The “stock engine block” is the original engine foundation that came with the truck from the factory. If you add a lot of power, that factory block can be the weak link, so stronger parts may be needed to keep the engine from failing.
A “billet engine” usually means some key engine parts are made from a solid chunk of metal and machined into shape. That can make them stronger, which helps when you’re trying to make a lot more power than the factory setup was designed for.
Brand
fleece and freedom
“Fleece and Freedom” are aftermarket brands associated with diesel performance parts, here specifically tied to a billet engine setup. In Cummins upgrade conversations, the brand names matter because different builders and part lines target different strength, machining quality, and compatibility for high-power builds.
They’re talking about a truck event where people compete by doing burnouts. If you’re building a truck for that kind of event, you have to make sure it can handle the stress and heat without breaking.
“Horsepower level” is just how much power the truck is making. When people chase higher numbers, it also means more stress on the engine, so they want enough testing before pushing it at an event.
Dynoing is when you put the truck on a machine that measures how much power it makes. It’s used to test changes in a controlled way before you go race.
Sled pulling is a race where your truck drags a heavy sled. The weight makes the truck work hard, so it’s a tough test for power and traction.
Term
ODSS racing
ODSS racing is a particular kind of race the host is talking about. The exact meaning of the acronym isn’t explained here, but it’s one of the event types they might run.
They’re saying a serious competition truck takes a lot of prep. It’s not just bolt-on parts and a couple tests—you have to plan and test to be ready to win.
Validation testing means you test the truck repeatedly to make sure the upgrades actually work and won’t fail. It’s how you confirm the build is ready for competition.
A turbo is a device that uses exhaust gases to spin a fan, which pushes more air into the engine. More air usually means more power, but it has to be tuned correctly so the engine doesn’t get too hot or stressed.
Fleece Freedom is an aftermarket company that makes parts for diesel performance builds. The host is saying they’ve trusted their products for a long time and they help with the engine upgrades.
Oil samples are when you take used oil and test it to see how the engine is doing internally. It can help spot wear or contamination before it becomes a bigger failure.
SNS Diesel Motorsports is a company that provides parts for diesel performance. The host is saying they supply the fuel-system components, which are important for making power safely.
Brand
hard way
“Hard way” appears to be a shop or builder the host credits with wiring up the truck after the fact. In diesel builds, wiring is often part of integrating engine management, sensors, and supporting systems for the turbo/fuel setup.
A four-link setup is a type of rear suspension that uses multiple arms to hold the back axle in a controlled way. It helps the truck hook up better when you launch hard.
Term
850 cage
An “850 cage” sounds like a roll cage built to meet a certain safety rule for a competition class. A roll cage helps protect you if something goes wrong and can also make the truck feel more solid.
“Fab” means custom fabrication—making parts from scratch or modifying parts for the build. It’s the kind of work a shop does when off-the-shelf parts aren’t enough.
This refers to Yukon, a company that sells stronger drivetrain parts. In a diesel truck, those parts help the rear axle and gears survive when you add power.
A turbo is what forces extra air into the engine. “72 millimeter” is a size measurement of that turbo, and bigger usually means it can support more power when the truck is built to use it.
A turbo upgrade is swapping the stock turbo for a different one. That can change how quickly the truck feels like it’s getting power and how much power it can make.
A transmission is the gearbox that helps the truck use the engine’s power efficiently. It’s especially important on diesel trucks because the engine makes a lot of pulling force.
“Dodge truck” here refers to Dodge’s pickup lineup, which commonly includes Cummins-equipped models. The host is framing a video about the weakest points in these trucks—specifically transmissions—so it’s a brand-specific reliability/upgrade discussion.
The input shaft is the transmission part that first receives power from the engine. If you’re making more torque, that shaft has to handle more twisting force, so it matters.
Brand
freedom racing engines
“Freedom Racing Engines” is an engine-building name. The point is that different builders have different approaches, and that affects how well an upgraded setup holds up.
“Factory block” means the original, production engine block that comes from the manufacturer. In diesel performance builds, the factory block can be a limiting factor because it may not be designed to handle the extreme cylinder pressures and stresses associated with very high power levels.
A “billet block” is an engine block made from a solid chunk of metal that’s cut and shaped. People use it in high-power builds because it can be tougher and handle more stress than a regular factory block.
The “fuel system” is how the engine gets fuel and how precisely it’s delivered. Better fuel system parts and controls can help the diesel burn fuel more efficiently and support more power safely.
“Testing equipment” is the gear used to measure what the engine is doing. For performance builds, it helps people confirm power and make sure the engine isn’t overheating or running dangerously.
Concept
package deal
They’re saying big power isn’t one magic upgrade. It’s a combination of the right parts plus careful testing and tuning so the engine stays together.
It means using sensors and a computer to record what the engine is doing while it runs. That way you can see problems early and tune the truck based on real numbers, not just feel.
The engine block is the big metal foundation inside the engine. When you push a Cummins to extreme power, the factory cast version can become the weak link and fail if the stresses get too high.
Nitrous is a system that injects a special gas to make the engine burn more aggressively. It can add a big power jump, but it also increases stress on engine parts—especially the block.
EGTs means exhaust gas temperatures—how hot the gases are leaving the engine. If EGTs run too high, it can mean the engine is working too hard or not cooling well, which can hurt longevity.
A differential is part of the drivetrain that lets your wheels turn at different speeds when you go around corners. The fluid inside it keeps the gears lubricated and helps prevent overheating when you’re towing or driving hard.
Diesel engines like fuel that’s as clean as possible. If the fuel has water or dirt in it, the engine can lose power and the fuel system can wear out faster.
He’s talking about getting the most out of your diesel truck in three ways: more power, fewer problems, and better fuel use. His point is that dirty fuel can hurt all three.
The Lucid Air is a luxury car that runs on electricity. Instead of using diesel fuel, it uses a battery to power an electric motor. Because it doesn’t use fuel like a diesel engine, the usual fuel-filtering concerns don’t apply the same way.
This is an add-on fuel system that cleans up diesel before it gets to the engine. The goal is to remove things like water and tiny particles that can cause problems.
“Two microns” is a filtration rating that describes how small of particles the filter can remove. One micron is a millionth of a meter, so two microns is extremely fine filtration for diesel fuel.
“Dermax” is slang for a Duramax diesel engine, which shows up in some Chevy and GMC trucks. It’s popular with modifiers because there are lots of parts and tuning options for it.
Term
diesel performance
“Diesel performance” just means how well a diesel truck can move and pull after upgrades. People usually focus on making it stronger and more responsive, especially for towing.
A “race truck” is built mainly to compete, not just to be a normal work truck. It often gets more aggressive modifications to make big power, which can come with trade-offs for daily use.
“Thousand horsepower” is a big milestone number in the diesel world. It means the truck is making extremely high power, and the host is saying it used to be rare but now it’s more common.
The Toyota Supra is a sports car made for fast driving. People talk about it when they’re discussing how much power you need for what you want to do with the car. The idea is that more capability helps you handle bigger goals or upgrades.
Here “900 horsepower” is being used as a rough line where a tuned diesel can stop feeling like an easy daily driver. More power usually means more stress on parts and more compromises for everyday driving.
“P-pump” is an older type of diesel fuel pump used on some Cummins engines. It controls fuel in a different way than newer systems, so it can change how easy it is to tune for power and how the truck drives.
“12 valve” is a way of describing an older Cummins engine design. Enthusiasts talk about it because the engine and fuel system are different from newer ones, and that affects how easy it is to make power and how it feels to drive every day.
“VP 44” is the name of a specific fuel injection pump used on some older Cummins diesels. Since it’s part of the fuel system, it affects how the engine makes power and how well it can handle heavy tuning for everyday use.
Common rail is a modern way of injecting diesel fuel. It keeps fuel at high pressure in a shared “rail,” then sends it to the engine at the right time, which helps the truck run smoother and makes power upgrades more straightforward.
Car
6 7
“6 7” means a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. The point here is that it can feel quicker to respond when you drive it, especially depending on the turbo setup.
A “swap project” is a build where you replace major components—here, an engine—into a different truck or configuration. The host’s point is that spending time and money on a swap only pays off if the final result is actually fun and usable to drive.
“Turbos” are parts that help the engine make more power by forcing extra air in. The host is saying the turbo choice affects how quickly the truck feels like it’s responding when you drive it.
“Platform” here means the overall truck/engine setup people are working with. The host is saying some Cummins owners don’t like changing to newer setups as much as other groups do.
This is talking about an automatic gearbox with eight different gear ratios. Having more gears can help the truck feel smoother and keep the engine in the right spot more often.
Aftermarket support means non-factory parts or shops that can improve or fix the truck. The idea here is that if a model has common problems, there are already parts available to address them.
Injectors are the parts that spray fuel into the engine. If you upgrade them, the engine can get the right amount of fuel more effectively, which can help make more power.
The “electronic side” refers to the diesel’s engine control electronics—things like sensors and the engine control unit (ECU) that manage fueling, boost, and timing. Changes here (often via tuning or new control strategies) can significantly affect how much power the engine can safely make.
An engine dyno is a machine that runs just the engine and measures how much power it makes. It helps you compare changes like tuning or parts in a controlled way.
An ECU (engine control unit) and ECM (engine control module) are the vehicle’s computers that manage fueling, timing, boost, and other parameters. Aftermarket ECUs/ECMs replace or reprogram the factory calibration to give tuners more control for performance builds.
A catastrophic failure is when something in the engine breaks badly and usually causes major damage. The claim here is that better engine electronics can help stop that from happening.
These are electronic systems that watch the engine and help protect it. If something goes wrong, they can reduce damage or stop the problem from getting worse.
Car
Cummins
Cummins makes diesel engines that are common in heavy-duty trucks. Here, they’re talking about upgrades that change how the engine is controlled so you can reduce the chance of expensive problems.
MoTeC makes aftermarket engine computers. People use them to tune how a diesel runs so it matches the upgrades they’ve done.
Term
Turbo guys
“Turbo guys” refers to builders and tuners focused on turbocharging upgrades, where the turbo’s airflow and boost control are central to how the engine performs. The host connects this to efficiency-focused development and the need for matching fuel and engine management changes.
The host is saying that if you change one thing in a truck build, it affects other parts too. If the engine can’t handle more power, then the next upgrades—like the transmission—have to be reconsidered.
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Great, welcome to diesel podcast. How you doing today? Good. How are you man? I'm doing awesome. I'm looking forward to chatting with you
I was thinking back to you're one of the first guests we had on like in the first couple years of the podcast and I think we talked about
towing setups on
fortunes if I remember right and I followed you
throughout
You know what you do on YouTube the growth of your businesses now UCC so I'm really looking forward to chatting with you
They're getting kind of an inside look and do what you've been up to and then of course UCC that's right around the corner
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. It's been it's a minute. I can I could remember
Exactly taking that phone call and talking to you and it's been it's been quite a ride quite a journey
So yeah, I'm ready to dive in wanted to start with UCC and like I followed you for years
I know most of our listeners they know who you are they follow you on YouTube or on social media channels
they're familiar with your trucks and
This time here we all kind of turn and focus on ultimate call-out challenge because of all the power the competitors
Everything that's going on. What has what has it been like this year preparing for at savers previous years or?
Now like challenges things things that you're that you battled through this year to get the truck ready
Yeah, so it's kind of funny
This is kind of it's kind of I haven't even really released any information or kind of like
What's been going on with me for UCC this year because there's been
Multiple different things and trucks and like where I'm kind of focused at and what I'm doing
Two years ago was the last time that I competed in UCC
and then we kind of took a step back with all of the the power levels with
Cast block and then the limitations of really like us of heavily modified stock engine block
but we ended up going to a
fleece and freedom billet engine and we really got that really just in the nick of time of
kind of putting that in so we took the year and kind of kind of
Shelfed that for a little bit and just kind of did the burnout competition at UCC and then this year
I would say that we really heavily started to dive in and get the truck ready
With the billet engine and it's just kind of that the truck to me is
It's my first ever diesel truck
So my UCC truck that most people know me for is is the 05 the quad cab my first ever diesel truck
and the truck to me is almost kind of like a piece of artwork that we compete with and
some things kind of
Got extended timeline wise with parts and stuff and getting exactly how we wanted
So the truck will be there this year, but we we will not be competing again this year in UCC
but the truck will be there and
Beyond display and kind of the new billet engines pretty much. It's it's done, but we don't have enough time to
test everything and you know, we left off
The horsepower level a year and a half ago at 33 37 was my highest horsepower and
We're gonna shoot for the moon and without any type of data or testing. I'm just not really comfortable with like
Putting it out there and like learning the truck at the event, you know
Usually, you know, you've got a lot of eyes on you and stuff like that
So the truck so the truck sitting behind me is our 72 fast truck and that is kind of
When we knew things were gonna be
You know a little more delayed on the UCC truck
We kind of shifted to getting the 72 fast truck done and that kind of like really
kind of ignited
Inside of me, you know the the
the drive and and
You know to go drag racing again, you know UCC is we're doing a lot of dynoing
You're doing sled pulling. You're doing a drag racing portion
But as far as like a a really heavily specific drag racing drag racing passion
The 72 fast class has really kind of like
Sparked that and made me come back alive. So this truck this truck sitting behind me is is
Is where we're gonna be kind of focused along with kind of we do the burnout competition as always
And we might do ODSS racing with this truck too as well, but that's kind of that's my inside scoop on UCC this year with
Everything that I have going on all at the same time
I think like as is an enthusiast we lose sight of how much prep goes into a
UCC type truck because of the different competitions that are involved the level of competition with other drivers
It's not like just slapping it together making a couple tests into and runs and then hauling it across the country like
We don't understand
Maybe it's a year maybe longer and and all the validation testing and and work that you need to do to get something like that ready
Yeah, it really like honestly if you are competing in UCC and you are coming to win and be dialed like
You know if your truck is not done
When the nice weather hits in the beginning of the year to like start testing as soon as
Because realistically like you know tracks have been open for you know
Maybe a month or two with the nice weather depending on where you live, but uh, yeah
I mean the build almost has to be done
you know
three to four months ahead of the actual event for you to
You know find limitations go testing go testing try new things
I mean anything's possible and it can be done. We've certainly showed up like with
You know, maybe a week or two thrash to to get it done and ready, but um
the level that the trucks are continuing to get to
mistakes and
oversights and
no testing results in
catastrophic
failure that is just uh
It's it's hard to come back from you know, so
That's where sometimes it
It stings a little bit to throw in the towel because everybody's got that dog and wants to compete and and i'm no different in that aspect
But you know, there's so much involved with time money companies and stuff that i'm like man like we can
If if we if we step back we'll come out swinging eventually this year, but it's you know, I don't i've never been the one to
Rush things and like push them to the point where like
You know, I feel uncomfortable in it, you know
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Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I know I saw a video of ryan millican working some magic on that fast 72 truck and people love to hear
What goes into building a truck like that as far as brands or people that you trust or different setups
Can you walk me through whatever you can with that fast 72 truck as it pertains to the engine turbo?
Just the kind of whole nine yards to give us an overview of who helped you put it together
Yeah, absolutely. So, um, you know, I would say my main my main people and I'm I'm as loyal as they come like ever since the beginning of
my journey of social media and youtube and all that stuff like
The guys at fleece and freedom have been with me since since day one
So any part or product that they make or when it comes to the engine side
Chase has been a a lifelong friend and has never steered me wrong. I think they make the
Baddest nastiest engines out there and he spends an extreme amount of time like testing and and all that stuff
So, you know fleece freedom
Amsoil has been with me for for forever and probably one of the
Biggest reasons we can continue to to push and torture these engines
You know amsoil and fleece are on the same page now and they work together as well, you know along with me
So it's kind of like one big happy family amsoil
You know like the oils that we use and everything in the in the competition engines even in my daily drivers, you know
like we we absolutely beat the crap out of these things and
Time and time again, you know, we look at oil samples and stuff and everything comes back good
So you got fleece freedom amsoil the guys over at sns diesel motorsports have been with them for forever
They supply all the all the fuel system stuff
Ryan from hard way kind of wired up the entire
truck
After after the fact we put it together. So ryan was was testing it this truck specifically
firepunk
Had it for for quite a while. They did the 850 cage and the four-link setup and some of the other
Fab into things
Yukon gear and axle they've they've been with me for a long time
There's there's honestly, there's tons of people who who helped me there's there's I am
I am only one person and it takes a team and an army my
My main man Cole who helps me here in the shop like me and him. We put this truck together
Honestly, I got it back from
Firepunk I got my engine from fleece and freedom and me and him spent six days
And we hammered this truck out and like six days drove it down to Florida
Ryan had it for six days and I just got home from Florida like
yesterday
So we got it. We got a tested this weekend and uh, yeah, we've got a
I mean for a 72 millimeter turbo we've got some of the highest horsepower numbers out of this thing
That's out there and we're we're excited to kind of
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Put it all together and go racing. So
one of the important things with
With that question and and your answer is
You think of a guy who has a daily driver and it's a do-it-all truck and they're looking for a turbo upgrade or
Maybe they have a failure with a stock part and they're out there searching the marketplace
And they wonder
Okay, which brand is really good. Which one can I trust and I think it's really important to ask someone like yourself
Where there's a lot of money and a lot of time that's invested and not just this truck, but your other ones to me the stakes are even higher
Because of that. I think it's really important to understand why you trust those brands or why you trust those parts
What would be some tips or advice you would give somebody?
Maybe they're not building a drag truck. Maybe it's not a ucc truck
But they're just looking for a solid daily driver when you're talking with brands or you're looking for feedback
What are things that you looked for like way back in the beginning that have built these fruit rule these fruitful relationships?
Yeah
It's it's funny because you know, I try to steer people
We you know, they come up and talk to me at events and stuff like that and you know, it's
There's a lot of great people in the industry
you know
and
A lot of my advice kind of comes from you know, we're yet in the country
You know where where
where you
Where you at already with with kind of like your journey because the people
to me is
Is something that's really really important, you know, like the guys at fleece and freedom the guys at ams oil the guys
Anyone that I deal with, you know, they run a great company
They run a great product but behind the company and the products are amazing great people and why that's important
Going forward with me or you know, my advice is you know, it's not a matter of if something happens
It's when something happens, right?
So you want to be able to have the support system of of people
Behind their product that run good businesses that will take care of you, you know
You know in the middle of the process in the beginning and and and if something happens or at the end, you know, so like
People to me is super important on
Kind of the whole big picture. So, you know when when someone's shopping around for a turbo
Stuff like that. Like we use stainless diesel
on a lot of projects and you know, those guys are super super great people
to deal with so
Probably got a little off topic there, but you know, like it's it's it's the it's the companies the products
But it's it's it's the people so, you know, if someone's shopping for
You know something that's going to need to be serviced
maybe throughout or something like
Uh a transmission is a great example of that because it's like, you know, hey, do you need it installed?
Do you need it serviced?
You know, there's so many good people in the industry that like there's
You could you could go a lot of different places and get a lot of great quality
Products, but you can also support good people at the same time. So one of your most recent youtube videos was
I think it was titled something like the the weakest point in any dodge truck
It was about transmissions and you were in Delaware
talking with Maldives that was really cool because
A lot of times I love transmissions. I love talking about them
I don't know why they fascinate me
But they kind of do
It's to be able to see the person behind the brand behind the logo
And what goes into him and he was talking about the input shaft and
being American made and and going into stuff like that it
It's so helpful to understand. I think the build philosophy and I'm sure the same is
It's the same with fleece and freedom racing engines and chase and the team they're
Being able to interact with them and their approach might be a little bit different
Then say someone else, but you get to know that process and then you
You get to trust it and I think that's a really a really key part that
I'm sure you get every day see it on comments or when you go to events people are asking you because they trust you
They trust what you're doing
Yeah, yeah, I think it's it's it's something that
um, I try to relay in the videos
um because
The youtube videos like it's it's so hard to
You can't be in my shoes, right?
And you can't listen to every conversation that i'm listening to but when you know, we we go to fleece and freedom and you
Listen to how they are pushing the envelope what they're doing to push the envelope how people
You know like like mal dunes are you know eat sleep and breathing how to improve their systems and
Either provide a better service or a better product and they've been at it for
10 20 years, you know
Like it truly is
Mind-blowing for even someone like me to like
fully grasp
And and just kind of like if if i'm in shock and wow and i've been with them for that long and seen the progression like
The general public, you know, like
It's just crazy
The passion that you know these guys have behind how how hard they're pushing, you know to to ultimately
Give better service make better products and it's it's it's one of the coolest parts about what i think i get to
See and do on a on a very back end
Like i'm i feel like i'm almost like
You know my kind of like part of their team because i get to get the inside scoop and
See how everything's moving and i've seen it for such a long span of time with most people that i've worked with
Um, so it's just it's really cool
But that's why that's why like when people want advice from me and it's like
And i've been with the same companies
that i started with
and
I've firmly believe in them
because i've
Seen it for so long that it's like it's it's just it's really cool
Do you think that's been one of the
biggest evolutions in the power numbers that we see that these trucks make
In the beginning you'd mentioned the limitation of the factory block and now going into these
Billet blocks
Excuse me in these setups like freedom racing engines has has that been the the kind of gateway that's opened up these extreme
power levels these incredible numbers that trucks are making is the engine technology
Yeah, i think there's i think that there is
technology
you know it's it's it's um
It's it's across the board right, you know fuel system technology is getting
Better and better and better tools are getting you know testing equipment or is getting better and better better
you know
More people are trying to push it so it's like it all kind of
humiliates into
pushing the boundaries of you know back when
you know i would say
Two years ago when 3000 horsepower or or maybe even three years ago when 3000 horsepower was a
mythological thing that
You know maybe is achievable
It's it's you just continue to like believe that there's no ceiling to it and you've just got people who are
Willing to kind of continue to push the envelope, but I think it's a package deal of like you know
data acquisition in
You know like the amount of time and effort that
s and s puts into all of their mo tech stuff and the and
Being able to see where things are
Happy and unhappy and make changes according to that is is is vital
The limitations of a
factory cast commons block is just like the biggest
the biggest uh
All right, I would say the weakest point really like we found the we've we haven't found the limitation of
nitrous fuel
Data, you know, it's just the actual strength of the block at that point where
We can't push it any harder because if we do like I've even me. I found out, you know
Like a couple blocks later. You're just like, you know, it's doesn't matter how much you beef around it
It's it's not gonna hold so the billet block is kind of like just the
It's a huge huge weak point and I'm sorry the billet block isn't the cast block is such a big weak point that it just took an
extreme amount of time to
Get that developed to where now it's like, okay, like the next level has now been on lock
What's the next there is no next weakest point because we haven't really like
Found the next limitation, right? All right
yeah, and I think
That's been really fascinating to watch not just that side
But you mentioned electronics and I think the data that people
Are able to get whether they're tuners or or whatever aspect might be using it
It's just really cool to think like a long time ago a thousand horsepower daily driver was the coolest thing and now it's like
It's not even I don't know. I don't know many people are really interested in it
But there's just the power numbers keep going up and I think that's a lot of the fascination
around the race side of it is
And when's it gonna stop? Is it ever gonna stop? What's the power number?
How are these trucks, you know holding it together and I think people like yourself that
Do a fantastic job of bringing the information together and then representing
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The
The competitions so well, we're kind of drawn to you and we want to learn what you're using
How you use it how it all fits together. I did want to ask you something else
Because oil is a huge topic right now for a lot of
A lot of different reasons on the podcast. I've been doing a lot of episodes about it
And sometimes I'll see in the comments or um on social media
somebody will say oils oil
And I couldn't think of anyone better to ask than you as you mentioned doing oil analysis
And I know from being educated on some of the episodes I do
Why that's important. So I think of that truck behind you and the ucc truck that you might you know put together in the future
That's the extreme level of performance. I don't know what the pressures are. I don't know what the egt's are
But you're making tons of power and I think what you see with fluids
And we can even jump in the differentials and transmission fluids and things like that
If it works for you, it's going to work for my 550 horsepower daily driver than I might tow with
What do you actually see with the longevity of parts or an engine?
Or performance based on fluids that you choose
Yeah, I mean
fluids fluids or
I I would almost say, you know, they almost get overlooked because
It's like, you know, you you spend all this time on the engine and the transmission
And then, you know, you come down to it and you and you end up not not why would you not want to
Care just as much about the fluid as you do all this other
You know time money and effort in in in the you know in the oil, you know in amps oil
We use we've we've used amps oil strictly for for a very very long time. We have had nothing short of
perfection they're using all of their stuff and
Uh, you know, it just the results kind of speak for themselves when it comes down to it of of
You know, we push them the hardest and then we break everything down
We take a look at it and and we we care and spend just as much time money and effort in the fluids as we do
You know the hard parts and we sense, you know, what's the ultimate test, right?
Is it is it still good? Does it still work? function and and the oil kind of you know
Oils break down. They they do a lot of different jobs. They lubricate they protect
And amps oil just time and time again just always comes back that you know, it looks perfect
It looks good, you know, keep pushing it harder, you know
temperatures temperatures love to kill things so
You know, even even our burnout truck has to
You know go for two to three to four minutes of non-stop screaming and rpm engine
so that honestly likes to kill things more than more than anything and uh, you know
I would love to tell you that we switched from one to the other and noticed something crazy
but honestly, we've just we've went with the best of the best uh since the beginning and we just we just don't have any
trouble in that department when it comes to
Keeping the expensive engines protected and I've kind of learned
Um that over the years I've been with fleecedon freedom for so long that you know, that's what they use in all of their engines
so it's kind of just been years of history of
You know, like this is this is what we use. This is why we use it
we know that it works the best and
We we just haven't strayed from something that
Has given us perfection in results
You know I was thinking about before we did this podcast. I was like, you know
I want to ask greg about
UCC and racing and
The parts that you use but also like at heart i'm a diesel fan
And I wanted to like step all the way back and ask you like do you ever look back?
On maybe the first truck you built when you decided i'm going to put this on youtube
To where you are now and what you're doing
and think
How did I get here or how was I so lucky or I'm glad that hard work paid off or
like that evolution of
Not just your channel, but like what you do. Do you look back often and and just kind of take it all in
Yeah, I think it's uh
I think it's hard and I have to remind myself I have to remind myself to do that because
Um, you know life gets so busy
You start running 100 miles an hour
And things pop up and and difficulties and and you know you kind of get stuck of just like
You know and then you kind of check yourself and you know
It was probably I would say it was probably maybe within a year or so ago that like
I don't even know how it came up right I went back and watched my first ever youtube video and we're going on
We're going on like 10 years on youtube so like going back and watching my first ever youtube video and just seeing
How you speak how you communicate what you're working on it was like holy crap. We have you know and
Honestly another big example is like, you know, I'll I'll meet a lot of people and people come up to the events and they'll explain like
information that uh, you know, whether it was
You know something going on in a lot in their life or you know, uh, a lot of military guys go
You know, they watch and stuff while they're away and like, you know
Just things that I have either said or worked on that have helped them through
Either a project or something in life that really puts into perspective to me that like man like it's been 10 years
We're building trucks like what's the what's what are we doing? You know what I mean?
Like where where's it go? It's just like and people will remind me that
I have helped them and again just going back to the people thing. It's it's uh, that's what truly puts it into perspective to me
That's just like wow, okay, like we're we're we're helping people
You know, it's not just my journey and like building cool stuff while that's like, you know
What I love to do, but it's just
Trying to help people along their journey and stuff like that too. So it's it's
it's truly been
An insanely wild ride and it was never like my intention of hey, I'm gonna make youtube videos
I'm gonna this is what it's gonna be like now. It's just kind of just been like man like I was building trucks
I thought I had information to help people maybe with some pitfalls and stuff that they had going on and
You know, I had like, you know
Every generation of ram truck and we're gonna build each one and kind of you know start low and build high and some
Some are drag racing trucks and some are daily drivers and some are, you know, more suspension oriented oriented. So like
trying to cover the full spectrum, but
Yeah, it's been a crazy wild ride of of you know, just hitting the record button so to say and
Letting it unfold, you know
Do you ever hear from people that get inspired by your youtube videos to start their own
YouTube channel or to document a build or restoration that they're doing?
Oh, yeah, I'm sure. I mean, I I'm I'm positive
I mean, I I I get it a lot that you know people like again people come up or sending messages like man
Like, you know, I built this truck because you built this one or
I got fired up to build a diesel truck because I saw what you were doing and I thought it was cool and
you know, I've I've
had the opportunity to try to
uh
help people with
You know their journey in the diesel industry as well
You know, I've had a lot of people that come up to me and like man like I think I want to start a shop
or I think I want to maybe try to make this part and you know, I think
biggest my biggest
Not not my biggest but one of my biggest regrets in in life was you know, I wanted to start doing youtube
Maybe about a year or two before I got enough courage to start making the videos and I tell people all the time
It's like man, like if you've got the burning desire
Down deep and in your heart that you should be doing something or chasing something, you know
Jump now jump now. Obviously, there's stipulations with where you're at in life, but you know, take that risk jump now because
uh
everything that I've ever accomplished and done
uh with with all of this in the industry and youtube and all that stuff like
I wish I would have started that year or two before I did, you know, so
Uh
I tell people to jump all the time and if they you know, if that helps them build something or gets them through an install
You know as well, like that's that's what i'm here for that's what I enjoy
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I think that's really important to be able to keep
to keep younger people
Wanting to get involved whether that's building a truck or starting a youtube channel or opening a business is
somebody
might see you or has seen you at an event or watch your youtube channel and
Either the truck or you or a combination of both get them really interested and pull them in and you never know
how that's going to evolve is it going to create a business and
opportunity for people is going to have a result in a really cool build and I think as
motorsports has changed and
evolved
The younger generation wanting to build something whether it's an old 59 whether it's a
6o power stroke a dermax whatever it might be
It's getting them interested in it and seeing there's different paths
You know to be able to enjoy
Enjoy these trucks and enjoy diesel performance
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely like there's so many different avenues and things you can do and you know you can
You can make parts you can have you can supply a service you can you know, there's so many
the diesel industry
Has so many different facets and avenues that you can you can be involved without
Really building a race truck, you know, like that's that's cool and that's fun
But you know like the trucks that we give away
At wrenchworks, you know, I try to gear them towards, you know
Trucks that can be used for anything and everything, you know, so we don't we don't go super crazy with the horsepower
Because if it's like hey, you know diesel trucks are used for work
You know like if you need to go use a work truck like got you you need to tow something with it
You can go tow with it
But at the same time, you know, you can you can turn it up a little bit and go go have some fun
And you know, they're powerful enough going back to the whole power thing, you know
It's it's it's it's been crazy being in this industry for this long that you know a thousand horsepower was
You know the the upper tier of
That's insane or crazy and now you have, you know
The the huge chunk of the market that like and if it doesn't if and I'll and I'll fall victim to that too
Like if it's if something doesn't make a thousand horsepower around here
It's kind of boring and slow to me, but like honestly, you know
Most trucks if you're if you're in that
Six to 700 horsepower range and driving down the road. I mean it's it's more than you're gonna
Use in most cases 95 of the time so
What do you think is the biggest lie people tell themselves when they're gonna build power or take on a build?
What do I think is the biggest lie they tell themselves? Yeah
Like oh, I'll be happy with this power number. Oh, it'll be reliable or
I would say uh
The first lie of many probably to to to be building a truck would be how much money they think they're gonna have into it
You know, they'll be like, oh, okay
Like I can I can have this chunk of money and it can get me here when usually
The snowball effect is is the biggest one and I will say even with all of my
Information on how much things cost and how I want to do things like I think I'm gonna be here and it ends up being up here
You know, so you got it it takes a lot more than what people think if you're gonna do it correctly
um, you know and I would say that
Power and horse horse power across the board whether it's a diesel or whether it's you know
Your your tractor that you're gonna go buy a you know 50 horse model next thing
You know, you need a 70 or a 90. It's like the same thing with the truck
You know, you build something that you know has some drop-in parts and
Next thing, you know, you want some more and like it it's really
A build is never done, right? Like it according to in my book. It's never done, right? Yeah
You go here and then there's always new stuff coming out. So
I'd say the biggest lie would be
The amount of maybe time and money, right? You know
Stuff takes a lot of time and a lot of money to to get to
Where where you want it?
It'll kind of work together in the sense like I asked myself that question and mine has always been
I'll be happy with 550 600 horsepower
And it is for about six months or maybe a little bit longer
But I lied to myself told me that that would be cool and then I get bored with it
And then time and money get involved the power number changes
And then you can almost get to this point where it's
Undrivable or not fun to drive like drive every day and that was another question I was going to ask you is
When it pertains to a 59 or 67 is there a
power number that you find kind of diminishing returns with the power it makes versus how
How it tows or how easy it is to daily drive
Yeah, I think if you want to be real with yourself and like
You know a lot of people will
I'm not really going to tell with it that much. Well, like, okay, like are you are you actually, you know, like people tend to
It's it's hard to almost like specs a truck, you know for for people if it's like you got to have all the information, right?
So if you're going to tell with it, it's going to change my opinion
As far as like a very overall horsepower number, I would say the most
fun
That I ever had with and it was it's funny like all of my stages that I have the most information on are on my o5
That I've had since I was 19 years old
So I've had that truck for her forever and it's been through every stage of life with me and I think the
Most fun enjoyable horsepower. I think it was making around
900 to the tire I could go to a dyno event. I could drive it there
We could make we could make 900 on it and you could drive it around you could go
Out on the street with it and could stay that long and you could do that at a, you know, fairly
Mid to entry level, you know, maybe budget when a common real budget in general is is decent but
You know towing you could still do towing on you could turn it down and maybe be at seven
5800, you know, and if you could drive around, you know, it being a little on the spicy side, you know, you could still toe with it, you know
Everyone now in today's
You know culture and world is if it doesn't make a thousand or 1100
You know, what are you even doing and it's like
Okay, you know, I mean now you start getting into building the bottom end of the truck and all that stuff. So like
It's snowballs quickly, right?
So
I think for most people, you know, you could do 7750 to be happy with it
But you know, you start getting it above that 900 horsepower, you know
It starts to start to turn into a little bit more of a toy than it is in every day every day driver
Does that number change a bit if we go to say
12 valve like a p-pump truck or
VP 44 like how does how does that reliable daily driver number change?
I guess all all of my horsepower stuff is common rail related. I mean, don't get me wrong
I have some 12 valves still around here, but they're they're mostly
Uh, because I think they're still cool tractors, but you know when it comes to
a reliable usable
truck in my opinion
A 12 and a 20 a VP truck and down
uh 12 valve stuff like
You're you're giving up a lot. They they don't make horsepower as easy. They don't drive as easy. I'm not the
I'm not the biggest
Not the biggest hater, but I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to trying to steer people into something that
Excuse me. They'll uh, they'll actually
enjoy driving around on a
On a daily basis like even when it comes to 5 9 versus 6 7 like 6 7 all day like 6 7 to me like it's fun
Every truck that it has gotten a swap project around here like I have a 62 d 100 teal swept line
You know, we swapped in a 6 7 if we're changing an engine out. It's getting a 6 7. It's really just
I want to give somebody the best
advice for a
Really really good enjoyable driving experience because when
You have a project that you dump all this time and money into
And you the end result is not a good
Driving experience
You're not going to like it
And if you don't like it then you're like why did I spend all this time and money to do this when it like
It's either too laggy or not enjoyable or I can't use it all the time. So like
There's a lot of stuff that sounds good and cool, but at the end of the day
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When you get in it and you put your foot to the floor you want something
Responsive fun to drive and a good driving experience. So I think that that plays a huge part
Is the reason that you would pick the 6 7 because of how responsive it can be with
Different turbos and just what you how quickly you can drive them versus a 5 9
Yeah, I think it's just I think in my opinion
Like they just give a better overall driving experience, you know, you can you can
Do some stuff a little bit different on
Turbo sizing that can kind of give you the best of both worlds like you want to you want a turbo that
Can do some do some power but still drive good
You know, I think I think a lot of the people that
59 over 67 It's like man six sevens were new at one point
So they're just like I can't trust the new the new engines the five nine's just been around for forever
it's like
Man the 67 now at this point man has been around forever. There's a reliability. It's just like
It's not even a question mark in my opinion anymore. It's like, you know
The characteristics of a 67 engine and how it it can perform
Uh
In my opinion just far outweigh a 59 in every aspect
It's funny to mention that because when I think of the different
Enthusiasts groups that are out there and some of them are my friends like they love power stroke
They love Duramax or Cummins
I tend to find that the Cummins guys can be more resistant to changes in a platform than maybe the other brands like
I got into diesel got my first one in 2008 and it was like
All my Cummins friends are like a six sevens are junk five nines are where it's at. What do you do and why'd you waste your money?
Well, like you mentioned they've been out almost 20 years now
and you have
Tons of history tons of parts tons of things. Do you ever kind of chuckle at that a little bit about how how resistant to change
all the time I mean the Cummins the Cummins group and and you know
I try not to be this way
But man you can get it the different clicks of Cummins guys so fired up when you you know
I'm sure just my 12 out comments and BP 44 comments
Just like you know get everybody fired up because you just got die hard people that like that's what they've been around
That's what they know
and
I think people by nature like to be comfortable, you know, so it's like they're comfortable in their little niche
that's what they know they know how to get them to perform and
You know for somebody to step out of that and say
You know, this is just as good as probably
you know
uncomfortable for them versus me me I've kind of you know been blessed enough to kind of like
Tinker and mess around with like
A lot of different stuff and kind of pick and choose what I think I like the most, you know, so and again
you know
I like six sevens and
If somebody likes 59 or twelve I was over here. I mean that's great for them
You know what I mean if that's the driving experience they they like then, you know
More power to them, right?
What do you think of the new ones with the eight speed?
Just the changes that the ram and Cummins have done. Are you a fan of them?
So I have not I've and it's kind of funny
I feel like this is almost applicable to some of your other questions that you've asked me of like horsepower, right? So
I
me myself
If I
Even think that I might want something and someone has something
I I can't get in it. Don't don't let me drive it
Don't let me have it for a little bit because if I if I sit in it and drive it
And I wanted it already and that's just going to seal the deal. So
Like I have not gotten the chance to drive one of the new eight speeds
Um from everyone that I've ever heard talk about them. They
They love them. They think they're awesome and I really really want one in the worst way
And if I go test drive one, I'll have one the next the next day. So, um, I love the new trucks
I think that they're nice inside. I think that they drive good. They're you know, they
performance wise they keep getting better and you know with a transmission that
Seems to be on the next level of improvement. I think you've got yourself
You know one of the biggest complaints that everybody complains about ram with
Taking care of and what if if that's taking care of then really, you know
We know the engines are are great in my opinion, you know, so like
I think new trucks in general
you know, we got to a certain point where
everyone's got their
little pitfall to deal with and
Pick which one you like the best that looks feels drives the best and take care of like that
That one or two problems that they may need improvements on that the aftermarket
Support has already taken care of fix that and rock on, you know, so I really like the new rams
I have a fifth gen that once I got that I was like, man, this is like
They just keep getting getting better and better in my opinion as far as like we're fine
It's funny you mentioned that I'm the same exact way like I I haven't test driven one
I don't want to ride in one because if I do I'm gonna want it
And it's just gonna nag and eat at me every single day till I do it. So I try to stay away
Yeah, yeah, that's the view if you want to be if you want to be sold on
You know
Going back to the horsepower thing, you know
Hey, my 700 horsepower truck that I drive every day is awesome when my buddy's got one with 850 heat
We're gonna he's gonna let me drive that or I'm gonna go taking a ride and it's like
You're on the phone Monday morning and calling to figure out if I need bigger injectors or a turbo to like get your horsepower level up
Because you're like, wow, I didn't know what I was missing until I just got a test drive in and you're like, okay
Now I'm sold, right? So no different with trucks or horsepower or you know, anything else your your your buddies, you know
Get you get you in trouble with the game of
How often you're rotating stuff around
That's true. I had one last question for you
Yeah, it's sort of a crystal ball question, but over the next say five years
What do you think could
Completely change diesel performance or could push it
Even farther. Is it maybe the electronic side? Is it stuff that it's happening on the engine?
um technology
Maybe it's a combination of all of it, but but what do you think could change it?
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What do I think could change in the next five years? I mean, I think you're gonna see
I think you're gonna see a another
huge horsepower
Jump of whether that's
engine dyno
Chassis dyno, uh, I think you're gonna see a lot of horsepower
um
Gains, you know to come and I think
As far as as far as what else could I think just things are just gonna keep progressing
With you know the companies that are just pushing the envelope with
You know the electronic the electronics has been huge in my opinion because before
You know if let me I guess let me rephrase this right so if we go back five years
What has led to where we're at now?
And you know the data acquisition and electronics before you know to make that horsepower
You know you were almost kind of swinging and guessing and you know if it's stuck it's stuck in who knows and now
We have such control over
The performance side of things that you know, you can see what's happening. You can manipulate that
You can know the changes that you're doing and doing them faster. You're seeing a lot of and again
This is kind of more competition
Versus the daily driver side of things, but you're seeing a lot of people switch over to
You know aftermarket, you know ecu's and ecms, you know and you know
When you were built when you were building a competitive truck
Uh
23 years ago you had a lot of guys on stock ecms, you know
and now
You're seeing a lot of people put time
And and a lot of money and effort into switching over to you know, like a mo tech or an aftermarket engine control because
you know
It's very difficult to spend the amount of time and money that you are on these trucks
and then if something if something happens and
You have a catastrophic failure and you don't know why like it or it or it's uh, uh, it's preventable
You know with a lot of the electronic safety devices that we're building into this stuff now
You know, it's how many times you want to buy an engine?
You want to buy one once you buy one twice
Well, if you would have went and bought, you know a mo tech or an aftermarket ecm like you could have saved that so
I do think I think across the board, right? Like you've got
Turbo guys spending so much time making sure that things are
Efficient and you've got fuel system stuff. So, you know, as long as everyone's still pushing the envelope you're gonna see
The sky's the limit really, you know, uh, but
It's hard to predict where everything's gonna be and go but uh, I think
Progression across the board. You're seeing I don't think you're seeing any you're not seeing any slowdown
In any category in my opinion. You've got guys that are building bigger facilities
You know the I had a chance to walk through the fleece and freedom
You know addition that they just put on and everyone is just like ramping up
Everything so it's it's cool. It's a it's it's such a cool time to be in the industry and see it
develop even further than where it is so
It's almost like a domino effect. Like if we think to say a mo tech
Well, if you're running that on a factory block
You're gonna find you're not gonna be able to advance it as far
So then you have the engine builders that step in and offer something and then
It affects the transmissions that are being run and the technology there and it's really fascinating to see but I agree with you
I think the electronic side is something that's gonna continue to drive it and
Push what we think the limits are like in 2026 and if I'm still doing this in 2031
It'll be cool to cool to look back on it. I really appreciate your time today, Greg
I've been a huge fan of yours for probably 10 years. I love the trucks that you build there
they have the perfect combination of
Like they look classy and I know it's not stock
But it's not over the top. It's just just I can't I don't have the words to exactly describe what you build
But it has it whatever that it is. It's just I love the look. I love how they perform
So it's cool to chat with you today
talk about the truck behind you fast 72 and
Really look forward to seeing how it does and uh, as you know, I subscribe to youtube channel
So I'm always watching your videos and I agree
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That you want to hear in 2026 till next time. Keep the shiny side up
You
About this episode
Greg Alberalla joins The Diesel Podcast to talk Cummins upgrade strategy built around testing, vendor support, and protecting expensive hardware. They connect stock-block limits to billet engine choices, discuss how UCC prep relies on months of dynoing and validation, and explain why chasing power without data can end in catastrophic failure. The conversation also covers oil analysis, fuel filtration, and modern electronics/data acquisition (including aftermarket ECUs) to reduce guesswork and prevent expensive problems.
Greg A joins us to talk all things Cummins! He tells us about preparing for Fast 72, build plans for his 2005, and the best way to upgrade a Cummins and avoid mistakes - or spending money twice.
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