HEADLINES: An Old-School Surprise Arrives At SEMA
Plus Diesels In Dark Corners, a 10-second VP44 Cummins, and a strike-ending Ford/UAW contract.
The SEMA Show kicks off tomorrow, and if you’re walking the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center be on the lookout for this perfectly executed OBS Ford build. It’ll be parked at the PMF Suspension booth located in the West Hall. The build was born at Big Time Kustomz in New Jersey, and Connecticut-based North Coast Diesel Performance gave the OBS a cross-country ride to the show. PMF, Complete Performance, JeliBuilt Performance, XDP, Turbo Time Performance, POR-15 Inc., Elite Polish Worx and a host of others had a hand in the project—a project that proves there is no school like old-school.
Cutting-Edge Compounds
Another Lesson In Engine Art, Courtesy Of Firepunk
Some of the nicest custom fabrication work we’ve seen in the diesel industry comes out of the Firepunk stable. This particular Cummins build features a compound turbo arrangement spec’d for both big horsepower and the ultimate towing experience. Dual electronic wastegates from TurboSmart are onboard, and one wastegate is pre high-pressure (manifold) turbo, which is interesting. The first ‘gate feeds from the manifold into the hot-pipe—and the hot-pipe is gated into the downpipe. We’re not sure how this plays out in the real-world, but if Firepunk is attempting it you can bet they have data that backs it up.
From The ‘Strip
10-Second VP44 Dodge?
At his last drag race outing of the year, Jordan Blackard took the gloves off. His VP44-equipped second-gen Cummins—a truck that spent its summer competing in the ODSS 7.70 Index and ET Bracket classes—put up a 7.08-second eighth-mile at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. All the more impressive, he did it with 90hp DDP injectors and an S363 from GT Performance Turbochargers. Two big nitrous jets (a .110 with a .136) and perfect bottle pressure handled the rest. Take away the hop out of the hole and the 2-3 shift stutter on that pass and Jordan likely would’ve broken into the 6’s.
Upcoming Events
Truck Mayhem & Diesels In Dark Corners
With Old Man Winter approaching, the end-of-year events head southeast—and this weekend there are two blockbuster shows on tap. First, the thirteenth annual Diesels In Dark Corners will go down in White Plains, Georgia. The November 3rd and 4th truck and tractor pull serves up a side of show ‘n shine and a kiddie pedal tractor race, and is quickly becoming a must-attend event for pullers and spectators alike. Over at Piedmont Dragway in Julian, North Carolina, the first annual Truck Mayhem kicks off on Friday night. Drag racing, dirt drags, grudge pulls, a vendor’s midway, a show ‘n shine, and a concert fill up the 2-day schedule.
OEM News
Is The UAW Strike Against Ford Over?
Last Wednesday, Ford stated it had reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW regarding its U.S. operations, although all 57,000 of the automaker’s union workers have yet to approve of the contract. In it, workers will see a 25-percent increase in general wage, along with cost-of-living raises (which are rumored to bring the pay increase higher than 30-percent). Top-scale assembly plant employees will be brought above $40 per hour by the end of the 4-year contract. Taking note of Ford’s progress with the UAW, Stellantis has also reportedly struck a deal, leaving GM as the sole target of UAW leaders.
