Diesel Deconstruction

(Narrator)>> Today tires are a commodity and we prove it on the track with a look back at our most popular diesel builds. Plus Ford versus Chevy. We settle the argument once and for all. [ engine revving ]

[ engine revving ]

(LT)>> High performance diesel has been on our minds lately since recently we had a chance to attend America's premium diesel event, The Ultimate Callout Challenge.

(Austin)>> There highly modified diesel trucks compete in three events, dyno competition, drag racing, and the sled pull. We were so inspired we picked up another project truck.

(LT)>> Which brings us to where we are today. This is Dragonali, our 2011 GMC Sierra HD Denali edition, and it's the perfect blank canvas for a high performance build.

(Austin)>> Now before we take this one to the extreme, which you guys are used to seeing us do, we decided to show you some average diesel builds, which just so happen to be our own.

(LT)>> Since the beginning of time there's been a fierce rivalry between two of Amercia's biggest automakers, and when it comes to pickups brand loyalty knows no bounds, and it's passed down from generation to generation. You're either born into a bowtie family or with the blue oval crowd. Back in 2008 if you were shopping for a heavy duty diesel truck you really had two different options cause Dodge doesn't really count, and the one I would not choose is this, the Ford F-250. This is Austin's truck. Now over the years somebody's tastefully modified it. You know things like color matched mirrors and tinted windows, like maybe he's trying to hide something. Definitely not as cool as the Chevy but it's not a bad looking truck.

(Austin)>> This is 2008 Chevy 2500 HD. Now if you were to ask me, say hey look around, check out that truck, I'd look and I'd be like what truck, but it is adorable none the less, and the sheer fact that his wife or his little sister let him borrow it to take it to work. Well that just means he comes from a good family. Now from the outside being 12 years old it's really not in bad shape. Just a few minor dents and dings here and there, basically from just being parked in that mall parking lot too long.

(LT)>> Underneath the hood of the Superduty is the six point four liter Powerstroke. Now it's not a bad engine, and my favorite feature is the fact that it has the only factory compound turbocharger arrangement in any late model diesel truck. Now stock these things put down 350 horsepower and 650 pounds of torque. Now he's modified it a little bit. It's got a cold air intake and a programmer, and together he's probably got about 50 more horsepower than stock, but my favorite feature is right here. You'll notice this coolant bottle is actually empty. Now that's because the head gaskets are on their way out and it's constantly just pushing that extra coolant out of the way.

(Austin)>> This is the six point six liter LMM Duramax, also known as little mini motor. Now it sure is cute and dirty but it produces 365 horse and that's one for every day of the year and a measly 660 pound of torque. Now I don't know where he plans on going with it but he surely hasn't washed the engine bay in quite some time. Probably doesn't even really care about this thing, and I can't say I blame him.

(LT)>> The drivetrains on these two trucks are very different from one another. In the Ford is a four wheel drive and it uses a very high tech design that's been around since roughly the 1960's. It's a solid front axle with manual locking hubs. It doesn't get any better than that. Now out back you'll notice the ride height kinda goes downhill just a little bit. Now somewhere along the way he must have had a load of pillows in the back and it just kinda squatted the springs. My favorite part is this exhaust tip, which is just unnecessarily big.

(Austin)>> You want to talk about stance, really? You take one look at this thing and it looks like it belongs in one of those Tokyo Drift Movies coming around the corner all slammed and hugging the ground. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I think these traction bars are supposed to support that rear axle under those high horsepower applications. And well he's just using them to stiffen up that frame cause it's kinda weak. And then Chevy, they decide they're gonna use this independent front suspension. That belongs under a car, not a heavy duty truck such as well what they claim this to be.

(LT)>> They say that your choice of wheel and tire can make or break a build, and I'm really not sure which direction we've gone here. Now these are factory not really limited edition 20 inch wheels. Now originally they were silver, which looks really great. Somebody's painted them kind of a semi gloss black, and tire wise well it's got a too wide and too tall mud tire, and if you notice the tread is just kinda missing. So I don't know if maybe he put them on a Chevy and let his friend do a burnout or something but overall I'm not really sold on the choice.

(Austin)>> Let's go with break bill. Did he pick up a sheet of aluminum back in 1998, drill some holes in it, and call it a wheel? Kinda looks like it to me. This thing hasn't seen a polishing wheel in quite some time. Maybe probably even 20, 25 years. Now he did do a good job with tire selection. These rubbers are nice and slick for like a race car. Now you come out of a parking lot with a super wide turning radius such as this and you get off that asphalt into that grass well you'd be having to call your buddy with a Ford to get you out.

(LT)>> The only thing I know for sure is you ain't gonna pulling anybody out of the mud with those bald tires.

(Austin)>> At least that old Ford got four wheel drive and a tow strap, but you've got to admit it is two good looking trucks and at least one good looking driver.

(LT)>> Well I don't know. You're gonna be getting your shoes dirty after you have to get out and manually lock the hubs. Hello Ford, 2008, but at the end of the day yes. They're two great trucks and a pretty good representation of what the average daily driven diesel is gonna be like.

(Narrator)>> Next orange is the new black.

(Austin)>> We're ready to kick off our new serious build, and that would be Dragonali, but the question is how far do we go? We know we want to modify it a little bit more than our everyday drivers but at the same time we don't want to ruin it by gutting it out for weight savings, building roll cages, etcetera, but we do still want it to go fast.

(LT)>> Absolutely, you know it would be a shame to ruin such a nice luxurious truck by doing exactly like you said, gutting it out. Over the last couple of years we have built several different common rail diesel trucks, and each had its own different theme or vibe. Everything from a daily driver, to a weekend warrior, all the way up a dedicated race vehicle. Now the one thing we both like about diesels though is the fact that they can do so many different things all at the same time. For example this 1987 Chevy 1500 we called "Nightrain". It was the definition of the word sleeper. Originally sporting a small block 350, we dropped in a six point six liter Duramax but kept the sport truck styling and lowered the truck two inches in the front and four in the rear. Let's go! The LBZ was only modified with a tuner and custom intake, but to handle the extra torque the Duramax puts down we added the Dana 60 axle in the rear. [ engine revving ]

(LT)>> And let me tell you this diesel short box pickup was a blast to drive. [ engine revving ]

(Jeremy)>> Man you can't beat that.

(LT)>> Watch the tailgate.

(Jeremy)>> That's what I'm talking about.

(LT)>> That's a burnout.

(Austin)>> Now that is the sound of diesel power right there, and that smoke. I've been known to do a few burnouts in my day and we've got to know how many sets of tires you actually brought with you?

(LT)>> Well the honest truth is we only had one set and we actually blew them that day, and we had a field shoot scheduled for the next. So we actually had to overnight a new set of tires in so we could get them mounted up and make the next field shoot, but I mean overall yes, 100 percent fun truck.

(Austin)>> For sure. In all honesty stock motor tuned up, a few mechanical parts swapped out, but not that in depth or complicated of a build right?

(LT)>> No, I mean that was basically straight out of the junkyard. We started with a 200,000 miles LBZ, and the only mechanical changes that we made were a different Y-bridge and turbo inlet basically just to clean the stock hood, but we knew we could make more horsepower and that's where Supermax came to play. In order to make a truck go fast you want to start with something that's as light as possible. So we built our very own single cab short bed diesel sport truck. We took this '03 Silverado long box and carefully cut 14 inches out of the center of the frame. After quite a bit of prep work the two halves slid back together with the overlapped joint, which made a very strong connection. The six and a half foot junkyard bed fit perfectly. We pulled the LBSeven to prepare it for the horsepower that it's about to receive. So we removed both heads, cleaned the deck surface, installed some new gasket, and secured everything with some ARP studs. With the motor back in the truck we dress it up with an S-366 turbo and some high flow intake components. Sporting a "Go Man Go" paint job we hit the drag strip. Now all that horsepower and torque in a short wheel base truck proved to be a bit of a handful off the starting line, but in the end we built a kickass sport truck that'll destroy a set of tires in no time flat.

(Narrator)>> How did our stage two dually perform? Find out next!

[ engine revving ]

(Austin)>> Now it looks like you boys had your fair share of fun building these high horsepower short bed superlight trucks but I see you actually accepted a real challenge.

(LT)>> Well you know what they say right? It's go big or go home. So we turned around and bought the largest and probably heaviest truck that we could find, a 2016 Ram 3500 one ton dually, and we knew if we wanted to make that truck quick we'd have to throw some pretty serious horsepower underneath that hood. It was nice to take a break from the V-eight engines and spend some time with an inline six Cummins, which is way easier to work on since everything is so easy to access. The very first thing we did was dive into the air handling system and remove the factory v-g-t turbo and exhaust manifold. In their place we installed this second gen manifold, which has a central outlet, and to it we bolted on a massive S-467 turbo and rounded out the package with a five inch air intake. Now all the fresh air in the world won't do you any good unless you have some extra fuel to back it up. So we removed the bed and installed a larger in tank electric fuel pump, and up front we installed a second CPThree injection pump. A bit later on we dove deep into the top of the engine to install some head studs, larger injector nozzles, slightly stiffer valve springs, and of course push rods. To see how well our parts work together we threw it on the dyno where she made 699 horsepower and followed that up with a trip to the drag strip where despite our best efforts she laid down a best time of 14.8 at 103 miles an hour.

(Austin)>> Now I'm no mathematician but that e-t doesn't really compare to 700 horsepower, even though it was super quick at the top speed of 103 miles per hour. You need to explain that to me.

(LT)>> Yeah I figured this question would come up. You know the Ram, it was a really fun truck but its biggest drawback was actually one of its strengths, and that's the transmission. It had the AS-69, which is probably one of the most heavy duty units that's out there. It's designed for towing and hauling, but the drawback is the t-c-m that controls it, well to this day nobody even makes tuning for it. So basically what happened is the t-c-m is defueling the engine saying hey look, let's pull back a little bit of power and make fir a nice, smooth, and comfortable shift. You know it wasn't designed to handle those high performance launches and stuff. Now on the back end absolutely. We locked the converter in fourth gear. That thing would boogie down the track in a hurry.

(Austin)>> So you're not harnessing all that horsepower, and plus it doesn't look like the lightest truck in the world.

(LT)>> Yeah you know after we were done shooting that day we put in it on the scales. It actually weighs 8,950 pounds. So yeah it's no spring chicken.

(Austin)>> A little heavy. Which brings us to Dragonali, which we've had around for a little while now and it's a great looking rig. The first thing we had to take care of was the stance. Out back we installed a set of drop shackles and removed an overloaded leaf spring to bring the rear down about four inches, and out front we threw on a set of dropped torsion bar keys to lower it two inches. While the truck was up in the air we removed the stock G-80 and replaced it with the much more reliable True Trac, which sets the stage for the power we have to come.

(Narrator)>> Next one on one for all the marbles. [ tires squealing ]

(LT)>> It's time we let you in on the plans to add some horsepower to that Duramax, and like with any performance build it all starts with a quality cylinder head, and this is actually the newest offering from Edelbrock. The Duramax high performance cylinder head. They're cast from A-356 aluminum, which has been heat treated and pressure tested, and on the back side they feature a 33 millimeter intake valve and a 31 millimeter exhaust valve, and speaking of exhaust the ports measure in at 117cc and the intake port at 230. Now these are a direct bolt on replacement and they'll work great in a stock or a high performance build, and as such you can reuse your existing valvetrain or run some aftermarket parts. Now this is a great start to the high performance air flow that we have planned for that Duramax.

(Austin)>> When it comes to throwing down big power on any build it's a good idea to not neglect the supporting parts. Summit Racing sent us a full set of Bilstein shocks both front and rear. This will improve ride quality and also allow for proper shock travel since we lowered the front. Then to address the weak link between the crank and the converter we picked up the ATS billet flex plate. This will improve strength, reliability, and also solve those common issues found in the stock plate. Now if you remember we removed the rear overload spring to get the rear of the truck down to the ground, and that'll increase axle wrap and also wheel hop. To eliminate that we picked up a set of cow tracks. They're fully adjustable and bolt on with ease.

(LT)>> After the exhaust gases leave the cylinder head they'll enter into a set of PPE high flow exhaust manifolds and up pipes. Now this will greatly reduce spool up time and improve horsepower. The turbo is a Duramax Tuner Stealth 67 GTwo, which is a v-g-t with a 67 millimeter compressor wheel and this thing will support 800 horsepower. The charged air is then gonna flow into this Mishimoto intercooler that we picked up from Summit Racing.

(Austin)>> Whether you're replacing the tires on your vehicle or just want to add a second set, one often overlooked item are these right here, t-p-m-s, tire pressure monitor sensor. Rock Auto carries a complete line of o-e matching direct fit sensors. They feature military grade lithium battery for long life, easy to install right out of the box, and work with all major t-p-m-s service tools. Find your fit at Rock Auto dot com. Factory restoration badges can be hard to find, and Classic Industries has you covered. These are a few of their officially licensed GM restoration badges. Each one is injection molded plastic, chrome plated, and painted with the correct color accent as original. Comes with all the mounting hardware for easy installation. Available for your car and truck in both GM and Mopar. Find yours at Classic Industries dot com.

(LT)>> There's nothing worse than walking out to your truck and realizing that somebody has walked away with your hitch. Locks, they're a great idea just as long as you can remember where you put the key or what the combination was. Bolt Lock solves this problem with their full line of vehicle specific locks which can be programmed to your vehicle's existing ignition key. Here's how it works. Tear off the lock seal tab, insert your truck key, and turn it clockwise all the way until it stops. The lock is now programmed to your key, and you can add as many paddle locks or cable locks as you want, all programmable to the same key. To find out more check out bolt lock dot com. If you have a late model diesel truck you should know how important it is to keep your high pressure fuel system lubricated. Hot Shot Secret Everyday Diesel Treatment is a six in one fuel booster that you add every time you fill up. It'll increase the lubricity of the fuel but it'll also clean out your injection system, add seven points of cetane, and improve horsepower and fuel mileage. Just add one ounce for every 25 gallons of fuel, and find out more at Hot Shot Secret dot com.

In order to solve this whole Ford versus Chevy problem we came out to the biggest parking lot we could find.

(Austin)>> Now we could have went with the doughnut competition but it's not really fair. If you own a Ford you could pretty much stay in them all day.

(LT)>> The other thing that's not fair about a Ford is if you tried to do a tug of war contest cause that thing weighs probably 10,000.

(Austin)>> That leaves us to the last scientific method, and that is a rolling burnout.

(LT)>> So the rules are as follows. Start on the white line. Get your brake and your gas going at the same time and spin those wheels as fast as you can. Use whatever tune level and whatever gear you want. Furthest distance wins.

Alright bring her up. Back tires on the white line. Come on, let's see what this Ford's got. Alright a little more, a little more, and stop. Good luck man, you're gonna need it.

(Austin)>> You're gonna need it. [ engine revving ]

(LT)>> Alright man what did you think? It looked pretty cool from the outside.

(Austin)>> I don't think that Chevy's gonna do that.

(LT)>> Well I'm thinking somewhere right through here you can kind a see.

(Austin)>> Slick and then you start seeing tread pattern.

(LT)>> What do you think right here?

(Austin)>> I think that's fair. I don't think you're gonna get half that distance.

(LT)>> My turn.

(Austin)>> Alright go ahead and pull up.

(LT)>> Alright so we're in tune number four. Get it shifted into fourth gear, get that Ford something to look at.

(Austin)>> And stop.

(LT)>> Alright are you ready for this?

(Austin)>> Let's see if you've got what it takes?

(LT)>> I don't know if you are. See what she's got. Come on truck! [ engine revving ]

(LT)>> Yeah baby, woo hoo! [ engine revving ]

(Austin)>> Well uh.

(LT)>> What happened there buddy?

(Austin)>> We're doing best out two, is that what it is?

(LT)>> So you're saying if you start where you ended and then you go another one you might end up where mine ended?

(Austin)>> I don't even see any black marks. So I don't know what you're talking about.

(LT)>> I'll tell you what. There's one way to solve this for real, style points.

[ engines revving ] [ tires squealing ] [ engines revving

(LT)>> Woo hoo, yeah buddy!

[ tires squealing ] [ engine revving ]

(LT)>> Yeah, alright! That's how it's done.

(Austin)>> Man that Ford's just so heavy.

(LT)>> You want to get on a mini bike and ride to the end.

(Austin)>> Shut up.