Diesel Power Magazine -August 2012 - Tony Burkhard DH2.0

One-Off Duramax

LML Block, LMM Heads, 1,200 Horsepower

Dirty Hooker 2.0 Duramax Diesel 2011 TTPA Sled Pulling Champion


  1. A.     Precision Turbo and Engine water-to-air intercooler
  2. B.     Danville Performance BatMoWheel 2.8-inch (71mm) turbo
  3. C.     Equipped with a 2.8-inch charger, the engine dyno’d 1,200 hp and 2,100 lb-ft.
  4. D.     LML block utilizes the strongest Duramax casting GM has ever built. The bottom end also features an 11-percent-larger oil pump and a lighter crankshaft.
  5. E.     Built short-block features: Clevite main and rod bearings, billet-steel Carrillo rods, 16:1 pistons, SoCal Diesel 9000 series camshaft
  6. F.      SoCal Diesel Stage 2 heads (LMM heads used due to better factory aluminum casting) with 14mm head studs
  7. G.    Twin modified LBZ CP3 injection pumps feed 150-percent-over injectors from Exergy Engineering
  8. H.    LS-style centered intake keeps turbo in factory location and simplifies the turbo and intercooler plumbing
  9. I.       ECM tuning performed by Danville Performance via EFILive

It’s amazing how far diesel performance has come. Take 2007 Diesel Power Challenge competitor Tony Burkhard for example. His ’05 Chevy Silverado (known as the Dirty Hooker) made 600 hp at our competition five years ago, but now the hybrid Duramax resting under the hood cranks out more than 1,200 hp. Due to Tony’s sled pulling addiction, overkill is necessary. The thumb-of-Michigan native has simply progressed with the sport he loves, growing his engine’s horsepower alongside everyone else to try and stay ahead of the competition. And it’s worked. Tony has been the reigning points champ in his local pulling organization (TTPA) since 2006 and even went undefeated for an entire season a few years back.

Built for the 2.8 Class, the engine got a helping hand from some of the best in the business, including SoCal Diesel, All Season Diesel Performance, Motorsport Diesel, Danville Performance, and Exergy Engineering. It consists of a built, LML-based short-block (chosen for its strength superiority over earlier Duramax blocks), LMM-based heads (which many in the aftermarket believe have a superior factory casting), LBZ electronics, big fueling upgrades, and a turbocharger that can handle it all. Tony’s hard work paid off last year when he swapped in a bigger turbo, trekked down to the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, and took Fourth Place in the 3.0 Class—not bad for a ZF-6, manual-transmission-equipped Chevy up against 30 purpose-built, 3.0 trucks.

Over the winter, sled puller Kyle Erich took ownership of the truck and engine. And with plans to drop down to the 2.6 Class, this one-off Duramax ought to run at the top of the heap throughout the Midwest.


Read more: http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/1208dp_august_2012_torque_one_off_duramax/#ixzz2BSia8kCh