Horsepower Wars C10 Shootout: the 100-Mile Cruise and the Race (Ep 6)

The Horsepower Wars C10 Shootout, presented by Summit Racing, set out to pit two builders and two different trucks with two different makes of engines against each other with a common set of rules. The powerplants, as you know by now, were taken from LS vs Coyote 3, and are small cubic-inch, all-aluminum V8s with now-even-larger HPT turbochargers on them (a 76mm compressor and 103mm turbine to be exact). The guts of the engines are vastly different: the LT being a more traditional pushrod V8 with 16 valves and single cam in-block at 5.3L; and the Coyote is a 5.0L,  32-valve, dual-overhead-cam new kid on the block, so to speak. The conclusion of our little build-off includes a 100-mile cruise to Summit Racing’s retail store in Talmadge, OH and one day of racing at Darana Dragway in West Salem, OH. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, and I promise it does not disappoint. 

To start, let me just say, in this author’s opinion, that the age-old “which one is better” discussion will never end. Ford versus Chevy is an iconic battle. Which one is more reliable, which one costs less, which one costs less per horsepower, which one makes more horsepower per cubic-inch, which one can flat-out make the most horsepower… There are so many ways to evaluate these two formidable platforms. In no way, did we (the Horsepower Wars staff) think this would end the debate, but merely add to it and provide a little entertainment in the process. With that in mind, let’s look at the facts.

In This Corner…

LT Powered ‘78 C10, built by Big 3 Racing

Coyote Powered ‘72 C10, built by Customs by Bigun

While the approach to building both engines and vehicles may have been different, we quickly learned that there were advantages and disadvantages to each. Despite being in a serious time-crunch, Big 3 Racing put together a formidable build that used a keep it simple approach that worked to their favor. Minus a few issues discovered in testing, the truck was dialed in very quickly. In fact, they made only two full test hits before the cruise and the race. And most of the changes made were typical tuning adjustments.

Conversely Bigun’s four-link seemed to work beautifully at their home track, but it was going to be a learning curve moving to Darana with vastly different weather and track conditions. And with so many adjustments available to them, it is very easy to get a bit lost in the woods with a limited amount of time to dial it in.

Where would the two trucks and their builders meet in the learning curve? And when or where would the engine platforms come into play? While both engines were evenly matched on the engine dyno, it’s hard to say where they fared now with the larger turbos. The chassis dyno results gave us some indication that the LT might be a little more healthy than the Coyote, but going from a hub dyno to a roller dyno is more of an apples to oranges comparison. And also, let’s keep in mind that the dyno is merely a tuning tool. No one was going to push these engines on the dyno hard enough to risk hurting them before the competition.

Safety First

Even though we were planning on racing both trucks in the ⅛-mile at the drag strip, with over 1,400 horsepower on tap, we anticipated them going over 130mph. At that speed, we needed parachutes, driveshaft safety loops, belts, window nets, and roll bar padding to go with the roll cage. 

A single Simpson Sky Jacker 10-foot Parachute (PN 42020BK) was sufficient for each truck, mounted using a series of parts from Competition Engineering, including the cable (PN C3452), anchor mount (C3450), pack mount (PN C3451), and release cable clamps (PN C3453). Simpson also provided the seat belts, a 2-inch Camlock Harness (PN 29400BKR1X) for each side. Competition Engineering Bolt-In Race Harness Mounting Plates (PN C4911) helped mount the Simpson harnesses, which were complimented by a Racequip Ribbon Style Drag Race Window Net (PN 729005RQP) and Window Net Mounting Kit (PN 700101RQP) affixed to the door bar of the roll cage on the Big 10. The Coyote 10 used the Simpson Stock Car Window Net (PN 36002BK) and Drag Camlock Harness (PN 29115BK).

A few other parts worth mentioning that we installed on both trucks were a Competition Engineering Tubular Driveshaft Safety Loop (PN C3029), Battery Boxes (PN 74051), and Roll Bar Padding (PN 80944) all added to be in compliance with NHRA safety standards. A Summit Racing Engine Diaper (PN SUM-5290206X) was added to the LT as well, and Bigun fabricated a belly pan for the Coyote to keep any oil off the track. Bigun also added a Safecraft Fire System (PN LT10JAB) on the Coyote 10.

Drag and Then Drive

After each builder and owner had the chance to meet each vehicle, it was time to get acquainted on the 50-mile drive to Summit Racing’s Talmadge, Ohio retail location from Big 3 Racing in West Salem. It was a scenic drive through the Amish country, until we hit the highway. Both trucks ran E85 the whole way, and needed to be topped off when we got to Summit. The reactions from unsuspecting shoppers and employees was fantastic. The Coyote 10 definitely has the shock factor, while the purists really flocked to the Big 10 square-body.

Another 50 miles back to Big 3 and the trucks were put to rest for the evening. It was a rather uneventful drive, no repairs needed unlike during testing. The carnage would be saved for the next day, when each truck was put through its paces.

The rules for the race were simple, each team would get the full day to make passes at Dragway 42–err, Darana Dragway–with a fresh radial prep. Like any drag and drive event, the idea was that this race would be about the car and not how fast the driver can cut a light. So we’d let each team come to the starting line at will, and the best two runs would be averaged to determine the winner. (For the avoidance of doubt: there was no limit on the amount of passes they could make during the day.)

It was an unusually warm day in Ohio for the Fall, starting off around 50 degrees in the morning and eventually hitting 81 degrees by the afternoon. The barometer read 29 inches pretty much all day. The conditions were quite a bit different than the late night test session in Rockingham, NC for Bigun, but quite similar to what Big 3 had seen two days prior at this very same track. So it was no surprise that right out of the gate, it seemed like the Big 10 was dialed in while the Coyote 10 was not. 

It is worth mentioning that testing was done by the builders, and now it was up to the truck owners to pilot each truck. But with a format similar to any drag and drive competition, counting only the best run of the day – not head to head – it should rule out any differences in driver skill. Instead it was about tuning the truck. Though the new pilots would need to learn their rigs quickly, it became a team effort to make adjustments in setup and driving. Each run, the logs were reviewed by tuners Rick Trunkett and Pete Harrell. Eric Yost and Chuck Stefanski acted as crew chiefs with their team to dial in the chassis and driver.

The Coyote 10 had multiple aborted runs to start off the morning, as the team kept making adjustments to the four-link, tire pressure, and the two-step to keep it from spinning. It wasn’t until the third attempt that they actually got down the track, going a 5.446, and had another failed attempt right after. Meanwhile the Big 10 was rolling right out of the gate. Dave piloted the square-body to a 5.432 on the first hit, backed up by a 5.253 on the next. With only one aborted run on the third attempt, Dave was rolling and the Big 3 team was continuing to refine the tune-up – dropping at least a hundredth on each pass, getting all the way down to 5.207 on the best run to take a commanding lead before disaster struck.

On the seventh run, the unthinkable happened. The Big 10 got loose and Dave was quick to correct while getting out of the throttle, but it sideswiped the wall. To his credit, Dave shook off the hit rather quickly and was ready to get back after it. First, the Big 3 team would need to look over the truck to make some repairs to get the truck ready. Thankfully the hit was mostly cosmetic, and the wheel did not make contact with the wall. The sheet metal on the quarter panel seemed to take the brunt of the impact and then the door and fender came later.

In the meantime, the Bigun team was making serious headway with the Coyote 10. On the fifth run, they clipped off a 5.309 before going backwards a little on the sixth. On the seventh run, it came calling with a 5.259 and then finally took the lead on the eighth run with a 5.163 and backed that up with a 5.138 before the day was done (for a 5.150 average). The Coyote 10 had the win, meaning back to back victories for Ford power. Once again, Eric Yost, Pete Harrel and the whole Bigun crew had tasted victory in Horsepower Wars.

Kudos to both teams in a tight race from start to finish. Without the crash, this easily could have gone the other way. As this marks the conclusion of Season 4 of Horsepower Wars, presented by Summit Racing, we can officially say this was the closest year of competition yet. Both series showed what incredible builders can do with these impressive platforms. Thank you to the Customs by Bigun and Big 3 Racing crew as well as Late Model Engines and Fast Forward Race Engines.

Horsepower Wars C10 Shootout would also like to thanks its sponsors for making this possible including Summit Racing, Holley (Holley EFI, Simpson, etc), Manley Performance, Diamond Racing Pistons, COMP Cams, Moroso Performance Products, Total Seal, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Cometic Gaskets, AMSOIL, Vibrant Performance, HPT Turbochargers, ICT Billet, ATI Performance, Meziere Enterprises, AFCO Racing, Optima Batteries, Old World Industries/Peak, Strange Engineering, SPAL, Auto Metal Direct, and Wiles Driveshaft.