This is the fastest truck...
This is the fastest truck on the Hawaiian Islands and perhaps the fastest Dodge D50 anywhere. So far, Troy's best elapsed time in the quarter-mile at Maui Raceway Park is 8.19 seconds at 167 mph.
Makawao, Maui, resident Troy Ferge first purchased his '86 Dodge Ram D50 light-duty pickup truck new when he was a senior in high school. Initially, Ferge cosmetically tricked out the D50 with wheels and tires and later added Weber sidedraft carburetors to increase the horsepower quotient. But that just wasn't enough.
Over the next few years, a 350 Chevy small-block and a GM Powerglide transmission found their way into the little D50's engine compartment. The truck was even repainted a fancy Candy Brandywine, but it still wasn't exactly what Troy Ferge had in mind.
The quest to own the fastest and quickest light-duty pickup truck on the island of Maui continued with the installation of a Ford 9-inch rearend and a set of gears. It was still not enough.
Ferge needed to get more rubber underneath the fenderwells to handle all the power now being delivered by a fairly healthy, alcohol-burning Chevy small-block. So the big Ford rearend got narrowed 9 inches -- narrow enough to tuck a huge set of 15x15-inch Goodyears beneath the bed.
Now Ferge had a whole new problem: The truck was too fast. The stock chassis, even in modified form, could no longer handle the power. Handling proved to be a big problem.
Things are pretty basic in...
Things are pretty basic in this cockpit. A single JAZ bucket seat and both door panels were covered in multi-colored vinyl by Joe's Custom Upholstery. Most of the safety equipment is Simpson stuff, while instrumentation duties are handled by Auto Meter gauges.
Ferge ordered up one of Chris Alston's front subframe kits. Together, with local Chevy racer Bill Burns, the two slapped it together, complete with Koni/Alston coilover shocks, tubular upper and lower control arms, Mustang II front spindles, Stainless Steel Brake's front disc brakes, and Mustang II rack-and-pinion steering.
With a 434-inch alcohol-burning small-block, the truck ran a best of 9.16/146.00 in the quarter. But it needed more updating again.
Ferge and his company, which includes Troy's father Roy and brother-in-law Lawrence Souza, converted the pickup to a full tube chassis by installing a Chris Alston Chassisworks back half. Also included are an eight-point Alston Chassiswork's rollcage, complete with a four-link Alston/Koni rear suspension, along with the aforementioned Ford
9-inch, now outfitted with 4.11:1 Strange Engineering gears, and Moser 31-spline axles. Also along for the ride is a set of Alston Chassiswork's wheelie bars. Stopping those Goodyear-wrapped 15x15-inch Cragar/Weld wheels is a set of Wilwood rear disc brakes.
After several different incarnations,...
After several different incarnations, Troy Ferge came up with this combination of a blown 434ci Rocket small-block on alcohol.
Now Ferge had himself a real race car, er, truck. And it's a good thing that he performed all those upgrades because Show 'n' Tell's latest incarnation includes a 434ci GM Performance Parts Rocket Block blown and on alcohol.
The small-block has many features, which include Shirota Auto machine work, a Crower billet stroker crank, Oliver connecting rods, a set of 11:1 compression Probe Industries' pistons with Total Seal piston rings, a Pete Jackson geardrive, a Melling and Stef oiling system, and an Iskenderian Cams valvetrain.