For the track, Jeff relies...
For the track, Jeff relies on a monster set of 33x17x15 Hoosier slicks. Still, with the truck's long wheelbase, traction is an issue.
The truck had a 15-gallon fuel cell fitted in the back under the bed, and both batteries were moved to the rear of the vehicle to help aid weight transfer. The Dodge was lowered 4 inches in the rear and 2 in the front, and a Dana 70 rear axle with stock 3.54 gears and a Detroit Locker replaced the stock Dana 80. The 70, along with a disc brake conversion from EGR Brakes, allowed Jeff to run 33x17x15-inch Hoosier slicks. The rear-end swap, fuel cell, and other weight savings brought the truck down from a porky 6,800 pounds to a still-heavy 6,250 pounds. A rollbar was added for safety, along with a set of Kirkey racing seats and five-point harnesses. In addition to helping with the rollbar, Jeff's good friend Bobby Dunn assisted in welding a set of traction bars for the big dualie.
Jeff wanted his truck to be...
Jeff wanted his truck to be safe as well as fast, so a custom rollbar was built, which necessitated this rear Lexan window.
With the chassis taken care of, the drivetrain was next. Remember that automatic? Far from stock, the 47RH was built by Suncoast Transmissions and features a full manual valvebody, a 5-disc converter, and billet input and intermediate shafts. So far, it has been bulletproof. The engine needed attention, too, with Jeff blowing up a couple motors after seeing 2,000-plus-degree exhaust gas temperatures while going down the track. For the engine, he again turned to Keating Machine, and they came up with something they thought would make gobs of power at the track, yet still be reliable (and not too smoky) on the street.
Jeff's interior is as nice...
Jeff's interior is as nice as the rest of the truck. A whole cluster of dash-mounted gauges help him keep an eye on boost, EGT, transmission temperature, and more, while a floor shifter is needed because of the Suncoast full-manual valvebody.
From the bottom up, the motor was built as tough as could be. The block, cranks, and rods are stock, but almost everything else isn't. Keating helped modify some Marine-spec pistons and also did the firerings for the engine. Amazingly, stock head bolts are used (see sidebar), while the head was fully ported and treated to a valvespring upgrade. A billet cam spec'd by Jeff and ground by Enterprise Engine is used to keep the revs up, and a set of custom pushrods round out the package.