Total Performance Diesel Big Gun Shootout

Bernie Emerson’s flamed Dodge drew quite a crowd, as it put down 571 hp in the Street Modified Class.

Bernie Emerson’s flamed Dodge drew quite a crowd, as it put down 571 hp in the Street Modi

For the second year in a row, Drake Swett, owner of Total Performance Diesel in Santa Rosa, California, opened his shop’s doors for a dyno day invitational. Almost 30 trucks came together to make a run on the rollers of his state-of-the-art Superflow dynamometer. The big stories were the nitrous shootout in the Unlimited Class, during which the most powerful VE-pump truck in the world would be decided, and the fuel-only battle between Ron Allen and Dmitri Millard, both of whom would be expected to make more than 1,000 hp in their trucks. There were also classes for single turbo and stock turbo trucks, so virtually everyone had a class to compete in. At the end of a 12-hour day, everyone was all smiles, and neither rain nor excessive diesel smoke could put a damper on anyone’s mood. We can’t wait until next year!

Robert Tofflemire’s Dodge put down an impressive 719 hp with just a light haze. After it was unstrapped, owner and truck both headed back up to Oregon.
Robert Tofflemire’s Dodge put down an impressive 719 hp with just a light haze. After it w
Left Coast Diesel threw an EFILive tune in this blue Dodge minutes before the event just to get it running. With a full engine build by Total Diesel Performance right before the event, the monster common-rail put down 952 rwhp.
Left Coast Diesel threw an EFILive tune in this blue Dodge minutes before the event just t
The engine compartment of Robert’s Dodge was one of the nicest we’ve seen. With a 2.6-inch-inducer turbo and lots of water injection, the owner expected a dead-reliable 700 rwhp.
The engine compartment of Robert’s Dodge was one of the nicest we’ve seen. With a 2.6-inch

Ron Allen’s first-generation Dodge has one of the most efficient engine combinations we’ve ever seen. The 13mm P-pumped 24-valve runs compound Garret ball-bearing turbos, external wastegates, and made an unreal 1,218 hp on the rollers without the aid of nitrous oxide.
Ron Allen’s first-generation Dodge has one of the most efficient engine combinations we’ve
Despite messing with his timing and fueling maps, Diesel Power Challenge winner Dmitri Millard couldn’t quite catch Ron Allen on the dyno with a fuel-only 1,134 hp. That was, until he sprayed four stages of nitrous and hit a ridiculous 1,633 hp, backed by a 1,571hp run.
Despite messing with his timing and fueling maps, Diesel Power Challenge winner Dmitri Mil
Even though the dyno room looked like a huge EGR system when he ran, Matt Moroni’s 10-second 6.0L Ford was able to pull off 850 rwhp on just the motor. With one stage of nitrous, power spiked to 1,135 hp.
Even though the dyno room looked like a huge EGR system when he ran, Matt Moroni’s 10-seco

Part of the reason Matt’s truck runs so hard is its ferris-wheel-sized 95mm atmospheric turbocharger that takes up the passenger side of the engine compartment.
Part of the reason Matt’s truck runs so hard is its ferris-wheel-sized 95mm atmospheric tu
This cool Cummins-powered rockcrawler was there for everyone to drool over. Built with Nightstalker shocks (the same ones found on monster trucks), four-wheel steering, and a super-strong SCS gearbox, this red beast was a hard rig to miss.
This cool Cummins-powered rockcrawler was there for everyone to drool over. Built with Nig
Our ’89 Dodge with a VE-injection-pumped Cummins, 62mm turbo, and two-stage NX nitrous system laid down 487 rwhp (fuel only) and an unreal 972 rwhp (with nitrous).
Our ’89 Dodge with a VE-injection-pumped Cummins, 62mm turbo, and two-stage NX nitrous sys

As we were snapping pictures, Harvey Grant from J&H Performance took the task of heating up Project Rust Bucket’s nitrous bottle with some hot water in a 5-gallon bucket. It worked, as bottle pressure rose by more than 200 psi to 1,000 psi.
As we were snapping pictures, Harvey Grant from J&H Performance took the task of heating u
Jeremy Torgersen was our main competition in the VE shootout, and with compound turbos, his 644-rwhp number on fuel far surpassed Rust Bucket’s. The question is, what would his truck do on nitrous?
Jeremy Torgersen was our main competition in the VE shootout, and with compound turbos, hi
With the bottle turned on, Jeremy’s green Dodge hit a whopping 868 rwhp on nitrous, and 899 rwhp on water-methanol injection and nitrous. After about nine dyno pulls trying to break the 900-rwhp mark, his first-gen finally said enough was enough and blew a head gasket.
With the bottle turned on, Jeremy’s green Dodge hit a whopping 868 rwhp on nitrous, and 89

During longer breaks, Total Performance Diesel raffled away prizes to lucky competitors to keep everyone motivated through the constant rain.
During longer breaks, Total Performance Diesel raffled away prizes to lucky competitors to
Brad Ponci’s compound turbo common-rail Dodge put down an impressive 638 rwhp to place Fourth in the Super Street Modified Class.
Brad Ponci’s compound turbo common-rail Dodge put down an impressive 638 rwhp to place Fou
One of the last trucks of the night, this 6.4L Power Stroke, elicited groans from the stock single turbo crowd, as the factory compounds put down 576 hp to the wheels on an H&S tune to win the class.
One of the last trucks of the night, this 6.4L Power Stroke, elicited groans from the stoc

One of the last of the super hot rigs on the rollers was Harvey Grant’s Dodge Ramcharger with a 12-valve Cummins. Since the truck was so light in back, weights were added to try and keep it from spinning.
One of the last of the super hot rigs on the rollers was Harvey Grant’s Dodge Ramcharger w
To get an idea of what it takes to run mid-9s in the quarter-mile at more than 140 mph, Harvey ran the Dodge on the same tune he uses at the track. After three years of hard racing, Harvey mentioned he thought it was time to freshen up before he even drove onto the dyno. The compound turbo 12-valve with a three-stage nitrous system proved him right, making 1,147 hp while spinning on the dyno, bending a pushrod, and blowing a head gasket on its one and only dyno pull.
To get an idea of what it takes to run mid-9s in the quarter-mile at more than 140 mph, Ha

Class Winners
Unlimited Class: No restrictions on power-adders, anything goes
Dmitri Millard 1,633 hp

Super Street Modified:
No restrictions on engine modifications, no injectables allowed (nitrous, water-methanol, or propane)
Ron Allen 1,218 hp

Street Modified:

Single turbo, up to 2.6-inch inducer size, no injectables
Brett Lujan 701 hp

Street Stock:
Stock turbo(s), no injectables
Chad Eastlick 576 hp

By Jason Sands

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