With 184 trucks entered in the 2017 Scheid Diesel Extravaganza Show-N-Shine competition, officials of the Purdue Diesel Club— the student-run organization that coordinates the Show-N-Shine contest — had their work cut out for them in declaring the winners. Of the near 200-truck turnout, only eight were allowed to take home trophies (in the form of best Ford, Dodge, Chevy and Custom vehicle on both Friday and Saturday).
As for us at Driving Line, we had our work cut out for us, too. Sifting through the vast sea of trucks that had overtaken the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds’ outdoor pavilion, we got started by documenting the most eye-catching examples we came across. Big horsepower, bigger wheels, under hood bling, stunning paint jobs and truly wild engine combinations were all part of the two-day Show-N-Shine bliss.
Below, you’ll find everything from a homegrown monster truck build to a 2,000 hp blown Duramax. And, making a return visit this year was the infamous twin Cummins-powered ’70 Dodge Sweptline — which is now in road-ready condition. With so much awesomeness (and the aforementioned 184 entries) to cover, we had to split our Show-N-Shine coverage into a two-part series this year. Make sure to keep an eye out for our “Best of the Rest” piece, up next!
1. THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN
In a world where a lot of out-of-the-box projects are never finished, it was refreshing to see Jody Mollet’s ’70 Dodge Sweptline on hand at the Show-N-Shine — and in an obvious near-complete state. If you remember last year’s coverage of the Scheid event (or if you’ve spent any amount of time following the Plowboy Diesel project), you know the Mollets have been the buzz of the diesel swap community with their twin-engine Cummins concoction.
The Art of ‘Twinning’
Thanks to notable plumbing changes, an AirDog fuel supply system, multiple auxiliary coolers (mounted in the bed) and the Modern Machine & Tool multi-engine gearbox working in conjunction with a built, 47RH four-speed automatic, the Mollet’s ’70 Dodge now moves under its own power. Months before the show, each 12-valve 5.9L Cummins was pulled from the engine bay and fine-tuned individually. Each mill produces approximately 650–750 horsepower. Jody tells us the truck will be on display at the ’17 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. So, if you’re out west come November, make sure you get a look at this one-of-a-kind creation.
2. MONSTER BRONCO
By trade, Greg Adams builds monster truck chassis. So why not build one for personal use? This massive masterpiece combines parts from a ’79 Bronco and a Ford F-600, along with a whole host of one-off components Greg fabricated himself. The four-door body rests on a tube chassis frame, planetary axles from AxleTech with front and rear steer and 54x31-inch tires.
Cummins-Power/Allison-Shifted
Through the myriad of tubing employed in the chassis, you can catch a glimpse of the Cummins/Allison combo that propels Greg’s monster Bronco. The 5.9L Cummins was yanked out of a school bus and is backed by a medium-duty, four-speed Allison AT545 automatic. An AxleTech transfer case sends power to both the front and rear axle.
3. DOES THIS LOOK LIKE 1,200 HP?
Although the matte black XD series wheels suggest the truck might be modified, no one would suspect that Chaz Giles’ ’02 Dodge is packing 1,200 hp. The 12-valve Cummins under the hood was put together by Bluegrass Diesel Performance and makes use of 14 mm main studs, billet connecting rods, a custom grind camshaft, billet lifters and a ported and polished cylinder head.
Ready to Party
Big air and torrents of fuel come in the form of a pair of S400-based BorgWarner turbochargers (S472 SX-E over S488 SX-E), a 13 mm P7100, dual-feed 5x0.025-inch injectors and a Waterman Racing fuel pump. On the driver side of the billet, one-piece valve cover sits an individual runner intake manifold from Tater Built Turbochargers & Machining. By the way, the 1,216-rwhp the truck made on the dyno was on fuel alone. Only time will tell what the nitrous system adds to the equation.
4. BEST-IN-SHOW
The masterful paint job on Ed Williams’ Ford F-450 didn’t go unnoticed by Show-N-Shine judges, as the patriotic-themed Super Duty would be voted best custom truck on Friday afternoon. Later that day, just prior to the start of the evening truck pulls, the flag-waving dually was invited out onto the track in front of the grand stand for all to see.
Cat in the Dash
While the Scheid Show-N-Shine is the cat’s backside for humans, pets don’t seem to be nearly as excited about it. Until all the votes were tallied, a long, leisurely day was in store for both feline and canine companions. In case you’re concerned, temps were in the 70s, and the truck’s windows were down!
5. SLED-READY
Even though Wagler Competition Products’ “shop truck” wasn’t signed up in the Show-N-Shine, it was positioned adjacent to the other entrants, and as such turned plenty of heads. The company’s split personality Silverado was built to excel in both truck pulling and drag racing, although it was dressed for the sled while parked outside the Wagler booth. It would make exhibition hooks on both Friday and Saturday night.
Blown, Nitrous-Fed Duramax
Gone is the twin-turbo configuration that graced the truck at the Ultimate Callout Challenge. Instead of being both turbocharged and supercharged, the DX500 Duramax mill’s only source of forced induction is the massive blower you see here — although it receives plenty of additional oxygen in the form of nitrous oxide. We’re told 45–50 psi of boost and 2,000 hp is on tap, before the nitrous is activated.
6. QUINTESSENTIAL SHOW TRUCK
If we could pick one truck to collectively represent the 2017 Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, it would be Cameron Guernsey’s ’17 Ram MegaCab. It had a little bit of everything to offer: 12 inches of lift courtesy of Full Throttle Suspension, 26x16 American Force FP8 wheels, 6.7L Cummins power and a G56 manual transmission. Oh, and enough fuel and air to make 745 hp at the wheels!
Rolling Mass Calls for Big Power
What did it take to get Cameron’s behemoth to clear just shy of 750 hp and 1,500 lb-ft of torque? A set of 80 percent over injectors, a Fleece Performance Engineering PowerFlo 750 CP3 and a Fleece S362 SX-E over S475 compact compound turbocharger arrangement. To keep the head gasket alive under big boost, the head is anchored to the block via ARP studs.
For a full list of Show-N-Shine competition winners, visit the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza results page.
(Photos: Mike McGlothlin, Tim Sutton)