2001 Chevy Silverado 4x4

There is a very simple story behind this monstrous Duramax. Mika Salonen, the builder and owner, was outrun in a race by some European Tupperware sports car and decided that it was time to do something about his stock Chevy. But when your nickname is "The Power King," something means a full-scale race build. Everything that could be done, would be done.

Mika earned his nickname in the street bike scene, where he has built some of the most powerful, naturally aspirated, and turbocharged street bikes in Finland. With no real competition in his area, he wanted to challenge himself with something new and totally different. His daily driver, an '01 Chevy Silverado 4x4, seemed to be an interesting platform for a high-output street vehicle, and modified diesel trucks weren't (and still aren't) very popular in Scandinavia, which inspired him even more.

While gathering a deeper knowledge of the Duramax, Mika made the first mild modifications, including an air filter, a 5-inch exhaust, and a Van Aaken control box. Soon after, a Sun Coast V-transmission, a BD Supermax turbo, and PPE Hot +2 E.T. programmer were installed. After a few months with this combination, a used MPI twin-turbo kit and ATS Twin CP3 kit were posted for sale on the Internet, and Mika convinced the seller to send the items overseas to Finland. At this point, the engine needed much more strength to handle the increasing power, so aftermarket head and main studs, and TTS connecting rods were added. In the horsepower department, SoCal Diesel's Stage 2 heads, a hot cam, and Crank It Up Diesel injector nozzles gave the engine a big power boost. In the end, the engine was completely rebuilt with brand-new parts. The original CP3 pump was also rebuilt at a Bosch dealer.

The truck was finally ready in late 2007, but at this time there weren't any more opportunities to test the truck in the quarter-mile, so Mika borrowed performance test equipment and an airstrip. The truck showed some really promising results, as the quarter-mile trap speed was 118 mph in very cold and slippery conditions.

Not long after this winter test, Mika pushed his truck back into his garage and started to think if there were any other modifications he could do to improve the truck's performance. The whole engine came out and was torn into pieces again. New bearings, a TTS Extreme cam, 15:1 forged pistons, custom studs, a high-volume oil pump, a SoCal damper, and injector studs were all installed. To really boost up the Duramax, Mika took off the old turbo kit and started to make his own creation. The new turbochargers were a Garrett GT4088 (the smaller one) and a huge GT4718 whistling as a larger compressor. Loads of planning, calculating, welding, and other handiwork resulted in a very high-flowing pressure system, as EGTs dropped by 350 degrees F in comparison to the old setup. No expenses were spared at this point, as Wiggins clamps-which are more commonly used in Formula 1 race cars-were installed to handle the incredibly high boost (90 psi) and alleviate concerns about blowing off intercooler boots. Mika's homemade boost controller is operated through several SPA digital gauges and controls two Tial Sport 60mm wastegates. The smaller turbo is simply controlled by boost pressure, and the larger turbo gets its orders based upon the exhaust pressures. Mika uses EFI-Live with Bobo's tunes and a DSP5 switch, which can be changed in the cabin with a simple turn of the knob.