Key Ingredients: Real World Power Recipes from the Purdue Diesel Club Dyno Day

Dyno events are a great way to illustrate how different power combos play out in the real world. Instead of taking dozens of trucks to the dragstrip, waiting for each one to make a clean pass and then calculating horsepower numbers, a chassis dyno removes all of the guesswork and does the calculating for us. It’s no secret that dyno events are a big draw for diesel owners. This is why the Purdue University Diesel Club, a group of diesel enthusiasts that attend the flagship college located in Lafayette, Indiana, hosts an annual dyno day.

Thanks to the continued support of Fleece Performance Engineering and many other sponsors over the years, the event is now known for bringing out some of the strongest running street trucks in the greater Indianapolis area. All told, 45 trucks would try their hand on D.C. Chassis Dyno’s DynoJet xLC load-cell dyno in 2015, with more than half of them clearing the 500-hp mark. In the following pages, we’ll showcase the dynoproven parts combinations for the most of this year’s top finishers. Consider them blueprints you can put to use in pursuing a horsepower goal with your truck. DW

1,139hp Dodge, Brain Randall

As the owner of a diesel performance shop, Randall’s Performance, Brian built this truck to both honor a friend he lost to cancer and be the face of his business. When all was said and done, his triple-turbo terror did not disappoint at this year’s event. It would lay claim to 1,139hp—the most on the day. Backing up those numbers, the truck has gone 6.61 at 106 mph in the 1/8-mile–at a hefty 7,600-lb race weight.

Specifications:

Hometown: Gladstone, Illinois

Truck: 2006 Dodge Ram 2500

Engine: 5.9L Cummins with Carrillo rods, coated and valve-relieved Marine QSB pistons, Gorilla girdle, fire-ringed head and block, ported and polished head, Hamilton 188/200 cam, 625 Custom Age ARP head studs

Fuel: 250 percent over Exergy Performance injectors, twin 12mm Exergy Performance CP3’s, twin Fuelab 200-gph lift pumps

Air: Midwest Truck Products triple-turbo arrangement (three S363 chargers), ZZ Custom Fabrications side runner intake manifold

Transmission: Full billet Goerend 48RE with constant pressure valvebody and custom stall billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: EFILive via Silver Bullet Tuning

Horsepower: 1,139hp

Torque: 1,764 lb-ft

747hp Ford, Chris Hoffman

Perhaps the most intriguing truck to run on the rollers was Chris Hoffman’s 6.4L-powered Super Duty. When we asked him how in the world his stock turbocharger, stock injector’d Ford cleared 747hp on the dyno, he told us he had no idea, but that it should’ve made 650hp! Chris regularly installs propane kits on big rigs at his shop, Wasted Diesel, and they usually pick up 100hp. However, he also told us he runs an energy-dense biodiesel concoction through his 6.4L; maybe that, coupled with a healthy dose of propane, had something to do with the truck’s freakish numbers.

Specifications:

Hometown: Huntington, Indiana

Truck: ’08 Ford F-250

Engine: 6.4L Power Stroke

Fuel: Stock

Air: Stock

Injectable: Propane

Transmission: 5R110 TorqueShift with upgraded clutches, River City Diesel billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: Innovative Diesel

Horsepower: 747hp

Torque: 1,323 lb-ft

899hp Chevy, Kyle Harbin

Kyle’s LMM is proof of how drivable and reliable a high-powered Duramax can be, if built correctly. He drove two hours to the dyno, made 900hp, then made a three-hour trip up to the Chicago area to grab a set of cheater slicks. After that, he drove 350 miles home, all the while getting 19.5 mpg. He hopes the added traction will help him improve on an already impressive 7.05 at 102 mph 1/8-mile pass.

Specifications:

Hometown: Marysville, Indiana

Truck: ’10 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD

Engine: 6.6L LMM Duramax with Carrillo rods, 16.5:1 Fingers Oval Bowl Duramax Performance Pistons, 3388 SoCal Diesel cam, Merchant Automotive pushrods, SoCal Diesel valvesprings, H11 head studs, ARP main studs

Fuel: 60 percent over Exergy Performance injectors, Dual CP3’s (stock pumps), AirDog II 165-gph

Air: Danville Performance 72mm Billet Stage 2R secondary turbo with billet 83mm S400 atmospheric

Transmission: Full billet Allison A1000 built by Limitless Diesel Performance with Sun Coast billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: EFILive via Danville Performance

Horsepower: 899hp

Torque: 1,411 lb-ft

732hp Ford, Jason Bannon

Jason sled pulls in Indiana’s highly-competitive 2.5 Work Stock Class with his 6.0L. Over the winter, he added huge (by 6.0L standards) 350cc injectors with 150 percent over nozzles, a Fleece S400 designed specifically to excel in the class, and even a rear AAM 1150 axle out of a 2003-plus Dodge. While 732hp isn’t tops in his class, it should be enough to keep pace with all the Duramax and Cummins competition.

Specifications:

Hometown: Ladoga, Indiana

Truck: ’03 Ford F-250

Engine: 6.0L Power Stroke with Liberator Performance O-ringed heads, ARP head studs

Fuel: Warren Diesel dual high-pressure oil pumps, Warren Diesel 350/150 conventional style injectors, Irate Diesel competition fuel system with A1000 lift pump, Driven Diesel regulated return

Air: Fleece Performance 2.5 turbo (billet S463)

Transmission: ZF-6 six-speed manual with South Bend 3850 dual disc clutch

Tuning: Warren Diesel via SCT

Horsepower: 732hp

Torque: Lost tach signal (no torque number was recorded)

715hp Dodge, Drew Romesberg

Being that Drew runs stock size tires on the factory wheels, traction can get a little dicey with 715hp and 1,346 lb-ft on tap—especially in two-wheel drive. He told us it’s fine to fool around in fifth gear, but in any gear lower than that traction is hard to come by. Traction or no, this standard cab 715hp Ram is one heck of a sleeper!

Specifications:

Hometown: Berlin, Pennsylvania

Truck: ’10 Dodge 2500

Engine: 6.7L Cummins with Haisley Machine billet push tubes and heavy-duty valvesprings, 625 Custom Age ARP head studs

Fuel: Exergy Performance 10mm Stroker CP3, 100hp Industrial Injection nozzles, AirDog II 165-gph

Air: Source Automotive single S472, second-gen conversion kit, Steed Speed T4 exhaust manifold

Transmission: G56 six-speed manual with Haisley Machine dual disc street clutch

Tuning: H&S Mini Maxx with MCC tunes from Draconian Diesel

Horsepower: 715hp

Torque: 1,346 lb-ft

692hp Dodge, Corey Hull

With an educated guess of 650hp, Corey was pleasantly surprised to see his rig lay down 692hp. In the future, he plans to keep the S363 as the high-pressure unit in a compound arrangement (possibly sticking an S475 in front of it) and going after big power.

Specifications:

Hometown: Alexandria, Indiana

Truck: ’06 Dodge 2500

Engine: 5.9L Cummins with Haisley Machine street cam, 90-lb valvesprings, and billet push tubes, H11 head studs

Fuel: 100hp Bosch Motorsport injectors, Fleece Performance PowerFlo 750 CP3

Air: Engineered Diesel Billet S363

Transmission: Dan’s Transmission 48RE with billet input shaft and Goerend billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: EFILive via Compression Motorsports

Horsepower: 692hp

Torque: 1,378 lb-ft

625hp Ford, Justin Thomas

Justin’s good friend, Chris Hoffman, whose propane-injected 6.4L cleared 747hp earlier in this event coverage, built the engine powering his ’08 F250. From there, a simple low-pressure turbo upgrade (to a 72mm compressor wheel) has pushed Justin’s Ford deep into the 12s in the quarter-mile. He told us it regularly runs 12.3s and 12.4s at Muncie Dragway.

Specifications:

Hometown: Markle, Indiana

Truck: ’08 Ford F-250

Engine: 6.4L Power Stroke with de-lipped International pistons, River City Diesel heavy-duty valvesprings and pushrods, ARP head studs

Fuel: AirDog II 165-gph

Air: Stock high-pressure turbo with River City Diesel 72mm low-pressure charger

Transmission: Stock with DPC billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: H&S Mini Maxx with custom MCC tunes from Jesse Byall Horsepower: 625hp

Torque: 1,140 lb-ft

581hp Dodge, Jacob Bair

Quick Fact: Jacob’s second-gen 24-valve is proof that a standard output VP44 can make good power. He told us the injection pump is also the original one and has racked up 225,000 trouble-free miles (which is almost unheard of). Jacob was thankful for local shop, Compression Motorsports, which performed all of the work for him and helped get his 24-valve so close to the 600-hp mark.

Specifications:

Hometown: Summitville, Indiana

Truck: ’01 Dodge 2500

Engine: 5.9L Cummins with Haisley Machine 90-lb valvesprings and chromoly pushrods

Fuel: 150hp Scheid Diesel Lightning 2 injectors, AirDog 150-gph

Air: Fleece Performance Billet S363 with Stainless Diesel exhaust manifold, Hogan intercooler

Transmission: Dan’s Transmission 47RE with billet input shaft and Goerend billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: Edge Drag Comp with Smarty S-03

Horsepower: 581hp

Torque: 1,180 lb-ft

580hp Ford, Shawn Matz

7.3L’s had a pretty strong showing at this particular event. Shawn Matz’ numbers are even more impressive when you consider his truck sports a 332,000-mile, stock bottom end. Shawn and his cousin, owner of Amos Diesel Performance in Michigantown, Indiana, performed all of the work on the truck. Shawn told us he’s got a Gen3 high-pressure oil pump on the way from Swamps Diesel, which means clearing 600hp isn’t out of the question in the future.

Specifications:

Hometown: Burlington, Indiana

Truck: ’00 Ford F-250

Engine: 7.3L Power Stroke with Comp Cams 910 valvesprings, three-angle valve job, Smith Brothers pushrods, ARP head studs

Fuel: Full Force Diesel 300/200 injectors, Honey Badger Jr. high-pressure oil pump, Irate Diesel regulated return, AirDog II 165-gph

Air: Billet S475 with Irate Diesel T4 turbo mount

Transmission: Competition 4R100 built by Donnie Stringer of Rossville, Indiana, with billet input shaft, billet triple disc torque converter

Tuning: Swamps Diesel via Power Hungry Performance Hydra chip

Horsepower: 580hp

Torque: 1,073 lb-ft