Diesel News – Lost Two Icons – RIP Mike & Mike
Ride Of The Week
Riffraff Diesel’s Power Stroke-Swapped GT-R Tackles Pikes Peak
Never thought you’d see a diesel-swapped Nissan GT-R, did you? How about one with a 6.0L Powerstroke? That’s exactly what the folks at Riffraff Diesel Performance did when they decided to pursue the diesel record at America’s most infamous mountain climb. Their unique build combines two totally different automotive disciplines and, trust us, it’s like nothing you’ve seen before. The reinforced 6.0L benefits from KC Turbos’ race-ready chargers and is fed a steady diet of VP Racing Fuels’ Torq DX diesel. As you can see here, Nitrous Express is also along for the ride, with a bit of N2O helping to keep the Power Stroke up on boost during its 14,000-foot ascent.
Source: https://www.riffraffdiesel.com/
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Highlights
Are Hub Dynos Becoming The New Craze?
Things are about to get real at DDP, as the Idaho-based company has added a Dynocom hub dyno to its arsenal of tooling. Without question, it’s a tall order to get a pair of tires to maintain traction on a chassis dyno’s rollers these days, especially with 3,000 hp in the mix. For the new crop of mega-horsepower, U.C.C.-caliber trucks flooding the diesel scene, hub dynos may be the way to test and tune going forward. In addition to stepping up its dyno game, DDP has also invested in an AFM Microflow machine (perfecting its nozzle production processes) as well as a brand-new test stand.
Source: https://dynomitediesel.com/
Is $35K-$45K The Going Rate For A Clean Second-Gen?
One look at BringAtrailer.com and you can see how crazy the used diesel truck market has become. A clean, low-mile second-gen packing Cummins can carry a price tag of $35,000 or more—and sell! While the entirety of the used car market has taken a turn toward insane throughout the past two years, sites like this are proving that consumers are willing to fork over big money for the right truck. For one of the most extreme examples of this, the ’02 second-gen pictured, a truck with an unbelievable 69 original miles on the clock, sold for $76,000 back in April.
Source: https://bringatrailer.com/
Ever Seen This One?
Picture yourself cruising 80 mph down the highway and your truck’s hood opens up like a bag of chips. It’s proof that rust if neglected long enough, can eventually lead to catastrophic damage. The hood on this classic body Chevy rusted out along the seam and completely let loose at highway speed. If you look closely, you can see that the hood is still latched. Long story short, don’t ignore the iron oxide gremlins on your ride or they will end up biting you—and the end result might even be something that resembles a largemouth bass…
Events
Super Stock Trucks Invade Wisconsin
Shane Kellogg had himself a good weekend at the Budweiser Wisconsin Dairyland NTPA Super Nationals in Tomah. Friday night, he and Trump put more than four feet on Second Place (Nick Gillett) and then increased the gap to more than eight feet the following night. By sweeping the weekend, it looked like the old days, when Kellogg all but dominated the Super Stock field. It would also prove a solid weekend for Justin Gearhart, whose Cream of the Crop Ram finished second (Saturday) and third (Friday). Some 18 10,000-pound Pro Stock tractors and eight 8,000-pound Super Stock tractors were part of the excitement in Tomah on Saturday night.
Source: https://ntpapull.com/
Gone Too Soon
Mike Skinner Passes Away
If you’ve ever heard of the Ramifications truck or you remember a certain dually running 10-second quarter-miles back in the day, you know about Mike Skinner (pictured right, next to Ben Shadday). Mike is perhaps best known in recent times for campaigning the first Wagler Competition Products CX400 in his Pro Mod Dodge Ram (the aforementioned Ramifications truck), which required frequent trips back and forth between Indiana and Colorado. On June 13th Mike lost his battle with cancer, but he will forever be remembered as one of the toughest and most highly motivated racers in diesel.
Rest In Peace, Mr. Lovrich
When it came to making the Allison hold up to high horsepower and huge torque, there was nobody better in the business than Mike Lovrich. Lovrich’s small transmission shop, Inglewood Transmission, was known throughout the country as the place to go for the best A1000 on the market. Lovrich was an innovator and a pioneer in the transmission world, and he was also known to tell you exactly what was on his mind. Some of the most powerful and fastest Allison-equipped GMs in the country continue to run transmissions put together at his Fullerton, California facility. Rest in peace, Mr. Lovrich.
