We don't know if Joseph King originally set out to build a Modified-class puller, or if his sled pulling project just got a little out of hand. What we do know, is that Joseph pulled against a dozen of the strongest Modified-class pulling trucks in the nation at last year's Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. With a stock frame, stock body, and even stock interior pieces, Joseph managed a Third place finish, pulling against tube chassis trucks with some major sponsorship money. How'd he do it? With some good chassis tuning and a whole lot of horsepower.
Whoever said "horsepower isn't everything," obviously never had a look at Joseph's engine. Built by Joseph himself, the Cummins-based mill puts out more than 1,500 horsepower. After cracking one engine block with too much boost, Joseph had this one filled, and 14mm head and main studs along with a stud girdle were installed. The crank and rods are worked-over factory units, although the pistons are ultra-low compression Arias racing pieces that produce an 11.5:1 compression ratio. The turbo setup uses a small turbo that is "more than three inches" in inlet diameter, according to Joseph and is made by Schweitzer, while the large turbo is "more than four inches" and is made by Holset. Max boost for the engine is 150 psi. All the air in the world won't help without the fuel to go with it, so Joseph plunked down the dough for a killer inline injection pump. The pump is an original casting by Hypermax, set to provide 1,000 cc of fuel and can spin up to 6,500 rpm.
To handle that much horsepower, the rest of the driveline had to be equally stout. A clutch from Haisley Machine and a ProFab reverser sends power back to a ProFab billet drop box, which diverts power to the front and rear axles. Speaking of axles, the front is a Dana 60 with a Detroit Locker and 6.17 gears. Joseph also fabricated the steering setup and chromoly tie rods, as well as modified the brakes so the big tires would fit. The rear is a beefed-up 106 Rockwell, and the stock rear suspension has been ditched in favor of some rectangular tubing that's welded directly to the axle. The front suspension is pretty much stock, save for some tuning and the trick tie rods.
In an age when it seems like you need to own your own shop or have a major sponsorship to be competitive, it's nice seeing a privateer out there mixing it up with the big boys. Our hats are off to Joseph, and we wish him well in the 2009 pulling season. DP
 Lots of noise under the hood...  Lots of noise under the hood (along with about 1,500 hp at 5,000 rpm) comes courtesy of a compound-turbo'd, Hypermax-injected 5.9L Cummins. |  An injection pump this serious...  An injection pump this serious also needs a serious fuel system. A 700-gallon-per-hour crank-driven lift pump on a Scheid Diesel front cover was used in conjunction with an owner-designed fuel system to provide plenty of diesel to this max-effort engine. |  A big part of the power-producing...  A big part of the power-producing equation comes from the injection pump that's built by Hypermax. Capable of fueling more than 1,000 cc, it features a custom case, custom governor setup, quick-fill cam, and 15mm plungers. |