Warhorse Part 3

Fight For Power

Published in the March 2014 Issue March 2014 News Michael Deulley

The second battle came into full swing when Troy Unruh finished reassembling the 5.9L Cummins engine together and mounted it back into his '96 Dodge. As the first battle to reconstruct the Cummins began to wane, the next mission was already on the horizon. Now with the engine back in its home, rebuilding around it was next to be checked off in the war for performance.

Debrief

In the first day, Unruh completely deconstructed the Cummins and took the pedestals over to Performance Automotive Machine Co., in Idaho Falls, Idaho, for milling. After the pedestals were to specification, Unruh armored the engine with ARP head studs, rod and main bearings, piston rings, seals and a fresh head gasket. After the internals of the engine had either been cleaned and checked (or replaced) the do-it-yourself truck owner removed the old, abused injectors and replaced them with Ducky Fuel Injection 5X0.012 VCO injectors, which would undoubtedly sate the power hungry 5.9L monster.

After the engine was beginning to take its final shape, Unruh took advantage of the open engine compartment to use forward thinking and replace the stock exhaust system with a 5-inch Silverline exhaust. Each action was performed meticulously and planned to make the next series of performance installs come together smoothly.

SITREP

As day two began, Unruh took aim at building outward from the newly reconstructed engine. Having a mind for power, but not wanting to detract from the practicality and overall economy of the Warhorse, each performance upgrade Unruh went for had to be well-balanced, as well as robust. Coming into the build with the truck being completely stock, months of planning and research were needed to ensure the best aftermarket upgrades were being used.

High-Intake

First to make its way to the 5.9L Cummins was a new, more powerful air intake manifold. CFM Plus offered the engine an ample amount of air, but was designed to keep it regulated. Unruh knew that in order to keep his vision of a powerful—yet economical—work horse alive, he would need that kind of control. The balanced CFM Plus intake manifold and intercooler pipe were the obvious choice for the task Unruh would set on it.

"I want the additional air, but I don't want to overpower the fuel and stifle any of the fuel delivery that I'm adding on," Unruh said.

While the new intake manifold would provide the necessary air into the engine, a new, more powerful outlet would have to be in place to keep the cyclical flow of air in a perfect balance.

Compensated Exhaust

With every measure that's taken, there's another that has to keep everything in check. The Dodge's stock exhaust manifold was a simple, one-piece construction. Under normal circumstances, it held perfectly for the 300K miles that it had seen. But with the amount of new power that was being introduced to the Warhorse, something needed to be done in order to keep the exhaust pressures regulated.

Unruh knew that another one-piece manifold had the potential to warp under increased exhaust temperatures, so an ATS three-piece exhaust manifold would answer Unruh's call for better exhaust regulation. Under the higher temperatures that the Dodge could potentially put out, the three parts of the ATS manifold would independently expand and contract to prevent the warpage commonly found in the stock manifold. Now that the 5.9L Cummins had the right equipment to inhale and exhale, Unruh thought of another addition that would allow the engine to breathe in a vastly larger volume of cooler air that would need to be included if the Warhorse were to be as powerful as Unruh needed it to be.

Controlled Breathing

The Cummins' potential had been rising to levels that Unruh had expected, but something needed to be done to ensure that everything operated without error. To combat the higher level of air needed to feed the engine, he would need an intake that could rise to the challenge.

"When all is said and done, the truck will need a huge supply of air and fuel," Unruh continued. "When I put in the intake manifold, I had to put a larger intake system to bring in more air."

Unruh found that AIRAID's cold air intake system would deliver massive amounts of cool, rich air to the engine. The housing, filter and hoses were mounted and would undoubtedly feed the growing need for cool air that the powerful Cummins engine demanded.

Fluid Motion

While making final decisions on his list of future performance candidates, Unruh wanted to finish up his current series of installs with a couple of pivotal components that he concluded should be addressed earlier on. The stock transmission pan was shallow and having extra fluid available to the hard-working transmission would be necessary for optimal operation. While evaluating which tranny pan would be the best fit for the Warhorse, he took notice to the aging differential covers. Knowing that if he were to place new tires and wheels on the Dodge in the future, checking and reinforcing the rear and front differentials would be vitally important.

Finally, the decision inevitably came down to MAG-HYTEC's transmission pan and differential covers. With their increased volume and bulletproof construction, both the pan and covers would undeniably reinforce the longevity and resilience of the Warhorse. And with many towing operations and long drives looming in the future, every part of the truck needed to be addressed. When the differentials were cleaned, Unruh bolted the rugged MAG-HYTEC covers into place. With everything looking good in the axles, Unruh turned his attention to the transmission.

With a thirst for power continuing to grow in the back of his mind, Unruh replaced the shallow stock pan with the deeper, more intimidating one. Realizing that if he decided to do any other transmission work during his build, the tranny could make good use of the extra fluid the MAG-HYTEC pan would provide. Not only was the new pan more robust, but offered a drain plug and provisions for a temperature sender, leaving Unruh with the option to monitor transmission temperatures.

The New Mission Plan

The new installs were the next stepping stones to the power that Unruh envisioned for his Warhorse build. With one improvement, another system was found lacking, leading the build into directions even Unruh didn't initially anticipate going.

"With everything I put into my truck, I find another affected part that I need to pay attention to. I am starting to feel like I'm doing a full rebuild here," Unruh said.

The Warhorse has time and time again proven itself to be a formidable adversary, but Unruh's dedication and perseverance drives him on to making his vision a reality. With each new install, the Dodge Cummins has gone from an unassuming pickup to approaching its full potential as an armored, unstoppable monster.

Sources

aFe Power

951-493-7155

www.afepower.com

AIRAID

800-498-6951

www.airaid.com

American Force Wheels

800-620-6259

www.americanforcewheels.com

ATS Diesel Performance

866-209-3695