Rampage Jackson’s ’08 Ford
Mixed martial arts hero, Rampage Jackson, took his ‘08 Ford Super Duty to Banks Engineering and had it fully worked over from head to tail. QUINTON “RAMPAGE”
May 31, 2008
The Indy 500s first and only turbo diesel
Q: When did the first turbocharged car appear at the Indy 500?
A: It was in 1952, and the car was not only turbocharged but it was a Cummins diesel – a first for both!
May 29, 2008
Gambling on alternative fuels or A mighty wind
I spent last weekend (not this one that just passed but the other one) in Las Vegas with my buddies from Bosch. We were in the city of sin to set up Bosch’s Learning Center for the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference that was being held there. It’s kind of hard to think of diesel as an “alternative” fuel since it’s been around for such a long time, but it’s lumped into the same category as all of the future fuels that are making headlines these days. I’m going to list these different fuels in an upcoming blog and go over what makes them real – or just plain wishful thinking…
May 22, 2008
Sidewinder S-10 Drag Truck Update
It’s mid-May 2008, and we are now at a power level with the Banks Sidewinder S-10 that is reminding me of all the nitromethane-burning engines I raced back in the day. We are using up pistons like a good thing. We’re not changing them every run like I did with my nitro-burning rails and drag boats, but we’re changing them too damn often for a diesel. We’ve been doing it for a while, and it’s only gotten more problematic as we’ve made more power and gotten down into the 7.70s. Now we are too close to “running on kill” for my liking.
May 14, 2008
Hoist the colors! or With great power comes great responsibility!
I’m on my way back from Tampa and the Truck U shoot. I’m on the plane and just finished watching the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time (a truly bitchin’ movie no matter what anyone says! Naysayers can walk the plank) and I feel compelled to finish my story from my first entry. Arrr… Ye sees me hardies me thinks the show is going to be pretty neat, says I. It focuses on safe towing power (that’s where Banks comes in). Apparently the truck they borrowed for the taping was an ’08 Chevy Duramax that was used to tow a five-car hauler…
May 7, 2008
Being the middleman or Fire-breathing exhaust
Wouldn’t you know it, I’m trapped in the middle seat on this leg of the flight to Florida. It’s not a good situation due to the fact
May 6, 2008
What’s my motivation? or Trucking in Tampa
For the plane ride back, I’ve got to remember to at least try for a window seat. It was bad enough being the middle child in my family, but it was torture being in the middle on a plane ride across the country. Heck, I even ran out of mints! At least sitting by the window on the plane trip back I can spend the hours looking for the gremlin that crawls on the wing and jacks around with the engine. I’m going to get that little jerk some day! Some day!
Anyways…
May 6, 2008
Safe At Any Speed
When I started in 1958, all engine tuning was a mechanical enterprise.
October 31, 2007
The Re-Education of a “Gearhead”
Last Friday (really my “first day on the job”, even though I had only come in to fill out some employment papers), I was invited to sit in on meeting with Gale Banks and a number of members of the engineering staff.
My (just-bestowed an hour earlier) title is the lofty “Corporate Publicist” and so, I was pleased to be asked to be a part of the action so soon after signing on with the company.
September 20, 2007
Customer Q&A #5 (with Peter Treydte, Banks’ Director of Technical Communications)
QUESTION #5:
You didn’t directly answer some of my questions, but if I read between the lines, it would appear that there would be no benefit to me to add your upgraded intercooler, (I bought the Six-Gun etc. to tow 15,500 lbs) because the transmission and drivetrain may not take the power of a level 4 or 5 while heavy towing and climbing. Did I understand this correctly?
April 3, 2007