A few years ago, Gale Banks got a deal he couldn't refuse on a Don Ness-built Pro Stock Chevy S-10. The truck had a full tube chassis and a unique swingarm rear suspension with excellent torque handling capabilities. It had even been painted red. The goal was to build a diesel drag truck that could run smoke-free during the burnout and staging, and down the quarter mile. Not only that, the truck would have to compete against some tough competition, as many trucks were already well into the 8- and 9-second range.
Fast-forward a year or two. It's now October of 2007, and the new Banks Sidewinder Type-D drag truck is ready to run. After a few 9-second shakedown passes, the truck quickly progressed to a 8.21-second at 165mph run in the quarter mile-a new record for diesel-powered drag trucks. Not only had the truck been competitive, but it beat the old record! And it did so with no black smoke the entire time.
The truck itself is a 2001 S-10 that was run in the NHRA Pro Stock Truck class back before the class was retired. Per NHRA rules, the truck body had to remain somewhat stock, so the cab and bed are actually steel. The doors, however, are fiberglass, as is the lift-off front end, and the bed cover is aluminum. Just because the truck has steel in it doesn't mean it is heavy. Weight was shaved everywhere else, as trick parts like Lamb struts with titanium springs are used up front, while carbon fiber wheel tubs help the rear shed some pounds.
Lightweight American Racing wheels and Hoosier front runners keep down rolling resistance in the front, while big 33.5x16.5x15 Hoosier slicks and Weld Racing wheels provide traction in the rear. A 64-channel EFI data logger keeps track of everything from turbo speeds to shock travel to aid in tuning the Type-D. The end result is a well-balanced and well-designed platform that weighs a mere 2,600 pounds without a driver.
With the chassis taken care of, the next order of business is the drivetrain. Here, a liberty 5-speed manual transmission is used, while a trick Bruno torque converter drive with a Coan converter takes the place of a conventional clutch setup. This is done to help spool the turbos at the line so the truck can leave under full boost. As high-tech as it is, it isn't the chassis or the drive system that is the real story here, because the Type-D is powered to low, 8-second passes by a Duramax diesel engine.
When the project was started, Banks knew that he wanted the truck to be fast, but he also had other plans. The drag truck was to be a test bed for a high-speed diesel project and an engine that could turn up to 5,000 rpm, reliably. It also would be used to develop many new racing parts for the new "Banks Speed" lineup, in addition to acting as a stand-alone engine management system for 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines. In developing the engine for the Type-D, the Banks team started off with an '06 LBZ block and crank. Then they added Crower rods to the mix, along with ceramic coated LLY pistons that are fly cut for a big cam. The heads use larger valves and are custom ported. The valvetrain is mostly stock, save for a set of beehive springs and a set of lifters that are reworked from a NASCAR-style application to save weight. The engine also uses a custom billet flywheel, a billet camshaft, and a big-block Chevy front crank hub and damper. Oiling is handled by a custom 5-stage dry sump system.