After three days of SEMA, our group from Optima left Vegas Friday morning and went to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Parumph, NV. Spring Mountain is a country club for racers and people with high end sports cars. The club house features 8000 square feet of resort-style amenities, including a lounge, men’s and women’s locker rooms, massage and fitness center, pool and jacuzzi, an executive conference room, billiards, custom poker facilities and nine plasma televisions. An outdoor veranda with barbeque area and fire pit connects to a 23-foot-tall viewing tower of the track. There is also a racquetball/handball court, an indoor gun range and racing simulators. A one time initiation fee of $15000 plus maintainance fees of $200 month will get you access to the club house, road coarse and access to their in-house professional driving instructors, including Ron Fellows. They also offer six different racing/driving schools, including the one GM gives to all new ZR1 Corvette owners They have two main track configuratins; the North/South road course is 2.1 miles and the west “Radical loop” is 1.5 miles.

Optima rented the track for the afternoon so after lunch at the clubhouse we were able run the short coarse in a Lotus Elise orMini CooperS. We ran two 30 minute sessions of lead follow behind an instructor. The first session was slower paced so we could get to know the track and the car. The second session was fast paced and alot of fun, especially since I had never driven a Lotus before or done any road racing. The Lotus was hard to get in & out of but it was easy to drive and very forgiving on the track. Then we were able to ride side-by-side with an instructor in a Radical race car for an even faster paced 15 minute heavy g-force laden ride around the 1.5 mile short coarse. I had a smile on the face the whole time, what a rush.

Afterwards we were able to run the Lotus or Mini thru an auto cross course that was setup for the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. I picked the Mini CooperS for the autocross coarse since I had never driven one before and I wanted to see how it would do. While the Mini CooperS is no 1/4 mile racer, it has good power, it’s light-weight and it impressed me how well it handles.

Not that I need another expensive hobby, but I really had alot of fun and really enjoyed road racing and autocrossing. I wish we had more time so I could have run the Mini on the road coarse and the Lotus in the autocross. But the sun was setting and everyone was getting hungry. So after a day of racing we went to dinner and then to the Hotel for the night.

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Cruising what I call the main hall of the SEMA show, it’s fantastic to see the great rides that make SEMA, the parts show, become SEMA the car show. Featuring the best built cars and timeless classics, it’s a mix of some of the best rides in the country. I stayed close to “Hot Rod Alley” to find the booths of manufacturers I used and wanted to check out. Seeing the Mustangs and Camaros that are no doubt classic SEMA favorites was cool and will be featured here, but I’ve always like something different.

Big power and stupid amounts of torque aren’t different to the folks at Duramax performance discussion forum TheDieselPlace.com, but what about in a 1970 Chevelle? This is one of two cars I spotted at SEMA running a diesel and starting a new trend in hot rodding?

Instead of choosing from from several small block Chevy’s you’ve already seen or even throwing cubic inches or the tech of LSX in, Mike Racke of Fullerton, CA stayed with the General, but in the form of a 403 cu. inch LLY Duramax.  This beast runs a mostly stock block with aftermarket turbos and heads to make an unbelievable 950 hp and 1,700 lb-ft of torque.  Just so you know diesel hot rodders as dedicated to tire shredding performance as their gasoline counterparts, there’s more performance to come when they add the nitrous system!

Finding a diesel under the hood makes this Chevelle worth stopping for in a SEMA hall littered with great rides, but the engine’s only part of a total package that makes you glad you noticed the “SS Duramax Diesel” badges discreetly revealing why this ultra clean street rod is in the PPE (Pacific Performance Engineering) booth at SEMA. The overall construction is top notch, as you’d expect from the incredible detail and plumbing under the hood. (Click on the pic to see it full size)

While not parked inside the show, I found another example of classic meets diesel power in this 1965 four door Caddy parked near unsuspecting tuner cars and lowered pickups.  The flat black paint might make you think “rat rod” but this was a clean ride.  Add contrasting red metallic paint on the roof with wide white walls and original style Cadillac hubcaps and this smoothed out more-door is already a great cruiser. With the power and, gulp, fuel economy of a Cummins diesel, now you’re talking about a truly unusual, but sweet long distance highway mofo.

I found a video on Youtube that shows this car in better light. Owned by Jason Livingston  and dubbed the “Poor Boy Cadillac” the 12 valve Cummins motor runs a slew of ATS parts including the intake (unfortunately requiring a big hole in the hood) and giant turbo.  The video shows the gnarly black smoke pouring out of the 4 inch or so exhaust exiting out of the passenger side fender. Check it out:

So is diesel plus hot rod the new thing? Or is it simply the continuation of hot rodders putting something that don’t belong into their rides simply to be different and go fast? Either way, I dig it.

Special thanks to Optima Batteries for the trip to SEMA.

After three days, SEMA is beginning to take it’s toll on the weak and unprepared.  At the very least, this show will help people find their personal limits.  This guy clearly blew through his threshold at some point and decided to take a snooze in the middle of his exhibit.  I had to snap this picture quickly, as one of his co-workers noticed me pointing the camera in his direction, waiting for the flash to charge up.  Many of the bigger exhibitors have meeting rooms, which are often converted into nap rooms, depending on how late people have been staying up.

If you read the blog the other day, you’ll remember the 200mph truck with the 7,000 horsepower jet engine.  When I cruised back through the alternative fuels area, I stumbled across this pickup truck, which was promoting some kind of computer system, that allegedly increases fuel economy by as much as 50%-

Apparently, the system has something to do with hydrogen technology and the guy claimed the development of the box of electronics under his hood had a $300,000 pricetag on parts alone.  At this point, I’m willing to listen to his pitch with an open mind, because I really don’t know that much about the combustion process or hydrogen and maybe this guy really has built the better automotive mousetrap.  He did claim several major auto manufacturers and countries were talking to him about his technology.  Then he shifted gears and started talking about his future plans for this truck.

He said he planned to set a land speed record at the Bonneville salt flats and eclipse 300mph in a truck that can still be driven on the street.  Immediately, Mike T and I looked at each other in stunned disbelief.  When he asked us how we thought he might accomplish this task, I replied, “With a solid rocket booster strapped to the bed of your truck.”  He laughed and responded by saying that he was going to use ram-air technology instead and that the only major modification he was going to make to the truck was to chop several inches off the top.

I was going to ask him how he could do this, considering many of the world’s most aerodynamic supercars struggle just to hit 200 mph, but Mike T, who competes in diesel truck pulls, started asking him how he was going to deal with all the safety modifications required for a 300-mph pass, in a daily-driven truck.  The guy then got a puzzled look on his face and responded by saying he didn’t realize they had safety any requirements for running at Bonneville.  At that point, I thought to myself,”this guy should stick to talking about strange-looking boxes with electronic gizmos in them and not talk so much about driving 300 mph in a pickup truck.” 

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Arrived in Las Vegas Monday just before noon.  Took a shuttle to pick up the rental car (Kia Spectra) and went to the LV Hilton. Monday afternoon I had a meeting with Optima and DOE Anderson. At this meeting our group discussed our thoughts, perceptions and experience with Optima Batteries. I took my information from this thread and a similar thread on CompD.

I learned some things about Optima Batteries like the differences between the red top, yellow top and blue top and how to get longer life out of batteries. I also found out that 30% of the batteries Optima gets back from warranty just need to be charged. They even showed us how to trick a battery charger so it will charge if the voltage is too low on a battery.

Wow, there is alot of cool cars, (including tons of Camaros), lifted trucks and bling wheels at SEMA. Speaking of bling wheels, there is a whole building dedicated to just wheels, tires & scanly clad models. I’ve been taking tons of pics and some video.

There are lots of celebs from the automotive world & drag/race car drivers here at SEMA. I got an autograph and picture with Stacey David from GearZ and Jessie Combs. I also saw the Andretti’s, Richard Petty, Gale Banks, Funkmaster Flex, Chip Fuoss, Barry McGuire, Steve Saleen and the guys from GAS (Pimp my Ride).

I’ve also ran into several people I know out here. All of the major diesel performance parts manufactures have booths here at SEMA. I caught up with the guys from ATS, PPE, SoCal Diesel & EFI Live and Nick (duramaxtuner).

Tuesday evening I went over to The Strip @ LVMS where Speed was filming episodes of Pass Time. Got to meet Ken & Paige from the show & watch some cool cars run the 1/4 mile. I can’t belive they film so many episodes at one time.

Wednesday night I ran into the Joe from PPE diesel at the roulette table. I only managed to lose $60 after playing for over an hour. What cheap entertainment.

Had a meeting with Optima & DOE Anderson Thursday morning. They were showing our group material from their upcoming ad campaign. They have some cool print ads in the works. They wanted our opinions of the ads and then even took our suggestions on how to make the ads even better. Then I attended the Optima press relase.

They announced the cars that will be in Ultimate Street Car Invitational http://www.optimainvitational.com on Saturday. The race is at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV. I can’t wait to see this race because the there are some sweet cars competing in it. Then it was more cool cars, trucks, models and pictures. I drove a FJ Cruiser on the off-road coarse Toyota had setup outside. I was going to drive a Ford Fiesta on the autocross track Ford had setup outside but when I got there they were done for the day. I will be posting up SEMA pictures over the next several days, so stay tuned.

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Today began with breakfast with the Optima team. We enjoyed breakfast while we discussed our industry segments… what makes them distinct, how they are organized, what types of demographics they represent, and how the various segments have their own distinct battery power requirements. We also had a good bit of Q&A with the Optima team – they were questioning us – about product perceptions, issues & concerns, etc. Needless to say, there were a lot of lively discussions; hopefully they were helpful to the Optima team…

At SEMA, it’s easy to find a great car, they’re in almost every booth!  But like the 70 Chevelle with a Duramax diesel motor, it’s a the different and sometimes unique builds that really get my attention.  That’s what I found in this “Painless” Roadster Pickup.

This style of roadster pickup, also called a “Truckster” was penned by well known hot rod artist Thom Taylor back in August of 2007 for Rod and Custom Magazine. The concept  is simple, but you’re gonna get to know a sawzall and grinder real, REAL well to get it done. You take 50-70’s pickup, then chop up the cab and the bed until proportions of a hot rod. Easy for Thom to say!

I saw a Thom Taylor sketch in the pickup bed of this truck, so I’m sure he had a hand in the proportions, color and stance that make this truck one of my favorites from SEMA.

So what is it? It started as a 1978 Ford Pickup. Recognize it?  From there, the cab was narrowed 16 inches, then the top and A-pillars were chopped off and the remaining cab shortened 8 inches. The reassembled jigsaw puzzle and newly created “roadster” body was then channeled over the frame. The rest of the body includes a 1938 Dodge grille and believe it or not an MGB windshield with 4 inches cut off each side.

Up front you’ll find a mix of wholly (or is it Holy?) traditional 1952 Merc flathead topped by a pair of Stromberg 97 Carb-like fuel injection bodies complete with, of course, Painless Performance Products wiring. Clean, simple and brand new! The owner and Executive VP of Painless, Dennis Overholser, told me they barely had time to tune it before SEMA.

The tough stance is courtesy of 18 and 20 inch Dayton wire wheels. Straying from the traditional on the wheels like they did is a nice compliment to the fuel injection and adds to the, “What is that?” stares at the show. I guess those folks don’t read Rod and Custom?

On the inside, you immediately notice the perfectly weathered dark brown leather that’s straight from the actual “King Ranch” in Texas. Everyone’s heard of King Ranch from the Ford pickup option package, but this is more than just a name.  So now will rodders be on the look out for patina’d paint and leather? Interior is custom work by Eddie’s Rod Shop. The gauge is a one-off from Classic Instruments that features the name from 2007: “Truckster”

Finally, the shift knob is an old friend from Mad Magazine, Alfred E. Newman. Hand made by Bob Boudreaux, I believe it’s one of a kind.  Bob also gets credit for the PPG “Hot Wheels Orange” paint. (Click on any picture to see it full size)

SEMA brings out just about everyone in the car world, and if you’re Chairman of SEMA’s Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) then you probably know most people, like Dennis Overholser of Painless. Follow closely because another Dennis,  Dennis Gage from the show “My Classic Car” dropped by and I snapped a picture of the Dennis pair test fitting the Truckster.

So there you have it, 1 Painless way to make your own roadster pickup. Will we see more?

This was the scene after lunch at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.  The guy with the patch on his eye just happened to radomly stroll into the picture, but what I was really trying to capture was the group of people sitting on the floor in one of the many hallways at SEMA.  Why are these people sitting on the floor?  They are dead-tired after just the first half day.

It’s difficult to describe the size and scope of the SEMA show, but simply describing it as “massive” doesn’t do it justice.  If they held a foot race in this joint and all the competitors had to run up and down all the aisles inside and out of all the buildings, a world-class runner would probably struggle to finish in under an hour.  That says a lot, considering the attendance at this event is down signficantly from past years.  It’s still a huge deal and the elevation in Vegas (2000 feet above sea level) combined with the endless display halls will exhaust anyone who attempts to see even a fraction of this show and isn’t in reasonably decent shape.

What kind of stuff is here?  In a word- everything.  Check out these vehicles as examples of the variety out here:

This Ford F650 claims to be the world’s fastest street-legal jet truck.  In addition to the diesel engine under the hood, the owner strapped a 7000 horsepower GE J85 jet engine to the bed, which can propel the truck to speeds of up to 200 mph, although I’m not confident the tires currently on this truck can handle 200 mph.

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After about 4 hours of walking, my new knee was telling me I was going to have to come up with a different solution to all of the walking… so I broke down and rented an electric scooter. That made all the difference.

In the back of the Offroad and Power Sports section there was a large display of alternative fuel vehicles … among the more notable were an Aptera, several 3-wheel hybrids that look like they belong on the set of the next Star Wars film, and a CNG-powered ‘55 Ford F100 pickup. Amazing…

I then went down to the central hall and ran into a number of people I’ve crossed paths online with from PPE, TTS, and several others. All of a sudden, it was 5:00 and we all got chased out by security. It was another long, taxing day… but a good one. I took a lot of pics and a few videos… all posted on Photobucket. Tomorrow I want to try to hook up with our supporting vendors…