Many of us remember seeing Monster Trucks on TV as we were growing up. Trucks with names like Bigfoot, USA-1, Monster Mash, Rolling Thunder, and Grave Digger were broadcast on television screens across the nation, and images of these big beasts crushing cars were a sight to behold. Dave Radzierez liked monster trucks too, and even messed around a little with them about 20 years ago when they were still running leaf springs. In the next 20 years, Dave would go on to pursue many different things, including owning a modified pulling truck, but in the back of his mind he still remembered the monster trucks.
No creeping slowly over the cars here-this truck can get some serious air!
In 2008, Dave decided to do something about it. He sold his pulling truck and bought an old Grave Digger rolling chassis at a fantastic price. Why so cheap? Virtually everything, from the brakes to the shocks to the suspension, needed to be repaired or replaced; every part that could wear, was worn. Luckily for us, Dave owns A&M Machining, and with the help of a few friends, he was able to rebuild and rework the entire truck in just a few months. Dave wasn't planning on building just any old monster truck though. He had an ace up his sleeve-it would be powered by a Cummins diesel. Dave is quick to point out that he is not the first diesel-powered monster out there. "The original King Kong, as well as Rolling Thunder, were diesel-powered," Dave says. "However, this is the first modern diesel-powered monster truck: rear-engined, with a tube chassis and the capability to jump cars."
So what makes this modern monster tick? The answer is a P-pumped 24-valve 5.9L Cummins built by Scott Hovey at Mass Diesel Performance. On the motor, the mill churns out 823 hp, a number that can be boosted to 1,157 hp with the addition of nitrous oxide. The motor also needed to be very flexible for car-crushing duty, so a set of quick-spooling twins from High Tech Turbo was added, which gives the truck an operating range of about 2,500-5,500 rpm. A monster truck doesn't have time to wait to spool, so a non-lockup 2,800-rpm stall converter is used, along with a (surprise!) 727 Torqueflite transmission.
It's obvious that the truck is sponsored by Flowmaster's Hushpower line of mufflers, but do they actually benefit the truck? "Yes," Dave says. "I tried running it with open exhaust, but the stack is right behind me and all I could hear was exhaust noise. If there was a problem with the motor, I'd never be able to hear it." Since flying a 10,000-pound truck through the air is a big responsibility, a muffler was a welcomed addition, and even gave an additional 17 hp on an engine dyno.
What are Dave's future plans? "Right now we're just having fun with the truck," Dave says. "We go to every NADM event, and they've been a big help. You can also contact them to book us." Dave adds, "The kids just love this truck, and it's been a real big hit so far." Although he doesn't plan to hit the monster truck circuit any time soon, Dave believes the truck is very capable. "It has everything a modern truck should have, including a remote kill switch that chokes the engine, and with enough room, it will clear a line of cars," he claims with confidence. We here at Diesel Power have to say that this Cummins-powered monster pegs the cool-o-meter, and we wish Dave the best of luck on his big adventure.