![]() For fuel, an AirDog 4G lift pump sends fuel up to twin XP CP3 pumps. With a goal of 1,000 rear-wheel horsepower, Birdsall needed a load of fuel and air to hit the number cleanly. Hamilton Cams provided the camshaft and pushrods and the cylinder head was secured with ARP 625 head studs. ![]() ![]() The rods are from Carrillo and are attached to a set of Mahle Motorsports coated QSB pistons. The factory crankshaft was retained but is held in place by ARP studs and an Industrial Injection Gorilla Girdle. ![]() Birdsall was in no way going to be content with stock power figures, so the engine was sent straight off to ALC Machine in Santa Rosa for a full rebuild and a host of performance parts. Since Birdsall is familiar with computer tuning in gas-powered rigs, he decided a common-rail would be his best choice, and he picked one up from an ’05 Freightliner. When it came to a powerplant, there was only one choice: the legendary Cummins engine. In addition to the turbos, Industrial Injection also supplied twin XP CP3 pumps and race injectors, which in conjunction with custom tuning from Hardway Performance motivate the truck in rapid fashion. Using a Nitrous Express progressive controller, he estimates the nitrous will give the truck an extra 300 to 500hp kick. Since Birdsall plans on spraying nitrous when he runs the mile, large twin 15-pound bottles were mounted in the bed to avoid running low on pressure. Birdsall reports that the system works very well so far, with EGTs in the 1,300-1,400 degree range, even after minutes of 100mph burnouts, drifting, and donuts. The atmospheric turbo blows straight into an inter-stage air-to-water intercooler from Bell Intercoolers, cooling the air before it enters the high-pressure turbo. Because of its long-duration operation at wide-open throttle, Birdsall came up with a quite innovative intercooler design. Exhaust is a simple straight-out design, with a 5-inch MBRP stainless steel exhaust stack being the final exit for the exhaust before it’s jetted into the stratosphere. A second enormous intercooler from Bell Intercoolers resides at the front of the truck, cooling the intake charge from the compound turbos before it enters the engine. The final step was steering, which came in the form of a lightweight power rack-and-pinion setup. With the weight of the diesel engine, he didn’t skimp on support AFCO remote reservoir shocks provide damping for the front. Birdsall also built the lower A-arms, while SPC provided the uppers. Up front, all the custom fab work continues, as the front Ford frame was reinforced with a tubular X-member and completely boxed. A huge amount of wastegating is built into the exhaust system, with triple Tial external wastegates providing pressure relief for both the manifold and atmospheric turbos. Maximum boost so far has been 75 psi, although Birdsall hinted he could push it even higher. To generate the type of power he was looking for, a polished 80mm from Industrial Injection blows into a 66mm turbo, also from Industrial. The rear end is a stout Ultra Heavy Duty Quickchange from Winters Performance, which has been fitted with enormous 13-inch dual-caliper Wilwood brakes. Based upon an extremely rigid road-race design, the rear suspension is a four-link that features race-ready coil-over shocks and springs from AFCO, and an adjustable panhard bar. Birdsall fabricated all his own piping at his shop, Chuckles Garage, creating a visually stunning engine bay unlike any other.Īfter months of fabrication, what he ended up with was an extremely reinforced front half and a round-tube back half, with custom front and rear suspension. With a race weight of only 3,550 pounds, the 981hp 5.9L Cummins gets the ’49 up to warp speed with almost no effort at all. Fortunately, as a do-it-all fabricator, Birdsall was up to the task of building a new chassis, and took the project head-on. “Once I went with the diesel, I knew the truck needed a completely new frame, front to back,” he says. However, he also knew the kind of havoc monster torque can reek on a non-diesel chassis. “I saw how much power these diesels were making, and it just seemed like a no-brainer,” says Birdsall. The diesel powertrain came about because of a friendship with Drake Swett, owner of Total Performance Diesel in Santa Rosa, California. Subscribe Our Weekly Newsletter Frame Twister
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