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"The Impostor"

After finding success at the local level and deciding I was ready to build a truck that could run at the national level, I bought a Keith Black Olds blower motor in 2010. I installed it in the truck that I ran the year before. That was when I realized I needed a new chassis and a different truck. That chassis was too old and heavy.

 

In 2011 I started with a rear end and two frame rails. Basically built this truck from the ground up. It has a custom frame, custom driveline. Some parts are parts that I did not build but I installed every piece on this truck. I ran that blower motor for five more years. I had some pretty good finishes. In 2013 I placed third in the midsummer shootout points race that I think had 28 or 29 vehicles in it. But I can start to see that I needed to do something different.

 

To run a blower motor takes a lot of money. Every year someone comes out with a new supercharger that builds a little bit more boost. But cost a whole lot of money like $15,000. So I decided that I wanted to go a different route.

 

I knew the turbos would make more boost and are more reliable. So in 2016 I started building it. Some of the design from then I still use today. At that time it was probably making 2500 to 2,700 horsepower. In 2019 I put on two bigger turbos. That involved new turbo piping exhaust shielding etc. But it also made more horsepower. It's over the 3,000 horsepower range.

 

The motor that I was running that I bought in 2010 was getting tired. I had a rod come out the side of the Block in 2019. I fixed it in my shop and put it back together. 2020 was the covid year so nothing really happened. 2021 I had a good year I place first in all the ECI events that I pulled in. When 2022 started I ran three times and my old motor just couldn't stand the horsepower and put another Rod out the side. At that time I knew it was time to upgrade and buy something a little more modern and stronger and reliable.

 

Last fall I bought an Alan Johnson's 481x all aluminum motor. It has a Billet block, Bryant crank, aluminum rods, 65 mm camshaft... All the good stuff. When I got that home that's when I had to do a bunch of changes. I had to build a new turbo intake. I had to custom fabricate the frame to get the motor to fit. New motor mounts. I had to change the electrical system because the magneto is on the other side of the engine so everything had to move. Lots of changes. This year has been a learning year with this motor. Sometimes it takes time when everything is new. Over the winter I plan on making some changes that I feel will get me back towards the top.

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I really enjoy building and customizing vehicles and seeing success in the final product.  There's nothing like seeing an idea through from beginning to end and seeing the results.

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If you've got a project in mind or one in process that could use a new pair of eyes and hands, get in touch and let's talk!

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- Mark

 

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