Throughout each summer, we travel across the country following the Outlaw Diesel Super Series. There are many different classes, but the 6.70 Index class is one of the series’ up and comers. In the 6.70 Index, trucks are likely highly modified because of the weight of these trucks. It takes a lot of steam to get them fast especially when they are heavy. For Matt Giardina, his 2012 Ram weighs 7,380 pounds and he was eager to be eligible for the class.
His long term goal was to reach the elapsed time of 6.70-seconds but it wasn’t that easy. In the beginning, it was a work truck. Giardina lightly modified this truck over the first three years of ownership and inevitably used a second-gen turbo kit and an S467 turbo. After feeling the additional power, the want for a more controllable driveline was beginning to rise.
It wasn’t long after it’s first upgrades that Giardina wanted to use a 48RE transmission out of an older Cummins-powered truck and use a PCS to control it. Now, he has way more power and a driveline that is completely controllable when it comes to shift timing, torque converter lockup control, and more.
At this time, the truck used a set of 30-percent over F1 injectors. “The first setup was the S467 turbo, 48RE swap, and a set of 30-percent overs from F1. I loved how the truck ran but it just wasn’t enough. I needed more,” said Giardina. ” Knowing this had the potential to get out of hand, I purchased my ’15 which is now my work truck. Now, I had sort of open reign to modify this truck.”
Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
In an attempt to add more power with0ut sacrificing the drivability of this versatile turbo, Giardina swapped in a set of 100-percent overs. “These new injectors definitely allowed the truck to make more power and it ran even better. It would consistently run 7.50’s and I could easily daily drive this thing, but any gear head knows that it wouldn’t last,” he said. “You guessed it; I wanted it to be bigger and better.”
What changes came next? Easy. Big ones. If you’re wanting to build a high-performance engine in our industry, there are few different reputable options. For Giardina, it was
D & J Precision Machine. “I called up Drew Pumphrey at D & J and asked him a few questions and we decided on one of their 6.4-liter Predator engines and a Stage 2 cylinder head.” For a truck that just wanted more power, this really did get out of hand but that’s the way it goes when you get bit by the bug.
With Giardina's expectations and goals so high for this truck, sometimes things need a little extra boost. With the help of some Nitrous Express nitrous, this boat gets moving in a hurry. Other high-end parts include an Exergy Performance 14MM CP3 pump.
More Power, More Fun
With an engine that is capable of so much more, the 467 was no more. Giardina replaced it with a much larger 76/87/1.10 turbo that should land him safely in the 850 to 900 horsepower range. “With the S476 and the 100-percent overs, the truck did 880-horsepower. With a small stage of
nitrous, it did 987 horsepower. Keep in mind, the truck weighs 7,380-pounds. So, you’ve got a sub 1,000 horsepower truck that would probably run low 7’s in the eighth. That enough?
No. Giardina wasn’t happy with this and wanted more still. Giving up on a single turbo and relying on all of the boost, he went off the deep end and slapped a set of 467 over an S485 compound set up on the truck. With that amount of air, and knowing his current injectors aren’t enough for what he wants, the 200-percent injectors went in. at 7,000 plus pounds, this Ram went 7.001 in the 1/8th and 10.89 in the 1/4.
With the exception of the wide, slick-faced Hoosier tires, this truck looks like an ordinary pickup.
He is oh-so-close to the 6.70 times and yet so far away. Three-tenths of a second is a very long way away in a truck that heavy. Something has to change. Either this truck needs to make more power or it needs to be lighter, right?
At this point, the truck runs awesome and even can tow his camper or boat when he needs them but that 6.70 was just toying with him. Well, wanting to continue to make this a usable truck, he’s going more power versus lighter weight. So, in went the 275-percent over injectors and a
Stainless Diesel 5-Blade S472 on the manifold. The truck at this level made almost 1,100 horsepower on fuel but it was just too hot and smokey.
It is apparent that the 10-12 trucks struggle to make big power with similar setups that are on 5.9’s which was disheartening for Giardina. But, after changing injectors this many times, what’s another time, right? The 275-percents was too much so back in went a set of 150s. With the 150s, the truck made 1,018 on fuel and 1,092 with a small shot of nitrous. This setup ran great with no smoke and low EGT’s.
Confident this truck would bury itself into the six-second range, he had the guys at
Firepunk Diesel install a bolt-in roll bar with front swing outs and a
CalTrac setup with shock tower deletes just in case. In the 6.70 Index, you’re required to have at least a roll bar.
After what seems like a neverending list of changes, Giardina’s truck has a best pass of 6.80 at 104 MPH. It can consistently run 1.60 60′ times and has a best of 1.54. At that weight, that is very, very cool. At this point, we know Matt and we know this isn’t going to last. After talking with him just recently, it sounds like the back of the truck is getting adjustable suspension in the rear and this will definitely free up some weight. That personal best of 6.80 isn’t going to last much longer.
Keep an eye out for big red at future Outlaw Diesel Super Series events in the 6.70 Index class.
We love that more and more of you are getting involved on the dragstrip and you’re determined to reach those goals. If you have any questions about the performance side of things or drag racing in general, you can reach out to us here or check out the Outlaw Diesel Super Series website. Stay tuned to Diesel Army for more on the latest truck features and diesel performance parts.
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