It is getting pretty common to see a Cummins powering a Super Duty, but we rarely come across a Cummins powering a GM. So, when we ran into Cory and Ryan Funk’s 01′ Silverado, we had to get more info.

Photos courtesy of Cory Funk and Mark Gallert.

“We started out with a 400,000 mile 2wd cab and chassis truck that we were just going to throw together to hit some local pulls,” explained Cory Funk. As with most things competitive, it doesn’t take much for things to get out of control.

Before they realized it, they had completely stripped the frame down sandblasted it and converted the truck to a 4 wheel drive. Instead of going with a solid axle front suspension, they opted to use a GM IFS with a 9.25 AAM (American Axle & Manufacturing) front differential. Then, they went ahead and powder coated the frame while they were at it.

For a power plant, they thought about building the Duramax that was in there (with 400,000 miles), but decided they might as well put a 5.9L Cummins in it instead. Parts were easier to locate and they knew they could be very competitive. “The Cummins was a very tight squeeze. We had to custom build the entire oil pan to wrap it around the differential and ended up having to go to a hydraulic cylinder steering setup since the stock steering links caused a lot of oil pan clearance issues,” added Funk.

Once the Cummins was mounted, they removed all of the factory electronics. “We got rid of the electronic diff actuator and built a cable actuator to lock it into 4wd up front,” continued Funk.

To ensure that the rest of the drivetrain was strong enough for the 2.6 class, they installed a NV4500 (5 speed manual) behind the engine and connected a Ford NP273 transfer case.

The rear is an AAM 11.5 with 38 spline axles connected to a spool. As with many pullers, they go through a lot of gears because of the amount of power they are putting down. “We typically have to put a new one [Ring and Pinion] in it every 4 hooks and check it for cracks every hook,” mentioned Funk.

The truck debuted at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza in 2013 and they ran the truck most of last year. “Over last winter we decided to change our motor program from the original 5.9 to a 6.7 12 valve build with many parts custom built to our drawings,” said Funk.

Both Cory and Ryan Funk are engineers and they have been working hard to ensure they can stay competitive. This means that when they started melting pistons, they custom designed a new piston and had it made to their specs. In addition, they custom designed their own intake manifold/air to water intercooler, weight box and a number of other components.

With their unique intake manifold design, they, also, had to custom design a remote mounted p-pump setup and custom route all of their fuel lines. Pretty much anywhere you look under the hood; you see a ton of custom work. While this team hasn’t been pulling for years, they are making a huge impact and people are starting to take notice. This year they actually won the points championship for the Badger State Tractor Pullers 2.6 class!