ORANGE CRUSH

set of 350-percent-over injectors from Exergy Engineering, and tuning from Firepunk Diesel.

POWER TRANSMISSION

While Mitch went fairly mainstream with the engine build, the transmission was a different matter. “Most people think I have a manual...but I don’t,” smiles Mitch. On tricky Iowa tracks, Mitch relies on a 48RE automatic built by Chris Schmitt entirely with Goerend Transmission parts. The unique slushbox has Overdrive locked out and a full-manual valvebody, along with aftermarket input, intermediate and output shafts, and a triple disc 2,800-stall converter--all from Goerend. When pulling Mitch stalls the truck up and leaves in 3rd Gear, and doesn’t shift when headed downtrack. This allows for a more controllable launch, and added converter multiplication at the start of the run.

CHASSIS

While the engine and transmission was being built, so was the chassis and drivetrain. Mitch built a ladder structure around the rear frame, and added 4.88 gears front and rear, along with a rear Yukon spool, front E-locker from ARB, and 38-spline rear axles. The rear end was also fitted with a 1480-style rear driveshaft, and a pinion brake, which helps the truck spool at the line without pushing through the brakes. Mitch also spent his late nights sanding the truck down, before it was sprayed a House of Kolor Angelo Pearl by Jessie Thompson.

With all his hard work, it comes as no surprise that Mitch started doing quite well. With more than 40 hooks under his belt, Mitch’s Ram was enough to take the Eastern/central Iowa 2.6 points championship. Even after his win, Mitch still isn’t slacking off. He’s got a new RTC 3.0 smooth bore turbo for next year, has built a new stronger rear frame structure, changed rear axles, and extended the wheelbase up to the 158-inch class maximum. Mitch says he can’t wait to get the new changes dialed in, and we say that if you’re in Iowa, watch out for this tough unconventional automatic-equipped puller.

 From the camshaft on up, Mitch did all he could to improve airflow throughout the engine. One of the most time-consuming but worthwhile steps was building the side-draft intake for the 5.9L engine.  Mitch wasn’t taking any chances and performed a full rebuild on the Cummins, including a set of ultra-tough head studs from Extreme Studs.  Twin Frozenboost intercooler cores were welded together to make one single large unit. The pumps to circulate the water (as well as the fuel tank) are located in the weight box.

 Mitch put a lot of time and money into strengthening and modifying the rear axle of the truck, from the reinforced differential cover, to the 38 spline axles, to the pinion brake which you can see peeking out on the bottom right corner.  It’s hard to know what transmission is there under the RCI safety blanket. It’s actually a 48Re-based automatic built by Chris Schmitt using parts exclusively from Goerend Transmission Inc.  There’s no angle-iron job here, Mitch put some thought into reinforcing the frame on the truck, both with materials and aesthetics.