Over the past few years, we have seen tremendous growth in the diesel aftermarket. It was only a few short years ago that twin-turbo kits were made available to the public. Twin CP3 pumps and other big horsepower items had not even been thought of. Thanks to this explosion, we are seeing 1,000-horsepower trucks show up at dyno events, make a run, and then drive home. Diesel trucks are a more common sight on dragstrips, and it seems that almost everyone has a programmer.
With all of this new growth, sometimes it is important to look back and see how we got where we are today. One of the early diesel pioneers is Joe Hellmann of Hellmann Performance. We ran into Joe a few months ago, and his truck immediately caught our attention. His Dodge was one of the first 10-second diesel trucks, and also one of the first shortbed conversions that was made specifically for drag racing. Joe was laying the smack down on gasoline cars and trucks back in 2003, winning the Midnight Madness Truck class drags four consecutive times. Joe was also in the final round of the Clash of the Titans 11.0 True Street in 2003.
Joe spent many hours cutting...
Joe spent many hours cutting and welding the bed in order to make it look like a factory option.
Joe started building this project in 2001 by buying a '98 extended-cab shortbed 12-valve Cummins, with the intention of building a diesel drag truck. He started out by cutting the frame off after the cab, and fabricating a four-link rear suspension. By doing this, he accomplished two things. First, he was able to shorten the wheelbase, and second, a four-link rear suspension is more adjustable than a leaf spring design. After Joe was finished cutting and welding, the new wheelbase of his truck was 121 inches, which is about the same length as a regular-cab shortbed. After completing the back half, Joe had to rework the shortbed into a short shortbed. Measuring about 4 1/2 feet long, the Dodge now has a bed that is shorter than most compact truck beds.
Next, the front 3/4-ton suspension was removed, and 1/2-ton upper and lower control arms, springs, spindles, and brakes were installed. The 1/2-ton springs were not designed to carry the extra weight of the Cummins engine and ended up lowering the front end a few inches. Since this truck is driven on the street and strip, Joe went with Rancho adjustable shocks. Joe had to do a little searching to find a matching set of 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton wheels thanks to the five-hole lug pattern up front. The front tires are 215/75R15 radials and are mounted on a set of 15x7 wheels. The rear tires are mammoth 33x18.5x15 Hoosiers and are mounted on 15x14 wheels.
Once the rolling chassis was done, Joe installed a rollbar for safety, an Optima Red Top battery mounted in the bed, and an 8-gallon fuel cell. The fuel cell may seem small for a road-worthy vehicle, but Joe says his truck gets twenty miles per gallon, which gives him a range of 160 miles.
 The custom Dana 60 rear axle,...  The custom Dana 60 rear axle, four-link, coilover shocks, and crossmember were all built by Joe. |  Plain and simple, these factory...  Plain and simple, these factory '95 wheels do the job. Notice there are only five lugs up front. |  The big Hoosiers are actually...  The big Hoosiers are actually street legal, yet still provide excellent traction at the dragstrip. |