Fastest 50: New Mexico's Race-Ready RAM From Monarch Diesel

Once again, we’re highlighting another wicked fast diesel truck inside the greatest country in the world and our next stop is New Mexico. So far, inside the land of enchantment, the fastest submitted diesel is Monarch Diesel Performance’s owner, Stephen Pachta. Pachta is a diesel guru through and through and his passion for diesel repair and performance has translated into a pretty fast hobby. In fact, his third-generation Ram truck has been deep into the 10-second zone with much more in the tank.

Pachta’s truck, Maggie, as they call it, was really a simple build. In fact, this is a testament to how easy it can be to run quick times. Maggie’s powerplant is a stock long block with bolt-on’s and nitrous. Now, that may not be the way you would do it, but it’s possible. “This truck was a very simple build. With the factory head gasket still in place, we replaced the head bolts with ARP 2000 studs one by one,” said Pachta. “In fact, the only remaining top end parts we used are a set of Maxspool push tubes and Hamilton Cam’s 103-pound valve springs.”

Four drag slicks, a small fuel cell in the bed, smoke pouring out of the hood, this truck means business.

With keeping these trucks cool being so critical, Pachta relies on a set of Flex-A-Lite electric fans, Summit Racing electric water pump, and a Fleece Performance coolant bypass. Also, in an attempt to give Maggie just a little bit more juice, and to probably keep it clean spooled throughout the passes, this truck also utilizes an NXD1000 progressive nitrous controller kit from Nitrous Express.

These engines don’t really like a ton of horsepower and torque, but believe it or not, some trucks miraculously live even after stressful lives. A lot of times we hear of tuners tuning the torque out of these setups because the low-end torque is what kills them. They’re trying to push the power farther out into the RPM range.

Street trim, drag trim, this truck looks tough in every get up.

The engine is provided with boost by a BD Diesel Performance S480/87/1.0 T4 turbocharger. This turbo hangs off a BD 3-Piece exhaust manifold and is controlled via a 45-MM wastegate and BD’s gate controller and once this boost is created, it is forced through a Mishimoto intercooler. Fuel is distributed to the pair of high-pressure CP3 pumps by a FASS Diesel Fuel Systems 290-GPH lift pump and then onward to a set of S&S Diesel Motorsport 200-percent over fuel injectors.

As we mentioned earlier, the low-end torque kills the engines. One reason I think this engine may be living a lot longer than you would expect is the fact that he’s running a single turbo. The single turbo does make plenty of power and torque but compared to compounds, the low-end isn’t near as violent in my opinion.

Even on the drag slicks, Maggie still drives up and down the road when she wants. Photo’s provided by Stephen Pachta.

Maggie is also equipped with an ATS Diesel-built transmission configured with billet input, intermediate, and output shafts, as well as their manual valve body. So, to keep this unit cool during the pass, Pachta uses a pair of Derale Performance double-stacked transmission coolers to circulate the system. This unit is controlled in the cockpit via the TCI Automotive Outlaw shifter.

With the truck capable of some steam, Pachta decided it was time that safety modifications were in order. “Knowing the times we wanted were in reach, we knew we were in need of a roll bar and we went for it. We installed an 8.50-cert roll cage from S & W Racecars,” said Pachta. “With the cage installed, it was finished off with a Corbeau racing seat and a five-point harness.”

A few finishing touches before they let it rip was removing some of the factory leaf springs leaving only two with a set of Calvert Racing Cal Trac traction bar system and a set of Bilstein 5100 shocks.

Pachta did his best to make it to racing events and has earned some healthy horsepower and torque numbers at dyno events, too. In fact, the fastest pass with some weight loss was 10.59-seconds in the quarter at 130-MPH. After more changes, they topped that time with a 10.00 at 140-MPH. But, that’s not all. The first time hitting the dyno it made a healthy 937-horsepower and 1,400-lb/ft torque on fuel only. With the help of the laughing gas, it made 1,461-horsepower and 2,071-lb/ft of torque.

If you have followed Project DeadSpool, you can see that we aren’t the only ones who are trying to save every pound possible. Who knows what’s next. This truck could have four fiberglass doors next year.

Pachta was happy with those numbers but now he’s moved into new tuning via HP Tuners and a new tuner Blake from Unleashed Duramax Tuning. With a new tuner on board, those numbers may actually be more than before. This may be the end of the road for the engine that lives between those fenders, but Maggie won’t be lonely for long.

Pachta is excited about the future. “We are actually in the process of building a 6.4-Liter forged rod engine for Maggie right now,” he said. “With an engine that is made for this power level, more air, and more fuel, this thing should be ready to rip before seasons end this year.” We are excited to see even in the southwest you guys take diesel performance serious and have a lot of fun doing it. Stay tuned to Diesel Army for the latest.