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Banks Rat Rod turbo pickup

By Paul Crowe

Banks Rat Rod engine

It used to be you bought a truck for work and a car for performance, thankfully, those days are long gone. One man who’s done more than his share for truck performance is Gale Banks, engineering some of the most fearsome turbo and twin turbo setups for a wide variety of engines we’ve ever seen and his “Rat Rod” twin turbo shop truck is one of the most mind blowing yet understated examples to roll out of his shop yet.

Starting life as a Chevy 454SS pickup bought new in 1990, it spent a lot of years running around as a family vehicle for Banks. He decided to make a few changes and substituted a 366 cubic inch power plant with twin turbos, the largest injectors available plus intercooling.

Depending on the setup combinations, whether or not intercooling is used, amount of boost and octane rating of the gas used, the engine has output horsepower and torque figures that begin at enormous and top out at unbelievable. This engine, with 91 octane pump gas, 9 pounds of boost and no intercooling, gives you 640 horsepower and 545 foot pounds of torque. That’s the low power street setup. Fire this thing in anger, which means 100 octane gas, 20 pounds of boost and intercooling yields 1,115 horsepower and 905 foot pounds of torque!! From 366 cubic inches!

Banks quickly found they needed to strengthen the frame with steel tube cross bracing or it would twist itself into scrap metal. Also added were track bars and a Detroit Locker 14 bolt rear end. Power is through a 6 speed tranny. Tires are Nitto NT555R 305/45R-18s.

Banks, of course, thinks maybe a big block would be nice,too, so they’re building another Rat Rod and expect about 1500 horsepower from that one.

Want 1,115 horsepower in your truck? Small block engines and kits are available now starting at $5995.

Posted on October 24, 2005 Filed Under: Performance Parts

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