Over the last few years, the diesel quest for low-end torque seems to have been replaced by the bragging rights of quadruple-digit horsepower. While big power numbers are fine for selling parts and winning dyno days-torque is still what gets the job done. Almost as if to prove that point, Banks Power is now offering a series of all-new Duramax crate engines. These motors are big on horsepower, but the supercharged and turbocharged version seen here is also huge on low-end grunt. How much torque? It's rumored that this marine engine puts out 900 lb-ft from idle to 3,800 rpm!
Known internally at Banks as the Super-Turbo, this blown and twin-turbo'd 6.6L Duramax engine was built for a military-spec offshore boat. Though this LBZ-based engine was intended for use in the ocean, there's no reason one of these babies couldn't end up in the engine compartment of your next project. The rear-mounted turbos and water-cooled exhaust manifolds might need to be reworked for firewall clearance, but we want to know: Who's gonna be the first to put this in a hot rod?
* An Eaton Twin Vortices Series supercharger compresses AIR before sending it to the turbos
* A huge crank pulley was required to get the necessary speed for the supercharger to operate efficiently
* The oil pan is based on the medium-duty C4500 truck version
* Water-cooled cast-iron exhaust manifolds feed the twin turbos
* Twin turbos with water-cooled exhaust housings act like one big second-stage turbo
* The marine outdrive is mounted to an SAE 3 bellhousing from a C4500 truck
* This heat exchanger keeps sea water from circulating within the engine
* Compressed air from the turbos flows up through the center of an AIR-to-WATER intercooler, and then curves out and down toward the cylinder head intake ports