THE BOOT LEGGER

Todd and Dan call it the “Bootlegger.”

Billet-aluminum Block

On top of being Cummins powered, another twist comes in the form of its foundation: a billet-aluminum block machined from the same material Scheid uses for its 3,000 hp Super Stock pulling engines. However, for street duty, this version features water jackets, which happen to make it some 130 pounds lighter than the solid aluminum blocks Scheid uses for its mega-horsepower competition mills.

A factory Cummins water pump and an OEM oil pump are also employed in this application. Within the block, a 6.7L-based crank spins six billet rods topped with stock compression Diamond Racing pistons. One of Scheid’s billet-steel roller camshafts, in conjunction with roller lifters and benefitting from a billet cam gear retainer, sits in the traditional location in the block.

Worked-over 5.9L Head

Above the billet-aluminum block, the cylinder head is pretty serious, too. After a trip through the machine shop, the 5.9L-derived common-rail unit was cut for fire rings, ported and treated to a performance valve job. Hot, re-torqued ARP head studs keep the head from budging, its exterior wears a coat of Cummins red, and a one-piece billet-aluminum valve cover tops things off. A three-piece T4-flanged exhaust manifold hangs off the passenger side of the worked-over hunk of iron.

Efficient Airflow

Bolted to the exhaust manifold, you’ll find a simple, yet proven, cast-wheeled S363 turbo handling boost production. It forces compressed air through an aluminum water-to-air intercooler from Cxracing. All corresponding piping was fabricated by John Mcelroy, the talented 21-year-old who spent countless 15-hour days working on the car at Todd’s Hot Rods.

Once out of the water-to-air unit, chilled intake air flows into a side-draft manifold before heading for the intake ports. The work performed on the cylinder head means that more power can be made with less peak boost, and the efficiency of the water-to-air

 Already having seen immense success in truck-pulling with his billet-aluminum-blocked Cummins mills, Dan Scheid was eager to use the ’39 project as a way to showcase his battle-tested crankcase in a different light—in water-cooled form and with a production oil pump onboard. From 500 to 3,000-plus hp, Scheid’s billet-block engine program is highly versatile, and the possibilities in street applications are virtually endless. To make room for the lengthy Cummins, the firewall was set back 12 inches by the folks at Todd’s Hot Rods.

A factory-located, stock displacement CP3 off a 6.7L Cummins feeds a set of Scheid’s 5.9L common-rail 50 hp premium injectors, while a 95 gph Titanium series fuel system from FASS supplies sufficient low-pressure diesel to the CP3. The injection system takes its cues from a Bosch stand-alone ECU calibrated by the folks at S&S Diesel Motorsport.

 Stef’s Fabrication Specialists created the custom, low-profile oil pan that was needed for ample ground clearance. Made from aluminum, the pan features a fully arc-welded construction inside and out, as well as an integral reinforced pan rail.