Improvement and innovation are a constant force always moving things forward.  Unfortunately for good or bad, some things are left behind in the dust. The 2-stroke Detroit Diesel is one of them.  Years ago, the unique snap of a screaming Detroit was commonplace on United States roadways but now is almost totally extinct.  For those that desire to again hear that cool ear music, check out this one-off supersized hot rod that calls northern New Hampshire home.

Jay Ouellette is the owner of Bumper to Bumper Auto Repair in Twin Mountain New H ampshireand like many of us grew up reading Hot Rod and other similar magazines yearning for the day he could get behind the wheel of his own ride.  That event happened when he was only 15 years old and he hasn’t looked back. Jay said, “I’ve been very fortunate in life in that I have owned just about every car and hot rod I’ve wanted to.  Fords, Chevys, Chryslers, a 426 powered Opel and a VW Beetle powered by a big block Oldsmobile just to name a few.”   He must have liked the big engine small chassis thing because for 8 years Jay was an authorized dealer for the outrageous V8 powered Boss Hoss motorcycle.

“One day a few years ago we were sitting around the shop and one of my guys, Glenn Grammo, asked me if I had one more build in me.  I agreed, but this one had to be way over the top and no cookie cutter.”  While scouring through the magazines back in Jay’s younger years, memories of the larger than life creations of “Big Daddy” Ed Roth were retained and brought back front and center for The Big Red Machine featured here.  Jay explained, “I immediately knew that it had to be a diesel-powered rig, not a little Cummins out of a pickup, but a true big block, over the road class-8 diesel resembling something Big Daddy Roth would build.”   The search for a donor vehicle began and a decommissioned 1979 Maxim 100’ ladder truck was located with only 1600 miles on the clock.  “After buying it and driving it home, I knew it was perfect for what I had in mind.”  Powering the machine was an 8V92 Detroit Diesel mated to a 4 speed Allison automatic transmission.  In diesel lingo, the engine is 8 cylinders at 92 cubic inches each for a total displacement of 736 cubes.  The Detroit Diesel is a 2-stroke design, needing a supercharger to move air through the heads, but this bad boy has a huge factory turbocharger sitting on top of the blower for a bit more squeeze.  Power is rated at 424 hp at only 1900 RPMs and a stump-pulling 1,100 ft. lbs. of torque.  Jay also used the factory front and rear axles, the rear is a Rockwell filled with a 4:64 gearset which easily supported the 50,000 lbs. weight of the firetruck.

Jay engineered and fabricated the frame out of quarter-inch-thick steel, the electrics, and plumbing.  The suicide front suspension mirror’s one of Jay’s ’34 Chevys, but on a much bigger scale supported by a custom spring rated at 5,000 lbs.  Glenn did all the metal fabrication design and paintwork. Fred Ingerson, a certified bridge welder oversaw the frame build of the 2 foot Z section in the back of the cab to make sure it was strong enough to safely handle the powertrain and pass a mandatory state inspection.  Jay chuckled when he mentioned that “There’s over 60 lbs. of mig wire in the frame.”  He found the semi rust-free ’46 Ford pickup cab on Ebay and had it shipped to Twin Mountain from southern Louisanna.  Glenn fabricated the rear bed before he squirted the 2009 VW Jetta red paint.  Rolling stock on this 10,000 lb. hot rod consists of 24.5” tires on polished aluminum rims.  The original air brakes were retained along with the power steering system, gauges, and switches.  The interior was stitched by Lenny Quail of Littleton New Hampshire.  Twin 5” exhaust pipes dump the spent fumes out back, under the tailgate.  Except for the dual 20 gal. fuel tanks, rear fenders, and headlights, this hot rod was mostly built in-house by Jay and Glenn.  “The crew of the Mt. Washington Cog Railway helped us out with some machine and fab work on the front suspension parts”, Jay said.

When asked about the most difficult part of the build, Jay quickly said “All of it!  I had a Lull type forklift with a 44’ reach and 25,000 lb. capacity.  Everything is heavy, engine and tranny weighs 4,000 lbs. and the rear-end is well over a ton. The lift was needed for the countless trial fits necessary on a project this size.”  It took 1,100 non-union hours of labor in 2.5 years to finish this truck – and make no mistake, it’s a driver.  Jay said, “The most rewarding part of this hot rod is taking it for a spin and the reaction we get from the kids, they love it!”  It’s a safe bet that Jay’s unique creation would get a big smile and thumbs up from “Big Daddy Roth” for sure.  Mission accomplished. 

---