1947 Hudson Pickup - Triple Threat

Having decided the purpose of his Hudson, Randy set about assembling the parts to make it happen. Key to the whole setup is a 7.3L Powerstroke turbo diesel engine. Pulled from a wrecked '01 Ford F-250, Simmons stripped and rebuilt it with all the hot ticket parts. The transmission was assembled by ATS Diesel Performance, which is guaranteed to 1,000 bhp and so far, Randy has had no problems. The power is fed back to a Ford 9-inch NASCAR floater rearend and the suspension is all custom-made by Randy and comprises of a triangulated four-link in the rear and one-off tubular upper and lower control arms with big six-piston caliper brakes at the front. The truck weighs in at 5,500 pounds, so big sway bars in the front and rear cope with the turns. Despite all these efforts, the old Hudson proved to be uncontrollable during early test runs and so Randy turned down the wick to 800 bhp.

"According to the SCTA rules for a pre-1949 truck, I could work in a maximum three-inch chop to cut the airflow and make it look cool. Other than that the outside is pretty much stock... apart from the paint of course and the custom wheels," explains Simmons.

Naturally, when you are running a big diesel and a big turbo, cooling is fundamental. The Ford Powerstroke left not an inch to spare, so Randy mounted the intercooler in the bed, along with all the necessary tubing and big five-inch exhaust stack. And when the going gets really hot, there is a DEI CO2 system, which sprays liquid carbon dioxide all over the intercooler, chilling the hot compressed air to 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit, before it goes into the engine.

As well as building cars for himself and his many satisfied customers as part of the Xtreme Motorsports Inc. shop, located in Azuza, California, Randy also has an off-shoot business he calls Robotic Integrated Technology (RIT). With his RIT hat on, Randy designs and builds therapy equipment for people suffering paralysis such as stroke victims and those with spinal cord injuries. Randy's groundbreaking equipment employs a combination of passive movement and electro stimulation to rehabilitate muscles and encourage new movement where previously there had been little or none.

Michael-Ryan Pattison was a star quarterback through high school and had dreams of going to college and of following his football dream. Having finished his sophomore year at Washington State University, Michael-Ryan and his friends set out for a weekend of celebrating at a nearby lake. Unfortunately, as Michael dove head first into the water, he struck a boulder and broke his neck leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down.