We knew it was only a matter of time before diesel-powered musclecars became a reality. We caught up with the crew from MTV's Pimp My Ride while they were putting the finishing touches on the Bio Rocket, an 800hp, Duramax-powered, '65 Impala SS. The Impala was a good candidate for this swap due to its large size, full frame, and heavy (for a car) curb weight. The Duramax swap was more straightforward than you might have guessed, with custom engine mounts welded onto the stock engine crossmember and a custom transmission mount being the only major fabricating that was done to fit the engine.
The car retained a stock firewall, but a custom transmission tunnel had to be built to clear the Allison 1000 transmission. The frame was also reinforced to handle the massive amount of torque the diesel would produce, and a fully built Currie 9-inch rearend with boxed control arms was added to ensure quick times at the dragstrip rather than broken parts.
All the classic Impala SS lines were retained in the build, with custom stripes, ghost flames, and candy-red paint to add some visual flash to this mechanically potent piece. | 
PPE supplied a dual fueling kit for the LBZ engine that helped crank up the power from a stock 360 hp/650 lb-ft of torque to a PPE-estimated 800 hp and 1,400 lb-ft of torque. | 
The exhaust is simple and effective-it's a 4-inch straight pipe from the turbo back. Of all the modifications needed for a diesel swap, the exhaust was one of the easiest. |
For the front, a set of big-block springs gave the Impala just the right stance. A Duramax LBZ engine was then acquired from General Motors and fitted with a custom intercooler, a dual CP3 pump setup from PPE, a Garrett GT4094R turbo kit, a Hot+2 Xcelerator tuner from PPE, and a custom 4-inch single exhaust. A Stage 5 Allison transmission kit from PPE with an ATS converter made the transmission ready to handle big power and torque.
To get the engine running, an ECM was supplied by GM and wired into the Impala. Signals from the custom dash were reinterpreted through special programming, and working in harmony with the PPE Hot+2, send all the right signals to work with the engine-management and transmission computers. Not quite a standalone system yet, but it's close.
If you think this diesel-powered Impala is just a show car, think again. Check out the amount of rubber on the rear fenders from multiple burnouts before the Lamborghini drag race. | 
The transmission mounts were another part of the car that had to be fabbed, but it was nothing too crazy. Simple and strong mounts were made out of straight rectangular tubing. | 
A 6.6L LBZ Duramax diesel engine is the heart of this Impala, proving that diesels in musclecars can be done. A custom-fabricated cowl hood was needed to clear the air intake and second CP3 pump on this 800hp monster.A remote oil-filter kit from a PPE marine application made it possible to squeeze the big engine in. |
Sure it has all the right parts, but does it go? The answer is yes. For MTV's show, the Pimp My Ride crew raced the Impala (albeit on drag slicks) against a 12.2-second Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Impala pulled away like the Lambo driver had his car in Reverse. Being almost half the weight of some of the newer Duramax trucks, the 622 rear-wheel-horsepower, 1,280 rear-wheel-torque Impala has a claimed 0-60-mph time of 3.5 seconds and does the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds. So not only is it fast, but this classic musclecar also has a diesel's reliability-not to mention three times the power and four times the torque of the old 327ci gas engine. It's simply icing on the cake that the Bio Rocket should get more than 20 mpg-try that with a big-block. We're jealous that we didn't do it first, but it looks as though diesel musclecars are making the jump from dreams to reality.
The Impala sports a custom hemp interior to complete the bio theme. Digital gauges are mounted in the dash to keep track of essentials, as well as boost and EGT gauges that are mounted on top of the dash. A B&M shifter mounted on a custom transmission tunnel handles the shifting chores. | 
A custom Garrett GT4094R turbo kit from PPE was also provided, ensuring the engine had all the air it needs to match its fuel curve. | 
The original crossmember appeared to be notched, but otherwise, the Duramax engine fit without too much trouble. The beefy oil pan on the Duramax made for low ground clearance, but with careful driving, that shouldn't be an issue. |