We wanted to share one of the builds we have going on at the shop here at D3 Performance Engineering.

We will try to post updates to this thread every few days as progress is made.

The client brought us this vehicle wanting to have something unique, in a good way, for roll racing events and TX2K. He provided us with a built 427 cubic inch LSx engine, and wanted us to design a turbo kit capable of 1500+ whp, as well as install a Pro EFI 128 system for control. A 4L80E was selected for fast shifting, as well as due to the ability to control the transmission with the Pro EFI.

Anyways, we will post some photos to catch up on the progress we've had during this build.

If you aren't already familiar with us, feel free to check out this fantastic shop tour put together by Gearhead Flicks, , and if you're in Houston feel free to swing by anytime, or you can follow us on Facebook.

This particular client wanted nothing but the finest components on his build, and he made some great selections allowing us to build something absolutely incredible.

Burns Stainless provided all of the materials for the forward facing manifolds and 4-1 merge collectors.



A pair of Precision 7175's were selected to deliver the air for the power goal of 1500 at the wheels.



Pro EFI 128 system will offer an unparalleled level of control and ability to help put this power to this ground, including boost by gear, rolling anti-lag, flex fuel, and an array of other features that will greatly benefit this build.





We will periodically update this thread with some more pictures and get caught up to the current progress on this build. If you're interested in what we can offer for your vehicle, don't hesitate to contact us today, 832-230-1094 or Sales@D3PerformanceEngineering.com.

 

Starting this project we had to make decisions on turbocharger location, while factoring in the oiling, engine cooling, exhaust, water-to-air intercooler system, and the other components of the vehicle.



In this shot you can see where we located the Pro EFI 128 system a little better:



We created a bumper/turbo support structure out of DOM tubing.





We'll post some more updates tomorrow to get caught up to where we're currently at on this build, stay tuned and we'll try to make an effort to drop 1-2 detailed steps per day.

If you like what you see, make sure to follow us along on Facebook, and give us a shot if you need anything done. From tun-key high performance builds, to simple supercharger installs, fabrication, or tuning give us a call. Sales@D3PerformanceEngineering.com or 832-230-1094.

 

The next steps we took on this build was to start working on space management, and packaging, and construction of the down pipes.

We only use stainless steel for any of our turbo systems on the exhaust side. Burns 321 merge double slip-fit collectors and 321 material for the manifold. The downpipes are also made out of 304SS. We source all of our materials locally from aviation suppliers, ensuring quality materials, and to avoid guessing what type of metal we are melting together.

We could not find a tight diameter for the space we had, so we did a 3.5'' tight radius cut to start working our way down.







We'll post another update this afternoon of how the rest of the downpipe came together, then the manifolds.

 

Once the downpipes were wrapped up next we started on the manifolds.

Here is the tight radius piece we had to create once it was complete:









Stainless bungs were added for the Pro EFI Wideband O2 sensors.



Up next will be the forward facing manifolds:

 

As stated earlier we selected 321 stainless steel for our forward facing manifolds, and our choice on primary diameter was also made with turbo size, horsepower, and power band desired in mind.



Once the merge collector location was chosen we started running the primaries.



A tight space to work in, but manageable none the less.



Once the lengths were measured, and designed, our fabrication team made sure fitment and clearance was perfect before welding.



One by one each of the primaries were TIG welded using our Miller Dynasty machines.



We'll carry on our progress later this afternoon to get caught up to where we currently are on this build. If you have any questions on what we can do for your car, please don't hesitate to contact us, +1-832-230-1094 or Sales@D3PerformanceEngineering.com, or swing by check out our climate-controlled facility on the North West side of Houston, TX.

 

Once the primaries were welded together, one last test fit was needed to make sure everything was still perfect.





After this everything was removed, and finish welded.





Here you can see the manifolds mounted, with the downpipes as well.



The next step will be connecting the manifolds to the turbos, and then the process of making the air-to-water intercooler system.

 

The final step on the exhaust side was the piece that would connect the manifolds to the turbochargers.







The last step on the exhaust side will be mounting the wastegates!

 

Mounting the wastegates was the last step on the exhaust portion of the turbo system.

Tial gates are always the go to here at D3 Performance Engineering. Like all of our products they are made here in the USA using only top shelf materials, and their customer service and product is second to none.

We mounted them right off the bottom bend between the manifold and the ehaust housing for a clean look and lack of any packaging drawbacks.







Things will progress quickly from here, next week we will resume posting on Monday, we hope all of you have a safe weekend and thanks for checking out our build!

If you have any questions on our products, or services, feel more than free to post here, or contact us directly at the shop!

Our phone number is 832-230-1094 or you can email us, Sales@D3PerformanceEngineering.com.

 

holy mother of god that some bad *** welding.

 

Thanks Abe_911!

Now that the exhaust and high-heat components are laid out, it's time to work on cooling things off a little bit. On most of our Twin-Turbo builds we choose to run air-to-water intercooler systems, and this car falls in line with that tradition.

We had plenty of room in the front left for the intercooler system, as we had already worked with the client on an overall plan for this build, and the engine cooling system will be located in the rear of the car. We wanted the intercooler to fit directly in the contour of the customer supplied bumper, and mount on the bumper bracket we had built in the photos above.

Once the measurements were taken, a core was selected and work commenced.

Like all of our parts, these are fabbed 100% in house other than the cores themselves.



The tanks are made using 1/8'' aluminum sheet on the well-equippped fabrication side of our shop.





This was the end result.



In our next post we will start to share what this looked like on the car, as well as the next few steps.

If you like what you see, you can see more on our Facebook Page, ( www.facebook.com/d3performanceengineering ) and follow us along for what's currently getting built in the shop. If you're curious what we can do to your ride, contact us! We can be reached by phone, +1-832-230-1094 or by email, Sales@D3PerformanceEngineering.com .

 

Once the Air-to-water intercooler was completed, some tabs were added, as well as on the car, countersunk fasteners were used to mount to the bumper bar, and final fitment was checked.



100% fabricated and Tig welded in house here at D3PE from a flat piece of 1/8'' sheet aluminum.



As mentioned earlier, the customer had supplied a bumper he wanted to use on his build, and we made sure we used all the available space possible for fitment with the bumper.







We think it will have a pretty menacing appearance from the front once it is all complete with this hiding behind the grille. The customer actually stopped by the day we took these particular photos, and for obvious reasons he was very, very excited about the progress.



Tomorrow we will share another update, as we work towards catching up to the current progress on this build.

 

The progress has finally taken shape to where it looks mostly complete, but the reality is we're maybe 60% there. The cooling system, and a lot of things still need to be tackled.

Vanjen clamps allow a secure clamp, while allowing the thousand plus horsepower engine move without causing a risk of coupler failure.



And a pair of TiAl blow-off-valves will allow the immense boost pressure to escape when the throttle plate is closed, and the close proximity to the throttle was chosen to work in conjunction with the Pro EFI 128's traction control system.





Tomorrow we will post more, stay tuned!

 

Continuing on, as stated earlier we planned on moving the cooling system to the back. We do custom radiators and cooling systems quite often here at D3PE, with all of our fabricators being experienced and skilled at doing very thin aluminum it's often something unique on a D3PE build that most other shops outsource.

We do all of the cooling systems for our big builds 100% here in house, the only thing we don't make from scratch is the core itself.

We picked out a core that fit the measurements we had to work with.



Obviously a lot of ducting, and manipulation of air pressure with fans and ducting will be needed to make this work, but first we need to mount the cooling system itself, and go ahead and fab the tanks, brackets, etc.





Not an incredibly huge progress update as we work our way towards the current status of this build, but a key component to making this work. We needed to get this done to start measuring capacity so we can ensure our water pump selection will work well with the volume, now that we do know the volume we can head back into the engine bay for a swirl pot, and reservoir, which we will cover next week.

We hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for checking out one of our builds! If you like what you see don't forget to swing over to our Facebook page and follow us along, and check out the great selection of services and parts that we offer!

 

Next few updates won't be monumental, a swirl pot for the electric water pump, crank case breather system / catch can, and the parts needed will start to come together.