10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

March 2007 - Performance Zone
THE BEST OF THE BEST
By Performance Specialist Bruce C. Mallinson

They say people are a reflection of the friends they keep. I sure hope this is true, because one of my friends is possibly the smartest diesel engine engineer alive today. This man is amazing. At 75 years old he snow skis, snowmobiles, rides motorcycles and plays tennis. This engineer not only plays every day, but he still works with diesel engine companies and fuel injection manufacturers while being retired. Last year, he consulted on several diesel fuel system-related projects, all while flying to Germany one week each month to help there.

This man’s name is George Muntean and his claim to fame is 43 U.S. patents and 17 European patents pertaining to diesel engines and fuel injection. George has the most working patents pertaining to diesel engines of any man alive today. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. His father was a marine diesel engineer and George followed in his father’s footsteps. One of his first patents was a variable-pitch propeller for the tugboats in Hungary. He fought against the Russians during the Revolution of 1956 as Hungary attempted to break free of communism. After the revolution was defeated, the authorities learned of his engineering expertise and put George to work on marine and locomotive engine development for the Russian market.

After returning from Russia and experiencing the communist life, George realized that he had to defect to the United States in order to live a free life and earn a decent living. Working in Hungary as a chief engineer in the 1960’s, he was paid $1,000 per year. He was married to a woman named Eva (who was also an engineer) and they had a son and two daughters. She had to remain in Hungary with the kids as “hostages” whenever George made trips outside Hungary.

In 1967, the decision was made to escape to the free world. A wealthy businessman from Vienna, who was always looking for new adventures, was contacted by one of George’s friends to help with the escape to Austria. The Austrian was going to fly a small plane across the border and land on a highway where George, Eva and the three children would climb in and then fly back to Austria to freedom. Unfortunately, one week prior to their escape, a doctor from Hungary did exactly the same escape, so the communists were ordered to shoot down all unidentified aircraft flying near the border.

A new plan of escape was in order, so the Austrian businessman began spending time at a border hotel where the communist guards would go for a beer after work. One of the guards was going through a divorce and was broke (some things never change), so a nice bribe was in order. The Austrian paid a sum of money to the guard and told him not to check the trunk of his car when he crossed the border on a specific day. George and Eva had to give the children tranquilizers to keep them sedated (calm and quiet) while the five of them were in the trunk of the German Ford Taurus. Keep in mind, George is 6’4” tall so there was not a lot of room in that trunk. The border crossing was busy that day, so their time in the trunk was several hours. The guard did as planned (he did not check the trunk) and the Muntean family was finally free of the communist party.

While in Vienna, the Vice-President of Cummins Diesel Engines in Columbus, Indiana heard of George’s expertise and flew to Austria to interview him. George was hired on the spot. His annual starting pay in 1967 as an entry-level engineer was $11,000! That was eleven times more per year than the communists were paying him. George’s career at Cummins spanned 33 years and included 43 patents. In 2001 he retired as the Vice President of Fuel Injection Development, however, he still works every day.

Currently, George is helping us develop the Pittsburgh Power Computer for the ISX engine and designing injectors for the older NTC mechanical Cummins engines for high horsepower semi-truck pulling and drag racing. Our goal is about 1,600 horses. I could write a book about George’s life and will talk about him again in future articles. But the point is, we have “the best of the best” working with us to create the finest performance products for trucks out there. Stay tuned.

Several years ago, I wrote a story about Waldow and Daughter Trucking and how the daughter part of the company drove her purple Freightliner dump truck to her wedding to show how serious she was about the family business. Well, it’s been about four years now, and the Waldows and I have decided to have a truck show in Loveland, Colorado on June 28-30, 2007. The show will be called the Rocky Mountain Big Truck Show and will be held at the Larimer County Fairgrounds on I-25, 52 miles north of Denver. In addition to the truck show, there will be various events including a truck pull, an exhibition by Scott Bentz of Rocky Mountain Cummins (he has a seven-second Cummins “B” powered rail) and several seminars. So, if possible, plan on attending the Rocky Mountain Big Truck Show this June!

Diesel Injection of Pittsburgh, Inc. will be moving in July to a new facility and our name will change to Pittsburgh Power Inc. The new shop is being designed by all of the employees of Pittsburgh Power and will include a drivers’ lounge with a shower. There will be plenty of space to park on our 3.5 acres of level ground and two RV parking sites with full hook-ups will be available. The new location will be in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, 20 miles north of our current location.

Remember, you are a reflection of the people you hang out with, so choose your friends wisely. I am proud to call George Muntean my friend. If you have any comments or questions, please send me an e-mail to bruce@pittsburghpower.com or call (724) 274-4080.