The Engine: A GM Diesel
The dream never died though. In 1982, when GM introduced its 6.2L diesel, Bill bought a GMC powered by one of these new engines. He realized then that he had found at least an engine for his someday dream - imagining back then that he would transplant one into a custom built lakester or roadster. Since then, a diesel has always seemed - to Bill at least - the most reasonable powerplant for this kind of racing.
"It was when the 6.2 came out in '82 that we started to do some things with it and it was from that point, 1982, that I thought, 'You know, we need to find a way to do a racer with a diesel.' We built a 6.2 for drag racing and had a lot of fun with that. We learned that these engines possess a pretty decent bore-to-stroke ratio, rod length and block rigidity. We learned that we could spin one of these things to around as about 5300 RPM and it wouldn't fly apart - and that was cool."
Back in those days, the diesel movement at Bonneville was nothing like it is now.
Bill notes, "The momentum for diesel-powered vehicles in that racing venue is substantially strong [now] and that's because the turbocharged diesel is so well suited, so nicely adapted to that venue."
Bill attributes the advantages of a diesel at Bonneville to a number of factors:
Elevation: 4,400 feet;
Typical race day ambient temperature of 90 to 105ºF; and,
Density altitude (what the engine sees): 9,000 to 11,000 feet.
"Density altitude has a major effect on engine output - on a naturally aspirated engine most especially - so a typical, naturally aspirated gasoline-powered race engine is down 30 to 40 percent because of the density altitude. The supercharged gas burner fights destructive detonation trying to build more power while the turbocharged diesel is as happy as a clam under these same conditions. The diesel is perfectly suited for racing at Bonneville, which explains why so many are in use there. The idea of using the GM 6.2/6.5 is one that has been with me since 1982."
He never imagined that it would be another quarter-century before he would get serious about his dream: every year, he visited Wendover, home of the Bonneville Raceway, only to become a little more convinced that someday, somehow he needed to make a diesel racer happen. Each year he would return home only to allow other priorities to take precedence.
"I guess it just hadn't gotten important enough during that period in my life," Bill reflects.
Over the years, however, imperceptible change and then a brief exchange with hotrodding legend Boyd Coddington that brought Bill to a decision point. The years of dreaming culminated in a decision at the
2007 Bonneville World Finals
"At the end of the 2007 World Finals event and as we were headed for the Suburban and home, we had a chance meeting with Boyd Coddington, who along with his crew was preparing his wife's, Jo, car for one final pass. I asked Boyd if I could introduce him to Tyler, a member of the Heath Diesel Team who had traveled to Bonneville with me last year, and to pose for a picture or two with his fan. During a very cordial chat, he made a statement that rang my bell. He said, 'if you're gonna do a thing, you better do it before your too danged old to do it.' When we had parted company with Boyd and before we got to the Suburban, I decided, I mean really decided, that I was going to go for it and be here for Speed Week '08. At that point, I told Tyler of my solid commitment to getting this done, I told him we would be back as racers next year - period. That was it - it was a done deal and there could be no backing out, no letting things get in the way. We had to build a racer.
Tyler with Boyd Coddington at the 2007 Bonneville World Finals last October.
Tyler with Boyd Coddington at the 2007 Bonneville World Finals last October.
On the 700-mile return trip to Ellensburg, Bill looked forward to sharing the excitement of his dream with the team at Heath Diesel. He explained, "I want this to be a company thing, a company-wide team effort. It needs to be fun for everyone of us and not just for old Dad."
When he returned to Washington following the World Finals event, the announcement of his intentions to return to Bonneville in 2008 with a race vehicle was met with total commitment to the project.
"I had hoped that there would be great excitement and there was. I was not disappointed."
Countdown to Bonneville 2008
Over the years, the idea of putting a GM diesel into a custom race car had faded away and the vision of a full-sized pick up truck had taken root as the vehicle that Bill would bring to Wendover. Early on, there had been consideration of using an S-10 body. Its smaller size would allow for a 20 MPH-or-so advantage over a Silverado or Sierra; but it only took a look around him for Bill to realize that this would not be the right way to go.
"We've got all these wonderful friends 'round the world with their '94 through '00 model Chevy trucks and that 6.5 engine; we figured we would best represent them and do the better job of championing this vehicle and engine by using a real truck and not an S-10 with a transplanted engine."
Coming out of the first project meeting after the decision to race at Bonneville, the team decided on the following guidelines for the racer:
It must, in every way, champion both the truck and the engine for 6.5L owners around the globe
The truck should be a half-ton, two wheel drive, extended cab, short box model - if one could be found
The dream never died though. In 1982, when GM introduced its 6.2L diesel, Bill bought a GMC powered by one of these new engines. He realized then that he had found at least an engine for his someday dream - imagining back then that he would transplant one into a custom built lakester or roadster. Since then, a diesel has always seemed - to Bill at least - the most reasonable powerplant for this kind of racing.
"It was when the 6.2 came out in '82 that we started to do some things with it and it was from that point, 1982, that I thought, 'You know, we need to find a way to do a racer with a diesel.' We built a 6.2 for drag racing and had a lot of fun with that. We learned that these engines possess a pretty decent bore-to-stroke ratio, rod length and block rigidity. We learned that we could spin one of these things to around as about 5300 RPM and it wouldn't fly apart - and that was cool."
Back in those days, the diesel movement at Bonneville was nothing like it is now.
Bill notes, "The momentum for diesel-powered vehicles in that racing venue is substantially strong [now] and that's because the turbocharged diesel is so well suited, so nicely adapted to that venue."
Bill attributes the advantages of a diesel at Bonneville to a number of factors:
Elevation: 4,400 feet;
Typical race day ambient temperature of 90 to 105ºF; and,
Density altitude (what the engine sees): 9,000 to 11,000 feet.
"Density altitude has a major effect on engine output - on a naturally aspirated engine most especially - so a typical, naturally aspirated gasoline-powered race engine is down 30 to 40 percent because of the density altitude. The supercharged gas burner fights destructive detonation trying to build more power while the turbocharged diesel is as happy as a clam under these same conditions. The diesel is perfectly suited for racing at Bonneville, which explains why so many are in use there. The idea of using the GM 6.2/6.5 is one that has been with me since 1982."
He never imagined that it would be another quarter-century before he would get serious about his dream: every year, he visited Wendover, home of the Bonneville Raceway, only to become a little more convinced that someday, somehow he needed to make a diesel racer happen. Each year he would return home only to allow other priorities to take precedence.
"I guess it just hadn't gotten important enough during that period in my life," Bill reflects.
Over the years, however, imperceptible change and then a brief exchange with hotrodding legend Boyd Coddington that brought Bill to a decision point. The years of dreaming culminated in a decision at the
2007 Bonneville World Finals
"At the end of the 2007 World Finals event and as we were headed for the Suburban and home, we had a chance meeting with Boyd Coddington, who along with his crew was preparing his wife's, Jo, car for one final pass. I asked Boyd if I could introduce him to Tyler, a member of the Heath Diesel Team who had traveled to Bonneville with me last year, and to pose for a picture or two with his fan. During a very cordial chat, he made a statement that rang my bell. He said, 'if you're gonna do a thing, you better do it before your too danged old to do it.' When we had parted company with Boyd and before we got to the Suburban, I decided, I mean really decided, that I was going to go for it and be here for Speed Week '08. At that point, I told Tyler of my solid commitment to getting this done, I told him we would be back as racers next year - period. That was it - it was a done deal and there could be no backing out, no letting things get in the way. We had to build a racer.
Tyler with Boyd Coddington at the 2007 Bonneville World Finals last October.
Tyler with Boyd Coddington at the 2007 Bonneville World Finals last October.
On the 700-mile return trip to Ellensburg, Bill looked forward to sharing the excitement of his dream with the team at Heath Diesel. He explained, "I want this to be a company thing, a company-wide team effort. It needs to be fun for everyone of us and not just for old Dad."
When he returned to Washington following the World Finals event, the announcement of his intentions to return to Bonneville in 2008 with a race vehicle was met with total commitment to the project.
"I had hoped that there would be great excitement and there was. I was not disappointed."
Countdown to Bonneville 2008
Over the years, the idea of putting a GM diesel into a custom race car had faded away and the vision of a full-sized pick up truck had taken root as the vehicle that Bill would bring to Wendover. Early on, there had been consideration of using an S-10 body. Its smaller size would allow for a 20 MPH-or-so advantage over a Silverado or Sierra; but it only took a look around him for Bill to realize that this would not be the right way to go.
"We've got all these wonderful friends 'round the world with their '94 through '00 model Chevy trucks and that 6.5 engine; we figured we would best represent them and do the better job of championing this vehicle and engine by using a real truck and not an S-10 with a transplanted engine."
Coming out of the first project meeting after the decision to race at Bonneville, the team decided on the following guidelines for the racer:
It must, in every way, champion both the truck and the engine for 6.5L owners around the globe
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