Car Advice USA.com

Hot Rod Dragster

Randy Grubb has built a number of vehicles out of forgotten engines, and here is one that you will surely fall for. Converted into a hot rod here is a 1965 Peterbilt Model 351 truck with a giant 12-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine. The image of the dilapidated truck and the one after Randy finished his conversion shows the magic of this master craftsman who morphed the heap of junk into an eye catching road scorcher.

Making a dragster out of this ancient truck—a 1965 Peterbilt Model 351 with a giant 12-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine—was unlike any of his past jobs. The engine hadn’t been used in a decade, so he found a diesel mechanic to help him tune it up, replaced the original 13-speed transmission with a four-speed automatic normally used in Greyhound buses, installed new fuel lines, and then polished every cubic inch. Next came the body. Randy shortened the truck’s grill by 10.5 inches, took the front and rear axles from another truck and narrowed them to hot-rod scale, and machined and welded all the connective hardware to complete the transformation.

Additionally, the hot road is not without the safety measures and features a safety device that could cut air intake to shut down the engine in an emergency. Unfortunately, you won’t see this amazing vehicle running on the road as it most likely will not pass emissions tests. However, the massive V12 engine can gush down the freeway at 70mph at only 1,500 rpm and gets an estimated 15 miles per gallon that could surely be considered green for a hot road.

Time it took to build it: 3,000 Hours
Cost of this monster hodrod: $100,000

DESIGN
Grubb describes the overhaul as “really tedious, laborious, nasty work.” He opted for thinner tires in front, so they wouldn’t dominate the look, and used a wider set at the rear. After chopping the truck cab down to fit the shrunken chassis, he spent about five months grinding steel tubing and other structural pieces. He also added new aluminum plates all over the exterior, and he nickel-plated numerous components at the front and back.

EFFICIENCY
Piss’d Off Pete wouldn’t pass emissions tests, but the massive V12 gets an estimated 15 miles per gallon—green for a hot rod, at least. The reason: Grubb says the engine was designed to pull 150,000-pound loads, but his car weighs in at a mere 8,500 pounds. “The motor doesn’t even know there’s anything attached to it,” he says. Piss’d Off Pete barely has to work. The car’s future is as a display piece, but if set loose, Grubb says, “it could cruise down the freeway at 70 miles an hour at only 1,500 rpm.