Diesel pickup that runs on peanut oil has 200mph aspirations
Ever mix peanut oil with nitrous oxide? That's what Lin and Steven Austin will try when they attempt to set a land-speed record with an '87 Chevy truck and a massive 2-stroke Detroit Diesel engine. The V6 engine must run on regular diesel fuel to reach 220-degree operating temperature before switching over to peanut oil. When needed, Lin can activate the nitrous oxide. The 552-cubic-inch diesel needs plenty of air to turn over 5,000 rpm, so a pair of 70psi turbo chargers and a Roots-style 8-71 supercharger force air into the cylinders. The engine also gets a spray of alcohol for cooling purposes. The truck weighs 10,000 pounds and is hardly suited aerodynamically for land-speed attempts. But the Austins, which run Orange County Rod and Custom in Placentia, California, feel the 3,000-horsepower engine can propel them to a record run of nearly 240 mph or more.
There's another picture after the jump.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Charles 3:33AM (8/26/2008)
This surely looks real cool and green. I could smell peanut butter when the engine rev up. LoL.
related post:
http://greenfuelpower.blogspot.com
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RichC 12:48PM (11/02/2006)
The comment "The V6 engine must run on regular diesel fuel to reach 220-degree operating temperature before switching over to peanut oil" isn't exactly true ... they could use biodiesel. ;-)
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Howard Lee Harkness 1:15PM (11/02/2006)
Yawn. You can make a brick fly if you apply enough thrust. I would be a lot more impressed by a pickup truck that got 200 mp*g* on peanut oil.
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ChrisF 8:41AM (11/03/2006)
3,000 hp on peanut oil! THAT'S amazing!
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1985 Gripen 2:52PM (11/03/2006)
Imagine what kind of mileage they could get if they inflated that front tire! Look at the picture. It seems a little low... ;-)
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Will 12:37AM (11/16/2006)
Detroit still doesn't get it! A fuel-efficient diesel engine in a compact pickup is what we need. People would love it for so many reasons! It would be fuel efficient, green -if powered by bio-diesel or vege-oil, and offer all the mechanical advantages of diesel, such as low end torque and long life. Dodge could do it today with a jeep crd engine in a mini-ram or dakota pickup. So why do I have to run a hot rod shop (eg build my own from scavenged parts)in order to have my own?
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