Diesel Drag racing Is Here. Not only are fullsize four-wheel-drive trucks running outstanding times, purpose- built drag trucks are also emerging. One such race truck is Darren Morrison's bad-to-the-bone Cumminspowered S-10. The truck is a Todd bevis-built tube chassis creation, which features a strut front suspension and a 4-link rear suspension. underneath the lift-off front clip isn't your normal gas burner though, but rather, a max-effort Cummins designed for the drag strip.
No small-block Chevy here. Darren's truck relies on a tried and true 12-valve Cummins diesel for power.
The engine in Morrison's truck has been modified to get every last ounce of power out of the 5.9L (359 cid) Cummins. For starters, it's not a 5.9L anymore. A custom crank, billet rods, and Ross pistons combine to increase the displacement to 396 cid (6.5L). Although the block doesn't have any concrete in it, a 14mm main stud kit helps stiffen up the bottom end during high rpm passes. up top, the head has been extensively ported on both the intake and exhaust side, and fitted with oversize valves. A keating Machine billet cam and Haisley Machine roller rockers complete the valvetrain.
Block to cylinder head sealing is handled by a custom set of keating Machine fire rings, while a set of stock head bolts (really!) keeps cylinder pressures under control. Speaking of cylinder pressure, keating also helped out with a custom set of compound turbos that create triple-digit boost levels (that's more than 100psi!),and a water injection kit that keeps exhaust gas temperatures under control.
These keating Machine-spec'd turbos are designed to provide massive amounts of boost, yet can still spool quickly on the line for quick reaction times. | 
The individual runner intake was another item that Darren fabricated himself, and milling off the stock intake also allowed access to the intake ports for some heavy porting. | 
How hard does a drag truck leave the line? Check out the trick throttle pedal that's designed to keep the driver's foot from coming off the floor during 1.5G launches. |