Porky's Diesel Story Leads to a Brief Visit with Diesel Enthusiast Artie Maupin

A friend sent me this article a couple weeks back and I knew I had to write about it. It was titled, Making Bacon: 9-Second Cummins Swapped F100 Built By Porky's Diesel. Essentially, it's about some builders who dropped a 12-valve Cummins engine under the hood of a 1957 Ford F100. (OK, "Under the hood" is a misnomer because there is no hood on this beefed up speedster.) 

The Dragzine story opens with a three minute video showcasing the truck's get-up-and-go in a dragstrip setting. The builder's aim was to produce something that could race, but also be driven on the street. 

When I contacted the author of the Dragzine to learn more he directed me to Artie Maupin, a staff writer for Diesel Army who has a passion for anything diesel. 

DieselArmy.com bills itself as the new place where diesel enthusiasts can hang their hats. It's apparent that this is a good place to stay on the forefront of what is happening in the diesel realm. Diesel Army is a branch of Power Automedia whom Maupin has been writing with for the last four years. 

Blue Flame Blogger: How much geographic territory do you cover?

Artie Maupin. Diesel Army.

Artie Maupin: I cover quite a bit. I follow the Outlaw Diesel Super Series which covers Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, and Virginia. Every other surrounding state is usually having some sort of truck event going on, so I stay pretty busy. Texas, too.

BFB: How long have you been covering drag racing as a journalist?

AM: I have been covering diesel drag racing / drag racing for going on four years in July. I’ve been into drag racing since I was 8 years old, though. I started in a Junior Dragster then and it slowly developed into bigger cars and now diesel trucks.

BFB: What are your favorite drag strips and why?

AM: I have always had a love for Gateway Motorsports Park (Now it's World Wide Technology Raceway) because it's my home 1/4 mile track. I just love that the city of St. Louis, the arch, and my St. Louis Cardinals are within sight while I also enjoy my drag racing. 

Notable mentions, Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Florida. A friend of mine owns it and I love that track. Its one of the cleanest facilities around and the fact that its close to the water (Gulf of Mexico). 

BFB: What are your favorite diesel events?

AM: Honestly, I like all of the diesel events. If I had to narrow one down, it would be a close race for first. The Sunshine Showdown in Holt, Florida in September is always great and the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza is too. They both offer fun things to do on and off the event grounds which makes for a fun weekend with friends. 

BFB: Thanks for sharing. 

* * 

Related Links

The original story on Dragzine:
https://www.dragzine.com/news/making-bacon-9-second-cummins-swapped-f100-built-by-porkys-diesel/

Porky's Diesel on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/porkys_diesel/?hl=en

Learn more about Diesel Army here:  
https://www.dieselarmy.com/about/

More Winter Maintenance Tips for Your Diesel Equipment

In much of the country mid-January is the coldest time of the year. Arctic blasts send shivers up our spines. Though most folk hunker down on those coldest days, there are others who make a living outdoors. It's not a matter of dressing for success (the white shirt, the right tie) but rather learning how to dress to survive. (Choppers, lined pants, layers of shirts, parka, snowmobile boots, etc.) 

Diesel engines need a different kind of treatment in extreme cold as well. On Monday, ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com published a useful story on this topic titled Diesel Engine Do's Don'ts for Trouble-Free Winter. The main point the author strives to get across is that the best solution to avoid problems with diesel starts is to prepare in advance. Don't wait till you have a problem. You know it will be cold, so be ready.

One reason diesels are a special problem in cold weather is because "they depend on high temperatures created by compression to ignite the injected fuel." Our diesels do not have spark plugs. Internal combustion operates on a different principle. Because of this, the author states that "it is five times harder to start a diesel engine at 0 F (minus 17 C) than it is to start one at 80 F (26 C).

Though there can be a number of causes for challenging winter starts, the top three reasons are gelled fuel, cold cylinder walls or electrical failure. The article offers practical actions you can take to avoid being stranded in the cold.

It's worth pointing out that these tips aren't just assembled from miscellaneous trucker lore. The author, Julian Wood, works with Perkins which has documented billions of hours of testing in all environments. Their cold weather testing is performed 100 km from the Arctic Circle in Sweden at near 50 below.

FLUIDS
The first area of focus is on the fluids. Just as water undergoes changes based on temperature (ice, liquid, steam) so are the fluids in your vehicle transformed as temps drop. 

Recommendations fall into four baskets. Nine pertain to the fuel, two address the oil, three pertain to the coolant and two more to the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

The second area Wood addresses is the engine itself. Some of these steps should become part of your regimen at the beginning of winter, not when you're in the middle of a blizzard.

The third area is a the electrical system, specifically your battery. This is where the energy comes from to start your beast. You want a strong battery going into winter, and the author reminds us the batteries lose a portion of their cranking power when temperatures drop. You may even want to consider a battery warmer.

A couple other items of note. Beware of parasitic loads. That is, be aware of the things that can be a drag on cranking. Also, always let the engine warm up for five minutes before putting it into work mode.

The key idea that the author strives to sink home is here in the conclusion:

"A modern diesel will start and run under extreme conditions with very few issues, but ignoring those issues can be expensive. Proactive preventive action may seem like an extra expense or time spent on something that isn't a problem — now — but it makes economic sense in the long run. The consequences of ignoring winter diesel issues can range from losing all or part of a day's work to repairing expensive engine damage."

Read the full article here:
https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/diesel-engines-dos-donts-for-trouble-free-winter/50940

RELATED
7 Ways to Prep Your Diesel for Winter
Take Care of Your Hydraulic Systems with Champion Snow Plow Oil

GM Has a New Logo.What Do You Think?

When companies change their logo it is a pretty big deal. All your stationary, all your packaging, all your users manuals, all your web pages... everything needs to be updated. The bigger you are, the bigger the challenge. For that reason, when a logo gets a makeover, it's not a frivolous decision.

While watching the first weekend of the NFL playoffs I noticed a couple commercials with a new look for their companies. But it wasn't there that noticed the new GM logo for the first time. Rather, it was here in a barbed story from Fast Company: General Motors' New Logo Is the Biggest Branding Fail of 2021, So Far. The article begins:

Over the last week we’ve seen a rash of rebranding efforts by major companies such as Burger King and Pfizer. Now, General Motors announced it too had a New Year makeover, unveiling a new logo aimed to reflect its commitment to the production and sale of electric vehicles.

When companies make a move of this nature, they usually accompany it with a publicity campaign in which they explain their rationale. That is, since decisions like this can't be made lightly, it is useful to take the opportunity to draw attention to what the new look is attempting to convey. Here's what GM had to say about it:

The new GM logo features a color gradient of vibrant blue tones, evoking the clean skies of a zero-emissions future and the energy of the Ultium platform [GM’s EV battery system]. The rounded edges and lower-case font create a more modern, inclusive feel. The underline of the “m” connects to the previous GM logos as well as visually representing the Ultium platform. And within the negative space of the “m” is a nod to the shape of an electrical plug.

Essentially it's an environmental message and a commitment statement. It reads like a sales pitch from an ad agency to the GM marketing team, who in turn took it to the top to see if it would fly. And apparently it did.

Jeff Beer, the author of this article, does not share the same enthusiasm for this re-branding effort that GM does. The problem, according to Beer, is trust. Trust is an essential part of any relationship between consumers and companies. Beer cites the 20% drop in Tropicana's sales after they rebranded in 2009. (Which included 5 months of design work and a 35 million dollar campaign.)

GM says they are in an evolutionary state, moving toward a future with "zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion." These ideas are contained in a logo concept that Beer feels has zero history, zero trust and zero originality. On top of all that Beer sees it as just plain bland.

* * * 

2001-2010

The Fast Company piece compares the GM re-branding to Ford's Bronco launch last summer which focused on that company's history and legacy. Beer's barbed probe questions GMs motivations, too. Does GM feel challenged by Tesla? Is this re-branding an effort to re-captured the future in the imaginations of its consumers?

At the New York World's Fair the GM Pavilion, a.k.a. Futurama,  was equally future-focused. Imaginations were stirred by concept cars that looked very different from what we drove in the Fifties, almost space-aged. There comes a time when being too tied to the past is perceived as dated. "We're not your father's Oldsmobile" is a famous campaign that implied cutting ties with the past. 

Nearly all the previous logo designs maintained that stodgy, square, solid block with a GM in the middle. Today's logo is more fluid, organic. 

What do you think about this new look? Leave a comment. We'd really like to hear.

Related Links

Here's a cool web page where you see all the logos from General Motors' history since 1908. The first 30 years its Certificate of Incorporation served as its logo. https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/General_Motors

New Logo Is the Biggest Branding Fail of 2021, So Far (Fast Company story)

A Conversation Among Friends About Choosing Your First Pickup

The 2020 Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup.

Here's a creative way to dig into the pros and cons of an issue, an article at The Globe and Mail in which Petrina Gentile and Mark Richardson discuss ins and outs of buying a new pickup truck for the first time. There are many issues to consider and the article is a creative way to unearth the various facets of these issues. 

The article is titled, "I'm looking to buy my first pickup, preferably a diesel. What should I buy?"

What a great title. It's not clickbait, but is certainly effective. It tells you what the article will be about and pulls you in.

A reader named John has written in to say that after driving cars for years (currently a Ford Escape) he wants to purchase a pickup. Because he may also be buying a boat in the near future he wants to get something that tows well, and is leaning toward a diesel. What size should he get though? 

These were his thoughts and the authors. dive right in.

Richardson begins by letting John know that as soon as he gets a pickup he will be "everybody's friend" as they will come to him to help them move and bring things to the dump. Gentile concurs, noting that this has also increased their popularity. Seven companies, he adds, are working on bringing electric pickups to market, though Richardson quickly notes that these will be expensive.

The two digress to debate whether these EVs are simply status symbols or really worth the extra cost. Then they return to the discussion. Because trucks are heavier are they counterproductive as a commuter vehicle? Richardson then notes that he knows people who would never consider driving something that wasn't a truck, so the question is moot.

One of the bigger issues is brand. Pickup owners are exceedingly brand loyal. "I can’t recall a single pickup-truck driver among my friends who’s switched brands in the last decade," Richardson said. 

Gentile shared that his dad drove a Ford F-150 for 50 years and never once considered trying a Silverado.

As for size, Richardson says that John only needs a full-sized pickup if he's planning to get a full-sized boat. The mid-size will be more than satisfactory and, because it is lighter, will give better fuel economy.

Gentile replies, "Not so fast." The Dodge Ram 1500 is powerful and fuel efficient. Richardson agrees here, saying he'd driven a Ram diesel that gave better fuel economy than his Toyota Rav4.

There are a number of additional details, but when all is said and done what do you think they recommended? Well, since there is no right answer and you don't want to offend anyone too badly, many brands catch some strokes. I'm impressed, though, at how many positive things we've been hearing about the diesel-powered mid-sized Chevy Colorado on so many forums. Its cousin the GMC Canyon gets cited as well as the Ford Ranger with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, though this latter has no diesel option.

The friends close out the discussion with a reminder that there are options with all these choices which can add additional costs, so there is a lot to consider. 

The article is a fun read, and an intriguing way to present information. Follow this link for the full story.

Diesel Outboards? Why Not?

Just because half the lakes in the country are covered with ice doesn't mean we can't think about the upcoming boating season. Eric Haun, editor of Marine News, wrote an interesting article last summer in Marine Link titled "Making the Case for Diesel Outboards." In it he shares insights about transitions taking place in the marine arena.

Haun begins by pointing out how more and more professionals are switching away from inboard motors to outboards on small military craft, workboats, patrol boats another others kinds of vessels that were historically inboard engine powered. This gives the boats several advantages including easier access to maintenance, quicker replacement and the extra space available inside the boat.

At this point the discussion turns to diesel outboards, which have advantages of their own, one of the foremost being fuel safety. The author writes, Compared to gasoline, diesel is a less flammable fuel and therefore much safer to work with in all working environments. In addition, with diesel engines the combustion of fuel takes place due to the heat generated by the compression of fuel and air inside the cylinder. Compression ignition is safer than petroleum being ignited by a spark plug, or any other spark.

One of Haun's sources was OXE Marine, a Sweden-based diesel outboard manufacturer. According to Myron Mahendra, CEO of OXE Marine, “Many vessels are hindered by regulations to carry petrol onboard if fire safe containment is not provided. The use of petrol is, therefore, a challenge for any vessel with tenders.”

He also spoke with U.K.-based Cox Powertrain, which makes diesel outboards as well. Cox noted that NATO has been pushing a single fuel idea, with the aim of maximizing equipment interoperability by using a single fuel option. This is one of the drivers behind the CXO300 diesel outboard Cox Powertrain has developed.

The end result here is that rescue vessels, naval and military vessels can refuel at the mother ship without being burdened with the hazard of highly volatile gasoline.

"Another benefit associated with diesel is efficiency," writes Haun. "Both Cox and OXE point to significant fuel savings compared to gas. Cox claims its 300-horsepower CXO300 offers roughly 30% fuel savings compared to its gasoline equivalent, while Mahendra says the 300-horsepower OXE 300, due to enter production shortly, uses up to 42% less fuel than a comparable gasoline outboard."

This fuel efficiency results in greater operational range so boats can stay out on the water longer.

Diesel outboards also have the usual advantages of diesel engines, including endurance, torque and flexibility. Though the price advantage goes to gas-powered outboards, one can make up the difference by comparing the life cycle costs of each and in most applications this would be fairly even.

The full article can be found here, with more photos as well.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/making-case-diesel-outboards-479456 

Diesel Fuels Power the Workhorse Vehicles of Both Our Present and Future

This past summer there was an article in Diesel Forum that explained why diesel power will continue to power the U.S. economy. The article presents data regarding the extent to which diesel powers the economy in the present and a key insight as to why diesel will continue to be a workhorse in the future. 

The August 2020 article, titled Fuels That Work: Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel and Biodiesel Power the U.S. Economy, begins by noting that nearly half the sectors in our economy rely heavily on diesel. 

The author writes, Diesel fuel and engines are often described as the platform of work. Diesel fuel is the most energy dense transportation fuel available, and the diesel engine is the most efficient means to transfer this energy density into useful work, while gasoline is almost exclusively used in the fleet of passenger vehicles. 

That last statement refers to the U.S. pascar market, inasmuch as diesel has made much deeper inroads in the E.U.

When we think diesel, many people first think of over-the-road transport vehicles. The reality is that diesel engines power heavy duty trucks, buses, locomotives, marine vessels, ferries, ag and construction equipment and even stationary industrial engines.

KEY INSIGHT  
The article goes on to explain why diesel has an edge when it comes to the future of power. 

A key advantage to the use of renewable biodiesel fuels is that compared to competing alternatives, they do not require the purchase of new vehicles, equipment or engines nor do they require expensive additional investments in refueling or recharging infrastructure. Their benefits can be felt immediately across entire fleets of vehicles, rather than only in newly acquired vehicles dependent on new infrastructure.  Biodiesel fuels can be stored, used, pumped and handled virtually the same way as petroleum diesel products.

These are significant points. One can tout the benefits of an EV future, but how much cost and transition time will there be? The goal should not be an EV future but a Clean future. This means all options are on the table, and diesel will be part of it for a very long time. 

Here's another strong point the author makes. 

Driving a global economy requires a steady supply of available, affordable and diverse energy sources. As the prime mover of the global economy, diesel technology continues to evolve to use the fuels more efficiently and with fewer emissions. 

Diesel's ability to efficiently generate power, especially in the new generation of diesel engines, fuels and equipment, is the reason diesel will play a role powering the economy for years to come.

Read the full article here:
https://www.dieselforum.org/policyinsider/fuels-that-work-ultra-low-sulfur-diesel-and-biodiesel-power-the-u-s-economy

Noteworthy New Products of 2020 According to Diesel Progress

Photo by Loren King on Unsplash

One of the most exhilarating things about trade shows is the New Product introductions that take place. Yes, there's always lots of glitz to distract you, but for the most part companies attend these shows to show off what's new, not simply to entertain. Some may use sizzle to get attention, but at the end of the day it's all business. 

For this reason, journalists come from all around the world to be on the cutting edge of what tomorrow's cars, trucks and technology will look like. And because publishers measure which pages get the most traction with readers, they learn early on that one of the most read pages in trade magazines is always the "What's New" page. 

At the end of 2020, many of these magazines will present a summing up of the year's action in the realm of new products. Diesel Progress did this at the end of December, shining a spotlight on a number of new product introductions last year. There may have been a crimp in trades how activity in this "Year of Covid" but the industry did not cease from doing what they do best: creating tomorrow's solutions for today's problems. Here are a few of the noteworthy new products of 2020.

Let's start with the engines.

John Deere unveiled a new 18.0 L diesel engine, the largest it has ever built. The engine, which is being built in Waterloo, Iowa, will be available in 2022. According to Diesel Progress, JDPS said the recently introduced 13.6 L and the new 18.0 L diesels were conceived together. “We started with the concept of having a couple of engines to cover our growing power needs into the future,” said Michael Lefebvre, manager, global marketing and product strategy. “And out of that came the 13.6 L and now the 18.0 L.”

John Deer is a storied name in U.S. agriculture with one of the best slogans of any company anywhere: "Nothing runs like a Deere." 

The Japanese tractor and equipment manufacturer Kubota also introduced a new diesel engine this year, after introducing its first diesel at ConExpo-Con/Agg in 2017. The new engine, also introduced at ConExpo-Con/Agg, is a model S7509, a six-cylinder, 7/ L diesel with a max output of 306.2 horsepower at 1900 rpm. It's their first diesel engine to surpass 300 hp with a max torque of 977 lb. ft at 1500 to 1600 rpm. This power plant will be available in 2023.

 Wireless Filter Monitoring

Another product that caught our eye was a Filter Minder by Donaldson. The Filter Minder is a wireless monitoring system that lets you know it's time to change the filter. The product is available for both off-highway and over the road applications. As everyone knows, or ought to, a large percentage of engine wear comes from dirt and debris entering the engine from outside, making good filtration one of your most important needs. The Donaldson Filter Minder notifies users when the filter's lifespan is nearly complete.  

Each of the products discussed has links to additional information from when they were introduced to readers earlier in the year. Other new products briefly discussed here include:

Kawasaki’s New Excavator System 

Doosan’s Hybrid Powertrain

Verifying Counterfeit Parts. (Danfoss)

New PSI Gas Engines

The Kubota Micro-Hybrid

Keeping E-Vehicle Batteries Connected

ZF Hybrid Marine Transmission

Volvo Penta Gen Drive Engines  

Here is the link to the original article at Diesel Progress:
https://www.dieselprogress.com/news/the-notable-new-products-of-2020/8009442.article