DW FLASHBACK: WEAVER CUSTOMS’ CUMMINS CUDA

RANDY WEAVER’S 1,500-HP, 2,500 LB-FT 6.7L CUMMINS-POWERED CUDA

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS WITH A FLASHBACK TO OUR BEST FEATURES

It’s not often you run across a diesel-powered vehicle that’s unlike any other, yet that’s exactly the case with Weaver Customs’ ’70 Cuda. Nicknamed “Torc” (for obvious reasons), the 6.7L-powered Cummins Cuda is a unique blend of a high-end show car, a muscle car, and a diesel drivetrain swap. When looking over the car, there are no spots where we could find

any body errors, turbo oiling or exhaust issues, or diesel clearance problems. Randy Weaver clearly thought this one out from the ground up when he debuted his newest creation.

Although its lines clearly define it as a Cuda, the amount of body modifications performed was staggering. Start

ing with a less-than-perfect donor car, Randy started by angling the windshield back about an inch and then dropping the roofline down about an inch and a half. The rear window was also flush-mounted, and custom front, side, and rear spoilers were added to give a clean and low look. Virtually everything on the car has been smoothed, and some items like side-view mirrors didn’t even make the cut. The hood is one of the most highly modified pieces and features twin radius for the larger turbo, as well as a full-length cowl induction scoop that runs past the cowl and all the way to the windshield.

Opening the hood reveals an exquisite engine bay that features just as much detail as the outside of the car.

While most diesel muscle cars follow a “hack it up, and stab it in,” mindset for the build, Randy’s Cuda has an inner-engine compartment that is carefully crafted and flows in and around the natural contours of the diesel engine. The custom inner fenders fit tight and neat and curve with the turbos and charge pipes back into the recessed firewall. The front radiator support is enclosed completely,

“THE AMOUNT OF BODY MODIFICATIONS PERFORMED IS STAGGERING.”

and it’s hard to even tell how far the engine is set back until you look at the headlights of the car.

With his metalwork work of art as a starting point, Randy needed a diesel engine that would match the classic style of his Cuda. With decades of development and roots, a

6.7L Cummins diesel was the perfect platform. With the name of “Torc” already selected for the car, the diesel powerplant needed to fit its billing. That’s why instead of making a pedestrian 350-ish horsepower, Randy’s 6.7L makes closer to 1,000-1,500 with nitrous. Torque is also off the charts and is estimated to be in the 2,000-to-3,000 lb-ft range, depending on how soon in the powerband Randy hits the giggle gas button.

The block and crank are factory Cummins pieces, but that’s about where it ends. Spinning on the crank are

connecting rods from Carrillo along with Mahle pistons and a Hamilton cam. The cylinder head was fire-ringed and secured with ARP 625 studs and has had the intake shaved off. A side-draft intake and matching valve cover were also installed. The turbos come under the category of a “big” 66 mm S300 mounted on a Steed Speed manifold and an “even larger” 80 mm S400 that combine to send 80 psi of boost through a Mishimoto intercooler. For fueling, it starts with a custom tank that feeds a Fuelab lift pump and then sends fuel through a PPE Dual Fueler kit to Industrial Injection race injectors. Tuning is handled by Gorilla Diesel through a factory ‘10 Dodge ECM.

If you think it would take one heck of a transmission to stand up to this monster of an engine, you’d be right. Randy’s Transmissions has years of experience with Dodge automatics, and he built a 48Re-based slushbox that was more than up to the task. With a triple-disc converter, manual valvebody, and short output shaft conversion, the Dodge-based unit fits nicely under the car while handling the engine’s immense power.

With a diesel powerplant’s torque in mind, Randy decided to ditch the stock frame completely and go with a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis. Built out of 10-gauge steel, the frame features a C6 corvette-style front end along with the ever-popular Ford 9-inch, with a 4-link out back. The rear end has also been suitably modified for the diesel engine’s torque, with 3.50 gears, 35 spline axles, and a

“1,000 HORSEPOWER. 1,500 WITH NITROUS.”

THE CAR WON WORLD’S ULTIMATE MOPAR AT THE 2016 MUSCLECARS AT THE STRIP SHOW. IT ALSO WON THE PRESTIGIOUS GOODGUYS AWARD AT THE 2016 DEL MAR SHOW.

Detroit Locker. Although the chassis already features a lowered stance, Randy went a step further and channeled the body over the frame, dropping it a further 2 1/2 inches.

When it came time to hand out awards, titles came hard and fast for the Cuda. The car won World’s Ultimate

Mopar at the 2016 Musclecars at the Strip show and the prestigious Goodguys Award at the 2016 Del Mar show.

It’s been at SEMA and Hot August Nights, where Randy could be seen cruising the Cuda up and down the Reno strip. With numerous awards and an outrageous diesel powerplant, Randy’s Cuda is a one-of-a-kind creation, and one that won’t soon be forgotten by everyone who’s been lucky enough to see it.

WHEN IT CAME TIME TO HAND OUT AWARDS, TITLES CAME HARD AND FAST FOR THE CUDA.

Underneath the custom hood is an absolutely immaculate engine bay with one of the cleanest 1,500-horsepower engine’s you’ll ever see. Even without the nitrous, the Cuda still makes an estimated 1,000 hp to the rear tires.

Randy built the turbo system for the Cuda, which features a big 80 mm turbo from Borgwarner out in front for everyone to see. The smaller turbo is a 66 mm unit. Together the blanketed, wrapped, and wastegated compressors churn out an impressive 80 psi of boost.

The dash and center console feature the same graceful curves as the outside of the car. Speedo, RPM, boost, EGT, and transmission temperature gauges are from Dakota Digital, while a B&M shifter controls the custombuilt 47RH transmission.

The front core support, firewall, and inner fenders have all been artfully curved around the diesel engine, following the contours of its natural look rather than fighting against it.

The fuel side of the engine has been extensively upgraded to support four-digit power, with a PPE Dual Fueler, Fuelab lift pump, and a set of Industrial Injection race injectors.

The front of Weaver’s Cuda is all steel—and all custom. The bumpers are actually off of a ’69 Camaro, and the road race-inspired center spoiler is a piece of Weaver’s own design.

Massive 14-inch Wilwood brakes mounted on a custom 9-inch rear end help bring the Cuda to a halt. Also attracting attention are the enormous 15-inch-wide Mickey Thompson S/R tires and 20-inch Forgeline Dropkick wheels that completely fill out the tubbed rear section.

There’s no hiding the horsepower potential of the Cummins engine given the larger turbo required Randy to build a custom hood to clear the compressor. The discharge portion of the hood also integrates into a custom cowl hood, which takes care of the height problems associated with Cummins swaps.

As soon as the ultra-tinted window is rolled down, there’s a whole other car’s worth of work inside the vehicle. Randy did much of the metalwork, but he credits JS Custom Interior with an awesome job on finishing the inside, starting with the slick Hydes Leather seats.

The huge Wilwood brakes also make their way up front, where 18-inch Forgeline wheels—along with Mickey Thompson SR tires—fill out the front wheel wells.

Inside the Cuda, the custom interior sports nearly as many custom features as the outside of the car. Behind the driver’s head lies a trifecta of fun: Kicker speakers, a roll bar for safety, and an almost-hidden, colormatched nitrous bottle.