Maximum Horsepower w/No Electronics

[ThePIGSmith]

I am planning a swap of a 6.5TD into a 1983 J10 Pickup Truck.

I plan to swap the 6.5 electronic parts for 6.2 mechanical parts to make the swap easier.

My question is, how much horsepower can a person make with a non-electronic 6.5TD?

Now please understand my position and do not take me the wrong way:
I've read lots of folks say, "You should be able to make 300 HP easy!"
BUT...I can NOT find the facts where I am to buy and then bolt up these magic parts that produces all that horsepower.

So, by answering my question, I request that you educate me about what I need to do to make the horsepower that you say I can.

[grape]

stanadyne #4974 will get you close.

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

Can't answer, but I'd look at one of our advertiser's ads, Peninsular. They make 300 HP (truck or marine) & (I think) 400 HP (marine) versions of our motors. You might get some tips from simply looking at their offerings.

Keep an eye on what ronniejoe's doing, too.

Blessings!

[JohnC]

Get the reprints covering the DP power project from 5 or so years back. (My, time does fly...)

[schamp]

You should be able to get 400hp plus if you want to spend the money. Twin turbos, etc. Even brand new rebuilt with all the stuff at 400 hp I don't think it would last 50k miles. At least that is what Jamie Avant told me. I had him rebuild my engine to the 300 plus hp. Its enough for my suburban.

[Jim P]

SCHAMP,

I am just wondering what they did to get you 300 hp? My truck has all the goodies and it only has 203hp at the wheels. In order to get 300hp you would need a very good marine pump and a huge turbo that would have very bad turbo lag for daily driving. I am not saying its not possible but I would have to see the dyno sheet to believe it.

[Andy Chesek]

All build-up stories I've read tell me when the magicial 300 HP is mentioned, it is 300 HP at the flywheel. I've yet to hear of anyone even close to 300 HP at the rear wheels with a 6.5.

[schamp]

Yes, I would think Jamie was talking at the flywheel. I had him build mine with all the stuff. Gear drive, stronger pump, hi-pop marine injectors, balanced, matched, cam, 4 inch exhaust, coating for pistons, heads, exhaust downpipe etc. Not to mention his special go fast black engine paint. Was not cheap by any means but it does a good job pulling my 33 jayco. It would be nice to see just what I got a the wheels. I may take the suburban up to Atlanta and get it done someday. Now if I could just get some 300hp brakes.

[Hansh]

I have a 300 hp Peninsular engine which I just installed. I am happy with it. I have also done many of the modificions recommended on this website. It is just getting boken in, so I have not towed with it yet. I am using a stock mechanical pump because I had it rebuilt last fall, and a stock turbo, so therefore I am NOT producing 300 hp. You will need their IP. I will upgrade in the future as needed. Peninsular was great to work with and I would recommend them.

[More Power]

BTW - The advertised 300-hp of the LB7 Duramax 6600 actually produces somewhere between 235-250 at the rear wheels.

To get close to 300 FWHP with a Peninsular spec 6.5, you'll need Pen's marine fuel injection system and their turbocharger.

Jim

[Jim P]

Schamp,

I realize that they are advertising the 300 hp as flywheel hp but I am just trying to show that just making an engine 18:1 and cranking up the boost and fuel a little will not produce 300hp.

My truck has 203 hp at the wheels so the flywheel hp is probably getting close to 250. The only other things that I could do to mine is maybe getting a little better chip and upgrade the turbo. My chip is not the latest and greatest.

Upgrading the turbo and chip might get close to 300 hp but I have my doubts and the turbo will have serious turbo lag for everyday driving..

The bottom line is, it doesn't matter who you got your engine from, if you are running the stock pump and stock turbo, you are not making 300 hp. It's that simple.

[schamp]

Jim P, I went with a non-electronic injection pump and hi pop injectors, the so called stronger or better cam. Balanced everything, coated everything, port matched everything, girdle for bottom end, used the studs on the heads, the injection pump has the extra plungers. I don't know for sure what hp its making but its a man now as before it was 6 year old little boy. I also had the duramax water pump and clutch put on with fan. I can now pull the 33 jayco at about 65 with a egt of around 700 to 750 on flat ground. On hills it gets to about 900-1000. The real test is going to be next month when I go to Bristol, Tn. for the race. Those two mountain ranges are a real test. Last year with the old engine I ended up in the slow lane-read as emergency lane doing about 15-20 mph. Motor blew its water a couple of times etc. The report from Avant is that I could still turn the pump for additional power. If not for the diesel page I would not known of half of the things we can do to our engines to make them better. Best support group I ever saw. All in all I dropped about 13K for engine, some trannie work, trans controller, exhaust, guages, etc. So far so good. No problems and would recommend the Avants with one recommendation- Time- double whatever time they say it will take to get it done. As you know its a big job and things happen. They had to work on my transmission case and others things they found when they got it all out. schamp

[Jim P]

Schamp,

I don't doubt that your truck pulls your Jayco very well. I have a 30' Jayco and my truck pulls it very well. It catches a lot of wind. Our bed is up over the fifth wheel and I can stand up staight by our bed and I am 6' 6" tall. I think it is 12' 4" high to the roof. I have never pulled any huge mountains but I have towed through some pretty good hills in Pennsylvania. My truck is five speed and I have not yet found a hill on the highway that I can't pull in high gear and hold 65 mph. On our last trip, we even pulled our 16' boat behind the camper with a combined length of 63' and still had no problem pulling it. This why I was shocked that my truck only had 203 hp at the wheels.

I doesn't seem to me that you can make much over 250 hp at the flywheel with the stock turbo. Are you running an upgraded turbo?

Also, do you know how much your Jayco weighs? I am not sure what mine weighs but it is heavy. I pulled onto a CAT scales one time and was going to weigh it but they charge about 10 bucks and my wife didn't see the need to know how much it weighed? Now if they were having a sale at FASHION BUG, 10 bucks would have been a drop in the bucket.

[Diesel Dan]

All the gravel and grain scales I've ran across will tell you the weight for free, even hand write it down. But if you want a certified slip for whatever reason it can run $3-10.

[schamp]

Jim P, not sure what mine weights. Do have the figures empty but they are only empty when you buy it. With all the stuff my wife has in it, it has to be an extra 800 to 1000 pounds. When you add up all the plates, silverware, tv, vcr, stuff. I know one thing, I will not pull it to Bristol with the water tank loaded. Only 36 gallons I think but at somewhere near 300 lbs it makes a difference. I have a trucker going with me and will ask about a scale. Your 5th wheel and 5 speed has to be a beg plus. Schamp

[JeepSJ]

Pigsmith-

Are you on IFSJA?

Mark

[C.K. Piquup]

!8:1,Hi-Pop injectors,DB2 modified to marine spec,125 g.p.m.cooling system,Med-Duty non-wastegated turbo w 3" exhaust elbow,Performance air filtration,Hi-Flo exhaust=300 minimum RWHP.