HEADLINES: Cummins Killer III Dominates At Diesels In Dark Corners XIII

Throughout all the ups and downs the Cummins Killer team has faced over the years, one thing is clear: when they win, they tend to do it in spectacular fashion. Such was the case over the weekend in White Plains, Georgia. On Friday night, driver Craig Dickey put the infamous Super Stock GMC out front by more than 10 feet at Diesels In Dark Corners XIII, traveling a total of 362 feet. The following night, Dickey did it again with a 348-foot effort. But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the weekend sweep was the information Wagler Competition Products shared from the truck’s Corsa data logger.

4,400+ Horsepower

According to Cummins Killer’s winning pass at DIDC on Friday night, a colossal 4,424 hp was on tap. How did the Corsa data acquisition system spit out this number? By outfitting the driveshaft with strain gauges which register force, torque is measured. Then, much like an engine dyno does, horsepower is calculated from torque. As for the 3,726 lb-ft torque number, it’s lower than horsepower due to running the Wagler DX460 Duramax upstairs (6,349 rpm!). Also notice the safe, 1.3:1 drive-to-boost pressure ratio (169 psi vs. 131 psi) and cool EGT numbers. Without a doubt, the P-pumped Duramax was a happy camper. On Saturday night, the engine saw nearly 6,800 rpm, turned out 3,374 lb-ft, and made 4,245 hp.

King Of The Street

Josh McCormack Wins Again

Speaking of sweeps, Josh McCormack pulled off a KOS three-peat over the weekend. Front-of-the-pack consistency gave him the edge for the third year in a row, and a well-tested combination once again brought home the hardware. His third-gen Cummins went 6.40s through the eighth-mile, made 2,545 hp on the dyno (second only to Chris Patterson’s 3,075 number), ran the third quickest dirt drag, earned a second in the dirty drag eliminations, won the sled pull, and completed the 100-mile drive in trouble-free fashion. His chassis dyno performance ranks high on the list of factory, non-sleeved block 6.7L Cummins records, and the 2,545hp figure was made on a set of DDP 250-percent over injectors (along with dual 14mm Exergy CP3’s).

Unique Find

A Factory Production 12-Valve Common-Rail?

When Willie Holden of Holden Bros. Diesel laid eyes on this factory (yes, factory) 12-valve common-rail Cummins, he knew it was coming home with him. Sourced from Cummins of Dong Feng, China, its original destination would’ve likely been in a medium-duty or bus application. At first glance, the 12-valve features a unique head casting and injector hold-downs, as well as a cast-iron timing case. Holden also disclosed that the reluctor wheel is on the camshaft, the crankshaft sensor is on the flywheel in the bell housing, and that the MAP sensor is in the intake. Holden’s short-term goals are to see how well-mannered the 12-valve application can be at elevated horsepower, and namely how well it can spool a bigger turbo, how clean it can be made to run, and how convenient on-the-fly tuning changes would be. Stay tuned. We’ll be following this one.

Transmission Tech

A Stronger 48RE

Cracked 48RE transmission cases have plagued high-horsepower Cummins owners for years, but Firepunk Diesel will soon have an off-the-shelf solution. The company’s SFI-rated transmission case features a heavy-duty overdrive case with thicker flanges (less prone to cracking) and extra webbing across the second gear band area. The race-ready case is also equipped with converter lockup pressure ports to monitor converter pressure, additional pressure ports for each gear (to see all circuits independently), and a bolt-on bellhousing. Once available, Firepunk will even swap its built 48RE customers over to the new case very affordably.