Mack Racing Truck Conversion

scfa1975 · October 13, 2011

I am currently a student in a Diesel Technology program. For the last ten years I worked as a service tech on mailing equipment so the diesel world is new to me.

One of the projects we are looking at is converting a mid-80's Mack..model EM6-350R into a racer to go the 1/4 mile at next years Diesel National's at Englishtown Nj. My current instructor has taken the lead in the project and has presented it to us to see who can come up with some of the best ideas. My issue is I am not sure where to go with this. One idea was to rebuild the current Mack engine. Another idea was to put a Detroit Diesel 60 in. I am just not sure the perfect route to go(plus the school has to deal with a set budget).

So I am looking for help in the form of suggestions, websites or possible ideas that I can present to my instructors so that we can start this project(plus my current instructor is awarding 5 bonus points to the best ideas)

Thanks

Any help would be appreciated and I look forward to visiting this site more often.

dirtywhiteboy · October 13, 2011

e9 v-8 mack! or a high strung 8v92 screamin demon!

shortstack · October 13, 2011

What school? Trey

scfa1975 · October 13, 2011

Lincoln Tech in South Plainfield Nj. I'm midway through. Just finishing up Diesel Construction. Any advice you have school wise would be awesome. or insight to the industry is cool as well.

Lmackattack · October 13, 2011

Remove pump, have it calibrated on a pump bench to get max cc of fuel. If its a 350 you can get oversized plungers and that will really do the trick. raise the rpm to 2500 any more and you may need stiffer valve springs, Advance the pump timing a few degrees over stock. Make sure you have a pyro gauge. disable the puff limiter. If you can do all that you will have some good power to start with. To the point that you may need a diffrent turbo and injectors.

Trent

fullfuel01 · October 13, 2011

2 valves or 4 valves head motor? what's the transmission behind?

Lmackattack · October 13, 2011

Should also comment that you may want to add a 2nd fuel kill valve that can operate from the cab..if it runs away you don't want to be next to it trying to shut it down.

vision386 · October 13, 2011

Lincoln Tech in South Plainfield Nj. I'm midway through. Just finishing up Diesel Construction. Any advice you have school wise would be awesome. or insight to the industry is cool as well.

Lincoln tech is the successor to Engine city tech correct? ECT was a really great diesel school,they built a 1/4 mile racing truck back in the seventies "shake rattle and roll" was a 1960's WHITE truck,with a supercharged VT-903 Cummins if i remember correctly,ran the 1/4 in something like 11.07 or thereabouts! as far as the type of engine,Mack builds/built some of the best truck engines ever,cant go wrong there! as far as horsepower etc. pump calibration,turbocharging,supercharging,rear end ratios are all factors in gaining both speed and horsepower,the use of an automatic trans. also factors in. May want to look at some of the "pulling trucks" used in tractor pull events for some ideas,i personally have seen a 6-cylinder mack E-6 making in excess of 1200 horse,so anything is possible,and Mack trucks inc. can be an invaluable source of information,technical specs,.what will and wont work etc. hope this is of some help..................Mark

EM6285 · November 14, 2011

Go with the MACK engine for your proyect. The E6-350 is a great engine platform. Here in Puerto Rico we got many MACK TRUCKS that are used in drag racing. The leader of the MACK PACK is a MACK R685 truck in the FUNNY TRUCK class, wich are purpose-built race trucks. Powered by a MACK E6 (285), this MACK racer has a best time of 11.85 on the 1/4 mile.

DUMONT RACING. MACK R685. MACK E6 285 diesel engine.

In the MODIFIED STREET TRUCK class we have another MACK R685, powered by a MACK E6 285 with a little aid of NITROUS this MACK racer has a best time of 14.91 on the 1/4 mile.

PAITO'S RACING. MACK R685. MACK E6 285 diesel engine

This MACK R-SERIES truck is powered by a MACK E6-300 engine. Best E.T on 1/4 mile 17.2 seconds.

All these MACK TRUCKS are exampes of the potential the MACK E-6 series engine has. You have to decide wich kind of RACE RIG your team is going to put together. The MACK E6 has potential, but it takes a good amount of well knowledge and common sense to built a very stout DIESEL ENGINE for that kind of venture. If you follow the PULLING RIGS on either N.T.P.A or PPL then you might know about a full hand of MACK DIESEL POWERED pulling rigs. Most of them rely on the amazing MACK E9 V8 wich is a 16 liter, 998 cubic inch engine. These MACK E9 V8 can put tremendous amounts of HORSEPOWER out of the E9 V8 with out the use of NITROUS or PROPANE.

Dale Francis is a well known MACK E9 V8 engine builder. He has built EXTREME POWER engines for KILLER MACK, BUCK-EYE BULLDOG and SILVER BULLET # 1 pulling rigs. Killer Mack a 1984 MACK SUPERLINER has a MACK E9 V8 with 4 turbochargers it puts about 4,000+ HP and can rev-up to 4,000 RPM. I know the E9 V8 is out of your budget capabilities, but consider getting your class mates onto working with one of these engines. PULLING RIGS powered by MACK E9 V8 might have extreme mods on them, but a MACK E9 V8 can put up to 2,000 HP with what I call "MILD MODS" Tweak the fuel pump, stuff 2 turbochargers on it (in a twin turbo configuration) and it might reach 800 HP easy.

KILLER MACK. 1984 Mack Superliner. MACK E9 V8. 4,000 HP. 4,000 RPM.

KILLER MACK. MACK E9 V8 4 TURBOCHARGERS (Workings as a pair of COMPOUND TURBOCHARGING SYSTEMS)

EM6285 · November 14, 2011

MACK E9 V8 is well represented on the DRAG RACE scene.

BANDAG TITAN was an Australian race truck that was powered by a single MACK E9 V8 engine with 4 turbochargers. With close to 2,500 HP the BANDAG TITAN MACK racer has a best E.T of 11.61 on the 1/4 mile. I mention the fact that with just one MACK E9 V8 engine this race rig can reach the 2,500+ HP mark, while its companion racer the BANDAG BULLET KENWORTH needs 2 Detroit Diesel 8V92 engines with 4 TURBOCHARGERS, 2 SUPERCHARGERS and a LOT of NITROUS to reach 2,800 HP. A single MACK E9 V8 can reach that HORSEPOWER figure with NO NITROUS and NO PROPANE. That is why the E9 V8 engine is so amazing and by far way better ans superior than the Detroit 8V92 2 cycle. Detroit Diesel 8V92 have been used in Race Rigs for a loooooooooooong time. Here in PUERTO RICO most of the RACE RIGS use the Detroit Diesel 8V92, but they have to rely on enormous amounts of NITROUS OXIDE to make those RACE RIGS hit the 11 second zone. Just because everyone uses it does not means it is the only option or the ultimate trick. Sure they can REV HIGHER very quick, but what's with that? BIG DEAL. Rev the crap out of them, launch your race rig at 4,000 rpm from the start and watch it get MAXED-OUT at the middle of the pass. no more RPMs available, no torque, no power-curve hit the NITROUS BUTTON and ask those 1,350 NITROUS HORSES to the rescue. All these on a matter of just seconds....then KABOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM there goes your NITROUS DOSED 8V92 engine. It has happened here on a common basis.

Mamut Racing, a MACK race rig powered by a 8V92 engine with NITROUS. (An E9 V8 can solve the problems they have)

Another Race Rig powered by a 8V92 engine with 3 massive NITROUS systems.

https://www.facebook...245087388860535

Skip the 8V92 engine because it is OUT-DATED, OUT-POWERED, OUT-PERFORMED and OUT-SHINED by the MACK E9 V8 wich can be more POWERFULL and efficient on a RACE RIG, and E9 V8 does not needs NITROUS (STEROIDS)

BANDAG TITAN, MACK TITAN. MACK E9 V8. 4 TURBOCHARGERS. 2,500+ HP

BANDAG TITAN. Mack Titan. 1 Mack E9 V8 (2,500+ HP) BANDAG BULLET KW 2 Detroit Diesel 8V92 (2,800 hp)

This is what an OVER-DOSE of NITROUS can do to a 8V92 engine.

Lesson here???? GO WITH MACK POWER.

EM6285 · November 14, 2011

One of the most important aspects some DIESEL ENGINE builders skip is a good COOLING SYSTEM. If you gonna rely on a TURBOCHARGER SYSTEM either is a single turbocharger, twin turbo system, multi stage turbocharger, compound turbocharger or multiple turbocharger systems, it is a MUST that a good COOLING SYSTEM is there to aid in controling the EXTREME EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES (EGT)

PULLING RIGS use WATER INYECTION (Methanol Inyection was banned) to cool the engines and control EGT temperatures. I do not know how it works or how it is applied. You can use any INTERCOOLER configuration either it is an AIR TO AIR INTERCOOLER or a WATER-TO-AIR INTERCOOLER. NITROUS can be sprayed directly onto the INTERCOOLER core fins, (they say this will help with cooling) just ad some nozzles in front of the INTERCOOLER and spray NITROUS directly.

The latest on turbocharging systems is the use of a COMPOUND TURBOCHARGER set-up. Compund turbocharger simply is using 2 turbochargers as one system. Instead of having a MONDO BIG TURBO suffering and struggling geting the BOOST UP, use a small turbocharger to feed BOOST onto a larger turbocharger. MONDO BIG TURBO wants to put lets say 70 P.S.I OF boost but it takes long and has turbo-lag. Compound Turbocharging can split those 70 P.S.I between the 2 turbochargers, lets say one is making 30. P.S.I and the other is making 40 P.S.I for a grand total of 70 P.S.I of quick BOOST response.

These are options you have. Is up to you and your mates to decide wich paht to follow.

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