Popular Posts Schaeffler Expands Line of Aftermarket Products Units for Agricultural Equipment Blown 540 cid Hemi Engine Weiand Supercharged 454 Big Block Chevy Engine Compound Turbo 6.0L Powerstroke 1,900-Plus HP LLY Duramax Engine Connect with us advertise with us

Schaeffler Expands Line of Aftermarket Products Units for Agricultural Equipment

Weiand Supercharged 454 Big Block Chevy Engine

1,900-Plus HP LLY Duramax Engine

Popular Posts Schaeffler Expands Line of Aftermarket Products Units for Agricultural Equipment Blown 540 cid Hemi Engine Weiand Supercharged 454 Big Block Chevy Engine Compound Turbo 6.0L Powerstroke 1,900-Plus HP LLY Duramax Engine Connect with us advertise with us

Schaeffler Expands Line of Aftermarket Products Units for Agricultural Equipment

Weiand Supercharged 454 Big Block Chevy Engine

1,900-Plus HP LLY Duramax Engine

Add Your Listing Edit Your Listing By Category Engine Components A/N Fittings/AdaptorsAir Induction SystemsBatteriesBearings (camshaft)Bearings (engine sleeve type)Bearings (main rear main)Bearings (Rod)Belt Tensioner/IdlersBrass FittingsBushingsCam CapsCamshaft Belt DrivesCamshaft KitsCamshaft SealsCamshaft Thrust Plate and PartsCamshaftsCarburetorsChain KitsClampsComplete EnginesConnecting RodsConnecting Rods Nuts BoltsCrankshaft ConversionsCrankshaft KitsCrankshaft Oil SlingersCrankshaft Pulley SleevesCrankshaft Repair SleevesCrankshaft SealsCrankshaftsCylinder Head ComponentsCylinder Heads New: Aluminum BareCylinder Heads New: Aluminum CompleteCylinder Heads New: Cast Iron BareCylinder Heads New: Cast Iron CompleteCylinder Heads Reman: Aluminum BareCylinder Heads Reman: Aluminum CompleteCylinder Heads Reman: Cast Iron BareCylinder Heads Reman: Cast Iron CompleteCylinder Liners (sleeves)Diesel InjectorsDipstick Adapters (Chevy Ford)Dowel PinsEFI ComponentsEngine BlocksEngine Blocks - RemanufacturedEngine KitsEngine Management Systems/ECUsEngine MountsExhaust ComponentsExhaust Components: Complete SystemsExhaust Components: Custom ExhaustsExhaust Components: Leak DetectionExhaust Components: ManifoldsExhaust Components: Tube NotchingExhaust Components: Tube SwagingExhaust Components: Tube/Frame Bending MachinesFilters - AirFilters - FuelFilters - OilFlywheel (ring) GearsFlywheel AssembliesFuel Injection - ElectronicFuel Injection - MechanicalFuel PumpsFuel System ComponentsGasket CementGasketsGear DrivesGovernorsHarmonic Balancer Repair SleevesHarmonic Balancers/DampersHead Bolts/StudsHex ShaftsHydraulic Lash AdjustersIgnition ComponentsInjector TubesInjectors - DieselInjectors - Gasoline DirectInjectors - IndirectIntake ManifoldsIPR ValvesKeysLockwashersMain Caps (4-bolt)Manifold StudsNitrous Oxide Systems, ComponentsNitrous Valves and PlatesNuts and BoltsOil CoolersOil Filter AdaptersOil PansOil Pressure SpringsOil Pump KitsOil Pump ScreensOil Pump ShaftsOil Pump Timing CoversOil PumpsOiling Systems; 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Add Your Listing Edit Your Listing By Category Engine Components A/N Fittings/AdaptorsAir Induction SystemsBatteriesBearings (camshaft)Bearings (engine sleeve type)Bearings (main rear main)Bearings (Rod)Belt Tensioner/IdlersBrass FittingsBushingsCam CapsCamshaft Belt DrivesCamshaft KitsCamshaft SealsCamshaft Thrust Plate and PartsCamshaftsCarburetorsChain KitsClampsComplete EnginesConnecting RodsConnecting Rods Nuts BoltsCrankshaft ConversionsCrankshaft KitsCrankshaft Oil SlingersCrankshaft Pulley SleevesCrankshaft Repair SleevesCrankshaft SealsCrankshaftsCylinder Head ComponentsCylinder Heads New: Aluminum BareCylinder Heads New: Aluminum CompleteCylinder Heads New: Cast Iron BareCylinder Heads New: Cast Iron CompleteCylinder Heads Reman: Aluminum BareCylinder Heads Reman: Aluminum CompleteCylinder Heads Reman: Cast Iron BareCylinder Heads Reman: Cast Iron CompleteCylinder Liners (sleeves)Diesel InjectorsDipstick Adapters (Chevy Ford)Dowel PinsEFI ComponentsEngine BlocksEngine Blocks - RemanufacturedEngine KitsEngine Management Systems/ECUsEngine MountsExhaust ComponentsExhaust Components: Complete SystemsExhaust Components: Custom ExhaustsExhaust Components: Leak DetectionExhaust Components: ManifoldsExhaust Components: Tube NotchingExhaust Components: Tube SwagingExhaust Components: Tube/Frame Bending MachinesFilters - AirFilters - FuelFilters - OilFlywheel (ring) GearsFlywheel AssembliesFuel Injection - ElectronicFuel Injection - MechanicalFuel PumpsFuel System ComponentsGasket CementGasketsGear DrivesGovernorsHarmonic Balancer Repair SleevesHarmonic Balancers/DampersHead Bolts/StudsHex ShaftsHydraulic Lash AdjustersIgnition ComponentsInjector TubesInjectors - DieselInjectors - Gasoline DirectInjectors - IndirectIntake ManifoldsIPR ValvesKeysLockwashersMain Caps (4-bolt)Manifold StudsNitrous Oxide Systems, ComponentsNitrous Valves and PlatesNuts and BoltsOil CoolersOil Filter AdaptersOil PansOil Pressure SpringsOil Pump KitsOil Pump ScreensOil Pump ShaftsOil Pump Timing CoversOil PumpsOiling Systems; Dry SumpOverhead Camshaft Repair SleevesPiston Pin BushingsPiston Pin Lock RingsPiston PinsPiston RingsPistonsPlugs - ExpansionPlugs - MagneticPlugs - Oil DrainPlugs - StandardPush RodsRadiator/Oil FansRering KitsRestoration Engine PartsRocker Arm Rebuilding ComponentsRocker Assemblies and KitsRocker Stud GirdlesSealsSerpentine BeltsShimsShort BlocksSpark PlugsSpringsSuperchargers, componentsSwitchesTappetsThread RepairThrust WashersTiming Belt/Chain TensionerTiming Belts/ChainsTiming Chains, Gears, SprocketsTiming ComponentsTiming CoversTransmission AdaptorsTurbochargers, componentsValve CoversValve Guide LinersValve GuidesValve KeysValve Lifter BallsValve LiftersValve Locks and SealsValve Seat InsertsValve Spring InsertsValve Spring RetainersValve SpringsValve Stem Oil SealsValve Train PartsValvesWater PumpsWater Tubes Engine Equipment & Preparation Adhesive DispensingAir Flow BenchesAir Handling SystemsBalance Shaft Elimination KitBalance Shaft Line Boring EquipmentBalancing AccessoriesBalancing EquipmentBelt SanderBench GrinderBlock Pressure Testing EquipmentBoring Bar InsertsBoring Bar Tool BitsBoring Machines/Connecting RodBoring Machines/CylinderBoring Machines/LineBoring Stand (For Portable Boring Machines)Brass FittingsBroachBushing Bearing & Seal Driver SetsCAD/CAM SoftwareCam Bearing Installation ToolCamshaft Degree Wheel (Digital)Camshaft GrindersCap & Rod GrinderCBN Inserts - NewCBN Inserts - ResurfacedCleaning Specialized EngineCNC Machining CentersCNC Retrofit KitsCompressed Air EquipmentConnecting Rod GaugesCoolant Filter MachinesCore Shift TesterCrack Repair EquipmentCranesCrankshaft Balance WeightsCrankshaft FurnaceCrankshaft GrindersCrankshaft Journal Weld KitsCrankshaft PolisherCrankshaft Polishing BeltsCrankshaft StraightenerCylinder Head Adapter PlatesCylinder Head Assembly/Disassembly Equip.Cylinder Head Chamfering ToolCylinder Head GaugeCylinder Head HoldersCylinder Head PolishingCylinder Head PortingCylinder Head Pressure TesterCylinder Head StraighteningCylinder Hone StopsCylinder Porting ToolsCylinder Sleeve PressDemagnetizersDiamond DressersDiesel Injector Hole Repair ToolsDiesel Injector Sleeve Installation ToolDowel PullersDye Penetrant InspectionDynamometersEngine Adaptor PlatesEngine Cycle AnalyzerExhaust Leak DetectionFeeler GaugesFlexible Honing Tools/Brush HonesFlywheel GrinderFuel Injection Cleaning ServicesGrinder Head StraighteningGrinding CoolantsGrinding WheelsHardness TestersHead/Block Crack Repair KitsHead/Block Resurfacing (Belt/Sanders)Head/Block Resurfacing (Milling)Heat Tabs Temperature SticksHolding FixturesHone Stop FixtureHoning JigsHoning Machines Wrist PinHoning Machines/CylinderHoning Machines/LineHoning Machines/RodHoning Machines/Valve GuideHoning PlatesHoning StonesIgnition System TestersIn-Process Gauges(Cam and Crank Grinders)Inspection GaugesLeak Down TesterLeveling DeviceMagnetic Particle Inspection Crack DetectionMicropolishing EquipmentOHC Line Boring ToolsOil Leak DetectionPCD Inserts - NewPin Fitting & Rod Reconditioning/TestingPin PressPin RemovalPiston KnurlerPiston Ring CompressorsPre-Cup Machining ToolsPush Rod Guide PlatesReplacement Chuck for Valve FacersRocker Arm GrinderRod AlignmentRod Bolt ProtectorsRod FurnaceRod VisesRun-In StandsStandsStud PullersTapsTest EquipmentThickness GaugeThread GaugesThread Repair & Replacement KitTorque PlatesUltrasonic Test EquipmentVacuum TesterValve Grinding BenchValve Guide & Seat Driver SetValve Guide & Seat MachineValve Guide Boring FixtureValve Guide HoneValve Guide KnurlingValve Guide PilotValve Guide ReamerValve Guide ToolValve Refacer (Cutter)Valve Refacer (Grinder)Valve Refacer WheelsValve Seat CuttersValve Seat InserterValve Seat PullersValve Seat ResurfacerValve Seat Runout GaugeValve Seat Tool GrinderValve Seat WheelsValve Spring CompressorValve Spring TestersValve Stem GrinderValve Stem Height MeasuringValve Stem PolisherWater Tube PullerWet Flow Bench Conversions Supplies & Service Chemicals & SolventsCore Cleaning & ProcessingCranes & HoistsHand ToolsLubricantsPressesServicesShippingStorage Racks & BenchesWelding

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Whether you’re a professional engine builder, machinist or manufacturer, or an automotive enthusiast who likes engines, racing and fast vehicles, Engine Builder offers content aimed at you. Our print magazine offers in-depth tech features on everything you need to know about engine building and its different markets, while our newsletter options keep you up-to-date on the latest news and products, tech info and personalities in the industry. But, you only get all of that if you subscribe. Subscribe now to receive Engine Builder magazine in print and/or digital each month, and our Engine Builder newsletter, Engine of the Week newsletter or Diesel of the Week newsletter directly in your inbox each week. You’ll be covered in horsepower in no time!

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You haven’t seen anything like Jesse Madaffari’s rat rod. It’s a 1972 John Deere 7520 tractor cab on an ’82 GMC S15 truck frame with a 496 big block Chevy engine capable of 10-second passes. Go ahead and read that again – you read it correctly. Check this thing out!

Engine of the Week is presented by

We’ve been cranking out articles on an array of Sick Week vehicles and engines that we got to see during our week in Florida, but you haven’t seen anything like Jesse Madaffari’s rat rod. It’s a 1972 John Deere tractor cab on a GMC S15 truck frame with a 496 big block Chevy engine capable of 10-second passes. Go ahead and read it again – you read it correctly. When we approached this rat rod from across the lot in Gainesville, we were drawn in like moths to a flame. Jesse was kind enough to give us a few minutes to unpack all the details.

“This was something that has been floating in my head for seven or eight years now,” Jesse Madaffari told us. “I substitute teach, and I was in Photoshop one time and I gave the kids freedom to go find something on the internet [for me to build a rat rod off of]. Of course, they knew I was into John Deere and they found somebody who had built a little parade vehicle using a 4020 cab. I looked and I went, ‘Hmm?’ I noticed it didn’t have a bar, so I knew it couldn’t be fast. I thought, somebody needs to do a real one of those, and so the dream started.”

Jesse isn’t new to the drag-and-drive scene. He’s been a staple of Drag Week for many years, competing with a C10 square body that housed this same 496 big block Chevy engine and John Deere livery. But this new rat rod build is something truly special.

“I was originally going to put it on an old C20 truck I had,” Madaffari says. “I was going to use that frame and try to cut it out and all that. My buddies out here told me that was dumb, and I should start with something else. I ended up using an ‘82 GMC S15 as the base and a 7520 John Deere cab.”

Jesse actually used to work on a 7520 John Deere tractor when it was in the field. He admits that they weren’t the greatest tractors thanks to the dry clutch and some other nuances, but the cab was exactly what Jesse was looking for in his new vehicle, and he knew where to find one. 

“I knew a farmer who got as much out of it as he could and salvaged it out to the local salvage dealer in south Texas – Grove Brothers,” he says. “I knew it was there. When the idea to build this rat rod came up, I got ahold of Grove and I asked if that cab was still out there. He didn’t know, so the next time I was down visiting my parents, I went out there and he said whatever you find is yours. I started tramping around and lo and behold it was there against a fence. It had sunflowers all over it and a tree growing up through the roof – it was a mess. But, I looked at it and knew that was it.

“I also found an old, burnt 4450 tractor hood that was real ratted out. Grove asked me if I was sure those were what I wanted, and I told him I was sure. He had his guys cut the trees to get it out and that’s where the build started. When I got it home, my wife looked at it and went, ‘What did you do!?’”

Jesse’s wife is in charge of making his vehicles look good, so she painted the cab and did all that work, which is referenced with a “Graphix by Mimi” logo on the top of the cab.

“She’s in charge of the pretty,” Madaffari says. “She also put stickers on it to try to match the square body that I’ve done Drag Week with for all these years.”

Inside the frame rails of the rat rod sits Jesse’s coveted 496 big block Chevy, which features a Scat crank, Scat rods, Chevy pistons, and aluminum heads with a 10:1 compression.

“It’s easy on the street,” he says. “This engine was in the square body and I freshened it up a couple of years ago. It has 70,000-80,000 miles on it. I’ve gone through a couple of cams. It has a roller cam in it now from Cam Dynamics. The lift is right at .680, so it’s easy on the valvetrain. It makes more low-end power than any cam I’ve ever had in it, and it sounds pretty good. The whole top end is from Crane, and it’s got roller rockers and Howard’s solid roller lifters.”

Jesse went on to tell us that he hasn’t gotten rid of his old square body. He’s since set it up for towing, and as soon as he gets a trailer built, it’ll be pulling this John Deere rat rod around. Despite that future plan, the John Deere rat rod is Jesse’s daily driver – as long as it’s 50 degrees and warmer.

“I drive it everywhere,” he says. “You can’t drive it and not smile.”

Helping keep the big block engine running cool is a high-volume oiling system that treats the springs to enough oil to stop any potential issues.

“In drag racing, you actually try to keep oil from getting to the top, but in these drag-and-drives, the killer is the valve springs,” Madaffari says. “I found out a long time ago, if you get oil up there, that helps keep everything cool. My seat pressure, I think, is about 160-165-lbs., and with the .680 lift I don’t have to worry about coil binds on it. I am running double springs, not triples. I used to run triples, but that was just a little overkill on the street. Since I’ve gone to the high-volume oiling system, I haven’t had any spring problems. It’s about as bulletproof as I think I could get it.”

Jesse proved that durability during Sick Week where he ran in the C group as part of the Bulls Eye Challenge class. These competitors were attempting to run a time with a decimal place as close to each day’s number as possible. Day 1 was 52, Day 2 was cancelled, Day 3 was 24, Day 4 was 48, and Day 5 was 66. Jesse ran ETs of [email protected] mph, [email protected] mph, [email protected] mph, and [email protected] mph for an average of [email protected] mph.

Watch Jesse burnout: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ujRk6pC6hAI

“Running a 10.00 is my goal,” he told us. “This thing weighs 3,250 with me in it. I’ll be putting it on the bottle. It’s built for that. The weak link right now is a converter. I’m basically doing first and second and just kind of coasting through the quarter. I’m having a good time, and that’s what this really is all about.”

Madaffari told us his 496 big block puts out over 700 horsepower, and it’s a sight to see the John Deere cab fly down the strip. Regardless of the horsepower output or the ETs on the track, Jesse’s rat rod is awesome, super unique and is sure to put a smile on the face of any person who sees it.

Engine of the Week is sponsored by PennGrade Motor Oil, Elring – Das Original and Engine & Performance Warehouse Inc./NPW Companies. If you have an engine you’d like to highlight in this series, please email Engine Builder Editor Greg Jones at [email protected]

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