Sam Krahn 
Over the past few months, YouTube channel Hoonigan Project Cars has been documenting their build of a fifth-gen Camaro powered by a Duramax diesel engine. The project is aiming for 1,000 hp, and to demolish the standing mile. In theory, the Camaro will work. Here’s the lowdown on the build.
Hoonigan Project Cars know what they are doing. Their previous project was a E36 BMW M3, engine swapped with an LS1/LS3 hybrid engine, and made a pro level drift car. It went well. For the next build, they are venturing into the world of sparkless ignition. Diesel engines. So they bought a beat up fifth-gen Camaro muscle car that originally had a V6 engine, and proceeded to stuff a Duramax V8 Diesel engine into it to tackle the standing mile, with hopes of hitting 200 miles per hour or higher.
After extensive reworking of the engine bay, it does indeed fit. There isn’t anything wrong with the idea of putting a massive diesel in a Camaro to tackle the standing mile, but it still makes you wonder why. There isn’t much that a diesel brings that a heavily upgraded LS motor couldn’t do, with far less effort. Check out the build into below:
The team used a number of modifications to reach their 1,000 hp target. The first step was upgraded Edelbrock cylinder heads, but the main power comes from an insane compound turbo. This is when on turbo spools into a second turbo. There are several other upgrades documented in the build, so watch the series to get the full lowdown.
The drama begins when the teams take the engine to the dyno. Testing a standalone engine on the dyno measures horsepower from the crank. Even with limited knowledge of diesel engines and how dyno tests work, it’s pretty easy to work out that filling the dyno chamber with black smoke is not correct. That’s when the great Gale Banks took notice.
After being sent countless links to the video, he posted the reaction video you see below:
The main issue, says Banks, comes from a lack of diesel knowledge, which is something that Banks has in spades. He points out a severely under-built intake and cooling system, and a dyno chamber running incorrectly. Overall, there isn’t much he sees that’s correct in the video.
This build highlights the issue in doing things without complete knowledge just for lots of views. Yes, it can be done. But is that enough reason for it to exist? That’s for you to decide.
