I will be running an s480 as my secondary here shortly. I have gottne some input from some members on here but still have another question. I already have the turbo so I am going to use it. The question i have is what will i need to keep engine from blowing up. I was thinking headstuds, wastegate, RDL manifolds/ up-pipes. I really want to stay away from dual fuelers and injectors right now. Also who else sells diesel internals besides socal diesel. I have tried repeatedly to get ahold of these guys and nada. Thanks
s480 question
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Dieselperformanceresearch.com can set u up with anything you need.
Just call Curtis and chat with him.
Just call Curtis and chat with him.
Thanks guys..I was wanting to stay with the RDL mainifolds instead of headers just for the fact that i din't want to have to keep adjusting them every so often. the manifolds seem pretty low maintenance and i think they will reduce drive pressure. whats your take on this?
You are going to bend your rods most likely. I'd put in stronger ones now, since sometimes when you bend them, you trash your whole engine.
Headstuds can be put in while the engine is in the truck, but it's a PITA.
My basic build is:
Headstuds
Rods
Key crank and cam
De-lip pistons
If you've been trying to get ahold of Guy at SoCalDiesel with no luck, I'm surprised. I've never heard that before, and I know folk who have gotten help from Guy afterhours and weekends when in a bind. His shop is always open during it's posted hours. Phone (661) 775-5620
There is at least one member of this board who had a significant problem with DPR. Based on both posted and private information, I'm reluctant to recommend them.
Headstuds can be put in while the engine is in the truck, but it's a PITA.
My basic build is:
Headstuds
Rods
Key crank and cam
De-lip pistons
If you've been trying to get ahold of Guy at SoCalDiesel with no luck, I'm surprised. I've never heard that before, and I know folk who have gotten help from Guy afterhours and weekends when in a bind. His shop is always open during it's posted hours. Phone (661) 775-5620
There is at least one member of this board who had a significant problem with DPR. Based on both posted and private information, I'm reluctant to recommend them.
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Now this statement worries me.
Rebuilding a Dmax is not entry level mechanical work. I'd estimate the success rate at 50% for first time builders on their first attempt, and 75% on their second try to get it right. There is a lot of stuff that can go in backwards, upside down, etc. You should probably hook up with somebody who has done one before.
Something you should also consider. If you are on a very tight budget, playing with 600+ rwhp is not a good idea. If somebody told you that after you beef up the engine, it lasts forever, they fibbed. "Built" engines blow up too, they just do it at higher HP levels.
While it does make sense to beef up the engine to handle 800HP, then run it at 600hp, the problem is temptation. Next thing you know, you'll be shooting for 1000hp.
Oh.. i forgot to mention i will not be doing this myself. I just wanted to know how muck wrok was involved labor wise. Thanks for your input.
And yes..thats what i was after. I want to hedge myself so i can run 600 - 700hp safely but have and engine that can handle much more. I need this truck as a daily driver. This is how i was trying to rationalize this anyway. How much power do you think my engine will be able to handle with the engine upgrades you recommended? That sounds like a good setup.
That setup addresses the most common failures we see when we dial up the boost and hp. As far as it's limits? Not sure anyone knows that. Certainly well over 800rwhp. At that point, piston life becomes a problem. And there is always the risk of crank failure, but nobody is sure yet why it happens, or if it's even related to HP levels. Stock HP has broken a few.
If you are planning on building twins using the stock turbo and an S480 with one wastegate, I think your best option is to put an external wastegate in the up-pipes. There are some pictures out there somewhere of a setup like this. I think it might have been Mika who did it on his truck, but I really can't remember for sure. That will eliminate the drive pressure problems caused by the stock VVT turbine housing. If you want full adjustability, you would be best off to put a gate in the up-pipes that dumps into the hot pipe, and a wastegate in the hot pipe that dumps into the down pipe.
If you keep the torque down to 1200ftlb, and boost under 45psig, you might have no problems with stock internals. I didn't see problems until I hit 750hp.
A blown headgasket can be fixed fairly cheaply, but a bend rod can get really expensive.
A blown headgasket can be fixed fairly cheaply, but a bend rod can get really expensive.
When do headgaskets get into the danger zone?
72mm and up? Havent heard of a lot of problems with guys running 66mm's.
Ive got a S472 and was kinda wondering the same thing as the OP.
I don't know if there is a good rule of thumb for headstuds. My factory headstuds went past 50 psig without issue. Others (especially 01's) had problems with factory chargers.
If I had to make a recommendation based on what I've seen, I'd put studs in if you are planning on going over 45psi.
If I had to make a recommendation based on what I've seen, I'd put studs in if you are planning on going over 45psi.
guy is a great guy to work with. Heck he even helped me with a trans issue at 8pm.
Curtis is also great to deal with and has helped me a lot too.
Both have had customers with bad experiences but both of them have also built some crazy record breaking engines. Both come from different backgrounds too which brings new technologies to our market. Guy from the ls1 and Curtis from formula one cars.
Either way you go you will be happy.
So Guy helped you out with a trans issue after-hours when he doesn't even sell trans stuff, and when somebody posts they cannot reach him, you post use DPR instead?
Lordy, I hope I've never helped you. Not sure I'd like the payback.
I'm not Guy's biographer, but he used to race circle track cars. He was also a principal of AFR Cylinder Heads, and holds a patent on a cyl head technology. Yes, he was involved with the design of AFR's LS1 cylinder head, but that was just part of what he does.
Yes, Curtis has done a lot in the motorsports arena as well, but I'm talking parts, not people.
There was a member here who contacted me in private concerning a less than stellar high-dollar transaction with DPR, and there has been some public discussion about it as well, or I would not mention it. There were a couple others, but since there was no public discussion in those cases, they will remain private.
I've been dealing with SoCalDiesel since they opened their doors, and I stand by my recommendation based on my own experience and reports from others.