http://www.nitrousexpress.com/Video/texasmile_fender.wmv?v=gD_7KEcYR4o
http://www.nitrousexpress.com/Video/texasmile_incar.wmv?v=gD_7KEcYR4o
Gallery: http://www.nitrousexpress.com/ProjectCars/duramax_gt/index.htm
http://www.nitrousexpress.com/duramaxgt/texasmile/index.htm
Read here article from Mike Wood:
Quest for 200MPH
Sunday: This is not good. Here I am sitting in the emergency room waiting to get X-Rayed to see what I've done to my right shoulder. The Texas mile is just 11 days away and the DuraMax GT has not been on the dyno yet. I have a hot new tune-up and I want to be sure nothing goes wrong when I'm trying to hit that elusive 200MPH in the standing mile and achieve the hard to reach 50 MPG. I finally get the X-rays done and the news is not good, broken shoulder blade, broken rib and a cracked collar bone. How did I let this happen? Well, we were having a great time, this sounds like the beginning to every redneck story doesn't it? Anyway my son and I were riding dirt bikes at the best place in Texas, Red River Motorcycle Park, when I "dismounted" my bike in a very ungraceful manner, landing on a rock ledge with my right shoulder, OUCH!
Monday: This is Monday morning and I am so sore I can't breathe without pain; the trip to Goliad TX may be in jeopardy. In this condition I can't even get in or out of the GT, let alone work on it. I get up and head to the office, big mistake, I feel like a bad train wreck. Back to the house and into the bed for some much needed relief. Some of my great friends pitch in to help with the last minute details Monday night but I am still in serious pain and popping hydrocodone like candy.
Tuesday: More of the same, no progress on the car and no progress on my shoulder either..........
Wednesday: ditto
Thursday: Today is a little better but I still can't even button my pants! I'm not the jogging pants type of guy and this is really starting to bug me. I did manage to get a T-shirt over my head but wow did it hurt. I know I have to get off these pain pills before I can even think about driving the car but the pain is still nagging at me. I call my buddy Greg Hogue to see if he is interested in driving the car in case I just can't do it. Thankfully he agrees and now I have a little hope that car will get to the track and achieve at least some of our goals.
Friday: I feel somewhat better and realize that I have to label all the new buttons and switches in the car so Greg will know what they do and what they control if he has to drive for me. I get out the P-Touch and start typing..........
Saturday: All the labels are made but I can't get in the car to put them where they need to go! I finally get some help and the labels are on, at least now Greg will have some idea of what switch does what. We work on the new front air dam and it is starting to look really good, this alone should make me go 200! Then I remember I can't even get in the car............ Danny James is patiently welding the aluminum as I measure and mark what needs to be done. WOW it really looks better than I expected, with the air dam installed I have 3.750 inches of ground clearance. Kinda low for street use but I need to get it as close to the ground as possible.
Sunday: Today I finish trimming the air dam and get it ready to display a new NX decal I am going to use to disguise the fact the spoiler is not painted =) I’m starting to use my bad arm a little but the pain is still there. Speaking of pain, I quit the hydrocodone and I’m relying on Aleve now. The maximum dose does little to relieve the pain but if I’m going to drive I’ve got to be off the heavy stuff. Mike Abney helps wire the new air shifter, new converter lock up timer and the new Gear Vendors Overdrive unit. All the new stuff worries me because none of it will be tested before we hit the road for Goliad on Thursday. I have already decided not to try to make it to the dyno; I’ll just have to rely on luck to help me when I get to the track.
Monday: I visit my orthopedic surgeon and politely beg him to OK my little weekend get-a-way. He tells me if I can stand the pain I can do anything I want. Down deep I don’t really think he thought that I could or would race a car at 200MPH with three fractured bones in my shifting arm’s shoulder. I say thanks Doc, head for the shop and start getting my stuff together to leave on Thursday morning. I’m taking 150 pounds of nitrous, enough for 5 passes. No, I’m not really using 30 pounds of nitrous a pass but it will need close to 15 pounds, remember no intercooler so we use a ton of nitrous to cool the intake charge. I calculate that the air leaving the turbo will be close to 500 degrees and we need to cool it to 100 degrees before it hits the combustion chamber. To do this we will be injecting nitrous through two .093 jets just after the turbo outlet and the Snow water/methanol injection filled with Boost Juice will also be there to help out with the cooling duties.
Tuesday: Finally my Hero Camera’s get here. I want one on the driver, one in the front and one in the rear. If anything goes wrong I want it on video so we can see what failed first =). Mounting these darlings is a little more complex than I had envisioned, or maybe it’s because I have only one working hand? Anyway I finally got them mounted and now I’m ready to get the event on video.
Wednesday: The new RPM Performance Products data logger is installed and ready to tell me what just happened while I rocket down the Texas Mile. This unit will provide invaluable information to help run the GT at optimum tune without guessing. A short 100 mile test run is scheduled for this afternoon and I still don’t know if I can get in and out of the car! Lunch is over and it is now the moment of truth, can I get in the GT and buckle the Impact Racing five point harness, yes and with some difficulty I can operate the B&M ratchet shifter and get out of the car, life is good! I start the beast, back out of the shop and hit the road. The car is much quieter than before, the Gear Vendors Overdrive unit has reduced engine speed by 500 RPM’s and this has quietened the passenger compartment by about 30 decibels. With both overdrives engaged the engine is turning about 1700 RPM’s at 70 MPH. That should help us get that 50 MPG we are looking for. I carefully avoid any big holes or bumps in the road, the 3.750 inches of clearance seems closer to the ground all the time. On the interstate the GT rides smoothly and is happy to run at any speed I am brave enough to drive it. The 100 miles uses just a couple of gallons of fuel, the gauge hardly moves. I figure with the 13 gallons of #2 diesel I have on board will take me to Goliad easily with no stops for fuel. The GT makes the shakedown cruise without a whimper; here we go ready or not!
Thursday: Greg Hogue gets off work at 7:00AM and heads for Wichita Falls, he lives in Aledo TX, about 105 miles from my shop so he should be here by lunch (you would have to know Greg to understand why it would take 5 hours to go 105 miles). Sure enough we roll out for Goliad at 12:30, only eight hours to go for my aching shoulder. I would let Greg drive but the front air dam is very fragile and close to the ground, I have to be very careful not to lose concentration even for a second or all the work will be for nothing. The ride down is uneventful, just cruising along at 70 enjoying the strange looks from the way too common Texas State Troopers. They all were just curious and each sighting ended with a friendly wave, nice guys! We roll into Goliad at 8:30 its dark and we have no idea where we are going to stay. Greg pulls in to a convenience store and I dutifully follow. BIG mistake, I hear the air dam grind on the concrete and hit the brakes. I carefully back up but the damage is done. Not to worry though, to the casual observer it will never be noticed thanks to the unfolding action caused by my backing up. The air dam is still fully functional, just a little scarred from the concrete contact. Finally we find a vacancy at the Antlers Inn Motel, nice! Finally a hot shower and a soft bed, my shoulder and rib are really starting to talk to me and they are saying, “HYDROCODONE” but I ignore them and take two Aleve and hit the pillow!
Friday: It rained last night and the ground and parking lot are wet. We pump 12 gallons of Hyperfuels, Inc. “Bio/Synthetic fuel” into the GT’s tank. This stuff is like magic, with tons of BTU’s and no ugly smoke. We calculate the fuel mileage and get 45.4 MPG, the new Hyperfuels BioBlend should push us over the 50 MPG mark on the return trip, we expect great things in the future using this blend. The GT starts and happily purrs down the last stretch of highway on its way to the famous Texas Mile.
We get in the gate and search for the registration tent so we can get started. They direct us to the driver’s meeting that is already underway. We get all of the instructions and get to make a drive through so we will be familiar with the course.
I make a last minute inspection of the car before I blast off on the first run. Unfortunately I smell differential grease when checking the air pressure in the right rear tire. The bearing seal is leaking, AGAIN! (see my blog from Hot Rod Drag Week) Greg and I quickly remove the wheel and take the axle out, the bearing is good but the seal is leaking like crazy. Instead of trying to replace the bearing I decide a liberal dose of ugly orange silicone will have to do.
Greg hooks up the laptop to the NX Boost Reference Nitrous Controller and checks the tune-up. He programs in a little more nitrous at the launch and a nice smooth ramp as the boost increases.
I check out my safety gear and get ready to head for staging. There is a strong tail wind blowing and the temperature is cool but I am still sweating inside this fire suit. I have never held a drag car at WOT for a whole mile, even though I have gone 199.90 MPH in a dragster before somehow it feels more dangerous to do this in my street legal DuraMax GT. The track official motions me forward and I am getting ready to test the GT and me!
Greg activates the video cameras (sort of, he gets 1 of three turned on) and I move forward toward the official starter. No burn out here, just pull up and let it rip. I hit the throttle and start banging the B&M ratchet shifter; one, twice, three times, now the lock-up converter switch, and finally the Gear Vendors Overdrive unit. The car is pulling like crazy and I see the ¼ mile marker whiz by, then the ½ mile marker disappears. This thing is flying! Then that instant sinking feeling, what happened, no power, the engine just quit!!!!!!! Now I’m just coasting as I see the ¾ mile marker streak by out of the corner of my right eye, then the finish line. I pull the chute out of instinct and wait for it to hit, it seems like forever and I can see the turnoff cones coming up fast, bam it finally blossoms and I hit the brakes. The turn off is easy but I am distracted by what has happened to the engine and the car starts to buck violently, I forgot to unlock the converter, DUH! Then it occurs to me that the Gear Vendors is still engaged as well, hit the button, QUICK! Finally I have all the buttons and switches in their proper positions and the car coasts to a smooth stop. I get out, grab the chute and stuff it in the passenger seat. Now for the moment of truth, will the GT start and run? I hit the Painless wiring starter switch and to my surprise the engine lights and idles without protest, I drop it in gear and head for the timing deck to see how fast I went, coasting the last ¼ mile. The slip is handed through the rolled down window and to my amazement it reads 175.230!
I coasted for the last ¼ mile and still went 175 MPH; I wondered how fast I was gong before the engine shut off? Back in the pits the hood comes off and the problem is obvious, the silicone hose connecting the turbo to the intake manifold is completely disconnected. Now I understand what happened to my power, no boost, no go, it was that simple. We quickly reconnected the turbo to the intake and made a safety wire harness to prevent a repeat of this problem.
We are certain that a 200 MPH pass is just a few minutes away, back to staging and this time Greg gets all of the cameras in the ON position. I get motioned forward and the starter gives the good to go signal. I hit the throttle and the GT responds with more power than I have ever felt. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Overdrive, converter lockup, Holy Crap this thing is making a move, 200 MPH here we come!!!!!!!!! I see the ¼ mile maker approaching and suddenly I hear a terrible noise and then silence, just the sound of the wind as I coast once again toward the finish line. There would be no 175 MPH this time, at the end of the mile I’m barely coasting fast enough to make the turn and head back up the return road.
As I sit there and contemplate what just happened Greg shows up with a friendly spectator in a truck with a tow strap. Back in the pits I hit the starter to see if the mighty DuraMax has one more breath of life in it, it does not…………
In retrospect I see where we went wrong. We used a much more aggressive tune-up than we had ever tried before and used the super powerful BioBlend fuel from Hyperfuels. This combination resulted in making more power than Performance Diesel Research had ever anticipated this engine making. The results of this combination of brain dead tuners and ultra powerful Hyperfuels BioBlend have not been confirmed as of yet, the GT is still sitting waiting on my shoulder to heal before it is torn down to see what really happened to the engine.
I can confirm though that in October the DuraMax GT will be back in Goliad gunning for the 200 MPH hat and shirt and we will achieve the 50 MPG while doing it.
That’s it for now; I’ll bring you an update when the engine is torn down. I really want to thank all the people that helped me along the way, without them I would have never been able to get this far with the DuraMax GT Project, these are a few of them and if I forgot to mention you it was not intentional:
Rick Johnson at Gear Vendors Overdrive
Matt Snow at Snow Water Injection
David Hedderick at Hyperfuels
Chris McCullem at B&M shifters
Randy McMahon at RPM Performance Data Loggers
Don Sneddon at Mickey Thompson Tires and Wheels
Curtis Halverson at Diesel Performance Research
Volker Schwarz at MDE Performance Tuning :angel:
Greg Young at ZZ Custom Fabrication
Greg Hogue at Motorsportssupply.com
Mike Abney at Nitrous Express
Danny James at Nitrous Express
Fred Smith at Nitrous Express
http://www.nitrousexpress.com/Video/texasmile_incar.wmv?v=gD_7KEcYR4o
Gallery: http://www.nitrousexpress.com/ProjectCars/duramax_gt/index.htm
http://www.nitrousexpress.com/duramaxgt/texasmile/index.htm
Read here article from Mike Wood:
Quest for 200MPH
Sunday: This is not good. Here I am sitting in the emergency room waiting to get X-Rayed to see what I've done to my right shoulder. The Texas mile is just 11 days away and the DuraMax GT has not been on the dyno yet. I have a hot new tune-up and I want to be sure nothing goes wrong when I'm trying to hit that elusive 200MPH in the standing mile and achieve the hard to reach 50 MPG. I finally get the X-rays done and the news is not good, broken shoulder blade, broken rib and a cracked collar bone. How did I let this happen? Well, we were having a great time, this sounds like the beginning to every redneck story doesn't it? Anyway my son and I were riding dirt bikes at the best place in Texas, Red River Motorcycle Park, when I "dismounted" my bike in a very ungraceful manner, landing on a rock ledge with my right shoulder, OUCH!
Monday: This is Monday morning and I am so sore I can't breathe without pain; the trip to Goliad TX may be in jeopardy. In this condition I can't even get in or out of the GT, let alone work on it. I get up and head to the office, big mistake, I feel like a bad train wreck. Back to the house and into the bed for some much needed relief. Some of my great friends pitch in to help with the last minute details Monday night but I am still in serious pain and popping hydrocodone like candy.
Tuesday: More of the same, no progress on the car and no progress on my shoulder either..........
Wednesday: ditto
Thursday: Today is a little better but I still can't even button my pants! I'm not the jogging pants type of guy and this is really starting to bug me. I did manage to get a T-shirt over my head but wow did it hurt. I know I have to get off these pain pills before I can even think about driving the car but the pain is still nagging at me. I call my buddy Greg Hogue to see if he is interested in driving the car in case I just can't do it. Thankfully he agrees and now I have a little hope that car will get to the track and achieve at least some of our goals.
Friday: I feel somewhat better and realize that I have to label all the new buttons and switches in the car so Greg will know what they do and what they control if he has to drive for me. I get out the P-Touch and start typing..........
Saturday: All the labels are made but I can't get in the car to put them where they need to go! I finally get some help and the labels are on, at least now Greg will have some idea of what switch does what. We work on the new front air dam and it is starting to look really good, this alone should make me go 200! Then I remember I can't even get in the car............ Danny James is patiently welding the aluminum as I measure and mark what needs to be done. WOW it really looks better than I expected, with the air dam installed I have 3.750 inches of ground clearance. Kinda low for street use but I need to get it as close to the ground as possible.
Sunday: Today I finish trimming the air dam and get it ready to display a new NX decal I am going to use to disguise the fact the spoiler is not painted =) I’m starting to use my bad arm a little but the pain is still there. Speaking of pain, I quit the hydrocodone and I’m relying on Aleve now. The maximum dose does little to relieve the pain but if I’m going to drive I’ve got to be off the heavy stuff. Mike Abney helps wire the new air shifter, new converter lock up timer and the new Gear Vendors Overdrive unit. All the new stuff worries me because none of it will be tested before we hit the road for Goliad on Thursday. I have already decided not to try to make it to the dyno; I’ll just have to rely on luck to help me when I get to the track.
Monday: I visit my orthopedic surgeon and politely beg him to OK my little weekend get-a-way. He tells me if I can stand the pain I can do anything I want. Down deep I don’t really think he thought that I could or would race a car at 200MPH with three fractured bones in my shifting arm’s shoulder. I say thanks Doc, head for the shop and start getting my stuff together to leave on Thursday morning. I’m taking 150 pounds of nitrous, enough for 5 passes. No, I’m not really using 30 pounds of nitrous a pass but it will need close to 15 pounds, remember no intercooler so we use a ton of nitrous to cool the intake charge. I calculate that the air leaving the turbo will be close to 500 degrees and we need to cool it to 100 degrees before it hits the combustion chamber. To do this we will be injecting nitrous through two .093 jets just after the turbo outlet and the Snow water/methanol injection filled with Boost Juice will also be there to help out with the cooling duties.
Tuesday: Finally my Hero Camera’s get here. I want one on the driver, one in the front and one in the rear. If anything goes wrong I want it on video so we can see what failed first =). Mounting these darlings is a little more complex than I had envisioned, or maybe it’s because I have only one working hand? Anyway I finally got them mounted and now I’m ready to get the event on video.
Wednesday: The new RPM Performance Products data logger is installed and ready to tell me what just happened while I rocket down the Texas Mile. This unit will provide invaluable information to help run the GT at optimum tune without guessing. A short 100 mile test run is scheduled for this afternoon and I still don’t know if I can get in and out of the car! Lunch is over and it is now the moment of truth, can I get in the GT and buckle the Impact Racing five point harness, yes and with some difficulty I can operate the B&M ratchet shifter and get out of the car, life is good! I start the beast, back out of the shop and hit the road. The car is much quieter than before, the Gear Vendors Overdrive unit has reduced engine speed by 500 RPM’s and this has quietened the passenger compartment by about 30 decibels. With both overdrives engaged the engine is turning about 1700 RPM’s at 70 MPH. That should help us get that 50 MPG we are looking for. I carefully avoid any big holes or bumps in the road, the 3.750 inches of clearance seems closer to the ground all the time. On the interstate the GT rides smoothly and is happy to run at any speed I am brave enough to drive it. The 100 miles uses just a couple of gallons of fuel, the gauge hardly moves. I figure with the 13 gallons of #2 diesel I have on board will take me to Goliad easily with no stops for fuel. The GT makes the shakedown cruise without a whimper; here we go ready or not!
Thursday: Greg Hogue gets off work at 7:00AM and heads for Wichita Falls, he lives in Aledo TX, about 105 miles from my shop so he should be here by lunch (you would have to know Greg to understand why it would take 5 hours to go 105 miles). Sure enough we roll out for Goliad at 12:30, only eight hours to go for my aching shoulder. I would let Greg drive but the front air dam is very fragile and close to the ground, I have to be very careful not to lose concentration even for a second or all the work will be for nothing. The ride down is uneventful, just cruising along at 70 enjoying the strange looks from the way too common Texas State Troopers. They all were just curious and each sighting ended with a friendly wave, nice guys! We roll into Goliad at 8:30 its dark and we have no idea where we are going to stay. Greg pulls in to a convenience store and I dutifully follow. BIG mistake, I hear the air dam grind on the concrete and hit the brakes. I carefully back up but the damage is done. Not to worry though, to the casual observer it will never be noticed thanks to the unfolding action caused by my backing up. The air dam is still fully functional, just a little scarred from the concrete contact. Finally we find a vacancy at the Antlers Inn Motel, nice! Finally a hot shower and a soft bed, my shoulder and rib are really starting to talk to me and they are saying, “HYDROCODONE” but I ignore them and take two Aleve and hit the pillow!
Friday: It rained last night and the ground and parking lot are wet. We pump 12 gallons of Hyperfuels, Inc. “Bio/Synthetic fuel” into the GT’s tank. This stuff is like magic, with tons of BTU’s and no ugly smoke. We calculate the fuel mileage and get 45.4 MPG, the new Hyperfuels BioBlend should push us over the 50 MPG mark on the return trip, we expect great things in the future using this blend. The GT starts and happily purrs down the last stretch of highway on its way to the famous Texas Mile.
We get in the gate and search for the registration tent so we can get started. They direct us to the driver’s meeting that is already underway. We get all of the instructions and get to make a drive through so we will be familiar with the course.
I make a last minute inspection of the car before I blast off on the first run. Unfortunately I smell differential grease when checking the air pressure in the right rear tire. The bearing seal is leaking, AGAIN! (see my blog from Hot Rod Drag Week) Greg and I quickly remove the wheel and take the axle out, the bearing is good but the seal is leaking like crazy. Instead of trying to replace the bearing I decide a liberal dose of ugly orange silicone will have to do.
Greg hooks up the laptop to the NX Boost Reference Nitrous Controller and checks the tune-up. He programs in a little more nitrous at the launch and a nice smooth ramp as the boost increases.
I check out my safety gear and get ready to head for staging. There is a strong tail wind blowing and the temperature is cool but I am still sweating inside this fire suit. I have never held a drag car at WOT for a whole mile, even though I have gone 199.90 MPH in a dragster before somehow it feels more dangerous to do this in my street legal DuraMax GT. The track official motions me forward and I am getting ready to test the GT and me!
Greg activates the video cameras (sort of, he gets 1 of three turned on) and I move forward toward the official starter. No burn out here, just pull up and let it rip. I hit the throttle and start banging the B&M ratchet shifter; one, twice, three times, now the lock-up converter switch, and finally the Gear Vendors Overdrive unit. The car is pulling like crazy and I see the ¼ mile marker whiz by, then the ½ mile marker disappears. This thing is flying! Then that instant sinking feeling, what happened, no power, the engine just quit!!!!!!! Now I’m just coasting as I see the ¾ mile marker streak by out of the corner of my right eye, then the finish line. I pull the chute out of instinct and wait for it to hit, it seems like forever and I can see the turnoff cones coming up fast, bam it finally blossoms and I hit the brakes. The turn off is easy but I am distracted by what has happened to the engine and the car starts to buck violently, I forgot to unlock the converter, DUH! Then it occurs to me that the Gear Vendors is still engaged as well, hit the button, QUICK! Finally I have all the buttons and switches in their proper positions and the car coasts to a smooth stop. I get out, grab the chute and stuff it in the passenger seat. Now for the moment of truth, will the GT start and run? I hit the Painless wiring starter switch and to my surprise the engine lights and idles without protest, I drop it in gear and head for the timing deck to see how fast I went, coasting the last ¼ mile. The slip is handed through the rolled down window and to my amazement it reads 175.230!
I coasted for the last ¼ mile and still went 175 MPH; I wondered how fast I was gong before the engine shut off? Back in the pits the hood comes off and the problem is obvious, the silicone hose connecting the turbo to the intake manifold is completely disconnected. Now I understand what happened to my power, no boost, no go, it was that simple. We quickly reconnected the turbo to the intake and made a safety wire harness to prevent a repeat of this problem.
We are certain that a 200 MPH pass is just a few minutes away, back to staging and this time Greg gets all of the cameras in the ON position. I get motioned forward and the starter gives the good to go signal. I hit the throttle and the GT responds with more power than I have ever felt. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Overdrive, converter lockup, Holy Crap this thing is making a move, 200 MPH here we come!!!!!!!!! I see the ¼ mile maker approaching and suddenly I hear a terrible noise and then silence, just the sound of the wind as I coast once again toward the finish line. There would be no 175 MPH this time, at the end of the mile I’m barely coasting fast enough to make the turn and head back up the return road.
As I sit there and contemplate what just happened Greg shows up with a friendly spectator in a truck with a tow strap. Back in the pits I hit the starter to see if the mighty DuraMax has one more breath of life in it, it does not…………
In retrospect I see where we went wrong. We used a much more aggressive tune-up than we had ever tried before and used the super powerful BioBlend fuel from Hyperfuels. This combination resulted in making more power than Performance Diesel Research had ever anticipated this engine making. The results of this combination of brain dead tuners and ultra powerful Hyperfuels BioBlend have not been confirmed as of yet, the GT is still sitting waiting on my shoulder to heal before it is torn down to see what really happened to the engine.
I can confirm though that in October the DuraMax GT will be back in Goliad gunning for the 200 MPH hat and shirt and we will achieve the 50 MPG while doing it.
That’s it for now; I’ll bring you an update when the engine is torn down. I really want to thank all the people that helped me along the way, without them I would have never been able to get this far with the DuraMax GT Project, these are a few of them and if I forgot to mention you it was not intentional:
Rick Johnson at Gear Vendors Overdrive
Matt Snow at Snow Water Injection
David Hedderick at Hyperfuels
Chris McCullem at B&M shifters
Randy McMahon at RPM Performance Data Loggers
Don Sneddon at Mickey Thompson Tires and Wheels
Curtis Halverson at Diesel Performance Research
Volker Schwarz at MDE Performance Tuning :angel:
Greg Young at ZZ Custom Fabrication
Greg Hogue at Motorsportssupply.com
Mike Abney at Nitrous Express
Danny James at Nitrous Express
Fred Smith at Nitrous Express
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