diesel_kid

Hey there, well I was over at my buddys work today puttin a snow plow on an old lawnmower when I see out the in the yard a 12 Valve Cummins beat up with a Stack on her, I started asking questions about it and they just picked it up and they are going to turn it into a service truck. I started looking at it and it has 240,000km on it. It is a 98 long bed normal cab, 5spd, 2wd, rubber floors, manual windows and such. It has a power tailgate, big service bed on it and onboard air with all kinds of other goodies. The body is pretty dinged up on it but they picked it up for $2000 CDN! I told them if they decide they dont want it that I would take it off their hands. What I was going to do is take all the goodies off of it like power tailgate, onboard air, the airbags and such and put them on my truck. Turn that truck into a shortbox, lower it down, clean it all up, tune up the engine to big time HP and make her into a Drag truck. I was thinking about switching out the 5spd and putting in my auto from my truck then I could have a 5spd in mine and have an auto in the drag truck as I think they are quicker off the line. What do you guys think, if the ram is lowered, has a body kit on it, and since its bare essentials on it it should be pretty light.
I think that it would make a good drag truck and still cruise around with it in the summer. How easy is it to get these engines up to 600hp or more? Also how hard would it be to make that thing into a shortbed, besides cutting off the frame and buying a short box, how would you relocate the axle to the proper place? Also If i Switched the trannys would that be very hard at all? Since I have the donor truck right there, I have all the parts that I need to switch it.
Also how can I lighten this thing up, I am already cutting the frame shorter, also putting on a rear rollpan, and a front fibreglass NASCAR bumper, any other things I can do to lighten it up, mabye new Racing seats and such.
What about Racing it, would there be a class to race this thing in where It would be competitive?
Thanks for all the ideas, I think this could really turn out well If I pick this thing up.

-Jared

welder27

www.cumminsracing.com

check out that set-up! Read all the entries on that site too. They talk about the mods and problems they've had over the past year or so.

You gotta have the $$$ to get to 600 HP...most people stop around 500 HP. You're talking twin turbos, totally tweaked out tranny, modified camshaft, bigger injectors, bigger injector pump, etc.

For $2000 CAN that truck is a steal! The engine alone is worth that much! If you can get your hands on it definitely take it...just make sure it doesn't have any of the regular problems certain models of Cummins engines have like the #53 block.

Kyle Graham

That was a sweet buy 2000 canadian

Crimedog

As far as keeping the axle straight, as long as you cut out a chunk of frame in front of the spring hangers you'll be just fine. There are index holes drilled in these frames so you can make sure it is the same. As far as lightening it up the truck is already stripped down pretty much, maybe things like ditching the fuel tank and running a small fuel cell.

Dr. Evil

check out the first video.....:

http://www.princeperformancediesels.com/gallery.html

Forrest Nearing

heck yeah, that's like $1.50 US!

1st gen Hobie

The rate must have changed pretty fast. Kast I know it was about half, but still a great deal.

diesel_kid

Well I was talking to the guy and I dont know if they want to get rid of it or not, even when I offered them $2500 or $3000 they want to turn it into a work truck, but If I can get my hands on something the same thing, I would love too.
As far as our dollar we had it up to about 84c not to long ago, I think its down to 81c now.

So you guys think I should stay under 500hp? The only thing is though, is there a class I can run in to be competitive, like if I run in a truck class, the other guys running dakotas and old D150s and such are going to be alot lighter than me.

Thanks.

-Jared

Dr. Evil

You obviously didnt check out the video link I posted....under 12 seconds is reasonably fast for just about anything.

diesel_kid

I usually dont check out videos ppl post because it just takes so **** long on dial-up here. It just started to load now, so it will be a while yet. But how much HP would it take in a truck like I am talking to break the 12 sec mark. And what class would you be in to be competitive, because if a car is pushing the same hp then I imagine they would tromp all over you in the quarter just because of the weight difference.
I am trying to find out here if there is a class for diesels anywhere close to me and what the competition is like. Thanks for all the replies. Keep em comin.

tool

If ur buying Candian dollars with U.S Dollars it'll cost you about 85 or 86 cents.

welder27

It's not a question of how much HP...with a diesel it's a question of how much torque. You gotta remember, a gas engine running 500 HP is gonna put out around 600-700 ft-lbs of torque (I'm not sure how they measure it in Canada). A diesel running at 500 HP is gonna put out around 1000-1100 ft-lbs of torque. That diesel in the video was probably in the 400-500 HP range.

At that Cummins racing website they talk about how they were testing out a rear end differential from an alcohol dragster in their diesel dragster. They found out the engine they built put out so much torque that it chewed up the ring and pinion gears...and that's the same set-up they use in alcohol dragsters! It wasn't the HP that destroyed the parts because they probably aren't much over 600 HP, which is less than what an alcohol dragster produces. So that tells you what you're up against in the parts department. If it's good enough for a gasser, it's probably not good enough for a Cummins.

HP is just a calculation derived from the torque and RPM's.

Torque x RPMS/5252= HP

Forrest Nearing

nope, with ANYTHING it's a question of how much horsepower...

torque pulls stumps, horsepower wins races...

torque breaks parts, horsepower wins races...

focus on making horsepower... rev it up!

Forrest

diesel_kid

Ok finally seen the video of that truck and holy that is SWEET!! I love it, and she just pulls right away from that other truck there. And that truck was only in the 400-500 hp range! I would love to do that, how much of a difference do you guys think that aerodynamics makes on a truck like that, say If I lowered it, made it a shortbox, fibreglass bumpers, lightened the whole thing up. If I could get those kind of times I would be real happy.

Forest - What kind of times does your truck get in the quarter? And how much HP do you think you are pushing?

Thanks.

Forrest Nearing

Jeff's truck was making more than 500hp to post those kind of times...

my truck doesn't go to the track... 5sp, single disk clutch, slow spooling turbo, etc. it would be a waste of time.

I'd estimate I'm in the 400-425+ range.

Forrest