that John could step up his engine and transmission program to a 1,800-hp monster backed by a Powerglide, then later a Lenco transmission. The ‘8s were soon a thing of the past, as John quickly went from ‘8s to ‘7s in his new car. “We learned a lot and got a pretty good handle on things with that car,” said John. “We went a best of 7.40s at more than 180 mph, but that still wasn’t fast enough to hang out with the NHRA guys, so we decided to step our program up once again and shoot for Top Dragster.”

John's 6-second office is quite sparse, with only the bare essentials needed to go a quarter mile at a time. The fit inside the Funny Car Cage is a tight fit, and buttons or handles for shifting, boost management, and to deploy the parachutes are all close within reach.
John’s 6-second office is quite sparse, with only the bare essentials needed to go a quarter mile at a time. The fit inside the Funny Car Cage is a tight fit, and buttons or handles for shifting, boost management, and to deploy the parachutes are all close within reach.
The Cummins aluminum block cuts more than 100 pounds of weight as compared to iron, and is filled with only the best parts. A 6.7L crank, Scheid connecting rods, and 12:1 compression Arias pistons give the engine a 6.4L displacement. Upper-end parts include a Scheid roller camshaft and 12-valve head from Hamilton Cams, which flows nearly twice as much air as a stock cylinder head.
The Cummins aluminum block cuts more than 100 pounds of weight as compared to iron, and is filled with only the best parts. A 6.7L crank, Scheid connecting rods, and 12:1 compression Arias pistons give the engine a 6.4L displacement. Upper-end parts include a Scheid roller camshaft and 12-valve head from Hamilton Cams, which flows nearly twice as much air as a stock cylinder head.
A dry sump oiling system keeps the oil pressure up no matter if the engine speeds are high or low. Also visible in the photo is the Fluidampr balancer that ensures happy and healthy bearing life even with consistent 6,000 rpm engine speeds.
A dry sump oiling system keeps the oil pressure up no matter if the engine speeds are high or low. Also visible in the photo is the Fluidampr balancer that ensures happy and healthy bearing life even with consistent 6,000 rpm engine speeds.
Another safety feature are these cool pop-off valves designed to release pressure in case of a failure that leaks compression into the oiling system. If crankcase pressure exceeds 15 psi, they'll pop up, and keep oil losses to a minimum, as well as ensuring no fluid hits the track surface.
Another safety feature are these cool pop-off valves designed to release pressure in case of a failure that leaks compression into the oiling system. If crankcase pressure exceeds 15 psi, they’ll pop up, and keep oil losses to a minimum, as well as ensuring no fluid hits the track surface.

TOP FUEL

Although Top Dragster is a bracket class within the NHRA, only the quickest 32 cars qualify, and often the bump spot is in the low 7 or high 6-second range. If John wanted to run in the NHRA, he would need to be able to hit consistent high ‘6s in the quarter mile. “With Dan (Scheid) already running ‘6s in his rail, I knew exactly who I should talk to,” said John.

With a Top Fuel Funny Car chassis and the Lenco transmission sorted out, all John needed was the power to run the number: “Power Service helped us out big time on that one,” said John, “We couldn’t have built our current combination without them.” While 1,800 horsepower might seem like a lot, John took the plunge and upgraded another 700 horsepower—to a 2,500 horsepower aluminum-block Cummins from Scheid Diesel. “I’m proud of the engine we built for the Funny Car, but I’m also proud to say we now have a Scheid motor,” said John. The engine has been ultra-reliable, and was just what the team needed for that extra push into the 6-second zone.

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6.72 seconds at 212 mph in the quarter mile

Since Funny Cars aren’t allowed in Top Dragster, John switched the body over to a ’48 Fiat, so he would be legal at both NHRA events and diesel outlaw races. Even with a mild tune up, the new engine has pushed the car to consistent high 6-second passes, with a string of ‘6.80s and a best of 6.72 at 212 in the quarter. “We’re still figuring things out, and we still haven’t really leaned on it hard,” said John. He thought for a second then laughed: “Our EGTs are only about 1,100-1,200 degrees at the end of the track; you know we got those parachutes to tow!” With the dip into the 6-second zone also came a lot more exposure, including a recent NHRA “Best Engineered” award. “The fans just love this thing, especially if they’ve never seen anything like it before…we need more of these things out here!” said John. With his recent success, John shows no sign of slowing down. “We’re going to keep doing this until we get tired of it, but as of right now, we’re just getting started. You wait and see!” DW

Safety is integrated into the turbo system, just like the rest of the engine. If John ever gets out of control, he can use this air shutoff to cut the engine's power.
Safety is integrated into the turbo system, just like the rest of the engine. If John ever gets out of control, he can use this air shutoff to cut the engine’s power.
John's altered has a very extensive breather system to help reduce crankcase pressure to nearly nothing. One breather is on the dry sump can, while two other vents extend from the engine, through the frame rails and into a catch can back by the rear axle.
John’s altered has a very extensive breather system to help reduce crankcase pressure to nearly nothing. One breather is on the dry sump can, while two other vents extend from the engine, through the frame rails and into a catch can back by the rear axle.
Most p-pump engines are based upon the Bosch P7100 pump, but John's engine uses a highly modified P8600 unit, with 14mm plungers, a custom pump camshaft, and coatings throughout the unit. Built by Scheid Diesel, the injection pump is capable of more than 1,000 cc of fuel flow.
Most p-pump engines are based upon the Bosch P7100 pump, but John’s engine uses a highly modified P8600 unit, with 14mm plungers, a custom pump camshaft, and coatings throughout the unit. Built by Scheid Diesel, the injection pump is capable of more than 1,000 cc of fuel flow.
Massive injectors are needed to support 2,500 horsepower, and again, Scheid Diesel got the call. Compared to stock units, the triple-feed 5x30 injectors are a whopping 1,100 percent larger than factory sticks.
Massive injectors are needed to support 2,500 horsepower, and again, Scheid Diesel got the call. Compared to stock units, the triple-feed 5×30 injectors are a whopping 1,100 percent larger than factory sticks.
A simple turbo setup isn't in the cards when this type of horsepower is involved. Compound turbos combine to send 143 pounds of boost into the engine. The "smaller" of the two chargers is an 88mm turbo from Precision Turbo, while the large turbo is a 114mm Holset HX82-based turbo.
A simple turbo setup isn’t in the cards when this type of horsepower is involved. Compound turbos combine to send 143 pounds of boost into the engine. The “smaller” of the two chargers is an 88mm turbo from Precision Turbo, while the large turbo is a 114mm Holset HX82-based turbo.
With an engine program like John's, airflow modifications are incorporated into virtually every part of the engine. A side-draft individual runner intake from ZZ Fabrications is a big step up from the stock shelf intake and ensures that plenty of air gets fed to the Hamilton Cams cylinder head.
With an engine program like John’s, airflow modifications are incorporated into virtually every part of the engine. A side-draft individual runner intake from ZZ Fabrications is a big step up from the stock shelf intake and ensures that plenty of air gets fed to the Hamilton Cams cylinder head.
Early on in his racing career, John had a lot of broken parts from 2,000-plus degree exhaust gas temperatures. With the new engine, John wasn't taking any chances, and runs his 10 nozzle, 1,100-psi water injection system quite aggressively. With more than a gallon of water injected per 6-second pass, John's engine uses nearly as much water as it does fuel.
Early on in his racing career, John had a lot of broken parts from 2,000-plus degree exhaust gas temperatures. With the new engine, John wasn’t taking any chances, and runs his 10 nozzle, 1,100-psi water injection system quite aggressively. With more than a gallon of water injected per 6-second pass, John’s engine uses nearly as much water as it does fuel.
Quite a rear axle is needed to handle 3,000lb-ft of torque, and the 1.08-second 60ft times that come right after the launch. A Strange top-loader with 2.90 gears, straight-through 40 spline axles gets the call to handle the abuse. It's connected to the transmission via a 1-3/4 inch coupler, and is hard mounted to the chassis without any type of suspension other than tire and chassis flex.
Quite a rear axle is needed to handle 3,000lb-ft of torque, and the 1.08-second 60ft times that come right after the launch. A Strange top-loader with 2.90 gears, straight-through 40 spline axles gets the call to handle the abuse. It’s connected to the transmission via a 1-3/4 inch coupler, and is hard mounted to the chassis without any type of suspension other than tire and chassis flex.

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‘We’re still figuring things out, and we still haven’t really leaned on it hard.’ –John Robinson

A data-logging acquisition system is crucial to tuning, engine performance, and chassis tuning, so John turned to RacePak and helped develop an Iq3 system specifically for diesels.
A data-logging acquisition system is crucial to tuning, engine performance, and chassis tuning, so John turned to RacePak and helped develop an Iq3 system specifically for diesels.
Moving away from a diesel transmission meant going to a strong and light Lenco CS1 three speed transmission. Connecting the Lenco to the engine is a Browell bell housing and a 4-disc 10.7-inch Crower pedal clutch.
Moving away from a diesel transmission meant going to a strong and light Lenco CS1 three speed transmission. Connecting the Lenco to the engine is a Browell bell housing and a 4-disc 10.7-inch Crower pedal clutch.
A Steed Speed exhaust manifold with a T6 flange is both larger, better flowing, and tougher than a factory Cummins exhaust manifold. For John's engine, it was the perfect choice.
A Steed Speed exhaust manifold with a T6 flange is both larger, better flowing, and tougher than a factory Cummins exhaust manifold. For John’s engine, it was the perfect choice.

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