A 2004 Chevy Silverado With An 800HP Attitude

A Chevy Silverado With An 800Hp Attitude Front Three Quarter Shot

Being king of the street isn’t an easy thing to accomplish these days. The task not only requires a lot of horsepower, but it also calls for beefier powertrain components if you want your truck to survive. Eric Ertel of Holton, Indiana, understood this from the get-go. To him, the term bulletproof means more than making the diesel under the hood crank out gobs of horsepower and torqueit means driving a truck hard and never breaking anything.

The Indiana Advantage
The southeastern portion of the Hoosier State is saturated with diesel trucks. This was reason enough for Eric to add that something extra to his ’04 Chevy Silverado 2500HD for a horsepower advantage. I’ve always been one to make mine run a little better than anyone else’s, I guess.

In order to get the upper hand on most high-powered street trucks, Eric took his list of needs to Fleece Performance Engineering, which immediately got to work building the Duramax. First, the bottom end of the LLY was treated to a round of upgrades. The main bearing surfaces were line-bored, and the caps were secured with ARP main studs. The crank and camshaft were keyed. Forged-steel Carrillo connecting rods were installed, the cylinder heads were resurfaced, and ARP head studs were threaded into the block.

A Chevy Silverado With An 800Hp Attitude Cheetah Turbocharger

The 66mm fixed-geometry Cheetah turbocharger is one of Fleece Performance’s best performing turbos. Based on an S300, the non-wastegated charger uses a six-blade billet-aluminum compressor wheel with a 66mm inducer, a 73mm turbine wheel exducer, a 0.91 A/R turbine housing, and it pushes 55 psi of boost on the street. Advertised as an 800hp turbo, it’s at the peak of its operating range in Eric’s combination.

The 66mm fixed-geometry Cheetah turbocharger is one of Fleece Performance’s best performin

An AirDog system cleans the fuel leaving the tank and supplies a pair of CP3 injection pumps from ATS Diesel. The twin CP3s send fuel to a set of Fleece Performance 150hp injectors. The engine’s tuning was handled by Brayden Fleece using EFILive. Five on-the-fly calibrations are available thanks to a DSP5 switch mounted below the steering wheel.

Providing snappy throttle response yet plenty of top-end performance is an S366 Cheetah turbo from Fleece Performance. The unit is based on a non- wastegated BorgWarner S300 and is said to be good for 800 hp. The turbo offers quick spoolup thanks to its lightweight, billet- aluminum compressor wheel. With an inducer diameter of 66 mm, it might seem on the small side for some, but thanks to a large turbine wheel and a well-matched turbine housing, it has proven extremely efficient and usable in this type of setup.

Residing in front of the radiator, a Banks Techni-Cooler keeps EGT at bay and offers significantly more air volume than the stock intercooler. And thanks to a water-methanol injection kit from Snow Performance, Eric’s Chevy packs an extra punch in the form of nearly 40 additional horsepower. A huge reservoir mounted in the bed holds 7 gallons of Snow’s Boost Juice water-methanol mix.

Bulletproofing the rest of the truck led Eric to the five-speed Allison 1000. It was outfitted with Sun Coast Converters’ GMax-5 kit and one of Sun Coast’s 1058 torque converters, which is designed for trucks with medium-sized turbos and high-horsepower tunes. A one-piece, billet-steel flexplate (also from Sun Coast) added durability and handles the power transfer from the engine to the torque converter.

The truck’s frontend reinforcement consists of an Eaton ELocker, Fleece Performance’s heavy-duty tie rods, and Cognito Motorsports’ pitman and idler arm braces. A Grizzly locker and 38-spline axleshafts from Yukon Gear and Axle were installed in the rear. The truck’s stock 3.73:1 ring and pinion ratio was retained.

With the perfect combination of aftermarket parts, Eric’s ’04 Silverado was transformed into one bad Bow Tie. With more than 800 hp and 1,600 lb-ft of twist on tap, it’s a downright animal on the street. The Super Sport (SS) badges are a subtle yet nice fit for this Chevy. Whether it’s tearing up the soil at the local dirt drags or pounding the pavement, it’s sure to turn some heads.

Thanks to Fleece Performance, Eric Ertel’s LLY Duramax was spec’d as close to perfect as possible and built using some of the best aftermarket parts you can buy. The dyno and track-proven combination makes more than 900 hp at the crank.
Thanks to Fleece Performance, Eric Ertel’s LLY Duramax was spec’d as close to perfect as p
A twin CP3 kit from ATS Diesel keeps the 150hp injectors happy and is supplied fuel via an AirDog system. Also notice the transmission control module (TCM) next to the top CP3, which had to be relocated with the addition of the engine’s electric cooling fan.
A twin CP3 kit from ATS Diesel keeps the 150hp injectors happy and is supplied fuel via an
Flex-a-lite’s electric engine-cooling fan, which features dual 15-inch blades, was installed to keep things cool. These cooling fans have been known to free up as much as 30 hp.
Flex-a-lite’s electric engine-cooling fan, which features dual 15-inch blades, was install

A nozzle located in the 3-inch Banks Techni-Cooler tube that connects to the Y-bridge introduces Eric’s water-methanol combination into the engine. The Y-bridge was also upgraded to a later-model LBZ unit due to the hampered flow capability of the stock (small) LLY piece.
A nozzle located in the 3-inch Banks Techni-Cooler tube that connects to the Y-bridge intr
A Snow Performance 7-gallon water-methanol tank sits in the bed, and the corresponding water injection pump was mounted under the air filter. Running Snow Performance’s Boost Juice (a mix of 49 percent methanol and 51 percent water) yielded a 36hp gain—bumping the truck over the 800-rwhp mark.
A Snow Performance 7-gallon water-methanol tank sits in the bed, and the corresponding wat
Eric’s Silverado has the subtle yet tough look most diesel enthusiasts are after. From the moment he bought the truck, he wanted to keep things simple and build it the same way anyone else would.
Eric’s Silverado has the subtle yet tough look most diesel enthusiasts are after. From the

A 4-inch lift from Rancho gives the truck a nice stance. It also allowed Eric to clear 305/55R20 BFGoodrich All-Terrains, which are mounted on 20-inch Pro Comp wheels.
A 4-inch lift from Rancho gives the truck a nice stance. It also allowed Eric to clear 305
The rear AAM 1150 houses a Grizzly locker and 38-spline axleshafts from Yukon Gear & Axle. The larger axleshafts required reaming the axle tubes in order to fit but are much stronger than the stock units. An Eaton ELocker provides maximum traction up front.
The rear AAM 1150 houses a Grizzly locker and 38-spline axleshafts from Yukon Gear & Axle.
On Danville Performance’s chassis dyno, Eric’s Silverado laid down 785 hp and 1,532 lb-ft on fuel. With water-methanol thrown into the mix, those numbers jumped up to 821 hp and 1,638 lb-ft at the rear wheels. Here, you can literally see the lifespan of the truck’s rear BFG All-Terrains coming to an end.
On Danville Performance’s chassis dyno, Eric’s Silverado laid down 785 hp and 1,532 lb-ft