Gale Banks: A Legend Among Gas and Diesel Truck Enthusiasts

Gale Banks is a gearhead, die-hard enthusiast, and a leader in the automotive community. With over 50 years of experience working on gasoline and diesel engines, he is a valuable resource for anyone looking to extract more power out of their car or truck engine. He is best known for his Banks Monster Exhaust systems and the Banks Bullet power programmer. These parts are made for a large variety of vehicles and are custom made to work seamlessly with the car or truck, requiring no modification for installation.

It was Jay Leno, the late night talk show host and world renowned car enthusiast, who had the original idea to put a 1,790 cubic inch V-12 engine from a Korean-war era M47 Patton tank into a car. It was a marriage of Frankenstein proportions, but it wasn’t crazy enough for Mr. Leno. Many people would ask, isn’t 810 horsepower enough for a street car? Jay Leno didn’t seem to think so and felt that twin-turbo charging the engine would deliver the level of insanity he was seeking. For this reason, Jay contracted Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering for his personal advice and expertise in producing his one-off Tank Car. After much research, trail and error, and fabrication, Gale was able to create one of the most ludicrous machines ever made by man. To sum up the modifications made to the M47 Tank engine, Banks added to the mix an entirely new exhaust system, a revised intake manifold, twin turbochargers, and a built from the ground up fuel system to make this V-12 monster push out more than 1600 horses and over 3000 foot-pounds of torque! Due to the excessive wheel spin and to make the car more street-able, the car was tuned down to around 1200 horsepower. Needless to say, Jay Leno is overly pleased with the results of his absolutely mad concoction. He is also proud to comment that not only has Gale significantly improved the power output, but also the fuel economy!

Project Sidewinder is another one of Gale Banks side ventures into diesel performance. Project Sidewinder is the fastest diesel pickup truck in the world, pushing out quarter-mile times as low as 12.16 seconds at 115 miles per hour! To produce the 735 hp and 1300 lb-ft of torque, Banks had to make several modifications to the stock system. Some of the major additions include ram air ducting, an improved cooling system, new fuel rails and fuel pump, extensively modified cylinder heads, and a Holset Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT). The VGT is a particularly important choice for getting quick quarter-mile times as it allows the turbocharger to maximize boost created for any given RPM range. It does this by changing the angle of incidence of the turbines to minimize turbo lag and backpressure. This in turn minimizes the time it takes to spool the turbo and maximizes boost across the RPM band. Variable Geometry Turbines are a relatively new advancement in turbocharger technology and are proving to give many the extra edge in performance they need to win races and take home the prize. In fact, VGT is one of the latest technologies that Porsche has incorporated into their 911 Turbo to help keep it in the forefront of the ultra competitive battle for the top supercar.

Resources:
Click on these links for more information about Gale Banks, Banks Exhaust, or Banks Bullet.

Written by Car Enthusiast on May 14th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Automotive.

Related articles

No comments

There are still no comments on this article.

Leave your comment...

If you want to leave your comment on this article, simply fill out the next form:

You have to be identified to write a comment.

Tips In Choosing The Appropriate Car Or Limo Service You Need

With the various limousine services in Toronto, one might get a headache on which to call and avail services from. There might not only be hundreds of limousine services in Toronto so it is more advisable to be wise and prepared in choosing the appropriate limo ride for your needs. Here are some tips that you should remember in deciding what limo service you must avail:

1. Do some background checking or ask friends if they have availed services from your preferred Toronto car service company.

This is a wise action to make before getting services; it is a-must to orient yourselves before getting service. There are a huge variety of car services available within Toronto but only a few are reliable. So, better prevent yourselves from being deceived by those crappy limousine services that will only get into your nerves because of poor service.

2. Ask for free estimates or price consultation.

In some aspects, hiring a car service like an airport limousine service in Toronto might sometimes cost you more than the usual. That’s why in cases such as this it is recommendable to ask for free estimates or price consultation so that you will have the chance to prepare a budget which best fits the kind of limo or car service for you needs. Many Toronto limousine rentals actually provide offers such as this so better call up those kind of car services.

3. Protect your interest.

When getting a Toronto airport limo service, for example, be advised that it is your needs that is what’s important. Do not let yourselves be manipulated on the kind and the type of car or limo ride you need. You are the person who best know what you need so state everything you need from the start and communicate very well with the car or limo service company you are about to avail. There are too many risk that might come and no one for sure wants to experience the hassles of traveling.

4. Comfort and Security at all times.

Two main reasons why many individuals prefer to get a private car or limo service when touring or traveling in different places are comfort and security. Especially if one is traveling along with family or business colleagues, it is more of a guarantee that he or she is traveling with comfort and safety. And to be able to ensure to get comfort and security, finding a reliable and credible company providing services like airport limousine service in Toronto is the key to get hold of one. And lastly:

5. Make sure the company is legal.

One good way in checking if a car service company is legal or not is through inquiring in a transportation office. Through a quick call or surf in the internet can be used as tools in checking if it’s legal or not. Just make sure to provide the correct information about the car service company you are about to get. Also, ask if they are bonded just to serve as your service protection from them.

These tips stated above are only a few from the long list on how to get or select the appropriate and reliable car service company you need to avail. Making sure only takes a little of your time so better do them before getting one. These tips will serve as you shield against deceitful companies that might take advantage of you. Remember, it is better to be safe than to gain bad consequences in return.

Andrew Beene is a web associated with a company providing Toronto car service.

Written by Car Enthusiast on August 21st, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Automotive.

Related articles

Comments disabled

Comments on this article have been disabled.