Diesel News 9.10.18

Truck of the Week

11-Second Dinosaur

Diesel Shop LLC’s 300K mile Super Duty

Building a drag truck around a stock bottom end 7.3L with nearly 300,000 miles on the clock doesn’t seem to bother the fearless folks at Diesel Shop LLC. In recent testing, the company’s regular cab, two-wheel drive Super Duty dipped below 11.50 on several occasions and was promptly issued a warning from track officials: either slow down or get a roll bar. Driver Alis Hill cuts low 1.7-second 60-foots like clockwork despite launching with only 8-psi of boost on tap, and she can consistently pilot the truck through the 1320 in 11.4-second intervals at 117 mph. Hill and Diesel Shop LLC’s ultimate goal is to get the 7.3L in the 10’s.

Highlights

Trans-Braked 4×4 TH400

Uncharted territory For Stainless Diesel’s Pro Street Ram

The TH400 three-speed automatic has enjoyed great success in diesel drag racing in recent years, but no one has tried it in a 4×4 application, until now. Looking to quell some staging issues encountered with its Pro Street Dodge, the crew at Stainless Diesel is pioneering a TH400 behind their triple-turbo’d, deckplated Cummins. Built by Wilson Patterson Diesel and complete with a trans-brake and Sun Coast converter, the TH400 made a 5.44-second eighth-mile pass at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza without even locking the converter. With a little more testing on the new transmission arrangement, Stainless Diesel might have the next 5.0 truck in the Pro Street lineup.

Old School – New Tech

Outcast Revamp

In his quest to build the quickest street-driven diesel in the land, Tony Rizzi has helped bring diesel performance to a whole new level. The second rendition of his lightweight ’37 Chevy coined “The Outcast” is currently being built by Andy McCoy Race Cars, and will feature an all-billet DX460 Duramax from Wagler Competition Products. The DX460 has already proven capable of handling more than 2,500 hp, so the power to catapult Rizzi’s Chevy into the 3’s in the eighth-mile will definitely be there. Look for the Outcast at the 2018 PRI Show in Indy, where it’s set to be unveiled.

OEM News

F-Series Sales Soar

For the 16th consecutive month, Ford’s F-series sales have increased. In August, 2018, a whopping 81,839 pickups rolled off of dealer lots. As for Super Duty’s, more than 50-percent are being optioned with higher end trim packages, and the average price per Super Duty has reached a record $58,700. On top of that, Ford’s overall average transaction pricing ($1,400 per vehicle) expanded at twice the rate of the industry average in August. Fleet sales also grew by 15 percent, with commercial fleet sales improving by 20 percent. So far for 2018, Ford’s pickup, van, and SUV sales total 1,300,400, up 3.5 percent over 2017 figures.

Truck Country

Largest Ram Dealer Opens Its Doors

Lancaster, California is now home to the biggest Ram truck dealership in America. Spanning seven acres and costing $10 million to build, HW Hunter Ram of the West Truck Center makes of a 40,000 square-foot service, parts and showroom facility, along with employing 70 people. The Ram of the West Truck Center dealership is part of a larger FCA US LLC business strategy to increase the number of stand-alone Ram dealerships in select markets across the U.S. The Ram brand reported sales of some 54,800 vehicles in August, its highest ever recorded—the Ram brand consisting of light-duty and heavy-duty trucks, as well as ProMaster and ProMaster City vans.

Events

Hunting 4 Horsepower

Coeur d’ Alene, ID

Alligator Performance’s annual Hunting 4 Horsepower gathering took place over the weekend, bringing loads of diesel enthusiasts to the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. The all-day festivities entailed a dyno competition (with two chassis dynos onsite), dirt drags, a truck pull sponsored by Dynomite Diesel Products and a show ‘n shine contest. Ashley Alstad and her regular cab Ram were among the heavy hitters on the dyno. Alstad’s triple-turbo, triple CP3 Cummins would lay down an impressive 1,277 hp, which was good enough for a third place finish in the Screamin Diesel Performance “Big Twin” category.

Parts Rack

Secured

Rear Seat Lockbox for Chevy Colorado

Tuffy Security Products has unveiled its under rear seat lockbox for ’14-present Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon trucks. The company’s Model 343 is a full width, form-fitting lockbox that installs under the rear seats on crew cab models. A direct, bolt-in component, no drilling or cutting is required to install it, and a 10 tumbler double-bitted security lock is employed to keep all inside contents safe. The lid under the single seat features a centrally-located lock, while the lid under the double seat utilizes two locks. The Model 343 provides for 2,100 cubic inches of storage space, but also conceals completely under the factory rear seats.