TURBOS, NITROUS, AND A BLOWER?

INSIDE WAGLER’S 3,000HP GAME-CHANGING DX500 DURAMAX

Diesel engines have been around for more than 100 years, but they have made leaps and bounds in the last decade. Sled pullers have nearly doubled in horsepower, dragsters have gone from 8s, to 7s, to 6s in the quarter mile, and street trucks that are 800-1,200 horsepower are now all over the country. So what’s next? You might be looking at it. With a Nitrous Express nitrous system, twin 102mm Precision turbochargers, and a mammoth C rotor PSI screw blower all on top of a 500 cubic-inch Duramax engine, Wagler Competition Products didn’t pull any punches when designing this monster. The crew is aiming at a mind-bending 3,000 horsepower and chassis-bending 6,000 lb-ft of torque, provided the engine doesn’t twist the dyno right off its platform.

RACE ENGINE FROM THE GROUND UP

When Wagler set about building their new Duramax-based pulling engine, they started with a clean sheet—virtually every idea was on the table. It was this approach that led them to design something different than anything else out there: a modular engine. The block comprises three pieces instead of just one. There is an aluminum center section that makes up the bulk of it, to which all the drives and accessories are bolted. However, the bottom of the engine houses a steel bedplate that’s tied into the center section and secures the bottom rotating assembly via 28 ARP main studs. The final piece to the puzzle is the cylinder “jug,” a removable section of four cylinders and Darton sleeves (one jug per side) that allows a quick repair of a single cylinder without having to send the whole engine off to a machine shop.

THE LONGBLOCK

Moving on inside the engine, there’s a “who’s who” of performance companies. The 9/16 ARP head studs and Winberg crank are Top Fuel dragster hardware, the rods are Wagler’s own design, and the 12.5:1 pistons are from Ross Racing. Roller bearings were fitted into the block, which allow the 0.700-inch lift Competition Cams camshaft do its thing in conjunction with Trend Performance pushrods. Other tricks were incorporated into the block itself, including a massive oiling flow upgrade, smaller base-circle cam bearings, and a taller 11.313 deck height. The entire thing is a “dry” engine, which means it runs no coolant and has no coolant passages.

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2_DX500 — With high horsepower and high rpm operation comes a lot of oiling responsibility. Wagler states that with a Peterson Fluid Systems dry sump, the DX500 has nearly two times the oiling capacity of a stock Duramax.

3_DX500 — There are a number of different bell housings available, as the engine is designed to bolt to anything from a single-speed reverser to a TH400 transmission.

4_DX500 — Wagler designed its Duramax engine with many innovative features incorporated into the block. Its 3-piece design is not only stronger right where it needs to be, it’s also lighter and easy to repair.

5_DX500 — A lot of magic is going on under the custom valve covers. Wagler’s Duramax heads flow a hurricane-like 380cfm on the intake side, which is perfectly suited to the high-rpm, big-boost nature of the engine.

6_DX500 — A number of custom pieces were designed and fabricated by Wagler, including the blower hat and the intake that mounts the big blower. Wagler credits PSI in being a “big help” in designing a Duramax intake that would work with its blower.

7_DX500 — The PSI screw supercharger is a mammoth 210-series capable of flowing enough air for 2,500 horsepower just on its own. The blower is also very efficient, and takes much less power to drive than traditional roots-style superchargers

10_DX500 — Wagler’s innovative intake mounts the supercharger and directs air from the twin turbochargers into the engine. Also visible is the massive mechanical water system that’s powered by an engine-driven Waterman pump.

8_DX500 — As if a supercharger wasn’t enough, the DX500 is also outfitted with twin 102mm turbochargers capable of supporting more than 4,000 horsepower! The turbos will be pushed to their limit in this application, as Wagler is expecting upwards of 70 psi of boost.

13_DX500 — Another company that Wagler was quick to thank was S&S Motorsport, which he said was a big help with the fuel system. A drive designed by Wagler powers three experimental S&S CP3 pumps, which send fuel to S&S injectors of a “classified size.”

14_DX500 — S&S Motorsports is also responsible for tuning the engine via Bosch computer. This allows the engine to rev to an absurd 7,000 rpm, well past what the factory ECM’s operating limits.

The innovative short block is topped off with a set of Duramax-based aluminum heads from Wagler Competition Products. These heads are also dry, and have been fire-ringed (as has the block) for maximum sealing. A set of Competition Cams valve springs were added to match the camshaft, which bumps a set of 38mm valves out of ductile iron valve seats. The flow is also unparalleled, as its 380cfm intake and 300cfm exhaust numbers are more than double the factory flow rating.

THE CREW IS AIMING AT A MINDBENDING 3,000 HORSEPOWER AND CHASSISBENDING 6,000 LB-FT OF TORQUE, PROVIDED THE ENGINE DOESN’T TWIST THE DYNO RIGHT OFF ITS PLATFORM.

6500CFM OF AIR

While the bottom end of the engine is doing most of the hard work, it’s the top half that gets all the attention. With a massive 210-series screw blower and twin 102mm turbochargers from Precision Turbo and Engine, the DX500’s induction is an example of overkill at its best. At lower engine rpm, the blower starts things off with a huge hit of boost that feeds into the engine through a valve setup of Wagler’s own design. As the turbos come on, the valves will allow more and more air from the turbos into the engine until peak rpm, where both the turbos and the blower will both be utilized to move enormous amounts of air. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a nitrous oxide injection system to up the power even more, and a custom water-methanol injection system designed to keep the blower’s rotors from overheating and touching the case. One thing’s for sure— there’s nothing out there quite like it.

18_DX500

9_DX500 — After seeing header failures after only a season on pulling applications, Wagler decided to go with this enormous log design that was machined as a single piece.

12_DX500 — Both the water and nitrous are injected above the rotors to help keep the blower cool since it’s capable of near-20,000rpm rotor speeds.

16_DX500 — Superchargers do take some power to drive, so there’s a number of large Nitrous Express solenoids that grace the engine in case “a little extra” is needed. The nitrous system is geared to add an additional 500 hp if cranked all the way up.

PUSHING THE SPORT FORWARD

The question, of course, that everyone asks is: How much power does it make? The short answer is that it should be well over 3,000 horsepower at the crankshaft, along with close to 6,000 lb-ft of torque. A similarly prepped single-turbo engine has already made 2,700 horsepower and 4,000 lb-ft of torque, so we’d say Wagler’s estimates are a bit conservative, if anything. “We will be learning along with everyone else just what this engine is capable of,” admits owner Jeremy Wagler, and he notes that “Its ultimate power number will be anyone’s guess.” With a smile, he also adds, “This isn’t an engine that’s just going to sit on an engine stand or in a dyno cell; we’re going to be trying some new things with our company race vehicle as well, and we’ll see you at a pulling track and dragstrip sometime soon.” With its innovation and advanced technology, we’re willing to bet you’ll see a lot more of the DX500 very soon. DW

SOURCE

ARP
800.826.3045
ARP-Bolts.com

PRECISION TURBO AND ENGINE
855.996.7832
PrecisionTurbo.net

PSI SUPERCHARGERS
480.820.6511
PSIsuperchargers.com

S&S DIESEL MOTORSPORT
SSdiesel.net

WAGLER COMPETITION PRODUCTS
812.636.0391
WaglerCompetition.com

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Pinaki Bhattacharya

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