John Mata Jr. October 14, 2024 Diesel World Mach1Media
In a world of sometimes confusing and very limiting air quality regulations, research becomes paramount when looking to push the limits of your rig while retaining factory emission systems. Sure, you could fight the powers that be by tearing out key ECS (emission control system) components, but as satisfying as it is to do exactly what you want with your truck, it’ll come back to haunt you when it comes time for smog inspection. Instead of raging against the machine, however, wouldn’t it make more sense to somehow work more closely with it in order to reach those desired power gains? While it might not be the most exciting thing to do, playing by the rules would certainly be the most sensible and educational in the long run.
Moving along with the grain was the route David Schaefer of Rapid City, Michigan, decided to go with his 2015 GMC 2500HD pickup. David, along with his business partner Caden Hess, run Cold Front Diesel where they wrench on diesel trucks day in and day out. David’s father owned and operated a diesel repair shop back in the day, which is how he first got into these trucks and eventually making the leap to becoming a shop owner himself.
“I originally bought this truck bone stock in 2018 with plans on exploring what we could do with it while keeping the emissions systems completely intact,” David says. “I figured that if I was going to spend the money on a newer truck, I might as well use it as an opportunity to more deeply understand it, and what could be done on the performance side while still keeping the emissions system happy.”
With the EPA ramping up enforcement on deleted trucks, David began working ahead of the curve by examining how his truck’s emission system operated and how he could apply his present skillset toward making more power legally.
“For the first few years of owning this truck, all that was done to it was a Duramax tuner and a FASS 165,” David states. “During this time, I got used to how the truck and ECS performed with my driving style and patterns, as well as coming up with a game plan on what I wanted to do with the engine.”
In the fall of 2021, David and Caden decided to step up to install a twin kit from Duramax Tuner/WC Fab, which featured an S369SXE over stock turbo setup. During this process, the engine was pulled so some preventative maintenance could be performed, and a handful of parts could be powdercoated for good measure.
“We did some engine dress-up and tried to make it look the best we could along the way,” David adds. “The engine ended up being very responsive and always had boost on tap, which was ideal to serve as a great daily driving/tow rig. Fuel mileage and regen intervals were also very similar to stock.”
Sounds like a victory, right? Well, there were still some concerns left on the table.
“Although it was a great driving setup, there was still more to be desired,” David admits. “Visually, we had to maintain the stock air box, which did not look good with the rest of the engine bay and it didn’t provide great air flow. Besides some other cosmetic issues, the engine was still only pushing low to mid 600 hp range, which in our opinion was still very simple to accomplish on most platforms with a drop-in turbo and a little added fuel. We didn’t want to have gone through all that work just to be that close on power to trucks with a fairly basic setup.”
A more realistic horsepower goal was set to at least 700 with close to factory regen intervals, so David and Caden went back to the drawing board to figure some things out. Bumping up HP was the easy part, but keeping engine efficiency up to par was trickier. The solution was a strategically upgraded injector, along with some great supporting modifications from WC Fab, Exergy Performance and Calibrated Power. The fuel and air intake systems were properly addressed, and a less restrictive exhaust setup was put into position.
After more engine assembly was completed, the truck was then trailered to WC Fab where they rounded out the bay to custom fit a few items including a one-off intake system for the truck that allows for the function of the L5P hood swap, which is highly notable. The intercooler and radiator were relocated, so custom piping was fabricated to make them work properly, which ended up in a higher efficiency rate. The next move was to head over to Calibrated Power to get the engine dialed in on the dyno. Sure enough the readings registered at just over 700 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque.
“I would consider this project to be a success in my eyes so far,” David exclaims.
With the engine work out of the way for the most part, David was able to move on to upgrading other portions of the truck such as building a more capable transmission and adding premium 22×12 Liberty Forged wheels and Michelin Defender LTX rubber. The suspension system was also improved upon with a SuspensionMAXX leveling kit, Kryptonite upper control arms, and King 2.5 reservoir shocks. A whole network of Diode Dynamics rock lights was then wired up to illuminate the darkness.
“Although my truck may not make all the power in the world, it is a truly one-of-one setup,” David says proudly. “It rides extremely well and is very quiet inside of the cab. I’m also very happy with how neatly everything is installed. There are no coiled-up wires, no hacked bumpers, and nothing is mismatched. It’s all the way it should be.”
OWNER:
David Schaefer
Imperium Trucks
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
BODY/PAINT
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