Bryan’s 1,000HP LB7 Duramax: Eight Years to Perfection

An Owner-Built, 1,000hp LB7—8 Years In The Making

After a rod failure forced Bryan to source a new block, he took it upon himself to spec out proven aftermarket parts for (and then assemble) his new engine. Bryan’s battle-ready LB7 makes use of Carrillo rods, Mahle Motorsport cast-aluminum 0.020-inch pistons, a Stage 2 cam from Extreme Engine Development, and factory heads that’ve been ported and polished, along with being machined to accept fire-rings.

The truck of our dreams is rarely built overnight. And for some of us, it unfolds over the course of years rather than months. For Bryan Woitas and his ’02 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, nothing could be closer to the truth. Once a few mild power-adders woke up his daily driver, he began racing at local diesel events, even winning some of them. But after four years of abuse raining down on it (via fuel system upgrades that included a set of 60-percent over injectors), the factory LB7 spit a rod out of the block, forcing Bryan into what he knew would be a lengthy downtime. But instead of rushing the truck back onto the road, Bryan started doing research. Through word of mouth and using social media platforms, he was able to connect with some of the best companies and individuals in the diesel industry, ultimately rebuilding his Duramax from start to finish in his own garage.

Built To Make Four-Digit Power

Here, you can spot some of the other aftermarket additions Bryan made to his LB7. Bolted to the front of the crank, you’ll find an ATI damper. Aiding exhaust flow from the engine to the high-pressure turbo, Bryan went with PPE exhaust manifolds and stainless steel up-pipes. That’s also a PPE oil pan, selected for its flat-bottom design (full draining) and heat-dissipating, cast-aluminum construction. Finally, Merchant Automotive’s stronger-than-stock motor mounts were installed to help tame the Duramax’s twist.

Other than critical machine work, Bryan handled the entirety of his engine build. The parts list included Carrillo rods, Mahle Motorsport 0.020-inch over pistons, ported and polished heads (which were fire-ringed, fitted with Comp Cams valve springs, Industrial Injection threaded injector cups, and SoCal billet injector hold-downs) and ARP fasteners used throughout. Other hard-part honorable mentions include a Stage 2 camshaft from Extreme Engine Development, TTS chromoly pushrods, an ATI damper, and a billet ATS flex plate.

S300/S400 Compounds & A Homebuilt Allison

On top of a set of Lincoln Diesel Specialties 100-percent injectors, PPE dual fuelers, and a FASS system bringing plenty of fuel into the equation, big air makes it into the fortified LB7 via compound turbos. Out front, an S475 handles one stage of compression while a BD Super Max S364.5 SX-E in the valley handles the other. Boost is routed into and then back out of a BD Xtruded intercooler by way of hot and cold-side plumbing fabricated by Black Sheep Industries. To get power to the wheels, Bryan’s Allison 1000 sports components from ATS, Inglewood, and PPE, along with Deviant Race Parts cooler lines. In the future, he plans to perform a refresh and source various upgrades from No Zone Diesel.

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The Long Yet Rewarding Road Back

Eight years after tearing into his LB7, Bryan’s classic body Bow Tie is up and running. He might not have taken the shortest path in resurrecting his Duramax—but being that Bryan now has the exact truck he’s always wanted, he knows it was 100-percent worth it. Bryan is happy to report that his LB7 recently finished its break-in period. So now it’s time to hit the dyno and join the 1,000hp club… If this reader-built ride proves anything, it’s that—other than an unbelievably supportive, encouraging, and understanding wife—with enough time and money anyone can piece together the truck of their dreams.

A well-matched set of compounds means Bryan enjoys both solid drivability and strong top-end power. His two-stage arrangement consists of a T6 S475 serving as the atmosphere unit and a T3-flange, wastegated BD Super Max S364.5 SX-E functioning as the high-pressure charger in the valley. Black Sheep Industries built the turbo piping and provided the clamps, HSP Diesel manufactured the coolant tank, and Bryan located a remote-mount battery tray in the truck’s bed. After this picture was taken, the intake piping and S400 compressor housing were sent off for red powder coating.

Currently Bryan is rocking the original transmission build he pieced together years ago, which was intended to harness quite a bit less horsepower. The combination of a 5-star ATS converter and clutches, Inglewood Transmission C3 oilers, a TransGo shift kit, and an ATS Co-Pilot to control pressure hasn’t failed him yet, but he knows reinforcements (and at the very least a refresh) will be required if he plans to lean on the O.G. Allison build with four-digit power. When the time comes to make a few necessary upgrades, Bryan tells us he will be sourcing parts from No Zone Diesel.

FASS got the nod for the electric lift pump used along the chassis, and the single filter system supplies ample fuel pressure to the twin CP3’s on the engine (courtesy of a PPE Dual Fueler kit). For a clean burn, Bryan runs a set of LB7 injectors from Lincoln Diesel Specialties with 100-percent over, SAC style nozzles. EFI Live tuning from CCS Tuning dials everything in, with five on-the-fly calibrations available via a custom SOTF faceplate.

On the axle, suspension, and steering side of the equation, Bryan built the custom traction bars you see here, as well as lowered the rear 4-inches with a combination of Beltech drop shackles and removing the overload leaf springs. Up front, 2-inches of drop exist thanks to Beltech drop spindles and flipped MaxxCam torsion bar keys from Suspension Maxx. Heavy duty tie rod assemblies from Rare Parts and a PPE straight center link eliminate the AAM 9.25 IFS’s tendency to toe-in and toe-out in four-wheel drive.

Gloss black machined, 20×10-inch Chopstix wheels from XD Wheels set the truck off, cosmetically, and each two-piece rim has been fitted with a Nitto NT420V measuring 285/50R20. The 6-inch MBRP stack in the bed is joined with the 5-inch exhaust that’s connected to the atmosphere turbo. Among Bryan’s future plans for his Silverado is a receiver hitch, hidden behind the roll pan, so he can tow with the truck again.

Special Thanks Goes Out To:

Ryan Brewster at Obsessive Compulsive Diesel

Curtis Halvorson at Extreme Engine Development

Collin Lloyd at Lloyd Customs

Nick Sceviour at Black Sheep Industries / True North Turbos

Dmitri Millard at No Zone Diesel

Adam Bestilny at ABP Diesel Performance and Repair

Mark Caudron at Cold Rock Accessories Inc.

BD Diesel

CCS Tuning

PPE Diesel

ATS Diesel

Merchant Automotive

FASS

HSP Diesel

Snow Performance

Belltech

JL Audio