At the '07 DHRA Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas, Orange Crush ran a 10.38 in the quarter-mile, making it the quickest Duramax-powered truck to date.
With Duramax Street trucks weighing in at 7,000 pounds or more, it was only a matter of time before these engines were swapped into lighter vehicles. One of the nicest swaps out there also happens to be one of the fastest-the Duramax-powered Orange Crush, a 4,200-pound '70 Chevy C-10 that's co-owned by Chris Calkins and Scott Starling.
This truck runs consistent mid-10s and has run a best of 10.38 seconds at 132 mph in the quarter-mile without the aid of nitrous oxide. Chris and Scott's goal is to have the first Duramax-powered truck in the 9s on fuel only, and they aren't that far off. One of the amazing things about this truck is that it wasn't built with a donor engine, transmission, and wiring harness; it was pieced together over time, with all the wiring being done from scratch.
The swap itself was completed using a motor plate and a mid plate because this vehicle would mainly see track duty, while the transmission tunnel was greatly enlarged to clear the Allison. The custom wiring proved to be a real headache, but Chris and Scott aren't the kind of people to look for the easy way out-they would rather figure things out for themselves. They used EFI Live to tune the truck, again learning and making changes as they went.
The Allison transmission tuning was another sticky point, with Chris saying, "Our shift points depend mainly on when the Ol' Ally wants to shift," which is hopefully around 3,700 rpm. The engine uses a stock long-block with aftermarket head studs and Cometic gaskets, with the real power coming from the dual CP3 injection pumps, custom injectors, and a custom turbo that pushes out close to 50 pounds of boost. So far, the greatest drops in elapsed time have come from learning how to tune the truck and getting it to leave off the line. Chris and Scott's learning process continues as Orange Crush evolves into a faster and faster ride. They still haven't quite reached their 9-second goal, so being one of the fastest Duramaxes in the country will have to do for now as they continue their quest toward single digits.
The classic lines of the '70 Chevy C-10 are retained, with a slightly lower stance due to dropped spindles in the front. The truck is all steel, including the hood, bumpers, and bed. | 
Other than ARP head studs and Cometic head gaskets, the long-block is stock Duramax. Ten-second power comes courtesy of a custom Industrial Injection turbo, a PPE dual-fueler CP3 kit with Industrial Injection pumps, and a set of Industrial Injection injectors. | 
Electronics are packaged along the frame with the ECM and TCM residing on the rollcage's forward bars. The stock dashboard gauges are also retained and hidden in the glovebox. |
Traction was one issue that the Orange Crush team did not want to have, so massive (but DOT-legal) 34.5x17-16 slicks are used in the rear for a sure grip. | 
How does Orange Crush launch? Try 1.4-1.5-second 60-foot times that are better than a new Corvette. Check out the wrinkle on the sidewall of the slicks. On occasion, the truck has even been known to pull the front wheels in the air on its way down the track. | 
The "secret spec" turbo is forward-facing for maximum airflow and is a big part of getting the truck down the track. The turbo has to be large enough to provide the necessary airflow yet still be able to spool on the line without the use of nitrous oxide. |
Chris Calkins, driver and co-owner of the truck, is a race car fabricator, so this part was easy for him. The back-half and under-cab sections of the chassis are all round tubing, contributing to the vehicle's relatively light weight. The rear is a 9-inch axle that's back-braced with Strange Engineering 40-spline axles and a spool. | 
The rollcage and 5-inch stack occupy the truck's bed. Under the bedcover, there is no actual floor, just round-tube chassis. | 
The truck's interior was kept as stock as possible to the classic theme and also because Orange Crush still sees occasional street duty. A monster air-to-water intercooler, designed by Chris, is mounted between the seats, and it's filled with ice before every pass to keep the intake charge down. |
A slim B&M shifter is nestled between the intercooler piping for shifting duties, although the vehicle is left in Drive for its quarter-mile passes. If you look closely, you can also see the modified transmission tunnel needed to clear the big Allison 1000. |  | |