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BAD IN BLUE

A FULL-PULLING LB7 WITH AN 800HP ATTITUDE

The used Duramax market is teeming with buyers. Any time there’s a classic body style for sale, people know it—and if the price is right these pre-emissions trucks aren’t for sale very long. When this low-mile ’04 GMC Sierra 2500 HD went on the market six years ago, Chance Meyer wasted no time forking over the money for it. And then the mods began…followed by a second place finish the very first time he hooked it to the sled. At that point, you could say Chance fell—hook, line, and sinker—for the sport of truck pulling.

Playing for Keeps With the amount of horsepower required to compete always on the rise in pulling, Chance decided to pull out all the stops and build the LB7’s bottom end in the summer of 2014. The competition-ready LB7 was put together by friend Andrew Karker of Illini Outlaw Diesel, and consists of R&R rods, 15:1 compression, fly-cut pistons from PPE, and a 192/200 Hamilton cam. The heads were ported, polished, and treated to stiffer valve springs courtesy of Premier Engine Design, while ARP studs fasten them to the block.

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Big Sticks and Dual CP3’s Thanks to a set of Exergy Performance 100-percent over injectors, plenty of fuel is on the table. Adequate rail pressure is provided by a PPE Dual Fueler kit, complete with a stock displacement CP3 from an LBZ Duramax up top and a stroker pump in the factory location. A 150-gph FASS system satisfies the low-pressure fuel supply needs of the CP3’s. Remote-Mounted S300 In order to compete in his local Work Stock class, Chance has the option of running a stock-appearing turbo or a T4 flange S300 with an inducer no larger than 66mm. After exhausting the horsepower potential of a factory-based, IHI charger with a 66mm compressor wheel (making just over 700-rwhp), upgrading to an S366 SX-E was an easy decision. But instead of mounting the S300 in the valley (and because the Work Stock rulebook allowed it) Chance contacted Wehrli Custom Fabrication for one of its remote mount turbo kits. Locating the S366 SX-E above the passenger side fender makes swapping turbos a piece of cake and also frees up space in the lifter valley.

Competition A1000 The ability to survive somewhere between 750 and 800-rwhp called for a full competition build of the Allison transmission. Assembled at Illini Outlaw Diesel, the fortified five-speed makes use of a Sun Coast GMax-5R-3 Alto rebuild kit, a billet C2 hub, and a triple disc Precision Industries converter. The Allison’s tail housing receives additional support courtesy of a transfer case brace from Merchant Automotive. All EFI Live tuning (ECM and TCM) is handled by Bob Petersen of DuramaxTuner.com.

A Consistent Contender Even though the truck’s daily driving duties came to an end once Chance developed an affinity for sled pulling, it wasn’t all for naught. After all, he now owns one of the most competitive Work Stock trucks in central Illinois. Anywhere his Sierra goes, you can just about guarantee he’ll finish in the top five, which—for a class that can bring out as many as 30 trucks—is saying something. DW

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Campaigning a competitive, Duramax-powered pulling truck in the Midwest begins with a full-on engine build. For that, Chance Meyer entrusted his friends at Illini Outlaw Diesel. Thanks to R&R connecting rods, PPE’s fly-cut, 15:1 castaluminum pistons, and a 192/200 camshaft from Hamilton Cams, a well-spec’d short block was pieced together. Up top, the LB7’s original heads were ported and polished by Premier Engine Design, and fitted with 130-ppi Hamilton valve springs. ARP studs keep the heads clamped to the built bottom end.
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A remote mount turbo kit from Wehrli Custom Fabrication makes swapping turbos a half-hour job vs. spending several hours wrestling it out of the lifter valley. Employing a T4 mount and pedestal, the system positions a fixed geometry turbo in place of the passenger side battery. Currently, Chance runs a billet 66mm S300 SX-E from High Tech Turbo—a charger that allows him to compete in his local Work Stock, 2.6, and even Hot Street classes.
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With a set of 8-hole, 100-percent over Exergy Performance injectors in the mix, maintaining rail pressure is key. A PPE Dual Fueler kit consisting of an 85-percent over Floor It Diesel Performance CP3 and a belt-driven LBZ-derived pump makes this possible. Low-pressure fuel delivery comes by way of a 150-gph Titanium series fuel system from FASS.

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Prepping the five-speed Allison automatic for competition use, Illini Outlaw Diesel installed a Sun Coast GMax-5R-3 Alto rebuild kit and a billet C2 hub. The job of sending power through the transmission is left to a Precision Industries triple disc torque converter with a 2,600 to 3,000 rpm stall. A Merchant Automotive transfer case brace adds rigidity to the A1000’s tail housing.
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Weak links were eliminated from the steering system when Chance opted for a Kryptonite Series straight center link and 1-5/8-inch hexagonal Kryptonite Series tie rods. PPE pitman and idler arm braces were also added to keep the the center link from twisting under load. The passenger and driver side axle shafts are locked together via an Eaton E-Locker.
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Improving the strength of the AAM 1150, Chance added Moser Engineering axle shafts. A Detroit Truetrac was also installed to ensure both rear wheels are always digging. The factory 3.73 ring and pinion is still utilized, front and rear.
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At 6,900 pounds, Chance is able to add quite a bit of heft in the bed…try 1,100 pounds worth of suitcase weights in classes that permit ballast. But not only does the truck’s light curb weight allow him to add considerable weight for pulling, Chance’s Sierra could easily run mid 11’s at the drag strip.
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A set of Big Chevy Hitch’s adjustable suspension stops are also employed to effectively block the rear suspension. Their adjustable design offers Chance the capability of pulling in both classes that permit blocked suspensions, and ones that require all (or some) suspension travel.
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To keep the rear axle from wrapping, a set of Big Chevy Hitch traction bars hold down the fort. The 2-inch diameter tubes are bolted to both the frame rail and axle, and Chance added Pro Comp nylon straps to contain them in the event of a failure during a pull.
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If you’re looking for a truck sporting 20’s, look elsewhere. Chance keeps things old-school with a set of 16×10-inch Series 1069 wheels from Pro Comp. The job of finding traction is left to 315/75R16 General Grabber AT2 tread.
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With just 115,000 miles on the clock, Chance’s ’04 is clean as a whistle inside. The Edge CTS monitor positioned on the windshield is used to data log the truck’s engine speed and rail pressure on each hook. Thanks to the dual CP3’s and built LB7, rail pressure always holds steady and the engine has been rock-solid reliable amid being exposed to 4,400 rpm on a regular basis.
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Tying every modification together via EFI Live is a DSP5 switch from DuramamTuner.com. And, because Chance spends most of his time hooked to the sled, you won’t find any files geared toward towing or fuel economy in his arsenal. Instead, each position features a different pull setting, with the higher the number correlating to more fuel being on tap.
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Locked in Third gear, 4-Lo, and turning 4,400 rpm, Chance usually finds the winner’s circle roughly three to five times per summer, which, when you consider how competitive the Work Stock field is in central Illinois, is fairly impressive. No matter where Chance goes, his GMC always seems to be in the thick of things—and that’s the kind of consistency pullers look for.

SPECIFICATION

2004 GMC SIERRA 2500 HD

OWNER: Chance Meyer
HOMETOWN: Manito, Illinois
ODOMETER: 115,000 miles
ENGINE: 6.6L LB7 Duramax with R&R rods, PPE 15:1 compression cast-aluminum race pistons, Hamilton Cams 192/200 camshaft, Premier Engine Design ported and polished heads, Merchant Automotive chromoly pushrods, Hamilton Cams performance valve springs, ARP head studs
FUEL: Exergy Performance 100-percent over injectors, PPE Dual Fueler kit with 85 percent Floor It Diesel Performance CP3 and stock LBZ CP3, FASS Titanium series 150-gph supply system
AIR: Wehrli Custom Fabrication remote mount turbo kit with High Tech Turbo S366 SX-E, Wehrli Custom Fabrication fabricated 3-inch Y-bridge, Banks Techni-Cooler intercooler
EXHAUST: PPE High-Flow exhaust manifolds, Wehrli Custom Fabrication 2-inch diameter stainless steel up-pipes, 4-inch downpipe, MBRP 5-inch system to 8-inch stack
TUNING: EFI Live via DSP5 switch from DuramaxTuner.com
TRANSMISSION: Illini Outlaw Diesel-built Allison 1000 with Sun Coast GMax-5R-3 Alto rebuild kit, billet C2 hub, Precision Industries 2,600 to 3,000 rpm stall triple disc converter, Merchant Automotive transfer case brace HORSEPOWER: 750 to 800-rwhp (est.)
TORQUE: 1,400 to 1,500 lb-ft (est.)
TIRES: 315/75R16 General Grabber AT2
WHEELS: 16×10 Pro Comp Series 1069
AXLES: Detroit Truetrac and Moser Engineering axle shafts (rear), Eaton E-Locker (front), 3.73 ring and pinion
STEERING/SUSPENSION: Zone Offroad suspension lift with 2-inch blocks, Big Chevy Hitch adjustable suspension stops, hitch, and traction bars, Kryptonite series tie rods and straight center link, Moog pitman/idler arms with PPE braces

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