1999 Ford Super Duty - Cummins Diesel Engine

Chaz Lightner is a die-hard Ford guy. If his '67 Shelby Mustang isn't a dead giveaway, the Bronco tattoo permanently inked on his skin should be. Lightner is a complicated man though. In addition to being a Ford fanatic, he also has a fondness for Cummins engines. If the name Chaz Lightner sounds familiar, it might be because we featured his orange '66 Bronco stuffed with a 4BT Cummins in "Black Smoke Bronco" (Sept. '07). Now Lightner is back with another Cummins-powered Ford creation--which is even wilder than his last.

Lightner's latest Ford is a '99 Super Duty 4x4 SuperCab shortbed truck that was a theft recovery. The thieves took the truck for a joyride and punched a hole in the fuel tank in the process. When the truck died (due to fuel starvation) the thieves ditched it, allowing the truck to be recovered. The 7.3L Power Stroke would not run due to the lack of fuel, but the wrecking yard misdiagnosed the problem as a bad engine. This allowed Lightner to virtually steal the truck for himself, and a new project was born. Once some clean fuel was supplied to the engine, the 7.3L ran fine, but Lightner had other plans in mind for his new purchase. The stock drivetrain was pulled and sold to finance the build he was formulating in his mind. Then the interior was completely stripped and the fenders and hood were removed and sold. With the truck stripped down to the rolling chassis, and Lightner now with money in his pocket from the parts he sold, he began turning his dream into diesel reality. If you think Lightner is lucky now, keep reading.

1999 Ford Super Duty Cummins Diesel Engine

The 12-valve Cummins engine, built by Beck Racing Engines, came out of a truck that was a victim of a fire. It fits nicely in the Super Duty's engine bay on Destroked.com motor mounts.

The 12-valve Cummins engine, built by Beck Racing Engines, came out of a truck that was a

Heart Transplant
The heart of the build is a 5.9L Cummins 12-valve from Beck Racing Engines. "I've known Frank Beck for about twenty years now," Lightner casually mentioned, "and he really helped me out with this engine." Beck Racing engines bored and sleeved the block and balanced the Mahle 16:1 compression pistons and the stock rods and crank to within one tenth of a gram to allow Lightner to reliably spin the engine to 4,800 rpm. To breathe at that engine speed the head was ported, O-ringed, and fitted with stiffer valve springs by Ken Diaz at Turbo Auto Diesel. A set of ARP head studs was used to keep the head securely affixed to the block, even under triple-digit boost pressures.

Boost comes from combined B1 and B2 turbos from Turbo Auto Diesel. Since the truck was built to compete on the dragstrip, the intercooler was deleted in an effort to reduce weight and make the intake plumbing as short as possible for quick spooling. To keep the exhaust gas temperatures reasonable, a Snow Performance system injects water-methanol through three 625-milliliter-per-minute jets. Three stages of nitrous oxide from NOS are also injected into the engine. The first stage spools the turbos with a 0.040-inch jet, and the second and third stages provide additional oxygen to the engine and cool the intake charge. The second stage uses an 0.125-inch jet and comes on when the throttle position sensor indicates Lightner's foot is on the floor. The third stage uses a 0.090-inch jet that is engaged by a timer three seconds into the quarter-mile run.

Chaz Lightner built his truck for bracket racing and is incredibly consistent on the track. While he was only running in the high 12s, there is still a lot of power on the table for this truck to go faster in the future.
Chaz Lightner built his truck for bracket racing and is incredibly consistent on the track
The bed of the truck is all business, with a FASS lift pump, fuel cell, transmission cooler, and electronics all easily accessible. The single 5-inch stack was kept short as to not block Lightner's view while bracket racing. A Derale transmission cooler was plumbed with Earl's anodized AN fittings and braided steel line to ensure there are no leaks on the track.
The bed of the truck is all business, with a FASS lift pump, fuel cell, transmission coole
A FASS 150 lift pump provides the P-pump with large volumes of clean, air-free, diesel fuel. Mounting the FASS pump and the fuel cell in the bed makes them easy to access if needed.
A FASS 150 lift pump provides the P-pump with large volumes of clean, air-free, diesel fue

All of that oxygen from the turbos and nitrous is necessary to keep up with the healthy fueling system. A custom-fabricated six-gallon fuel cell provides diesel to a FASS 150 lift pump. The clean fuel is then delivered to a Bosch P7100 injection pump built by Turbo Auto Diesel with 14mm plungers. The high-pressure fuel is delivered to the cylinders via Turbo Auto Diesel electrical discharge machined (EDM'd) fuel injectors.

Unlucky Drivetrain
The unfortunate drivetrain that is forced to live behind the high-horsepower Cummins is largely stock, which is a testament to Ford's strength and durability. A Cummins-to-Ford conversion flexplate and bellhousing from Destroked.com were used to mate the B-series engine to a John Wood-built 4R100 transmission. The transmission uses a billet torque converter and full billet internals and is controlled by a stand-alone PCS computer and D200 data logger.

From there, power is routed through the stock NP273 chain-driven transfer case, which is used at the strip to transfer power to all four wheels. The front Dana 50 axle was left relatively stock and retains the factory 3.73 gear ratio. The rear full-floating Ford 10-inch axle benefits from a Detroit Locker for added traction to the 325/60R18 Toyo Open Country A/Ts mounted on 18x10 American Racing Mojave rims.

Drag Details
While it is relatively easy to build a high-horsepower Cummins engine these days, Lightner's Super Duty has many extra details that underscore his drag racing experience. The rear driveshaft is fitted with a safety hoop to keep the driveshaft from pole-vaulting the truck if it should happen to come off on the strip. All of the plumbing is done with braided steel line and AN fittings, and the batteries and other components are easily accessible in the bed of the truck. The stock bed is fitted with bulged fiberglass bedsides that complement the matching front fenders and cowl induction hood. Normally, you would see white fiberglass fenders on an off-road race truck, but Lightner took a cue from the desert-race world to shed a few pounds from the truck and keep the tires covered on the dragstrip. Instead of being standard white, the fiberglass was hydroprinted by Real Image of Phoenix to look like carbon fiber.

Inside the truck, the drag racing theme continues. B&A Motorsports fabricated the rollcage from 4130 chromoly and dropped the cage through the floor in order to completely TIG-weld it before attaching it to the cab and the frame. The cage was then topped with Mastercraft seats and five-point harnesses from Driven Auto Parts for added safety. With the stock dash gone, Lightner used an assortment of Auto Meter gauges to monitor everything from boost pressure to voltage. He also used an old racing trick and rotated the gauges so that the highest acceptable value occurs when all the gauge needles are pointing straight up. This makes it easy to determine if there are any problems by just quickly glancing at the gauges.

Turbo Auto Diesel built the B1 and B2 turbos that provide more than 100 pounds of boost to the Cummins engine. No intercooler is necessary (thanks to the water and nitrous oxide injection systems) for the dragstrip, which sheds weight and provides additional space under the hood of the Ford.
Turbo Auto Diesel built the B1 and B2 turbos that provide more than 100 pounds of boost to
Turbo Auto Diesel provided Lightner with the P7100 injection pump fitted with 14mm plungers to provide enough fuel to the injectors to keep up with the twin turbos and nitrous. The stock intake manifold split in half during a trip down the track due to high boost pressures. Lightner fabricated this sheetmetal intake and internally reinforced it to ensure that would not be a problem in the future.
Turbo Auto Diesel provided Lightner with the P7100 injection pump fitted with 14mm plunger
Two nitrous bottles are securely mounted on a billet mount in the bed of the truck. With three total stages, the Cummins ingests a healthy amount of nitrous on each pass.
Two nitrous bottles are securely mounted on a billet mount in the bed of the truck. With t

What's Next?
When we met up with Lightner at the track he was still testing the truck out. His previous trip to Speedworld Raceway outside of Phoenix resulted in a split intake manifold that could not withstand the triple-digit boost pressures. Lightner ran high 12s on fuel only and a stock P-pump, so there is plenty of power left on the table. The rollcage, driveshaft hoop, and other safety features leave Lightner with room to go faster in the future without breaking any track rules. Making his newest creation quicker at the dragstrip should keep him from thinking about painting that Shelby Mustang orange, and shoehorning a Cummins engine under the hood--at least for the time being.

Lightner fabricated custom ladder bars to limit axlewrap and increase traction for hard launches off the line. Also visible are the lines for the transmission cooler and the wiring from the batteries to the engine.
Lightner fabricated custom ladder bars to limit axlewrap and increase traction for hard la
Dual Optima Red Top batteries fire the Cummins engine. The batteries are mounted at the very back of the bed to aid in weight transfer. A Moroso kill-switch makes it easy to disconnect the batteries from the electrical system, in case there's an accident.
Dual Optima Red Top batteries fire the Cummins engine. The batteries are mounted at the ve
A whole complement of Auto Meter gauges adorn the interior of the Super Duty, monitoring rpm, boost, EGTs, fuel pressure, nitrous pressure, oil pressure, water temperature, and voltage.
A whole complement of Auto Meter gauges adorn the interior of the Super Duty, monitoring r

Can you tell that Lightner is an electrical engineer? Compared to the systems he builds at Custom Data Engineering, wiring the Super Duty was a piece of cake. All the switches were clearly labeled to limit mistakes on the track. With the dash removed, the ignition, lights, and other functions are controlled via a panel between the front seats.
Can you tell that Lightner is an electrical engineer? Compared to the systems he builds at
The interior of the truck was completely gutted to save weight and complexity. The one creature comfort that remains is the air conditioning. "Have you ever worn a fire suit in Phoenix in the summer?" Lightner asked in response to why the A/C remained. The interior cage was fully TIG-welded by B&A Motorsports and constructed from 4130 chromoly. The Mastercraft seats and five-point harnesses from Driven Auto were mounted directly to the cage for added safety at the track.
The interior of the truck was completely gutted to save weight and complexity. The one cr