Diesel News 01.07.19

Truck of the Week

Derek Rose’s 3,500 LB-FT Dodge

Goes on a Strict Diet

In preparation for this year’s Ultimate Callout Challenge, two-time U.C.C. runner-up, Derek Rose has shaved more than a thousand pounds off of his regular cab, center-drive Dodge’s curb weight. On top of that, a few more weight saving measures may still be in store for this nasty Cummins, including fiberglass doors. Rose’s goal is to apply 1,500 to 1,700 hp to the drag strip and once again make somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 hp and 3,500 lb-ft of torque on the rollers. If all goes according to plan, look for this UCC regular to storm through the quarter-mile in the mid 8’s. Could 2019 be the year Rose goes all the way?

Highlights

Fastest Duramax Pickup in the Land?

It’s For Sale

Tony Rizzi, owner of the the Outcast, the ‘37 Chevy pickup that’s been mixing things up with the crew at Street Outlaws in the ‘405, is entertaining the idea of selling it, or the engine and transmission out of it—for the right price. The 3,250-pound Chevy has been as fast as 171 mph through the eighth-mile thanks to a nitrous-huffing, single-turbo’d, Wagler-built short-stroke Duramax that turns as much as 7,800 rpm. Don’t worry, whether the truck (or its powertrain) sells or not, Rizzi isn’t going anywhere. Version 2.0 of the Outcast, a lighter, compound turbo’d, Wagler DX460-powered car, is set to debut later this year…

Cummins Performance

Big Power on the Way for the Nissan Titan XD…

Alright, who else is ready to see quality turbo kits available for the 5.0L Cummins-powered Nissan Titan? CFT Performance of Collinsville, Illinois has been working on a system based around a 5-blade S366 from Stainless Diesel, and it looks killer. The fabricated up-pipes alone are works of art, but they’re also said to perform as good as they look (aiding spool up and dropping drive pressure). Testing thus far has shown that the Stainless Diesel charger, which sports a 74mm turbine wheel inside a T4 0.91 A/R exhaust housing, can produce as much as 65 psi of boost with drive pressure remaining near 50 psi.

OEM News

Ford Sales

900,000 F-Series Trucks in 2018

It’s official. Ford trucks are (still) selling like hot cakes. In 2018, some 909,330 brand-new F-series pickups left dealership lots (up 1.4 percent), with a whopping 87,772 being sold in December alone. Ford also ended the calendar year with 10 straight months of truck sales higher than 70,000 units. Record transaction prices were also observed in 2018, with higher trim models seeing increased demand. On top of that, 2018 marked the 42nd consecutive year that Ford’s F-series has been America’s best-selling truck. In the grand scheme of things, Ford sold 2,497,318 total vehicles last year, which means its trucks made up 36.4 percent of that figure.

Powertrain OE Supplier Award

Raybestos Powertrain

On January 2, the Raybestos Powertrain plant in Sullivan, Indiana, was given the GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award for their outstanding performance during 2017. This is no ordinary achievement, as GM’s stringent criteria for the award includes having zero customer complaints for 12 months, and producing less than one defective part per million (PPM). GM also employs an extensive OE supplier scoring system to track manufacturing analytics for its suppliers (for PR/R’s, severity scores, and plant disruptions). This is the second year in a row that Raybestos has received the GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award.

Parts Rack

RaceFlux

Nylon Braided Fuel Lines

Piecing together your own fuel system or replacing hoses? Check out RaceFlux’s lightweight Nylon braided Viton hose. The company’s RH1 hose is 33-percent lighter than stainless braided hose, carries a 300-psi maximum operating pressure and is said to be easier to assemble and work with. The 4-layer hose features a Viton inner bore, embedded stainless steel reinforcement layer, an epichlorohydrin synthetic rubber layer, and an abrasion-resistant Nylon outer layer. It is certified for use with diesel, biodiesel, as well as race gas and even ethanol-based fuels. RaceFlux also claims its hose won’t deteriorate, dry out, harden, or permeate fuel.

Duramax Engine Lifting Plate Assembly

From Wagler

Whether you’re a technician, machinist or weekend hobbyist playing with Duramax engines, Wagler Competition Products just made life a whole lot easier for you. Its engine lifting plate assembly mounts directly to the block (in the same location as the turbo pedestal) and utilizes a lifting eye that’s positioned toward the front of the plate to maintain center of gravity when pulling the engine/block. The plate comes with the required eyebolt and nuts, three M12 mounting bolts, and retails for $185. Wagler’s engine lifting plate assembly fits all ’01-‘16 Duramax engines, but does not work on L5P mills.