More Torque Than A Veyron: A Diesel Chevy Rod

Words By Paddy McGrath

 ’31 Chevy powered by a compound charged Dodge Cummins diesel engine.

If ever an engine was perfectly suited to a ground-up build, I think this would be it. It perfectly matches the character of the car in that it is wild, but also really well considered. Whilst not a hot rod build in the traditional sense, it epitomises the spirit of the sub-culture. That is, putting a huge engine into a small car.

With the roof chop, the seats have been recessed into the floor so grown adults can still fit inside. The seats themselves are handed crafted as are the under seat sliders and hinges for folding them forward…

Allowing the Chevy the ability to cruise at 150km/h in sixth gear at just 800rpm is the 5.9L straight six Cummins B 12-valve turbo diesel engine.

A compound charged system has been implemented to minimise turbo lag, with a Holset HX55 feeding into the smaller HX35. This, along with a rebuilt fuel pump allows the Cummins to make around 500hp at the wheels, along with 1500Nm of torque at 5.0 bar of boost (1106lb/ft at 72.5 PSI).

Being diesel, huge pressure figures are the norm but trying to wrap your head around a fuel system running up to 200 bar (3000PSI) is just mind boggling. These engines were intended for powering school buses and eighteen wheelers, so I’m sure you can imagine the level of performance. Emanuel says it goes like ‘a runway train on nitrous’. I’m not one to doubt him.

Emanuel Sandén’s 1931 Chevrolet Cummins Hot Rod

Engine

Cummins i6 twin turbo with Holset HX35 and HX55 at 5.0 bar

Driveline

T56 six speed manual, Chevy 10 bolt rear axle with 3.08 gears

Suspension/Brakes

Front end runs Ford leaf-spring set-up, rear is custom air ride, Mopar brake system

Wheels/Tyres

Slotmags with Firestone cheater slicks, 10 spoke Rocket wheels

Exterior

All Custom

Interior

All Custom

Monster Energy: Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s Fire Drift

The Dodge Charger Daytona From Fast & Furious 6

Words By Sean Haggai, Photography by Sean Haggai

 Of course slowing all that whoa called for some serious stopping power. A set of Brembo 6-pstion front calipers with 14-inch rotors were mounted up front as well as a unique Brembo caliper and rotor setup for the rear. Out back, McCarthey’s team designed an ingenious plan, which included the use of two, opposing calipers clamping the rear rotor. One caliper would serve as the driver’s primary braking source while the other caliper would clamp on the rotor for stunts via a drift-brake handled mounted in the car.

We Drove These LS3’S Hard. Lots Of Jumps And Stunts, Lots Of High-Rpm And We Never Had An Engine Failure With The Six Months Of ...Vehicle Effects also installed a variety of chassis components, including a Riley Motorsports front K-Member, which not only helps add structural rigidity but facilitates a unique engine swap. Vehcile Effects even added solid motor mounts to tie the K-Member and engine together – stay tuned on that one.

To handle bounce, Vehicle Effects outfitted each corner of the Chargers with a set of AFCO, single-adjustable coilovers while 4-link setup is connected to a Detroit locker-stuffed, Ford 9-inch rearend. Speedway Engineering was called into duty as well; helping to control sway with a cache of swaybars front and rear. Of course, Vehicle Effects laid this out seven times over. Doing the math, that’s a total 28 shocks and 14 swaybars.

Remove the hood and a very unfamiliar, non-Mopar engine was stuffed between the framerails. No, your eyes are not playing tricks with you. If you’re familiar with late-model powerplants, you’ll recognize the composite intake manifold, individual coilpacks, fuel rails and center-mounted throttle body as an LS engine. Not just any LS would do, though, of course.

Vehicle Effects stuffed seven, 420hp LS3 crate engines; complete with everything you’d need from Chevrolet Performance into each Charger. Each LS3 was backed by a fully-built, Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission with a manual valvebody.

No expense was spared on these slushboxes either. Each TH400 received a Continental converter and even billet input shafts for repeated abuse on set. Only one Charger would get a slick-shifting 5-speed manual, which we had the chance to feature here. Custom exhaust cutouts allow burly orchestra compliments of a toned and tuned Magnaflow exhaust system. Those exhausts exit beautifully on each side, below the belt line and before each rear tire.

While we were on subject, McCarthy threw down some truth our way, “We drove these LS3’s hard. Lots of jumps and stunts, lots of high-rpm and we never had an engine failure with the six months of filming these cars were put through.” If that’s not a testament to the strength of these late-model mills, we’re not sure what else you’d need. Reliable would be a complete understatement.

Post filming, only three and a half Chargers have survived their on screen debut. Currently, Vehilce Effects is fast at work compiling ammunition for the next movie. Stay tuned, we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with what’s next for the Fast 7 Furious series.