Clint Cannon of ATS, which supplied the competition-grade transmission, is also closely involved with this racing rig. "That truck leaves the line with 75 pounds of boost," Clint says, "so we had to set up the torque converter to lock the tranny for the launch. I don't know of any other truck that's set up like this one."
The Smiths still aren't satisfied, though. "We think there's another 200 hp on the table," Dale says. Confirming this estimate, Scheid admits that, "We've got the motor backed off quite a bit. The main thing is maintaining the oiling system and the cooling. We can get a lot of durability that way. And we've also carefully dialed it in on the dyno."
Getting more power really isn't the biggest problem-hooking it all up with a 4x4 driveline is the tough part. The front differential has a Dana 60 housing with 35-spline innards, but even using stronger gears and experimenting with various tire pressures, the back end still wants to pass the front. Two-wheel-drive trucks usually just plant the rear tires and take off, but 4WD creates a whole different dynamic.
"Jimmy calls the truck Straight Line, but not because it does that," Dale says with a laugh. "When you punch the throttle, you never quite know which way it wants to go." As long as it gets down the track quicker than everybody else, though, the Smiths are one big, happy family.