Diesel Dave, as he’s known in those circles, got his rise to fame by taking what we all love – big, powerful trucks – and making them better. He doesn’t just outfit a good truck into a great truck – he takes them on in big scale redesign projects. That leaves a lot of people wondering, what’s the end product? Greatness. Diesel Power Gear is all about the diesel lifestyle. It’s not just an option for fuel economy and power – it’s a way of life.
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Diesel Dave and the folks at Diesel Power Gear seem to definitely get that. Whether it’s cruising around the block or hauling it big time through the back country brush, it’s the little things that count. Starting with a Chevy Silverado 3500HD series 6.6 L Duramax diesel engine, this rig is already ready to haul. The Chevy LML Duramax V8 is firing up almost 400 hp and a staggering 765 lb ft of torque. What takes this monster to the next level? Twin turbo charging the engine and boosting its throughput with dual smoke stacks out the back. Bump it up a notch with a five inch lift kit with new anodized steel rigging and and that is one behemoth to whip around the parking lot.
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The reason why the twin turbo configuration is really essential is one of the problems with having such a powerful diesel engine is getting it spooled up enough to pull off stunts like this. In order for a truck to get the instantaneous power it needs – it needs dual twin turbochargers. It’s a rather small modification overall, but it is time intensive and demands attention to the quality of the twin turbo kit being installed. That’s especially true – like scenarios like this – where twin turbo charge doesn’t always lead to knowing the limits. There’s almost nothing worse than seeing a well designed pick-up with a twin turbo charged diesel fall apart.
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Outside of the world of heavy duty monster truck modifications, Diesel Dave is famous for pulling some rather affable antics. Whether it’s working on the Mega Ram Runner 6 door
Diesel Dave Antics – The Best
Outside of the world of heavy duty monster truck modifications, Diesel Dave is famous for pulling some rather affable antics. Whether it’s working on the Mega Ram Runner 6 door with a custom Cummins 6.7 L engine or coming through with a first place win for a Facebook fan – he’s the sort of crazy, comical, and competent custom mods mechanic needed. Diesel Dave’s latest work – custom rugged Duramax in an all steel frame. It’s hard to come up with new ways to take great trucks like the Dodge Ram with a Cummins engine or Chevy Silverados and make them even more gnarly. That’s why work of this nature can be very hit or miss – it’s the perfect mixture of aesthetics and power.
Why Hardcore Diesel Customs Are Taking Overhead
It’s part of a larger picture, really. As Ford, Dodge, and Chevy all run toe-to-toe in engine specifications, durability, and power – it’s become increasingly fun to take what’s great and bump it up to the next level. It’s not just Diesel Dave or even Mallory Engineering – it’s part of an overall trend. Because diesels like the Ford Powerstroke and the Chevy Duramax all last a very long time and can put upwards of a half million miles under the hood, it pays to take the classic configuration and make it somebody’s own. That way, no matter how many years a truck is running – it will always be something distinctly personal. Are these trucks becoming status symbols over their traditional role of being work horses? Perhaps. But with more and more mechanics eyeballing the custom fit pieces to turn these beasts into mythological creatures of the highway, they’ve gotten quite creative with how that’s done.
A few of the pieces that are always added first:
• CS/CTS Programmers
The grand State of California has made sure the language on these is extremely narrow to avoid being heavily regulated but, in a nutshell, it’s how a driver can truly monitor engine performance and – ahem – attempt to correct any default factory coding in the truck. When a Duramax engine is built and installed into a Chevy Silverado 3500HD, the Chevy factory programs in a set of parameters to keep the engine operating within engineered specs. Now, that’s great for a 100,000 mile warranty package. However, it’s not for everyone. Especially those looking to take their truck into the tuner and off-road events. So, a programmer is absolutely essential. Without one, even with a twin turbo charged engine, there will be a much slower response time and perhaps even unfortunate engine damage because the right parameters aren’t being monitored. Definitely a safe pick.
• Diesel fuel kit and injectors
Engines like the Duramax come with some pretty high octane Bosch CP3.3 injectors. After market fuel injection systems and kits can be specifically designed to work with add-ons like a twin turbocharger or specialized exhaust system. For quarter mile challenges and events that require a lot of engine strain, it’s important to get the fuel to the engine in a controlled manner.
