These are exciting times for GM fans who’re partial to diesels. Not only is the ever-dependable 6.6L Duramax V8 still available in the 2500 and larger HD trucks and the 2.8L I4 available in the mid-size Colorado and Canyon, but now the General’s hot-selling half-ton line is being graced with a compression ignition option. The latest power plant to don the Duramax name displaces 3.0 liters from six cylinders—but unlike Ford and Ram those cylinders aren’t arranged in a V. That’s right, the brand-new, all-aluminum Duramax is an I6 and it turns out an impressive 460 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm. Horsepower checks in at a class-leading 277 hp.

But that’s not all. A host of cutting-edge technology and advancements can be found in this new oil-burner. From sleeved cylinders to an electronically variable intake manifold to a water-to-air intercooler, it’s a groundbreaking engine to say the least—and is arguably the most unique in its segment. Beyond that, the 3.0L Duramax’s low and high-pressure EGR system, electronic throttle valve, ball-bearing variable geometry turbocharger and 36,250 psi-capable common-rail injection system help make it one of the cleanest and most powerful diesels (for its size) ever produced. As the diesel-powered 2020 Chevrolet and GMC half-tons begin to arrive at dealerships, here’s what you can expect from the all-new, inline-six Duramax under the hood.

Torque for Days

GM might be the last domestic truck manufacturer to offer a diesel in its half-ton line in the modern age, but with inline-six architecture, iron cylinder sleeves, a block stiffener and forged-steel connecting rods they seem to have done it the best in terms of overbuilding an engine. In addition to durability, there is no denying the immense low-rpm grunt that only an inline power plant can provide, and the 3.0L Duramax boasts 460 lb-ft of torque—available from 1,500 rpm all the way through 3,000 rpm. It’s also worth mentioning that 95-percent of that peak torque number comes on line at 1,250 rpm.

State of the Art VGT 

The turbocharger, a liquid-cooled variable geometry unit that sits on the passenger side of the cylinder head, is deliberately packaged near the engine’s exhaust manifold for quicker spool-up and quicker lighting off of the exhaust catalyst. The turbo is also equipped with a ball-bearing center section, which with its low-friction design adds durability and further aids responsiveness. VGT functionality is fast-reacting thanks to being both controlled and actuated electronically.

Routing Airflow

Under full load, the turbocharger will produce approximately 29 psi of boost in stock form. Once compressed, the VGT forces incoming air through a composite intake pipe that’s roughly a foot long. At the end of the composite tube, a bend sharper than 90-degrees routes air into a water-to-air intercooler, which is tightly packaged on top of the engine.

Water-to-Air Intercooling

Similar to Ford’s 6.7L Power Stroke, GM’s 3.0L Duramax makes use of a water-to-air intercooler. Water-to-air units provide a higher density intake charge for improved efficiency and (ultimately) power over traditional air-to-air intercoolers, not to mention they free up space in the cooling stack area. In aftermarket arrangements, a water-to-air intercooler can drop intake temperatures from several hundred degrees F leaving the compressor outlet to under 100 degrees before entering the cylinder head(s).

Variable Intake Manifold

The intake manifold is located on the driver side of engine and it conceals an advancement unique to the segment. In order to help meet emissions and maximize efficiency while delivering optimum performance, a variable intake manifold features internal, electronically controlled flaps that can reduce or increase the amount of airflow feeding into each cylinder. This technology offers precise airflow control, which facilitates peak performance and responsiveness across the entire rpm range and especially at lower engine speeds.

Chain-Driven High-Pressure Fuel Pump

Like its 2.8L I4 and the 6.6L V8 Duramax kin, the 3.0L Duramax features a high-pressure common-rail injection system. We’re not sure if the twin-piston high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) is a CP4.2 unit from Bosch or a Denso pump similar to the HP3, but we do know it’s located at the driver side rear of the engine. The injection pump is driven off of the crankshaft via chain, while a chain driven by the pump drives the overhead intake and exhaust camshafts.

36,250 PSI Rail Pressure

After pressurizing fuel as high as 36,250 psi (2,500 bar), the high-pressure fuel pump routes fuel here: the rail that sits above the intake manifold. When common-rail injection first debuted in the American truck segment (on the 6.6L LB7 Duramax, no less), 23,000 psi was the norm. The current capability to create pressure in excess of 36,000 psi allows GM to meet modern, stringent particulate matter emission standards while also offering class-leading horsepower.

Fast-Firing Injectors

Electronic, solenoid-activated injectors equipped with 9-hole nozzles take care of in-cylinder fuel delivery. Like the HPFP, we don’t yet know if the injectors are Bosch or Denso units, but we do know they’re capable of carrying out as many as 10 injection events per combustion cycle. This precise metering of fuel delivery means that multiple pilot and post injection events will likely be utilized in addition to the main injection(s), which is to say that—in addition to being extremely powerful given its size—the 3.0L Duramax will be very quiet.

Hypereutectic Pistons

Within the deep-skirt aluminum block, a forged-steel crankshaft slings forged-steel connecting rods up and down within their respective (and sleeved) cylinder bores. At the top of the rotating assembly, GM employs hypereutectic cast-aluminum pistons. The use of hypereutectic alloy pistons allowed engineers to reduce weight, employ a heat-resistant piston and run tighter tolerances. The piston’s design entails a notably thick crown and the incorporation of a reinforced top compression ring for handling the high cylinder pressures the engine will produce. Compression checks in at 15.0:1.

At Home at Work

It’s in an inline engine’s nature to produce gobs of low-end grunt, but the electronically controlled and actuated VGT, variable intake manifold and highly-advanced common-rail fuel system will only enhance the drivability of the 3.0L Duramax. With 9,300 pounds of max towing capacity, the 2020 diesel-powered Silverado (or Sierra) 1500 isn’t a class-leader by any stretch of the imagination, but when saddled with enough weight to meet their respective gross combined weight ratings, we’d be willing to bet the Chevy (or the GMC) is more pleasurable to drive than the Ford F-150 Power Stroke or Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.

Back in June, we compared Ford’s F-150 Power Stroke and Ram’s EcoDiesel to GM’s new 3.0L Duramax to see how each of the Big Three half-ton diesels stack up. For all the cold-hard facts on that comparison, click here.

In a time where incredible horsepower figures and state of the art technology make supercars both faster and easier to driver than ever, one of the ways to truly set them apart is to double down on weight savings and that's exactly what McLaren Automotive has done with its latest production machine.

Called the McLaren Elva, the car takes its name from and is inspired by the lightweight racing cars that Bruce McLaren designed and raced during the mid 1960s. Engineered purely as an open-top roadster, the new Elva is being called the lightest McLaren road car ever thanks to its full carbon fiber construction, carbon fiber seats, carbon fiber brakes and more.

It shares twin turbo 4.0 liter V8 with the McLaren Senna, and with over 800 horsepower on tap McLaren says the Elva will go from 0-124 miles per hour faster than the Senna thanks to its lighter weight.

Along with that, you get everything else we've come to expect in a modern super car including adaptive suspension, a titanium exhaust system, active aero and a unique carbon fiber wrap-around cockpit space.

What makes the Elva stand out even more and gives it a uniquely old school race car vibe is the fact that it doesn't come with a windscreen—although one can be added as a custom option if the buyer insists. If it was our money, we'd go without.

Like all special edition McLarens, the Elva will be a rare specimen with just 399 examples planned for production. Pricing for the car will begin at a cool $1.7 million before you start adding custom touches from McLaren Special Operations.

While it's easy to get overwhelmed and even jaded by modern supercars and the rate at which they are released, there is certainly something exciting about this stripped down, wind-in-your-face take on the genre that we dig. If you are looking to add one to your garage, customer deliveries are set to begin in the later part of 2020.

While on the subject of McLaren, don't forget to check out the McLaren F1 25th Anniversary event from this year's Monterey Car Week.

We live in an amazing automotive time period. Unheard of a few decades ago, there are multiple non-exotic, street legal cars offered to the public with over 700hp. Dodge was leading the insane horsepower battles with the supercharged Hellcat 6.2L V8, that makes 707hp and 645 lb-ft of torque, and then had the brilliant idea in to put that engine into an all-wheel drive SRT8 Jeep Grand Cherokee and thus, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk was born. It’s a heavy SUV that will do 0-60mph in the low three-second range—which is downright crazy.

It’s easy to understand the draw of a machine like this—and it just so happens that a gentleman named Justin Keith was drawn to this car like a tractor beam. “I purchased the Jeep Trackhawk after test driving one and completely fell in love with the power delivery and how well it drove. It’s truly an amazing machine,” Justin said. “Plus, you can put five people in it so it’s relatively practical.”

Justin is every bit the modern muscle car connoisseur—he owns Street Car Takeover, the largest street car drag race series in the nation. Plus, he’s got a garage filled with cars touting quadruple horsepower figures like a C7 Corvette with 1600hp, a ZL1 Camaro with 1000hp, and 1000hp+ 2019 Hellcat Redeye. So, what could this guy be looking for when he already has a bunch of cars like that? “I wanted a fast, all-wheel drive SUV and was curious about the Trackhawk, so I tried it out to see what everyone was talking about. Now, it’s honestly my favorite to drive,” Justin said.

Besides it’s mind-blowing stats and specs, the TrackHawk is a performance vehicle that is subtle. The exterior, while clean with pleasing lines, by no means shouts, “lets race!” It’s a sleeper, but that’s OK. Just because the car has gobs of horsepower doesn’t mean it needs to be flaunted everywhere. Justin didn’t want to ruin the sleeper façade of the vehicle, so after purchasing the Jeep, he kept the mods under the hood and within the wheel wells.

While the Trackhawk is by no means svelte, weighing in at over 5,000 lbs., it does have a distinct advantage over its traditional muscle car brethren—it delivers power to the ground from all four wheels. In order to keep the tires planted during hard acceleration he beefed up the rear suspension with a kit from BWoody. A set of 20x10” Velgen lightweight, forged wheels were bolted to all four corners of the SUV along with four of Nitto’s new NT420V luxury performance 295/45R20 tires, providing the ultimate street-tire traction and curb-side good-looks. “I like street driving the Trackhawk more than my other cars because it gets traction everywhere and you don’t have to worry about the tires spinning,” Justin said.

Now, 707hp is a lot of power, but any gearhead will tell you that it’s never enough, so what did Keith do? He had his friends at Killer Performance, a shop that specializes in late-model GM, Ford, and Dodge in Kansas City, Missouri work on the engine so it would make 910hp and 860 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. But that engine was already making so much power—it couldn’t have been easy to increase it by so much, right? Wrong. Turns out, Dodge made it simple to bump up the power output even further. All Killer Performance had to do was install a new pulley system, thermostat, 1500cc injectors, methanol injection, and an exhaust system. Then he used a Justune custom tune to tie all the new components together. Finally, he didn’t want to break drivetrain components with all the additional power, so he upgraded his axles and driveshaft to GForce’s top of the line parts.

Justin’s not the type of guy that just bolts on horsepower so he can brag about numbers, he races too. It wasn’t long before he had finished his modification and made a few runs down the track. “This is one of the many reasons why I love the Trackhawk. It’s an SUV that runs low 10's in the 1/4 mile with minimal mods—what’s not to love?”

Apparently, Justin is fated to own a Trackhawk. “I sold this one to buy a new Cadillac CTS-V but after selling the Trackhawk, the CTS-V I had been looking at sold to someone else. I couldn't find another one that I liked for the price, so I ended up buying another Trackhawk. My new one is 1 of 6 olive green metallic 2019 Trackhawks in the entire world.” Justin continued, “It’s got 100 miles on it and we’re already making mods- similar to before, but we’re going to go a little bigger this time and I’m adding a 125hp shot of nitrous—I’m hoping to go mid-nines in the quarter with it.”

Click here to see Justin's C7 1000hp+ Corvette mentioned earlier in the article.

A little disclaimer before we start this article. I don't consider myself an environmentalist and I don't constantly talk about things like sustainability or my carbon footprint. As a lifelong gearheard, I'm also not one of those who feels like every drop of fuel burned in the name of fun is a crime. Nor am I a tech-obsessed Tesla fanboy who kneels at the altar of Elon Musk and praises all things the company does. But after driving about 50,000 miles behind the wheel of EVs, I'm fully sold on electric cars for daily life and I want to tell you why.

I've been obsessed with cars of all shapes and sizes since I was a toddler. I love the sounds of engines, the feeling of shifting through the gears and the distinct ways different types of cars deliver their power. I dig big V8s, loud turbos, built engines screaming to redline and fuel-sucking carbs—and I always will.

I'm also a person who is constantly annoyed by the oppressive emission laws in my home state of California, especially the ones that have no real impact on emissions but make it difficult or impossible to enjoy the automotive hobby the same way people in other states do.

But despite all of this, I've become a convert of the EV movement, and after half a decade of driving electric vehicles day-in and day-out I'm at the point where I can't really imagine myself not having at least one of them in the garage.

For me it all started back in the summer of 2014 when I heard from some friends about how cheap you could lease the Fiat 500e EV for. With all of the upfront discounts and post-purchase rebates people were telling stories of driving a brand new electric car for less than they were paying for their cable bill each month.

And that's how I found myself signing papers on a Baby Blue 2015 500e that would sit in our garage for the next 36 months. Like many, I was skeptical of whether an EV with a range of about 80 miles could function as daily transportation and had a lot of questions going into it, but the sweet deal made it a pretty low risk opportunity.

As with most people who drive an EV for the first time, I was extremely impressed by the smooth and quiet nature of the 500e and by its instantaneous torque. On paper the little Fiat was far from fast, but at city speeds it felt impressively quick and was surprisingly fun to drive—even without gear-banging and exhaust notes we typically associate with fun cars.

Over the next three years, the little Fiat served as the primary car for my wife's 10 mile round-trip drive to work, our around-town errands and just about any other local driving we did. In the end, we couldn't have been more happy with the experience. For us the 500e fit our lifestyle perfectly, but there are few caveats that are very important in determining whether the same can be said for you.

First up is geography. We live in a city that's large but doesn't have the endless sprawl you find in Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area. There's a population well over half a million, but very few people commute more than about 30 miles to work each way, and the vast majority have much shorter commutes. In other words, it's a perfect area for a short range EV that goes between 80-120 miles on a charge.

Second is that the 500e wasn't our only car. At all times the Fiat was complimented by at least one traditional gasoline car that could be used for long trips when needed, but the majority of our time on the road ended up being in the electric.

Right now there's a lot of talk about how EVs need a lot more range and how the charging infrastructure needs to be vastly improved before electric cars become mainstream, but I think they are already viable now as a second vehicle, and most American households have two vehicles at the very least.

Range anxiety is something I've been asked about a lot and I can honestly say I've never really felt it—aside from time or two when we simply forgot to plug the car in at night. Presumably most people should have a good idea of what their driving habits are, charging availability and other factors in advance. If you drive hundreds of miles on your average day or have driving commitments that vary wildly an EV won't be the best choice, but even the shorter range models should work for most people as a dedicated commuter or local car.

In our case ended up liking our experience with the 500e so much that when our lease was up in 2017 we decided to replace with with another electric car, this one a Volkswagen e-Golf that offered a similar range but with more space for a family that now included a baby.

While not as tossable as the Fiat, the Volkswagen delivered an even more refined take on the EV experience. And during our two-and-a-half years with the e-Golf we grew even more fond of the electric car life.

Depending on your priorities, the gasoline money savings or the low emissions may be the biggest reason for driving an electric car, but for me it was more than that. First up the simple fact of not having to bother with gas stations has been fantastic, the quiet driving and abundance of torque are addicting and lack of moving parts makes for low cost and trouble free ownership.

As I write the lease on our e-Golf has actually just ended and I'm currently trying to figure out what to get next as daily driver. I'm interested to see the new EV platforms that Ford and Volkswagen are working on, but those won't be on sale for a while and a Tesla doesn't fit my budget.

It should be said that the biggest drawback to an EV may be the depreciation that comes with them. With battery tech constantly advancing, electric car values go down extremely quick and that's why the majority of them are usually leased to offset the risk. 

With that said, that also means there are some incredible deals on used EVs and as long as their range is sufficient they can be had for fractions of what a similar gas car would go for. Right now I'm going back and forth and buying a cheap used EV as a city commuter or just leasing another one.

One model that's struck my interest lately is the BMW i3, which has been around for a while and can actually be quite affordable despite its high MSRP when you factor in tax credits and incentives. Used i3s also seem to deliver great bang for the buck, and while it may not be a "sexy" Tesla, the i3's rear-drive layout, sprightly acceleration and carbon fiber construction give it some genuine enthusiast cred.

And going back to the idea of the car enthusiast embracing EVs, it's often assumed that an enthusiast should value driving fun and character over things like comfort and economy. And considering my personal experience with many different types of cars, EVs are typically much funner to drive and more interesting than your basic gasoline-powered daily driver.

To put it another way, in terms of ranking cars that excite and interest me I'd currently use the following breakdown:

1. Cool Gas Cars. Dedicated performance vehicles, classics, race cars, off-roaders, project cars etc.

2. EVs and Plug-Ins. All electric or plug-in hybrids for the daily life. Refined, smooth, full of interesting tech and surprisingly fun at times.

3. Mainstream Gas Cars Everyday cars with traditional gasoline engines but without any real excitement. Is anybody going to be devastated if EVs eventually replace four-cylinder Camrys as daily drivers?

There's also the very real and likely possibility of EVs being better enthusiast vehicles than everyday gas cars thanks to their impressive power delivery, good weight distribution, RWD layouts and ability to take many different forms, but that's a subject for another story.

Again, I will always love and always own gasoline-powered cars and I sincerely hope cool and exciting cars with loud engines and manual gearboxes will continue to be built for a long time, but I'm also 100% on-board with a future where those cars sit in the garage next to an all-electric daily driver or family car. If mass adoption of EVs helps the planet—that's great, but in my personal experiences there are plenty of other reasons to consider one.

So there you have it. After five years of driving electric cars as daily transportation I'm 100% on board with them for primary transportation. Yes, the infrastructure will need to improve and battery tech will need get cheaper for it to make sense for everyone, but I've tasted the EV future and it's pretty great.

Now how about an EV with the ability to bang gears? That's what Ford did with its new electric Mustang prototype.

It might surprise you to learn that one of the biggest changes you can make to the way your vehicle handles often doesn't require installing any new parts at all. The alignment of your car's wheels plays a major role in how it performs both on the street and on the track, but it's an area that is often overlooked by anyone first getting started in motorsports, be it autocross, lapping, or time trials.

Interested in moving beyond the stock suspension settings that came with your car so you can unlock much more of its performance potential? Let's take a look at some alignment basics so you can get started.

Compromise, Compromise, Compromise

From the factory, your vehicle's alignment is setup so as to balance tire wear, straight-line stability, dealing with crowned roads (which slope to one side for drainage purposes), and handling. As might be expected, when your dealing with that many requirements, compromises have to be made, with most factory alignments—and the specs used by your local, standard alignment shop—erring on the side of tread life and centering a vehicle in its lane on public roads.

From a performance perspective alignment requirements are quite different. The goal is to maximize each tire's contact patch and improve the vehicle's willingness to turn in to a corner, regardless of how much deflection is present in the suspension. Things like tire wear and straight line stability are far less important.

There are several key adjustments you can make to your alignment that will help you keep as much tire stuck to the asphalt as possible, while simultaneously improving the willingness of your vehicle to change direction.

Start With Camber

Camber is a term that's often used in the automotive community, especially in a world that now includes the #stancenation with its exaggerated, almost perpendicular wheel angles. Camber is divided into two settings:

• Positive camber. Looking down from the top of a tire, positive camber angle leans the top of the wheel away from the vehicle.
• Negative camber. The reverse of the above, with the tire leaning away from the vehicle at the bottom of the wheel.

Negative camber is useful in performance driving, as the angle of the wheel places a larger percentage of the tire tread in contact with the pavement when turning forces are working on it. This comes at the expensive of additional wear on the inner tread of the tire in normal driving, as it bears more of a load. Too much negative camber, and you'll sacrifice straight-line braking and stability, as well as acceleration (when altering rear alignment).

The degree of camber adjustment available in your stock suspension may not be more than a degree or two, but this can often be improved by installing camber plates that allow for greater adjustability. Keep in mind that you'll have to make sure that changing the camber angle allows your wheel and tire setup to clear your suspension components and body work.

Caster Is Next

The position of the wheels in relation to their mounting point is called caster, and in an automobile this term specifically refers to the position of the top of you car's strut mount (or upper ball joint) to the lower ball joint—again, as seen from the top down. Positive caster is when this angle slopes backwards towards the vehicle—with the wheel 'pushed' forward—while negative caster reverse that angle, 'pushing' the wheel backwards in the wheel well.

Why is caster important? A car running positive caster amplifies the amount of suspension camber when the wheel is turned, further improving cornering ability. Of course there are limits (usually between six and eight degrees of positive caster), before it starts to have a negative effect on the contact patch.

Positive caster can also allow you to dial-in more modest levels of negative camber but still achieve the handling capability you are looking for, especially if you'll be driving on the street as well as the track. Further, adding positive caster usually results in more willingness for a car's steering to return to center, as well as increased steering feel, and better high speed stability.

As with camber, your vehicle may only offer small amounts of adjustment. If you are driving a front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive car, there may be no stock caster adjustment available at all, which can be mitigated by the installation of adjustment tension rods or arms, offset caster bushings, or offset top mounts.

Toe Time

The final piece of the performance alignment puzzle is toe angle. To visualize toe, it's as simple as imagining each of your vehicle's wheels like the toes on your feet, seen from above. If the wheels are angled inwards, towards the center of the car, that is called toe-in. If they are angled outwards, it's toe-out.

When tires are pointing toe-in at the front of the car, it offers increased straight-line stability but at the expense of being able to turn the wheels. Toe-out has the opposite effect, making a car more willing to change direction because the wheel on the inside of the corner is already pointing towards where you're turning. This is true for both front and rear wheels.

Toe-out is something to be experimented with in moderation. Too much, and your steering will feel darty as the car attempts to pull you from one side to the other if you even suggest that you're about to turn in to a corner. It can also increase wear on the tires, especially at the rear due to suspension drag.

Toe angle is far more sensitive than that of camber or caster, and you'll see it expressed not just in degrees, but also in fractions of an inch. You'll only ever make small, incremental adjustments to your vehicle's toe, and you'll want to keep things as balanced as possible to find the sweet spot between aggressive turn-in and stable braking and acceleration.

Now that you've added a performance alignment to your car, it's time to tackle your braking system. Click here for guidance on adding stopping power.

In Part 2, we laid the foundation for ensuring the 200,000-mile 7.3L Power Stroke in Project Paw-Paw could withstand the 370-percent increase in horsepower it was about to receive. This time, we’re diving headfirst into the most vital piece of our power-making puzzle: the fuel injectors. We’ve said it before, but that doesn’t make it any less true: if you want to make significant power with a 7.3L you have to run bigger injectors. In our case, we’re installing the second largest off-the-shelf set of injectors you can buy from Unlimited Diesel Performance. The company’s Stage 4 hybrid injectors flow nearly four times what the factory units do and their 200-percent larger nozzles allow them to get precious diesel in-cylinder in a much quicker fashion.

As a hybrid injector, the Stage 4 is designed to work sufficiently with a single high-pressure oil pump (HPOP). This is one of the biggest selling points behind hybrid injectors, as they save you the cost of having to add a second HPOP in order to maintain high pressure oil supply. But as one of the largest hybrids you can buy, not just any HPOP will do. For more on keeping the oil side of these big sticks happy, tune in for an in-depth look at the HPOP we’ve chosen to run in the next installment. For now, join us for our last trip under the valve covers. From here on out, a host of bolt-ons will be employed to get us where we need to be.

Stock Injector Vs. UDP Stage 4 Hybrid

The fuel injectors are at the tail end of the complex HEUI injection system, but it’s where we’re beginning our upgrades. As a general rule of thumb, the factory AA-code injectors in the ’94.5-’97 7.3L Power Stroke (left) can net you roughly 230rwhp, give or take, on good aftermarket tuning—but that’s it. The single-shot (one event per power stroke), AA-code injectors flow a maximum of 90 to 95cc’s of fuel in stock form. By comparison, the Stage 4 hybrids from Unlimited Diesel Performance (right) move 350cc’s of fuel on the flow bench.

Stage 4 Injectors Price: $2,475 (+$600 refundable core charge)

Justifying Their Cost

With both fuel and high-pressure oil flowing into, through and then back out of each injector, there is a lot going on inside the units used in a 7.3L. This diagram is important in explaining why, unless you know all the ins and outs of a HEUI injector, it’s wise to fork over the cash for a set of performance injectors from a reputable company instead of building your own. Notice the poppet valve shown above. This is the piece that, when told to open, allows high-pressure oil from the rails to make its way into the injector. The nearby armature plate lifts simultaneously with the poppet valve.

What is a Hybrid Injector?

For more than a decade, hybrid injectors have been the most cost-effective way to make big power with a 7.3L. They’re called hybrid injectors because they make use of a plunger and barrel assembly from larger, B-code injectors (specifically, the BD code injectors that were used in the I530E, a larger I6 Navistar engine with HEUI). However, thanks to the hybrids’ retention of the factory, A-code intensifier piston (the oil side amplifier that forces the plunger down on the fuel side), they require less high-pressure oil to fire the injector than a B-code injector.

Dual HPOP’s—Not A Necessity

Because hybrids use less high-pressure oil per volume of fuel delivered than any other type of HEUI injector on the market, they’re immensely popular. Their biggest draw is that you can get away with using a single high-pressure oil pump to fire any small to moderately-sized hybrid. In the case of our Stage 4’s (again, the second largest off-the-shelf injector you can buy), this is still the case, but a higher volume aftermarket HPOP is required to get the most performance out of them. More on that upgrade next time.

How Displacement is Increased

In addition to a larger plunger and barrel (which effectively increases each injector’s bore), Unlimited Diesel Performance adds fuel plates within the injector bodies of its Stage 4 units. On the oil side, the previously-mentioned intensifier piston is machined down to make it shorter, thereby increasing its stroke. These mods, along with several other proprietary ones, are what allow the injectors to flow 350cc’s of fuel vs. 95cc’s stock.

How to Make Use of the 7.3L’s Tiny Power Window

In a 7.3L with stock pistons and the OEM injector arrangement, you have approximately 24 degrees to inject fuel into the piston bowl before (and after) top dead center. In order to inject as much fuel as possible in this tiny window, you not only have to increase injector flow but also the injection rate. Just like an engine, boring and stroking inside the injector helps increase displacement, but that’s only half the battle. In order to get that added fuel volume in-cylinder quicker, a nozzle with larger orifices is required.

200-Percent Larger Nozzles

To squeeze as much fuel as possible out of the injector and deliver it in the extremely tight window we have to work with, 200-percent larger nozzles got the call. Larger orifices mean more fuel is delivered per stroke and it’s generally accepted that 200-percent over units are as far as you want to go in street-driven applications (for both reliability and drivability purposes). Stock AA-code injectors come equipped with 7-hole nozzles, each orifice possessing a 0.006-inch opening. By comparison, our 200-percent over nozzles feature 0.012-inch orifices while retaining the same 7-hole pattern. In HEUI injector speak, where maximum flow is listed first and then followed by the nozzle size, this makes our Stage 4 injectors “350/200’s.” As far as widely-accepted nozzle speak is concerned, we went from 7x6’s to 7x12’s.

Housekeeping Measures

Any trip under the valve covers warrants inspection of the under valve cover harnesses (UVCH), UVCH gaskets and replacement of the engine’s glow plugs if it’s been a while. 7.3L’s are notorious glow plug eaters and hard-starters in winter. Plus, changing injectors is an opportune time to tackle these relatively inexpensive housekeeping items before they begin to show their age.

Injector Install

When the 350/200’s went in, we made sure to hit each injector body O-ring with a healthy coat of fresh engine oil and follow Ford’s torque specs to a “T.” The injector retaining (hold-down plate) bolts get torqued to 10 ft-lb and the oil spill spouts (or oil deflectors) see 9 ft-lb. After the injectors were secure, we tidied everything up under the valve covers, reinstalled the valve covers and then fed 14 fresh quarts of 15W-40 down the oil fill tube, installed a new oil filter and completed the job.

Supporting Mods Yet to Come

While this takes care of the injector portion of the HEUI system’s required mods to get close to the 600rwhp mark, there’s still a lot of work to do. To maximize the potential of the 350/200’s, we have to have adequate high-pressure oil on tap (also known as injection control pressure, or ICP) as well as at least 65 psi of fuel pressure feeding the injectors at all times. We’ll address high-pressure oil supply in Part 4 and then significantly upgrade the fuel supply system in Part 5.

Curious what we did in Part 2? We added stiffer valve springs, stronger pushrods and ditched the factory head bolts in favor of head studs. Check it out here.

If you are a Mustang purist you may want to stop reading here, because Ford has just decided to make the Mustang brand into a very different new direction—one with an entirely new body style and even less traditional way of making power.

We've known for a while now that Ford was planning to build and all-electric, "Mustang-inspired" crossover SUV, but we didn't know until now exactly what that meant until now. As it turns out the new SUV isn't just Mustang-inspired, it is a Mustang—or at least that's how Ford sees it.

Officially known as the the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the crossover aims to be a lot more than just another entry into the growing EV market. It looks to have genuine performance chops, with brands like Tesla and Porsche in its sights.

The Mach-E will be available in several different variations, with two different sized batteries and a choice of either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. For the extended range AWD model, Ford says to expect 332 hp and 417 pound feet of torque, and things get even better from there.

That's because in traditional Mustang fashion there will also be a Mach-E GT available with 342 horsepower and over 600 pound feet of torque. Ford says the top of the line GT Performance Edition should do 0-60 second in the mid three second range—comparable to a Porsche 911 GTS.

The Mach-E will include a number of different drive modes and even sound profiles so drivers can toggle between the quiet, serene personality that EVs are known for, or something much more enthusiast-oriented with lots of DNA from Ford's performance division.

As for the look of the Mach-E, it certainly looks like no Mustang that has come before it, but the designers have done an admirable job of adding traits from the familiar Mustang coupe. Along with the Mustang influences, there's a bit of Tesla Model X in there as well as some Porsche Macan, which Ford cites as as one of the benchmarks for the Mach-E's performance.

Inside, the Mach-E looks like what you'd get if you crossed a modern Mustang with a Tesla, with a larger center-mounted touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster. And of course unlike the Mustang Coupe, the Mach-E will provide seating for five and room for cargo both in the front and the rear.

Those looking to purchase a Mach-E will have to be patient though, with the regular version not set to go on sale until late 2020 and the GT model to follow in the spring of 2021. Borrowing a page from the Tesla Model 3 launch Ford is currently taking $500 deposits to reserve a Mach-E.

While there's no doubt Ford's decision to brand its first dedicated EV as a Mustang is going to cause some controversy among the pony car faithful, but badging-aside the Mach-E looks to be a very strong first salvo from Ford in the EV wars that are sure to dominate the auto industry of the 2020s.

Interested in a more traditional type of Mustang EV? Check out the manual transmission electric Mustang Ford showed at SEMA earlier this month. 

This year was, without a doubt, the year of the Supra at SEMA. Regardless of automotive niche and if one loved, hated, or felt indifferent about the whole deal, no show-goer could escape the latest sport offering from Toyota. While no shop could hold a candle to the number of Supras brought to show by Toyota themselves, a shop in Monrovia sure put up a fighting effort.

Autotuned, a workshop a stone's throw from Irwindale Speedway, has been on the come-up for quite some time. Since winning the Scion Tuner Challenge at SEMA 2013, opening Autotuned in 2015, and building the only road-going Rocket Bunny tC, Young Tea has brought his style and know-how to builds for countless companies, publications, private owners, and now to the SEMA show floor.

This year’s offerings included three 2020 GR Toyota Supras, all with varying degrees of modification.

Classy and Streetable in All Black

The first is certainly the most mild, but also the most streetable. With a set of Nitto INVOs wrapped around black TE37s and a set of RS-R coilovers, the all-black look definitely has a large presence—even without a widebody.

In addition, carbon fiber Zakustech louvers and a Fly1 Motorsports S1 lip kit and rear diffuser set—developed in collaboration with Autotuned—surrounds the bottom of the car.

Big-Wing Turbulence Grey Supra

A step up in modification is a Turbulence Grey Supra with the same lip kit and rear diffuser, but a couple more additions. The wing out back is another part offered by Fly1 Motorsports, first seen on the Eneos booth car at Formula Drift Irwindale. The internet had very mixed feelings about the gargantuan addition, but it’s found a home on two of the three SEMA cars this year to largely positive reviews.

Nitto NT555 G2 tires and Rays 57CRs match up with more RS-R coilovers, while another Fly1 x Autotuned lip kit, rear diffuser and Zakustech louvers finish off the exterior.

Inside, a Studio RSR roll cage stiffens up the already rigid chassis.

Wild, Nitro Yellow Pandem Kit Build

Finally, the third and most wild version is definitely the Nitro Yellow Pandem-kitted build. With an additional five-inches of width on both rear haunches and three-inches up front filled with Nitto NT555 G2 tires and Rays G025s, the kit is wrapped up in a woven bow by way of the Pandem lip kit remolded in carbon fiber. The Fly1 x Autotuned rear diffuser looks right at home even on the most aggressively modified Supra.

The widebody is definitely the biggest commitment of the three, with inches of quarter panels and wheel well shorn to make room, but also the biggest time crunch of the three. Less than 24 hours before a truck was to arrive and ship the Supra to SEMA, none of the body panels were on the car.

Young and the crew actually finished the car in the Rays booth on the show floor, and the praise around the car seems to have been worth the effort. The attention to detail, from the yellow molding on the body kit to the carbon weave woven into a V-shape all the way from the wing and rear diffuser to the side skirts and back around to the nose of the front lip, was never sacrificed in the infamous "SEMA Crunch."

It’s been five years since Young first won the Scion Tuner Challenge, working tirelessly for 90 days to bring a winning tC design to life and present it on the show floor of SEMA. Since then, the team has added members and the home garage has grown to a one-stall garage and again to a two-stall, but the sleepless nights and tireless work haven’t left for a moment. Three cars built by less than 10 people to be seen by thousands in person and online, those are some facts and figures anyone can admire.

Check out the gallery below to see more of these super Supras! If you want even more Supra madness, check out our coverage of Toyota's offerings at this year's SEMA!

If you are a car enthusiast it's not uncommon to feel embarrassed or maybe even betrayed by the way Hollywood portrays cars and motorsport in many of its films. There are technical errors galore, wild exaggerations and often downright laughable presentations of the stuff we love. Ford v Ferrari is different.

I went and saw the movie over the weekend and I'm happy to report that while it's not perfect, Ford v Ferrari is one of the best automotive-themed movies I've seen in a long time. It delivers period correct coolness, and fascinating story, beautifully shot driving sequences and a feeling of authenticity that is rare in movies these days.

As Henry Ford II says in the movie "this isn't the first time we've gone to war" referencing Ford's industrial efforts to help the allies win World War 2, but throughout the movie I couldn't help but think Ford v Ferrari feels as much like a war movie as it does a racing movie.

While there is a lot less at stake in trying to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the story plays out much like a war film in the way you see you see the story unfold from the very top of Ford's corporate leadership down to the engineers, builders and the drivers who climbed into the cars to do the dangerous work.

Being both a gearhead and a history buff, I was already familiar with the beats of the real life story that's portrayed in the movie. Prior to production of the film, the story had been covered in detail in the book Go Like Hell as well as in the documentary The 24 Hour War—both of which are highly recommended as supplementary material to the movie.

If there was any drawback to the film, it's that there isn't going to be quite as much suspense if you know how things played out in real life. Of course the same thing can be said for any film that is based on real life events, so that's not a knock against Ford v Ferrari specifically.

And even if you already know the ending, that doesn't make the movie any less enjoyable to take in. It's shot incredibly well, with a nice attention to detail and a lot of great mid 1960s fashion, music and of course the cars.

The race scenes themselves are shot incredibly well, with a nice mix of real life driving and computer generated effects. Needless to say, the Ford GT40 gets a massive amount of screen time and if you didn't dream of them before the movie, you certainly will after.

In something that would be completely unimaginable today, Shelby actually used the tarmac at LAX airport next to his race shop as testing area for his cars and these night time testing sequences are particularly beautiful

One of my favorite scenes though actually comes earlier in the movie when Ken Miles is racing a Shelby Cobra at Willow Springs in an SCCA event against drivers like Bob Bondurant and Dan Gurney. In this and in the movie's other racing scenes, the engine sounds alone make it worth the trip to your local movie theater.

The real story of Ford taking on Ferrari at Le Mans is wide-reaching and multi-faceted and it would be hard for any movie, even a two-and-half-hour one to to cover every aspect. So while the corporate strategy is covered, Ford v Ferrari focuses mainly on Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and his partner and race driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale). And while he doesn't get a massive amount of screen time, Jon Bernethal is great in his role as Lee Iacocca.

Having two of Hollywood's best actors starring in the film meant Ford v Ferrari was going to have high expectations, and both actors deliver. Damon does a great job playing Shelby with his Texas attitude and Bale's portrayal of the outspoken Englishman Ken Miles makes it hard to imagine the same guy playing Patrick Bateman in American Psycho or Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight films.

Yes, there are some technical nitpicks (we spotted some modern 17" wheels on one of the Daytona Coupes inside Shelby's LAX shop for example) and some story liberties taken for extra dramatic effect, but overall the movie more than meets expectations. It should be great watch even for people who aren't auto enthusiasts.

If you haven't yet seen it and want to experience a well-crafted, exciting and largely authentic take on one of the most interesting stories in motorsports history, do yourself a favor and go see Ford v Ferrari while it's on the big screen.

And if you want to see just how far the Ford's flagship performance machine has come, check out the new Ford GT MkII which was debuted this year at Goodwood.

Steeda doesn't know the meaning of the word “ordinary” when it comes to their high-end Mustangs. That said, Doug Liechty's Q850R 2018 Mustang is among Steeda's finest work; not just because it's sweet to look at but also because underneath all the beauty you can bet there's a sexy beast. 

Doug's been a Steeda dealer for 20 yrs and he practices what he preaches. Over the course of his life he's owned over 400 Mustangs, from the time he left home at 16 and flipped cars to eat all the way to the present. He's owned Doug's Auto Inc.  since 1980, doing general repair work for domestics. Doug is also currently vice president of the Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association. He and Steeda both love themselves some Mustang; you can understand why he was the perfect guy to bring Steeda such a cool project. He's also got firsthand knowledge of just how good Steeda parts are: “I had a `07 Shelby GT500 that I modified with Steeda parts. I'd race it at Miller Motorsports Park. When I went to Ford Racing School in `08 I had a `05 Ford and the Shelby. I was at the one-day school. Halfway through I got thrown into the week school and in my car I passed all those guys who'd been training most of the week. 'This car is not stock!' They'd say as they passed by mine. I never said it was. They couldn't believe what I was doing to them.”

Which brings us to the Q850R here. Since Ford stopped making GT500's, Doug looked to the new Q850R package for his latest Mustang project. “I looked at the list, sat down with Steeda owner Dario Orlando, the Steeda rep, and my Ford dealership owner to figure out how far I wanted to take it,” Doug says, “We got together over conference calls; we took that package and pretty much doubled it.” By which he means he upgraded even further with motion control struts, added Steeda dual-rate springs, adjustable links on the control arms for alignment, a swaybar that mounts to the frame, full G-Trac suspension, billet control arms, bump steer kit, Willwood titanium brake system, a 3.5-inch driveshaft, X5 ball joints, custom camber arms and more. On the chassis side, the Q850R even packs a Steeda custom roll cage.

Now you begin to see the beast under all that beauty. Not the horrid monster kind that's just some guy on screen in a rubber suit; the raw power, smooth performance type. The Q850R package, as it's now called, takes the Q850 to a higher calling of performance, all around. Beyond what we've already listed above, Doug also had the engine bored out and added steel sleeves while adding in 5.22-inch forged pistons and rods. He also ordered 1:355 gears and a Vortech V7 supercharger. Expelling all of the spent gases from that engine falls to a set of long tube headers with Steeda/Borla 3-inch exhaust. The reason for all of this? Not only did he want his sweet ride to look and feel awesome on the street, it also had to contend with racing on the track. 

Which is why Doug Liechty has three different sets of wheels and tires for it. The ones that see the most road time, though, are his Steeda/Velgen wheels and Nitto tires. His wheels rely on NT555 G2 rubber (275x35xZR20 front, 315x35xZR20 out back). The car also runs tow hooks front and rear for the Optima series. “My Q850R is a custom one-off,” Doug continues, “I gave them an open checkbook and my wife was very supportive. You can drive it every day and you can tell it has racecar suspension; it's firm yet it doesn't beat you to death. The car runs so smooth. Plus, there are no flat spots in the powerband; it has a smooth power curve for road racing. There's also no heat soak because of the extra big heat exchanger up front, allowing for lower intake temperatures.”

The beauty isn't just skin deep here. Take a look in the cockpit and you'll find a Steeda short throw shifter and Ford Recaro seats, too.

Doug has a hard time pinning down one thing over the others when it comes to talking about what he likes most in the Q850R. “I love the color, the graphics, the Steeda rear wing; but it drives so, so well. It's easy, smooth, yet super competitive on the track. Definitely a head turner. When you start it up, it has a such a growl but it smooths out. I actually like that supecharger whine, too. I also have a lightning blue Steeda Raptor that matches my car. So I'm Mr Matchy-Matchy (laughs).”

We know you're into Mustangs—so take a look at this 2015 S550.

There was a time not too long about when a hybrid or plug-in vehicle meant a significant sacrifice in performance and driving fun in exchange for improved fuel economy. You could have one, but you couldn't have the other. Thanks to advances in technology, that's changing though and no vehicle represents that better than the just-announced 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime.

In Toyota language "Prime" designates the plug-in hybrid variant, and the RAV4 Prime will sit at the top of a lineup that already includes a gasoline RAV4 and a regular RAV4 Hybrid. And, like the normal RAV4 Hybrid, the Prime will come standard with AWD with a separate electric motor powering the rear wheels.

And with its larger battery pack and plug-in capability, Toyota says that on a full charge RAV4 Prime should be able to 39 miles without even using its 2.5 liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gas engine. Better yet, even with its larger battery pack, Toyota says the RAV4 Prime won't lose any interior space.

The real story though might not be the RAV4 Prime's fuel economy or electric driving range—it's the performance. With the larger battery and re-tuned gas engine, the RAV4 Prime has a total system output of 302 horsepower. That's a pretty astonishing figure for a four-cylinder hybrid and represents an 83 horsepower jump over the normal RAV4 Hybrid.

With its combination of engine power, electric power and AWD traction, Toyota says the RAV4 Prime will do 0-60 in 5.8 seconds which will make it the second quickest vehicle in Toyota's lineup behind the Supra.

Elsewhere the RAV4 Prime carries on with the stuff that makes the rest of the RAV4 lineup so popular, with a spacious interior, a lot of standard safety features and presumably the bulletproof reliability that Toyota is known for.

While crossovers and hybrids may be low on the want-list of most enthusiasts, the RAV4 Prime looks to be a pretty big leap and may represent one of the best balances of practicality, performance and fuel economy we've seen in a mainstream vehicle.

Pricing hasn't yet been announced for the RAV4 Prime, but a reasonable guess would be a starting price in the mid $30,000s and working up toward $40,000. It will be on sale in the summer of 2020 as 2021 model.

And don't forget that in addition to its plug-in vehicles, Toyota hasn't given up on hydrogen as evidenced by the radically made-over 2021 Mirai.

America was largely left out of the Type R party for nearly two decades, for while the rest of the world had been enjoying the hottest version of the Civic since the 1990s, the Type R badge appeared exclusively on a brief run of the Acura Integra. Why the Japanese automaker chose to keep its high performance compact out of the United States for so many years is a matter of debate, but the fact remains that there is an entire universe of Type R performance out there waiting to be discovered by enthusiasts with a bigger-than-average import budget and an extra garage space or two.

In fact, there are six generations of the Honda Civic Type R plying roads and race tracks across the globe. How do they shake out when compared against each other? Check out our take on ranking the Type R.

6. 2007-2011 Honda Civic Type R FN2

The 8th-generation Civic Type R was a tale of two beasts: one, the FD2, was exclusive to Japan, and will be discussed later. The other was the FN2, a substantially different model that was offered everywhere else, primarily in Europe. This three-door hatchback sat on a completely different chassis that swapped a fully-independent rear suspension for a torsion-beam setup, one which was criticized for excess understeer and a rough ride.

It also retained the K20 four-cylinder engine from the car it replaced (the EP3), with only a few small improvements (redubbing the motor the K20KZ4), the 8,000 rpm redline delivered roughly 200hp and 142 lb-ft of torque. Even despite styling that has aged well, the FN2 simply couldn't keep up with the rest of the hot hatch market at the time of its release.

5. 2015-2016 Honda Civic Type R FK2

The FK2 Type R was a very big deal. This was the first turbocharged version of the car, thoroughly modernizing it after Honda fans had to sit on the sidelines for years after the release of the standard 9th generation Civic watching almost every other automaker introduce their own sporty hatchbacks. It featured just over 300hp and a startling 295 lb-ft of torque, which was close to 100 lb-ft more than the Type R had ever delivered in the past.

Built in Swindon, England, only a handful actually made it back to Japan, with the remainder sold primarily in Europe. The FK2 set the standard for the current version of the Type R, and while it's hobbled somewhat by a torsion bar rear suspension, its 5th place position is more indicative of its 'stop-gap' status before the current FK8 was released globally.

4. 2007-2011 Honda Civic Type R FD2

Compared to its European cousin, the FD2 walked a very different path. Sold as a four-door sedan, and featuring almost none of the gaudy aero that would come to define future versions of the car, it could be argued that the FD2 was a bit plain. Move past that and you're dealing with a stiff and lively platform featuring four-wheel independent suspension and some of the best-balanced front-wheel drive handling you're likely to experience.

Its K20A engine also offered 22 horsepower more than the contemporary FN2, and adding further insult to injury was the fact that it was considerably lighter thanks to its aluminum-intensive construction. Strangely, emissions issues caused the K20A to be replaced by the K20ZA for part of the car's final year of production in Japan.

3. 2001-2005 Honda Civic Type R EP3

The Type R EP3 was the first version of the car to be marketed outside of Japan—and for good reason, because it was built in the UK. It took the 'breadvan' looks of the Civic hatchback and married them with the high-revving (8,250 rpm) VTEC action of the K20A2 four-cylinder engine, which was good for 197hp.

European models featured a six-speed manual transmission (a first for the Type R) and big brakes, while Japanese editions gained a limited-slip differential, a stiffer suspension tune, and Recaro race seats. They also benefitted from the installation of the K20A, similarly-named but somewhat more powerful (212 hp) as compared to the Euro R engine. While the JDM edition was nearly a full second quicker to 60-mph, both cars were immense fun to drive, and stood in stark contrast to the turbocharged all-wheel drive models on offer at the time from Subaru, Mitsubishi and Nissan.

2. 2017-present Honda Civic Type R FK8

The current Honda Civic Type R fully embodies what the world has come to expect from a sport compact car, from its 306 horsepower turbocharged 2.0L engine all the way to its electronics-heavy drive experience and outstanding lap times. It's by far the quickest, and mightiest Civic to have ever graced a Honda showroom, and it's certainly an easy car to drive on a day-to-day basis (providing you don't mind the stares engendered by its flamboyant styling).

Why is it number two on this ranking, then? Modern technology giveth and taketh away, and in the case of the Type R its need for speed has come at the expense of the driving feel that was offered in past versions of the car. It's still an exceptional experience, but one that's representative of the new world of automotive design rather than building on the vehicle's heritage.

1. 1997-2000 Honda Civic Type R EK9

The EK9 was the Type R that started it all—not just the next two decades of compact performance for the Honda stalwart, but also a street scene that was looking to Japan for guidance on how to build hot front-wheel drive tuner rides. The car's 182 hp, 1.6L B16B four-cylinder engine soared to an unheard-of 8,200 rpm in order to access the full majesty of its VTEC variable-valve timing system, the small hatchback package guaranteed a low curb weight, and the parts interchange between not just the Civic but the Integra would help the performance scene grow by leaps and bounds throughout the decade.

It was a pint-size revolution, and while it might not have ever been sold in America, it made just as much impact on this side of the ocean as it did in its native Japan.

What's it like to live with the Honda Civic Type R on a day-to-day basis? Check out this one-year recap of daily driving the Type R.

While it may not share the same decades-long lineage as the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, heritage is an important part of the Dodge Challenger's appeal and for 2020 Dodge will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Challenger's 1970 debut with some uniquely special edition models.

The 50th Anniversary Package will be offered on the V6-powered Challenger GT, the Challenger R/T, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack and the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody. The SRT Hellcat and Redeye models won't get a dedicated special edition package, but all of those cars will get 50th Anniversary badging.

For V8-powered Challengers, all  models will include a body-colored Shaker hood-scoop, the the Anniversary Edition will be the first time a widebody Challenger has ever been offered with the shaker package.

490 50th Anniversary models for each trim level, with each of those divided into 70 examples of seven different high impact paint colors with names like "Sinamon Stick" and "Hellraisin," along with an all new color called "Gold Rush." All of the special edition cars will also get a unique wheel finish in a color Dodge calls "Gold School."

Last but not least the 50th Anniversary package also includes unique interior trim with special badging, Nappa leather and Alcantara upholstery, and carbon fiber bezels for the center console and instrument panel.

Pricing for the 50th Anniversary Package will range between $5000 and $6000 depending on the trim of car, with ordering to begin next month and the cars set to arrive at dealerships in the spring of next year.

While the may not have any mechanical or performance upgrades when compared to the rest of the lineup, the 50th Anniversary edition's unique styling and low production numbers should make them rather desirable among the Mopar faithful.

These special edition models are cool, but we are also hoping that Dodge has more tricks up its sleeve for the Challenger, like the track-ready ACR version we've heard some rumors about.

There are few vehicles as iconic as the ’66-’77 Ford Bronco. With the 2020 Ford Bronco coming soon, most purists hope that Ford’s modern revamp will have the soul of the first-generation off-roader. However, while the Early Bronco gets the notoriety for that familiar open-top SUV styling, it wasn’t the first to create the look. In fact, it was International Harvester (IH) in 1961 who rolled out that classic flat-nose, two-door 4x4 silhouette with the Scout.

Fast forward over five decades later and the Scout platform remains a sought-after classic. Unlike the Early Bronco platform, which continue to demand a premium price on the open market, Scouts can vary wildly in price. This makes far more accessible for those looking for the classic lines, but don’t care so much for the Blue Oval. While the last Scout rolled off the assembly line in 1980, you can still find many pristine examples of the trucks rolling along the highway and in farm fields today. An excellent example of this can be had with Jerry Lachman’s 1976 Scout II.

Starting off with a fairly clean Scout II, Lachman’s goal was to create an almost showroom-new vehicle with a bit of modern touches. It would be a balance of preservation, performance, and tribute as this full frame-off build would take nearly a year to complete. Of course, we’re fans of vehicles new and old, so we caught up with the Carolina blue Scout in Wilmington, North Carolina to check out the details on this unique classic.

Harvester History

Found in 1902, International Harvester’s first combustion-powered contributions were more focused on agricultural equipment, not trucks. It wouldn’t be until 1961 that the company would branch out into the mainstream automotive world with the Scout. You can still find many of its tractors and Scout platforms working on farms across America today.

Powertrain

The Scout II could be had with a variety of powerplants. These included a V-8 and short-lived Nissan diesel option. To crank up the power, and add a little reliability, a GM crate engine was installed. This fuel-injected 350ci V-8 is backed by a 727-automatic transmission.

The original Dana 20 transfer case, along with the OE Dana 44 axles got a complete rebuild before going back under the rig. Fresh 4.10 gears help move the Scout II along, while a 3-inch Rough Country Suspension lift offers a subtle boost.

Trail Grapplers

For tires, a set of 33x12.50R15 Nitto Trail Grapplers were wrapped around 15x8 wheels that were coated white. The balance of the Trail Grapplers aggressive pattern, but competent on-road manners made this set an excellent blend of old and new.

Inside, custom seats, along with a one-off roll bar, update the interior. New AutoMeter gauges line the dash, while a Vintage Air system makes the ride more comfortable on hot days.

Fixed Right

Fixed Auto Restoration out of Castle Hayne, North Carolina, performed the majority of the work on the Scout II. This includes the full body-off restoration, Carolina Blue paint job, as well as the custom rear bumper you see here.

The front of the Scout II has a host of modern cleanly mixed in with a mix of LED headlights and auxiliary lighting. The front bumper was actually designed for a Jeep Wrangler JK and modified to work on this platform.

Tar Heels

This Carolina white and blue theme is very deliberate as the owner is a die-hard North Carolina Tar Heel’s basketball fan. In fact, flip down the driver’s visor and you’ll find head coach Roy William’s autograph.

Digging this classic? Be sure to check out this pickup with a Preserved Patina.

Love them or hate them, everything Tesla does is followed by a wave of interest and associated hot takes - and that's very much been the case with their long-anticipated pickup truck. After lots of teasing by Elon Musk, the latest addition to the Tesla lineup was unveiled tonight at an event in Los Angeles.

Musk has been hinting about the idea of an electric pickup truck with serious hauling capability and sports car like performance since at least 2012, and he's also hinted that the truck would have a totally unconventional look that says "scifi" more than it does "work truck". As you can see, that last part certainly rings true.

As for the hard numbers, the Cybertruck builds on the cutting edge technology Tesla is known for. It will come standard with a single electric motor with RWD and a range of about 250 miles, the mid-tier model will feature dual motors and AWD, while a top level version will offer triple motors and AWD, along with range of around 500 miles.

Tesla's other vehicles are well known for their brisk acceleration and the pickup looks to be no different with the company claiming 0-60 times starting at less than 6.5 seconds for the RWD model and going as quick as 2.9 seconds for the tri-motor version.

More than just acceleration, handling and driving range, entering the highly competitive pickup market also means putting an emphasis on hauling and towing capability, and the Cybertruck looks to deliver impressive performance in those areas as well.

As for towing, Tesla says the pickup will be capable of towing over 14,000 pounds with the tri motor setup, although what kind of effect that will have on driving range remains to be seen. Anyone who has towed with a gas or diesel truck knows the effect a heavy load can have on efficiency, and an electric vehicle should be no different. The cheaper RWD version will having a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds.

Another part of Elon's long-running teases about the Tesla truck are an air suspension system that can be set low for highway use and raised for off-road driving. It can also be dropped down to assist with loading something like an ATV or dirt bike.

Another area that was emphasized during the event is the truck's cold rolled stainless steel "exoskeleton" and armored windows which are supposed to withstand a hit with a sledgehammer - although the demonstration during the unveil didn't go quite to plan.

As with the popular Tesla Model 3, pricing is going to be a crucial element of the Cybertruck's success and the RWD single motor model will be priced at quite reasonable $39,900. The dual motor AWD model will go for $49,900 and the top dog tri-motor AWD version will be $69,900.

If you are one of those people who can't wait to own a Tesla pickup, patience is going to be key. Ordering has already started but production won't start until late 2021 with the tri-motor version to come one year after that. At any rate it will be interesting to see if its met with the same sort of early demand the Model 3 had a few years ago.

During the presentation Elon Musk talked about just how large the pickup market in America is and how the shape of the typical truck hasn't changed much in the last 100 years. And with the wedge-shaped Cybertruck, Tesla has certainly thrown convention out the window.

While there's no doubt the Cybertruck looks to be impressive from a technical standpoint, there's a very big difference targeting luxury/sport sedan buyers and pickup truck buyers. With both mainstream automakers like Ford and GM investing in electric pickups along with startups like Rivian, the next few years are going to be very exciting to watch.

Don't forget to check out the Rivian RT1 to see what sort of competition the Cybertruck will have when it goes on sale.

A lot happened in compression-ignition this year, especially at the OEM level. For connoisseurs of all things diesel, 2019 proved to be a nearly-endless news cycle. Not only did Ram and Cummins shock the world at the beginning of the year with the all-new, 1,000 lb-ft Cummins, but Ford countered with even more in September. Between those groundbreaking announcements, General Motors released its best-in-class towing figures for the 3500 HD and then lit up the half-ton world with the revelation that an inline-six diesel would be offered in Silverado and Sierra 1500 models for 2020.

Back at Ram, the latest generation EcoDiesel was released, along with the news that the 3.0L oil-burner would be offered in the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. Just a few weeks ago, the world learned that the EcoDiesel will also be an engine option in the 2020 Jeep Wrangler. Throughout the course of the year, the major class-action lawsuit against General Motors regarding the common-rail fuel system used on its ’11-’16 HD trucks also began to pick up steam. Last but not least, we learned from across the Atlantic that, despite the massive DieselGate scandal, Volkswagen diesels are in high demand again.

With the Big Three each gearing up for big things in 2020, stay tuned to Driving Line for all the latest OEM diesel news. For now, enjoy our recap of what was an incredibly eventful year for compression-ignition.

1,000 LB-FT Firestorm

It was a huge year in diesel for FCA and it all started in January with the announcement that the all-new high output 6.7L Cummins available for Ram 3500’s would produce 1,000 lb-ft of torque. The news made Ram the first of the Big Three to reach the 1,000 lb-ft milestone. But not only that, the fresh Cummins mill was completely redesigned. The block is cast from compacted graphite iron instead of traditional gray iron, the connecting rods are forged-steel units and the cast-aluminum pistons are lighter but make use of larger wrist pins. In the valvetrain, hydraulic roller lifters replace the solid roller units from the previous engine, while a new Holset VGT capable of producing 33 psi of boost in stock form is employed.

1,050 lb-ft 6.7L Power Stroke

Unfortunately for Ram, its 1,000 lb-ft bombshell didn’t top the charts the entire year. Ford eventually countered with a third-generation 6.7L Power Stroke capable of producing 475 hp and an incredible 1,050 lb-ft of torque. The CGI block, rods, and rod and main bearings are all beefier on the latest Power Stroke, along with the reverse-flow, aluminum cylinder heads receiving quite a bit of attention. A higher-flow and higher pressure Bosch CP4.2 (36,000 psi) has been coupled with upgraded injectors capable of firing as many as eight times per combustion cycle. The icing on the cake is an electronically controlled and actuated variable geometry turbocharger, which will make the engine’s four-digit torque instantly available.

Ram Releases New EcoDiesel with Best-in-Class 480 lb-ft

Breathing new life into the EcoDiesel nameplate for the first time since its 2014 introduction to the half-ton market, FCA came up with a new and improved version of the VM Motori 3.0L V6. Though it retains the same overall design (60-degree, CGI block with a bed plate), some 80-percent of its parts are brand-new. Key changes include a new VGT, low and high-pressure EGR system, a compression ratio decrease to 16.0:1, low-friction coated pistons, reengineered intake ports in the aluminum cylinder heads and new fuel injector nozzles. Under the hood of Ram 1500 models, the latest EcoDiesel will produce 260 hp and a segment-leading 480 lb-ft of torque. In Jeep Gladiator and (most recently announced) Wrangler form, the EcoDiesel will be offered with 442 lb-ft but the same horsepower rating.

The Scoop on GM’s Half-Ton I6 Duramax Diesel

In a move that surprised many in 2018, GM announced plans to break back into the half-ton diesel segment with an inline mill rather than a V6. In 2019, and after plans to offer the new 3.0L Duramax in ’19 models were scrapped in favor of introducing them in 2020 trucks, GM finally spilled the beans on the engine’s specifics. On paper, it looks extremely durable thanks the use of cylinder sleeves, a block stiffener, forged-steel rods, hypereutectic pistons and timing chains rather than belts. And of course the I6 Duramax is powerful, packing a class-leading 277 hp and a stout 460 lb-ft of torque. Though the torque figure doesn’t top the new EcoDiesel, with 95-percent of its peak torque available beginning at 1,250 rpm we’re willing to bet that this engine is more of a natural-born workhorse.

GM and Ford Debut 10-speed Autos

GM’s six-speed Allison and Ford’s six-speed TorqShift were well-known for their durability, but now they’ve both grown into 10-speeds. Coupled with significantly increased towing and payload ratings, expect the Allison 10L1000 in the 2020 GM HD and the 6R140 TorqShift in the ’20 Ford Super Duty to always be in the right gear. Of the two 10-speeds, Ford’s TorqShift has a slightly lower first gear (4.61:1 vs. 4.54:1) and reverse gear, but seventh gear serves as direct (1:1) in both transmissions. Also similar, each automatics overdrive gears feature the same exact ratios (0.85:1, 0.68:1 and 0.63:1, respectively).

From Best-in-class Torque to Best-in-class Towing

Not only are Ford and Ram locked into another torque war, but there are precious numbers to achieve as far as towing and payload capacities are concerned. For heavy-duty pickups, max tow ratings in excess of 30,000 pounds are huge for both marketing teams and consumer bragging rights. While GM might not be adding horsepower or torque to the 6.6L L5P Duramax yet, it is making its trucks just as capable as the other two in the towing department.

Right after Ram unveiled its 35,100-pound maximum gooseneck tow rating, GM fired back at the beginning of February with its 35,500-pound rating for properly-equipped 3500 models (43,500-pound GCWR). Though Ford’s lips were sealed until the State Fair of Texas in September, its 2020 F-450 is capable of toting 37,000 pounds when properly spec’d. In an apples to apples comparison, Ford’s ’20 F-350 edges GM’s 3500 HD slightly with a 35,750-pound gooseneck rating.

Cummins’ 3-millionth Engine for Ram

It’s a partnership that has survived 30 years, but in 2019 Ram and Cummins had another milestone to celebrate: the 3-millionth Cummins engine produced for Ram trucks. Fittingly, Cummins number 3 million was one of the new high output 6.7L’s turning out 1,000 lb-ft of torque and 400 hp. A metal plate commemorating the achievement was attached to the engine’s vanity cover and the engine itself was destined for a ’19 Ram 3500 crew cab dually 4x4 with Longhorn trim. By comparison, the first Cummins lowered into an ’89 Dodge D250, the 12-valve 5.9L 6BT, produced just 160 hp and 400 lb-ft.

Despite Diesel Gate, VW Diesel Sales Grow in Europe…

While Volkswagen has no current plans to bring diesel back to the States, across the pond its oil-burners are selling once again. In Germany, diesel VW’s made up 43-percent of its overall sales in 2018, up from 39-percent the year before. On top of that, Volkswagen released the V8 diesel Touareg in the spring, an AWD, 416hp Cayenne-crusher that can tow more than 7,700 pounds. In America, the automaker’s gasoline vehicle sales are up. Through October of this year, Volkswagen of America’s year-to-date sales of 306,227 was 3.7-percent higher than the figures reported in 2018.

GM Diesel Lawsuit over CP4.2 failures

Not all was peachy for GM in 2019. After a class-action lawsuit was filed against the General in 2018 for selling trucks with defective high-pressure fuel pumps (the Bosch CP4.2), the case moved forward this year despite GM’s motion to have the suit thrown out. The lawsuit stems from the fact that, when the CP4.2 fails it often takes out the injectors, contaminates the entire fuel system and leaves the owner on the hook for the cost of repairs. Typically, a CP4.2 failure runs anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 to fix, depending on how much damage is incurred. The class-action lawsuit pertains to all ’11-’16 model year LML Duramax engines as well as select LGH Duramax engines.

Tens of thousands of readers have taken a look at our comparison between each of the Big Three’s half-ton diesel engines. Join the list here!

Meng Tea is no stranger to the track, canyons, or the pages of Driving Line. Back in November of 2018, Meng and his 1995 Integra took on Gina Miller’s S2000 at Chuckwalla for Driver Battles Episode 9. With a deficit of about 75 horsepower but with about 200 lb less curb weight, Meng and his Integra blasted through the corners and took home a win (spoiler alert), but that didn’t stop him from working on the second iteration of this awesome track build.

Right off the bat, the whole front clip is noticeably different from our last meeting with Meng's Integra. A C-West front bumper adds a touch of style over the stock fascia, while J’s Racing front fenders provide 15mm more space on either side.

A J’s Racing vented hood allows the B20 powerplant to cool off a bit faster in desert conditions, but we’ll get to the changes that have been made under the hood in just a moment.

The 15x8 TE37s make a comeback in all their bronze glory, but now wrapped in 205/50R15 Nitto NT05s. His new track shoes come in the form of a set of Gram Lights 57DRs, wrapped in 205/50R15 Nitto NT01s, not pictured.

Gone is the old suspension, replaced with Riaction coilovers on all four corners and supplemented by Honed Developments front and rear roll center kits. Both the DC front and rear strut braces and Progress rear subframe base with rear sway bar have made the jump to this second version as well.

Out back, a Voltex S1 wing takes the place of the old PCI setup.

Moving inside, a pair of Bride Zeta 3’s replace his Recaros from the Driver Battle. The K-Tuned shifter also made the jump while the Momo steering wheel has been swapped for a GReddy KG21 model.

Finally, under the J’s Racing hood we find a cleaned and stripped down setup—and a turbo! Since we last saw it, the engine has actually been out of the car twice: once to rebuild the transmission and add a LSD with the turbo setup, then a second time to clean up the wiring with a Rywire kit, remove the ABS system, and generally clean up the bay.

The GReddy 18G turbo runs 9 PSI with tuning duties performed by Revhard Motors. And yes, the blow-off valve makes all the great turbo noises we know and love.

Future plans include a fully stripped interior with a welded full-cage and possibly adding VTEC to the B20, but assume a healthy helping of seat time with the new turbo setup will be on the mod list as well.

Until version 3 makes its debut, slowly making the trip from “reliable daily driver” to “full-on track weapon” and “no longer for highway use,” make sure to check out the rest of the photos in the gallery below.

Click here to see the last iteration of Meng's Integra.

The job of any performance car's suspension system is really quite simple: maximize the amount of contact that the tires can make with the asphalt below. Those four small strips of rubber at each corner are the only part of a vehicle that actually touches the track, and everything about chassis setup is designed to ensure that they are used as effectively as possible in a high speed driving environment.

Although marketing departments have spent untold millions of dollars convincing enthusiasts that stiffer = better when it comes to suspension systems, the reality is a little more complicated. This is especially true when considering lightweight cars, which are more prone to nervous, jittery handling if their chassis settings are so stiff that the entire vehicle begins to bounce up and down. Once that happens, you're reducing the tire's contact patch and very quickly taking yourself out of the running in any type of competitive driving.

What tuning tips work best with lightweight cars? We've put together a primer on how to get the most out of your suspension setup without giving in to the stiffness monster.

Where's The Weight?

When tuning a vehicle's suspension, it's necessary to know not just how much it weighs overall, but also how that weight is distributed. The static balance from front-to-rear will help you understand your vehicle's handling and braking characteristics at speed, but don't neglect side-to-side balance as well. A car that isn't properly corner-balanced can put undue stress on individual brakes, tires, and shock absorbers, asking them to do more work than their compatriots and reduce handling and stopping power.

balancing, you can actually 'move' weight diagonally across a vehicle to achieve the handling characteristics you are looking for. How does corner-balancing (also known as 'corner-weighting') work? The goal is to get to a 50/50 balance across the diagonal from the front tire to the rear tire on each side, which is called the 'cross-weight.' Adjusting cross-weight is accomplished by moving the spring perch on a set of adjustable coilovers to either raise or lower the vehicle's ride height on a given corner, which changes the amount of load being supported by that tire. Lowering the ride height reduces the weight on that corner, as well as the corner diagonally opposite to it, and raising it will boost it up.

In order to properly corner-balance your vehicle, you'll need a set of scales, one under each wheel, as well as a full tank of fuel and either yourself sitting in the driver's seat, or a representative amount of ballast. Most scales will do the cross-weight percentage calculation for you, and on a road course you're aiming for 50 percent diagonally. Remember to make small, incremental changes to get to where you're going, as opposed to big swings in ride height that may be more difficult to work with.

Too Much Sway Bar?

Too much stiffness isn't just an issue with shock absorbers. Larger-diameter swaybars can also reduce chassis flex to the point where wheels leave the ground while cornering, which is a particular danger in small, lightweight cars.

Wheel lift reduces control and destabilizes a vehicle. The easiest way to avoid introducing this hazard to your suspension setup is to avoid installing a larger sway bar than you absolutely have to. This type of problem is frequently encountered when a driver is trying to balance out a sway bar at the front or rear of a vehicle by matching it with an even stiffer unit on the opposite end. It's always better to back down on sway bar stiffness rather than escalate it in terms of finding the right solution.

Spring Rates

While you can tune an adjustable damper's rebound and compression settings, once a set of springs are on your vehicle you are locked in to their particular compression resistance, otherwise known as 'rate.' Thanks to the previously-mentioned marketing efforts, the idea of stiffer springs being better springs has long been accepted as dogma by track-day beginners. As with all suspension components, however, spring rates need to be chosen to mesh with the rest of the chassis setup, the vehicle weight, and the type of track that is being driven.

We're most concerned with weight in this article, which means understanding how spring rates affect how a car drives. Springs set your vehicle's height from the ground and protect the undercarriage from bottoming on over uneven terrain or when transitioning through elevation changes.

A heavier car requires a higher spring rate in order to keep it on the level under the high loads one would see at speed, but on a lightweight car, using too high of a spring rate can have a disastrous effect on trying to put power down after transitioning through a corner, steer properly, or keep the tires gripping when moving over rough pavement. This is due to the excess resistance to vertical and lateral loading found in a very stiff spring. A lightweight car simply does not provide enough force to compress the spring, which cannot absorb what the track beneath its wheels is sending its way. The result is a wheel that bounces up from, rather than sticks to, the asphalt.

Working Together

Your vehicle's suspension is a system, with each individual component working hand-in-hand with the other towards the ultimate goal of providing as much control as possible on a race track.

Making changes in one area is going to have effects in another, which is why it's always a good idea to plan for incremental, or gradual updates to your suspension tune. This is especially true for lightweight cars, where small changes can have larger effects than they would when there's more mass at play. Being able to balance your vehicle's overall mass, power output, tire compound, and suspension response is key to putting together a car that fits you like a glove, rather than one that fights you through every corner.

Want to drive deeper into suspension setup? This guide will get you started on the most important concepts.

When director Richard Linklater started rolling film for Dazed and Confused, he had no intention of accidentally making one of the best car movies of the 1990s—but it would be impossible to recount an accurate tale of what life was like in small town Texas in 1976 without putting classic American metal front and center. Almost anyone who grew up in a place where the population was small and boredom was high knows all too well the endless cruising and idle parking lot trash talk that was the substance of so many youthful Friday and Saturday nights.

Although the energy crisis was about to rebound and put a double-whammy on fuel prices and the EPA was floating over the new car scene like a malevolent specter choking out performance, in 1976 the muscle machines of the late 60s and early 70s were cheap and plentiful on the ground. Back then they were simply 'old cars,' priced at a point where college kids and high school students could scrape together a little cash for a purring V8.

Linklater's picks for the film include some of the coolest rides of all time, and a few unsung heroes, too. Here are our favorite automotive stars from the best stealth car movie of that decade.

1970 Pontiac GTO Judge

The opening scene of 'Dazed and Confused' sets the tone for the rest of the film as a bright orange 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge slow-motion slides into a last-day-of-class high school parking lot under the dulcet tones of Aerosmith's contemporary classic 'Sweet Emotion.'

Driven by perennial stoner Pickford (actor Shawn Andrews), who has his year-end party plans tanked at the last minute and ends up aimlessly driving for the rest of the night, the car is later involved in a high speed shootout after an ill-advised bit of mailbox bowling.

There were three GTOs used in filming, and two were done up to look like Judge models (which offered 366 horsepower from a 400 cubic inch Ram Air III V8). The 'hero' car ended up in California after production ended, which the second being eventually sold to collector Cole Hastings (and having its original engine replaced with a 455 cubic inch unit). The third car was an all-black '68 model that was used exclusively in the background of crowd shots, and in a close-up for its Hurst Dual Gate Shifter during the aforementioned shootout escape. It was eventually purchased by Linklater.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454

After the Judge, the next-most famous automotive face out of Dazed and Confused is paired with a character that launched the career of one of Hollywood's enduring leading men.

Still in film school when the movie was being shot, and making the cut after a chance encounter with its casting director in a local hotel bar, Texan Matthew McConaughey would play Wooderson in a role that would not only launch a thousand catchphrase impressions ('Alright, alright, alright'), but would also put the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 on a pedestal.

Wooderson's love for the big-block Chevy is obvious in how he describes it to his buddies hanging around outside the town's youth center: "We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower." Although he might be a bit 'dazed and confused' about the power ratings on the engine (which was pushing out 360 hp in stock trim), he's clearly in love, and who wouldn't be? The 454 CID engine in the '70 SS was a monster, and while we have no idea why the character nicknamed the car 'Melba Toast,' it was a blast to see it racing around those picture-perfect 70s street scenes.

1972 Chevrolet C10

Cole Hauser's Benny character is a bit of a jerk, but we're willing to forgive much of his freshman-baiting antics due to the 1972 Chevrolet C10.

He expertly wheels the C10 through the movie like he's behind the wheel of a much more agile sports car in the movie's lawn-hopping chase scene.

It's Texas so of course there are pickups, but this shortbox C10 apparently has enough V8 grunt surging out through its open-dump exhaust to race Wooderson's Melba Toast in a little good-natured street action before the big party.

That's not surprising, considering that big blocks were offered by Chevy across much of their truck range, and that they were just as easy to modify as anything you'd find in an A-body.

1973 Plymouth Duster

By 1973 the Plymouth Duster had begun to stray further from its affordable performance roots, with economy beginning to take priority over power on its option sheet.

Still, you could always pop for the car's 340 cubic inch V8, which had been detuned to deliver just under 250hp—enough for a bit of fun, even if the rest of the muscle car pack wouldn't quite take you seriously.

In short, it's the perfect car for character O'Bannion, an over-age, under-brained hothead played by the man who would have the most post-Dazed success, Ben Affleck. O'Bannion drives the 'Gray Ghost' primer-painted, hood-scooped Duster exactly like you'd expect he would: always in the wrong gear, over-revving the engine, and frequently burning out over the curb when leaving the parking lot in an angry huff.

1974 Pontiac Trans Am

The Pontiac Trans Am tried valiantly to keep the GM muscle car flame alive as the 70s lurched towards their inevitable reckoning with the EPA, and the '74 model seen in Dazed and Confused is certainly eye-catching with the blue Screaming Chicken emblazoned across its hood.

Driven by Clint (played by Nicky Katt), it features a 455ci Super Duty V8 that offers up 290 net horsepower and a whopping 380 lb-ft of torque.

It was enough muscle for Clint to needle Wooderson about his 'White Lightning' in parking lot chatter on a Friday night, but the car was in its element on-screen as it cruises down the town's boulevards seeking the next party and looking to impress anyone it can on the way there.

Curious about other star cars that flew under the radar? Check out this round-up of movie Mustangs you might have missed.

Last time, Project Paw-Paw received the second largest hybrid fuel injectors you can buy for a 7.3L Power Stroke. Now, we’re addressing the other side of the HEUI equation: high-pressure oil supply. While a factory high-pressure oil pump (HPOP) can support most hybrid injectors’ needs, a larger displacement, higher flowing HPOP is required to get the most performance possible out of the Stage 4 injectors we’re running. Specifically, we need a pump that can maintain 3,000-psi worth of high-pressure oil supply (also known as injection control pressure, or ICP) while commanding the kind of pulse width (injector on-time) that’s required to meet our power goals.

Unfortunately, other than dual HPOP systems there aren’t any direct replacement HPOP’s currently on the market that can meet the needs of our 350/200’s. However, there used to be—and we’ve secured an HPOP from yesteryear that will support our hybrids. It’s called the SRP1.1. It was manufactured by Stealth Industries and was once all the rage for budget-oriented 7.3L owners looking to get by with running a single HPOP (it retailed for $899). While the SRP1 that preceded it had some issues, the SRP1.1 proved more reliable. Sadly, it’s no longer in production (and hasn’t been for some time), so you’ll have to hunt one down on your own. Below, we’ll explain why, if you can find one out there in 7.3L land, the SRP1.1 is sufficient if you want to campaign a single HPOP/big hybrid setup.

For a readily-available dual HPOP system that can meet the oil needs of any 7.3L injector under the sun, look no further than Full Force Diesel’s kit. Additionally, the Gen3 HPOP available from Swamps Motorsports can be added in conjunction with your stock location HPOP, which will also support any HEUI injector on the market.

Meet The SRP1.1

Believe it or not, the “SRP” in SRP1.1 stands for stock replacement pump, although it’s capable of supporting much more than the demands of stock injectors. With the potential to support up to 300cc injectors, our SRP1.1 will be on the ragged edge of what it can handle thanks to our 350cc units. However, with good PCM tuning in the mix it should have no problem maintaining enough high-pressure oil to allow us to hit our mark: somewhere between 550 and 600rwhp (and 1,100 lb-ft of torque). We’ll cover all the ins and outs of custom PCM tuning a little further down the road in this series.

SRP1.1 HPOP Price: $200 to $800 used or still in the box (new pumps are no longer available)

Big Bore HPOP

Like all HPOP’s used on the 7.3L Power Stroke, the SRP1.1 is a 7-piston, fixed displacement, axial piston pump. To increase displacement, Stealth Industries concentrated its efforts in upsizing these seven pistons. The outer diameter of the pistons found in the SRP1.1 measure 0.500-inches (above left) vs. the factory pistons’ 0.436-inch o.d. (above right).

Vastly Increased Flow

In the grand scheme of things, the larger pistons are one of the key reasons why the SRP1.1 outflows a factory ’99.5-’03 7.3L HPOP by 32-percent. In the case of the ’94.5-’97 HPOP (which was what came on Paw-Paw from the factory), the SRP1.1 outflows it by more than 40-percent. For utmost performance, efficiency and durability, Stealth held the outer diameter tolerances for its pistons to 50 millionths of an inch (0.000050-inch).

New Cylinder Block  

To keep the brass cylinder block that houses the larger pistons rigid, a completely new piece was manufactured. When reengineering the cylinder block, increased wall thickness was paramount for adding strength. It’s also worth nothing that new piston springs (which ensure the pistons maintain contact with the swash plate), manufactured to Stealth’s specs, were included in each SRP1.1.

Stock Angle Swash Plate

The swash plate, which sits stationary at an angle to the cylinder block and is what the pistons ride on, retains the common 17-degree angle found in factory ’99.5-’03 HPOP’s. This is done so the pump remains highly reliable. Too much piston stroke and you see excessive side loading. For an added safeguard, the SRP1.1’s swash plate features a keyway to keep the pump from ever getting out of time.

Larger Output Ports

Although the SRP1.1 was based on the factory 7.3L HPOP housing, a host of improvements were made. For one thing, and in knowing that the output port threads were infamous for blowing out, Stealth machined the pump’s output ports to accept larger O-ring boss fittings (#8 SAE ORB vs. #6 SAE ORB stock). The output ports on the SRP1.1 measure 0.360-inches whereas the stock ports were only 0.210-inches, and crucial areas within the internal passages were also enlarged. This provided a huge improvement in oil flow to the cylinder heads.

Further Upgrades

The snap ring at the rear of the HPOP is what holds the entire pump together. Instead of relying on the OEM snap ring, Stealth opted for a 360-degree, locking spiral ring to hold the rear cover in place. And because the factory HPOP is notorious for leaking at the rear cover, they also added a raised O-ring land to guarantee a leak-free seal.

A Leak-Proof, Direct Replacement

For the best seal possible between the pump and front cover, Stealth re-machined the surface mounting area of the pump’s housing for exact trueness and also included a fresh OEM gasket. The housing of the SRP1.1 appears different than a factory HPOP due to being bead-blasted and then coated with a high temperature, ceramic-based paint. While the HPOP’s not having to be timed with the engine makes its installation easier, it’s vitally important that the drive gear is fully seated on the pump before you reinstall the drive gear bolt and washer.

Super Duty High-Pressure Oil Lines

During the install, we switched to later style (Super Duty) high-pressure oil feed lines. These are the lines that route high-pressure oil from the pump’s output ports to the oil rails in the cylinder heads. The factory ’94.5-’97 lines on Paw-Paw were threaded, whereas the Super Duty versions incorporate quick-connect fittings. The passenger side line carries part number F81Z-9J323-E, the driver side line is PN YC3Z-9J323-E and the two corresponding fittings hold PN F81Z-9N332-AA.

High-Pressure Oil Lines and Fittings: $200

The Injection Pressure Regulator

So if the HPOP supplies the HEUI injection system its oil volume, what creates the pressure? The answer is this little guy. Called the injection pressure regulator (IPR), it’s an electromagnetic dump valve that controls the output pressure of the HPOP. Essentially, the IPR converts the electrical signal it receives from the PCM into hydraulic pressure. Depending on demand, it varies high-pressure oil pressure between a range of 500 psi (idle) to roughly 3,000 psi (WOT). Needless to say, the IPR means everything in terms of injection pressure. It’s always a good idea to install a fresh IPR any time you change out an HPOP.

IPR Price: $185 - $215

HPOP Install FYI

During an injector or HPOP swap, air inevitably infiltrates the high-pressure oil system. Because of this, it usually takes a few cranking sessions (of 20 to 30 seconds apiece) before enough injection pressure is built up to start the engine (at least 500 psi). Don’t worry about priming the HPOP when you do this, as one of its biggest advantages is its ability to dry run for short periods of time. Once running, the engine may run a bit rough and hard-starts may be common for the first 50 miles. During this period, some “spirited” driving is recommended to purge all air from the injection system.

Getting Power to The Ground

Although Project Paw-Paw’s newfound power will probably lead to us digging ourselves a bigger hole, we do intend to see what these Nitto Ridge Grapplers are capable of once the truck is up and running again. We have every intention of subjecting the hybrid terrains to snow, mud, rain, drag strip abuse and everything in between in the months and weeks ahead. Just as Paw-Paw will be expected to perform every task we ask of it (commute, tow, race), so too will the Ridge Grapplers.

To find out why we upgraded Paw-Paw’s high-pressure oil pump, read up on the big hybrid injectors we installed in Part 3.