It's Top 10 time, and once again, our staff had to tackle the hard task of picking from all the vehicles we've featured in Diesel Power in 2009. We considered labor, ingenuity, and usefulness to pick 10 diesels we thought embodied what Diesel Power magazine looks for in a feature vehicle. Although many of these diesels are competition-oriented, most of them, such as Mike Wood's Duramax Mustang and Ed Wayne's 1,000hp GMC, can still be street driven. Other rigs, such as Joseph King's Modified sled puller, are strictly for track use, but he got the nod for performing much of the work himself. In the end, these are the 10 most influential, well-crafted, or just plain coolest diesels we've featured in 2009.inline_mediumwraptextrightBest 2009 Diesels25505054/features/0912dp_top_10_diesels0912dp_01+top_10_diesels+best_2009_diesels.jpgTrue

Brandon Miller from Unionville Center, Ohio, thinks a little differently than most. Not many people will take a look at a '94 Chevy S-10 and think that installing a 1,000-pound diesel engine is a good idea. But Brandon did, and we congratulate him on his effort. It took a lot of work, but in the end, he has a quick, 4,000-pound truck that has already run 11s in the quarter-mile and should soon run down in the 9s with the addition of a secondary turbo and some nitrous.inline_mediumwraptextrightEngine Bay30936762/news/0911dp_5_9l_cummins_diesel_engine0911dp_01+5_9L_cummins_diesel_engine+engine_bay.jpgTrue

Turbo System For 7.3L Power Strokes
New from ATS is its complete bolt-on turbo system for '991/2 to '03 7.3L Power Stroke owners seeking more performance. It claims the system addresses one major flaw in the OEM design-the up-pipe gaskets failing due to increased drive pressure. According to ATS, the kit remedies this by using metal gaskets. The system requires no fabrication, comes with a new cast pedestal, up-pipes, and intake pipes, and is available with its Aurora 3000, 4000, 5000, or 6000 turbochargers.inline_mediumwraptextrightATS Diesel26701963/newproducts/0911dp_destroked_remote_oil_filter_adapter0911dp_01+power_products+ATS_diesel.jpgTrue

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For more than two hundred years America has relied on its agriculture for subsistence, profitability, and growth. Farm-raised inventors have historically increased productivity and reduced their personal toil by inventing the forerunners of the modern machinery utilized in today's global farming activities.inline_mediumwraptextrightPlows30954801/features/0911dp_j_i_case0911dp_01+j_i_case+plows.jpgTrue

Some people can only relate to the Normandy beach landings of World War II because they've seen the movie Saving Private Ryan. If you don't know your history or haven't seen the movie, here's what happened: When the Allied Forces hit the sand with their landing craft, they could go no further because they weren't amphibious. After they beached, the front door dropped open and the soldiers were instantly greeted with heavy machine gun fire coming from the Nazis in their fortified bunkers. We don't want to ruin the ending, so we won't tell you anymore. Flash-forward to 1984 when BAE Systems introduced a new solution for transporting soldiers from ship to shore under enemy fire.inline_mediumwraptextrightRight Side Angle26712625/features/0911dp_amphibious_assault_vehicle0911dp_01+amphibious_assault_vehicle+right_side_angle.jpgTrue

Welcome to Top Tech Questions. Oftentimes, readers contact us with questions about articles, or to praise us on what a good job we are doing. But our favorite form of reader communication is tech questions. Our Top Tech section is a place where you ask what's on your mind, and we answer it. Got a trouble code? Wondering how to get your engine to make more power?

Here is a simple question: How much can your vehicle tow? There are two ways to get this answer-experiment and risk vehicle failure, or you can look it up. When towing goes wrong, it's not a pretty sight. So unless you're conducting controlled experiments on your own private highway, Diesel Power says it's better to ask someone-but who? The first authority one thinks of is the truck manufacturer, but since they all have their own testing procedures, it makes it difficult to compare them. For one thing, the vehicle specifications are extremely complicated because there are so many different configurations of pickup trucks. Not to mention they are using weight ratings as a selling point. This might have you wishing there were some impartial organization dedicated to creating standardized recommended testing procedures. Guess what. There is and it's called the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International.inline_mediumwraptextrightTowing26710771/tech/0911dp_society_of_automotive_engineers_international0911dp_01+society_of_automotive_engineers_international+towing.jpgTrue

In the aftermath of Diesel Power Challenge 2009 we decided to once again showcase the event's most successful trucks. The only difference this time is that we'll explain what got them there. With the help of Industrial Injection, TS Performance, Amsoil, Nitto Tire, and 4Wheel Parts, we've prescribed what it will take to steal next year's show.

Thanks to the diesel aftermarket, many aspects of our trucks can be improved tenfold to help us tow easier. We can simply plug in a programmer, bolt on an air intake, and install an exhaust system-which all improve acceleration performance. But what about the other side of the coin: braking?inline_mediumwraptextrightChevy Silverado Truck26709721/tech/chevy/0911dp_banks_speedbrake0911dp_01+banks_speedBrake+chevy_silverado_truck.jpgTrue

The most technologically advanced war machine is useless if it doesn't have the energy it needs to keep running. That is why the U.S. military, under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has funded the development of this Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR), which is designed to find its own energy sources in the battlefield. Robotic Technology Inc. provided this vehicle with the artificial intelligence and appendages it needs to conduct long-range, long-endurance missions without the need for conventional refueling.inline_mediumwraptextrightRight Rear Angle26709232/features/0911dp_energetically_autonomous_tactical_robot0911dp_01+energetically_autonomous_tactical_robot+right_rear_angle.jpgTrue

Deep in Illinois' corn country, there's a sled pulling circuit that hosts more than 70 events per summer, runs everything from small garden tractors to Pro Stock semis, and is known for providing some of the most competitive diesel events around.

Just a few short years ago, diesel performance was a phrase uttered by a scattered few. Now more and more people are hitting the track, whether it be hooked to a sled or beside another racer at a dragstrip. The fact that diesel performance is alive and well was illustrated at this year's Pro Diesel Challenge—an event put on by Spruill Racing in Creswell, North Carolina.inline_mediumwraptextrightThe 7.70-second Bracket Class (which is approximately the 12.0-second Class in quarter-mile terms) featured a lot of strong-running street trucks, like this overfueled Duramax.Chevy Duramax25479266/events/0911dp_pro_diesel_challenge_lll0911dp_01+pro_diesel_challenge_lll+chevy_duramax.jpgTrue

We recently attended the OBX Outlaw race in Creswell, North Carolina, and stumbled upon an interesting find—a show-quality, one-owner truck still wearing its original paint. We were even more surprised to learn that owner John Porterfield has racked up 307,000 miles on his '96 Dodge Ram 2500 since he bought it new in December of 1995.inline_mediumwraptextrightLeft Side Angle26495917/features/dodge/0911dp_1996_dodge_ram_25000911dp_01+1996_dodge_ram_2500+left_side_angle.jpgTrue

From the time the Environmental Protection Agency proposed that ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) be run in all on-highway diesel vehicles to when it was fully implemented in late 2006, there has been much debate about this new fuel's effect on older diesel engines. Specifically, the fear that ULSD has a lower lubricity and cetane rating, which could affect pre-2007 diesel engines and fuel systems.inline_mediumwraptextrightUltra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel26513938/tech/ford/0911dp_fuel_additive_test0911dp_01+fuel_additive_test+ultra_low_sulfur_diesel_fuel.jpgTrue

When the '99-model-year Ford Super Duty debuted in 1998 it reset the benchmark for 3/4- and 1-ton diesel pickup trucks. Then the '03-model-year Super Duty brought us the not-so-loved 6.0L Power Stroke but also introduced us to the world-class 5R110 TorqShift automatic transmission. When the '05-model-year Super Duty was launched, it came with an all-new front suspension, an upscale interior and exterior, and brought us the first integrated electric trailer bake controller.inline_mediumwraptextrightRight Front Angle26511844/features/ford/0911dp_2011_ford_f350_super_duty0911dp_01+2011_ford_f350_super_duty+right_front_angle.jpgTrue

To coincide with this month's towing theme, we're exploring a question that has always intrigued us: Where are the toughest places to tow in America? Of the more than 4 million miles of paved roads in the United States, there are hundreds of places across the country that can challenge even the best drivers and push the trucks they choose to tow with to their absolute limit-but we've set out to identify the top ten.inline_mediumwraptextrightTowing30715221/towing/0911dp_10_toughest_tows_in_america0911dp_01+10_toughest_tows_in_america+towing.jpgTrue

If you've read the title, you've probably second-guessed the truck already. Yeah right, 1,000 hp out of an '04 GMC Sierra 2500HD work truck? We're here to assure you that yes—it's true. Check out the scratches in the bed and the hookups for the air compressor. Ed Wayne is known for showing at local sled pulling events with his GMC dragging an 11,000-pound camper full of weights and pulling tires. Then he unhooks the truck and competes in the 3.0-Class—typically finishing near the top. When he's done, he loads his trailer back up, hooks it to the GMC, and drives home. Drag racing? That's no problem for Ed either. How about 6.74-second eighth-mile elapsed times? That's mid-10s in the quarter-mile, folks. Dynos? Ed doesn't like them, although he has run on one long enough to make 1,029 hp at the rear wheels with a whiff of nitrous. How does he do all of this? Well, read on and we'll tell you.inline_mediumwraptextrightLeft Front Angle30699108/features/chevy/0911dp_2004_gmc_sierra_2500_hd0911dp_01+2004_gmc_sierra_2500_HD+left_front_angle.jpgTrue

If you are a carpenter, you probably know how to build a shelf. If you are a pilot, you probably know how to fly a plane. Well, Tim Schritter is the shop manager at ATR Performance Center in Kingman, Arizona, so you can probably guess that he knows a thing or two about modifying vehicles. Tim's personal ride is an '04 F-250 Super Duty crew cab shortbed that he uses for daily driving, towing, and drag racing. The 6.0L is not the first diesel engine that comes to mind when most people think of drag racing, but Tim doesn't shy away from a challenge. To highlight this point, his truck is a two-wheel-drive model.inline_mediumwraptextrightLeft Side Angle30700011/features/ford/0911dp_2004_ford_f250_super_duty0911dp_01+2004_ford_f250_super_duty+left_side_angle.jpgTrue

Isn't the diesel aftermarket a great thing? If we want added performance, there's something for us. If we want to spice up our truck's look, there's something else for us. And occasionally, there's something that does both.inline_mediumwraptextrightDiesel Engine26497609/tech/ford/0911dp_cfm_plus_intake_manifold_installation0911dp_01+cfm_plus_intake_manifold_installation+diesel_engine.jpgTrue

Up until now, all of our modifications have had ulterior motives. Any fuel mileage increases were a welcome side effect of the products installed, but not the only reason for their being chosen. However, our primary purpose in bolting a Fitch Fuel Catalyst from Advanced Power Systems International to our 6.7L Cummins was to see if the company's claims of increased fuel economy would really pan out. We tested this product for more miles than any of our other modifications in this series and discovered some interesting results.inline_mediumwraptextrightPre Production Kit26513119/tech/dodge/0911dp_fitch_fuel_catalyst0911dp_01+fitch_fuel_catalyst+pre_production_kit.jpgTrue

Michael-Ryan Pattison plans to race this diesel-powered '47 Hudson pickup at El Mirage and Bonneville in sanctioned Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) events. You will probably also see him at the Silver State Classic Open Road Race. What's amazing is Michael-Ryan has no mobility below the collarbone. He controls the throttle and steering with a specially designed mouthpiece. The mastermind behind this race truck is co-driver Randy Simmons, president of Robotic Integrated Technology. The inspiration comes from two organizations called A Cure is Coming, and The Michael-Ryan Pattison Foundation. Their goal is to bring awareness for those with spinal cord injuries. This truck proves anything is possible as long as you follow your dreams. To learn more about the Hudson project, go to: www.aCureIsComing.cominline_mediumwraptextrightLeft Front Angle30716289/features/trucks/0911dp_1947_hudson_pickup0911dp_01+1947_hudson_pickup+left_front_angle.jpgTrue