Tabla de contenidos para February 2016 en 8 Lug

Y Not? Lose the restrictive factory intake manifold and go for Dirty Hooker Diesel’s High Flow Intake Kit for Duramax LLY diesels. The one-piece Y-bridge intake is assembled from mandrelbent aluminum, giving the intake manifold a massive increase in volume (152 percent greater airflow, according to DHD). With increased airflow comes lower EGT, extra power, and more torque, offering better performance than stock. The kit includes the main intake assembly and all necessary hardware. Dirty Hooker Diesel 989-479-0444 • dirtyhookerdiesel.com Cheap Fun Sure, you could go down to your parts dealer and get some off-the-rack bumper to install on your truck, but that’s boring, expensive, and unoriginal. The alternative? A weld-it-yourself unit from MOVE Bumpers. The MOVE bumper’s parts fit perfectly, giving the owner a fun weekend project welding it…

There has been a lot of exciting news in the truck world these past couple of years, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Certainly the most anticipated has been from Cummins, by way of Nissan. Two years ago, we were introduced to the all-new Cummins ISV 5.0L V-8 diesel engine and were told there was a manufacturer with real plans to bring it to market in a light-duty pickup. Half a year later, the Nissan Titan XD was announced. While it’s been a long road, and we have just recently gotten behind the wheel of a 5.0L Cumminspowered Titan, there have been some exciting stops along the way. Back when the ISV 5.0L was first launched in Columbus, Indiana, the folks behind the engine took…

Just as you wouldn’t overload a packhorse, it’s just not right to overload your workhorse van. Sure, a Ram ProMaster van is designed to carry heavy cargo (rated for 4,440 pounds, max), but nobody would want to drive it nose high. That’s a problem Hellwig has been correcting since its founding back in 1946. For the ’14-to-’15 Ram ProMaster, Hellwig’s helper spring provides extra load support by inserting another leaf spring underneath the stock leaf pack. Since the extra leaf is progressive, being used more as the suspension compresses, the ride remains smooth when running empty, without jarring the driver. Note, however, that even with helper springs, the GVWR should not be exceeded. This component is designed to better the suspension’s stability and handling when carrying a substantial load. Hellwig…

It’s no secret that trucks are built to work hard, and it’s no surprise that parts eventually wear out. Case in point: our 4R70W automatic transmission. With 200,000 miles on the clock, the transmission had a pretty good run, but it was time for an overhaul. Desiring another 200,000 out of a rebuild, we turned to the transmission experts at TCI. What started in 1968 as a shop dedicated to providing high-performance transmission parts to a small group of devout drag racers has grown to be one of the largest and most technologically advanced aftermarket drivetrain companies in the world. So while we could have used the shop down the street, we chose to ship our transmission off and have it not only rebuilt, but also improved. Nothing that enters…

Have a comment, question, or suggestion? We want to hear from you! Write to us at worktruck@sorc.com! Find us: facebook.com/WorkTruckReview. I’m in the market to replace my current work truck. Don’t get me wrong—although she’s a beauty and quite the workhorse, she’s definitely starting to show her age. Have you guys had a chance to drive that Cummins Titan? I’m intrigued. Robert Landers Des Moines, Iowa Not quite a true heavy-duty (although with a curb weight as high as 7,480 pounds and a GVWR up to 8,800 pounds, the stout Nissan Titan XD has enough mass to qualify), but more truck than the typical ½-ton, the Titan XD is poised to fill in a blank space in the market that has essentially been abandoned by the traditional ¾-ton trucks as…

FIRST LOOK AT THE 2017 FORD SUPER DUTY Apple, Boeing, GE, Microsoft, Nike—all American companies that have a history of innovation that revolutionized the industries they competed in. Not to be left out of this esteemed group, of course, is Ford Motor Company. One can look back on Ford’s lengthy history and pinpoint such significant events as the mass-produced Model T, the V-8 engine, and the Mustang. For truck guys, the ’99 Ford Super Duty is yet another one of these revolutionary milestones on Ford’s historical timeline. It’s a truck that set new capability standards in the market and redefined what “heavy duty” could mean to the buyer, while helping solidify the company’s 38 years of truck sales leadership. Like a cannonball into the kiddie pool, the original Ford Super…

Mike Racke is no newcomer when it comes to building clean-looking, powerful vehicles. He built an immaculate Duramaxpowered Chevelle back in 2007 that was featured in Diesel Power and Popular Hot Rodding—it even made the cover of Hot Rod. While the Chevelle made a big splash, Mike still needed something to haul classic parts, pieces, engines, and transmissions around. With that goal in mind, he went about building the ultimate Duramaxpowered hauler. Although Mike liked trucks, he already had a pickup, and the enclosed cargo space of a van really appealed to him. Since the classic Chevelle was a hit, Mike decided to go the oldschool route again. He owned a ’55 Chevrolet 3800 panel truck, but the chassis, steering, and suspension were ridiculously outdated. Since it needed a drivetrain,…

It’s the best form of advertising, bar none, because it’s targeted directly at the areas where you’re working.” Those sage words from Mike Smith, the head honcho at Raceskinz, are in reference to vehicle wraps. Whether you drive a small pickup for a local business or operate a fleet of big vans for a nationwide enterprise, wrapping a vehicle with a company logo is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise a business, Mike says. He would know; he’s wrapped hundreds of vehicles, including some that ended up as fully designed and wrapped SEMA show trucks and some that currently roam neighborhoods and suburbs as plumbing trucks, contractors’ vehicles, and shuttle vans. Looking at the blank white slate that was our windowless Nissan NV2500 event support van, we decided…

Flatbed Tundra ■ YEAR/MAKE/MODEL: ’08 Toyota Tundra SR5 TRD ■ OWNER: “Chev P” ■ HOMETOWN: Unknown ■ ENGINE: 5.7L V-8 ■ TRANSMISSION: Six-speed automatic ■ MODIFICATIONS: Customized CM Truck Beds flatbed with headache rack bent to match cab contour, cold-air intake, throttle body spacer, 18-inch KMC XD Wheels, and 35-inch Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires ■ OWNER SAYS: “It’s really unique and a good example of a flatbed Tundra for people who want to know what one looks like. I’ve never seen one with a flatbed, and neither has the Toyota dealership. It’s my daily work truck. It’s not perfect, but it looks freaking cool as hell and everybody loves it; it turns heads like crazy.”…

POSTAL SERVICE IS GETTING PROMASTERS The U. S. Postal Service will be taking on 9,113 ’16 Ram ProMaster 2500 cargo vans that will be customized for national mail and package deliveries. This next-gen round of delivery vehicles becomes part of the postal fleet, which is about 190,000 vehicles strong. The new Rams will have the 3.6L Pentastar and six-speed auto trans. DISTRACTED DRIVERS ARE OUR NEW THREAT A new survey by Kelley Blue Book has found that 97 percent of consumers think distracted drivers who are texting and talking while driving are the biggest safety concern. And despite the fact that 46 states ban texting while driving and 14 don’t allow talking on the phone while driving, only 91 percent surveyed knew their local laws related to this. For the…

Using the same basic platform and cab for 17 years, the Super Duty has been refined and improved to ensure it remained relevant in the hotly contested truck space. It’s remarkable to note that aging Ford claims 43 percent of the registrations in the 8,500-to-14,000-GVWR segment, while nearly 65 percent of new chassis cabs sold are Fords. Clearly the heavyduty market is hugely important to the success of Ford Motor Company. Overview For the ’17 model year, the Super Duty is enjoying its first complete redesign in nearly two decades, with what Ford is calling the “most significant product action” in 17 years. While the basic aluminum body structure is shared with the handsome F-150, the front clip, hood, fenders, lights, and beds are all unique to the Super Duty.…

“You ready?” Tim Arfons asked. Suddenly, the world around us began to swirl, accompanied by the loud, high-pitched whirring sound of a jet airplane that made me feel like it was in my back pocket and we were in the center of an F1 tornado. Leaves and ground debris flew sideways through the air in a large radius and the Ford F-250 vibrated on its wheels. Tim cautioned, “Don’t get out of the truck!” When I asked why, he laughed. “You’d get blown across the river!” he explained, pointing off to the distance. I was in the rural outskirts of Akron, Ohio, with Tim “Turbo” Arfons, testdriving one of his work trucks: a Ford Super Duty with a jetpowered track dryer strapped into the bed. The bones of the track…

“I didn’t know if I would really make any money doing this. I just knew I wanted to be excited when I woke up every day for work.” –Troy Dorn While the end product looks clean, natural, and almost simplistic, wrapping a vehicle is no small task. After all, it isn’t your typical lick-’n’-stick venture. From vision to completion, the process requires a lot: a mastery of design to create the graphics, mechanical skill to disassemble and reassemble exterior pieces, and patience to systematically prep and apply the wrap. The end result, exemplified through this urban camo’d Ford Raptor, is well worth it. Grafting business and passion together to achieve fulfillment and satisfaction—while still paying the bills— seems a natural goal for small business owners. Troy Dorn, owner of Gorilla…