GM 8.3L Duramax Diesel: Gale Banks Does the Math
Gale Banks breaks down the math behind GM’s new 8.3L Duramax V8 (L6P “Mongoose”), evaluating its 555 HP rating, CGI block, flat torque curve, and how a Derringer tuner on an L5P beats it today.
Jay Leno’s Tank Car
…Harnessing the power of over 1600 horsepower is no easy task!
Jay does Gale a lot of favors, so to return that kindness, Gale twin-turbocharged and fuel-injected the car’s M47 V-12 tank engine. “We took it from 800 to 1600 hp and doubled the mileage as well,” says Banks. “Jay likes a lot of power and a horn you can hear…Now he’s a happy man.”
Follow along with us as we take a behind-the-scenes trip through the Banks Advanced Prototype Engineering laboratory to view the magical transformation of a Cold War-era giant into a modern superpower.
Yeah, it’s got a HEMI! Believe it or not, it was early experimentation with hemispherical head tank engines like this that started Chrysler’s legacy of the HEMI engine. In stock form, this engine was rated at 810 horsepower on 80 octane gasoline.
If you had a vehicle the size of the Chrysler building powered by a Korean-War-era M47 Patton tank engine — a 2000-pound, 1790 cubic-inch V-12 air-cooled Chrysler-built beast that makes 810 hp and 1560 lb-ft torque, and has an Allison tranny from a Greyhound bus — what’s the first thing you would do? Well, Jay Leno did what any sane person would: he called Gale Banks to give it even more power.
“There’s two things Jay wants in a car,” says Banks: “a loud horn and huge power.” So Gale and his team went to work on twin-turbocharging the tank car’s gargantuan air-cooled engine. But getting the goods to turbocharge a tank engine from half a century ago isn’t as simple as stopping in at Pep Boys. The Banks crew had to build many of the parts themselves, from mongo slabs of billet aluminum. Gale called his friends at the Robert Bosch company and asked them to convert the engine to fuel injection. The turbos were sourced from Honeywell/Garrett Turbo Technologies and are magnesium-housing units originally used for Toyota’s CART efforts. They don’t sell them, officially, but if they did you’d pay close to $10,000 per copy.
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Latest News
- Kory Willis | Speed School Podcast Ep 3
Performance enthusiasts, rejoice! This episode of the Speed School Podcast features a powerhouse duo: Gale Banks and Kory Willis of PPEI.Read more - Banks Adds Huge Power to Leno’s Tank Car
Unleash Your Vehicle’s Inner Beast: Turbocharge Your Ride Dreaming of transforming your car into a powerhouse? Get inspired by the legendary transformation of Jay Leno’s Tank Car. In 2006, automotive wizard Gale Banks turbocharged this monstrous vehicle, doubling its horsepower to an astonishing 1,600 HP. Ready to upgrade your own ride? Discover how expert engineering and ...Read more - A Detailed Look At Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Jay Leno is without a doubt one of the biggest names in both comedy and cars, alongside Jerry Seinfeld.Read more - Episode #8: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Banks Power Delivers Monstrous Power Gains with Jay Leno’s Tank Car Project Gearheads and horsepower enthusiasts, this one’s for you! Banks Power dives deep into the transformation of Jay Leno’s Tank Car, showcasing the engineering prowess behind a mind-blowing power upgrade. Witness the meticulous process of integrating twin turbochargers, a custom exhaust system, and a ...Read more - Episode #7: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Uncover the secrets behind Jay Leno’s Tank Car’s turbocharged power with our in-depth look at wastegates and exhaust systems. Learn how expert engineers tackle challenges like heat management and boost control to create a high-performance machine. Discover the intricacies of stainless steel tubing, V-band flanges, and custom-built components as we delve into the engineering process. ...Read more - Episode #6: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Unleashing a Thirsty Beast: Fueling a V12 Monster Craving unmatched power and performance? This deep dive into a custom V12 build reveals the heart of the beast: its fuel system. To feed this insatiable engine, we’ve harnessed the power of three high-performance Bosch fuel pumps, capable of delivering nearly three gallons of fuel per minute. This ...Read more - Episode #5: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Episode #5: Electronic Fuel Injection Discover the engineering marvel behind Jay Leno’s Tank Car’s transformation in this in-depth look at its new electronic fuel injection system. From custom wire looms to a cutting-edge Bosch engine management controller, learn how Banks engineers tackled this complex project. Explore the intricacies of the system, including sensor placement, trigger wheel ...Read more - Episode #4: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Jay to Gale: Hey, Can You Banks This? Part Four in a Series. Follow along with us as we take a behind-the-scenes trip through the Banks Advanced Prototype Engineering laboratory to view the magical transformation of a Cold War-era giant into a modern superpower. Part Four in a Series: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ...Read more - Episode #3: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Unleashing the Beast: Transforming a Cold War Tank Engine into a Modern Powerhouse Witness the incredible journey of a Cold War-era tank engine as it’s reborn into a high-performance masterpiece. This in-depth series offers a rare glimpse into the world-class engineering behind the transformation. From overcoming engineering challenges to meticulous component fabrication, follow along as experts ...Read more - Episode #2: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Unleashing the Beast: A Deep Dive into Turbocharging a 30-Liter V12 Witness the extraordinary journey of transforming a colossal Chrysler V12 into a twin-turbo powerhouse. Renowned engine builder Gale Banks shares exclusive insights into this monumental project, from intricate design and engineering challenges to precision craftsmanship. Discover the secrets behind creating a fuel-injected behemoth that will ...Read more - Episode #1: Turbocharging Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Unleashing the Beast: A V12 Powerhouse Reborn Ever wondered what it takes to transform a legendary V12 engine into a 1600+ horsepower monster? Join us as we dive into the intricate process of rebuilding Jay Leno’s rare AV 1790 Chrysler/Continental V12. From sourcing a spare engine to designing custom intake manifolds, we’re pulling back the curtain ...Read more - Smoking Tire podcast
Gale is a featured guest on the widely popular and often times, irreverent, Smoking Tire Podcast. Gale is a featured guest on the widely popular and often times, irreverent, Smoking Tire Podcast. And, this week joining Gale at the round table is Dan Neil of the Wall Street Journal. Many across the country enjoy Neil’s Rumble ...Read more - Adam Carolla’s CarCast with Gale Banks
Looking to upgrade your car or truck’s performance? Gale Banks Engineering in Azusa, CA specializes in high-performance parts and engineering for both gasoline and diesel vehicles. From Gale Banks’ record-setting diesel dragster to parts for Jay Leno’s tank car, their expertise spans across racing, military applications, and everyday car upgrades. Check out their YouTube channel ...Read more - HURRY-HURRY-HURRY – Come see Jay Leno’s Tank Car Now on Display
Witness the Legendary Tank Car at the NHRA Museum Jay Leno’s iconic Tank Car is now on display at the Gale Banks Engineering exhibit in the NHRA Motorsports Museum, Pomona, CA. This powerful steam-punk vehicle, enhanced with modern fuel injection and a twin-turbocharger system, is a must-see for any automotive enthusiast. Don’t miss this limited-time opportunity ...Read more - Wastegate Actuator Magic and the Jay Leno Tank Car Manual
Gale Banks discusses the intricacies of turbocharger actuation, including wastegates and variable geometry turbos. He shares insights from his experiences with high-performance diesel engines and provides a glimpse into the development of the iconic Banks Sidewinder Dakota. Additionally, the article delves into the history of the Tank Car project, a powerful military vehicle that was ...Read more - Jay Leno’s Ultimate Hot Rod
What happens when you leave a Korean War tank engine sitting too close to the hot rod that you parked over at Gale Banks Engineering?Read more - Gale Banks Elected to the 2007 SEMA Board of Directors!
“What I hope to bring SEMA is a clear view into the future, its challenges and its opportunities.” — Gale Banks How can I help SEMA today? Well, I¹m a futurist. My entire career has been about what¹s next. Through the decades, we at Banks have opened new markets in marine engines, turbocharging, truck and motorhome ...Read more - Leno’s Turbo Tank
More of an art project that a real car … check out one the most famous vehicles in Jay’s collection …Read more - Completion and Testing Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Only a few little things remain to be completed before we can light this thing off. We hooked up vacuum lines for the power brakes, reworked the crankcase ventilation system, and did some slight trimming of the body panels around the new turbo components. The short wastegate outlet pipes were abandoned later for pipes that ...Read more - Wastegates and Exhaust on Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Our first task on the “hot” side of the Tank Car’s turbo system was to route tubing from the exhaust manifolds to the turbochargers. We started by replacing the original mild steel tubing with stainless tubing and installing a V-band flange at the exhaust manifold outlet. Fabricator Daniel Dominguez and Bob Robe check the angle ...Read more - Fuel System and Plumbing for Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Three pumps, no waiting! On the wet side of the EFI system, Bosch provided us with their 200 liter-per-hour, 5-bar (72 psig) electric fuel pumps. With each pump putting out just under one gallon per minute, it’ll take three of them in parallel to feed this monster. We mounted the pumps and relays on one ...Read more - Electronic Fuel Injection for Jay Leno’s Tank Car
Jay Leno’s Tank Car is just one of several high profile development programs ongoing in the Banks Advanced Prototype Engineering labs. One of the Banks Sidewinder Duramax Diesel race trucks can be seen in the background. At this point in the Tank Car’s transformation, all of the fabricated intake components and the fuel rails were ...Read more - Throttles, Boost Tubes and Exhaust for Jay Leno’s Tank Car
One of Gale’s goals when converting Jay’s engine to electronic fuel injection was to improve driveability and throttle response. These twin 75mm throttle bodies, designed for Ford Mustang applications, replace the original Stromberg 2bbl. carburetors. We could have gone bigger, but this was a good compromise for off-idle transition. We’ve modified them with new throttle ...Read more - Fuel Rails and Turbos for Jay Leno’s Tank Car
A big engine’s gonn’a need a lott’a fuel! With the airflow potential of 1600+ horsepower from the two Honneywell/Garrett TR 72T turbochargers, the fuel system must supply at least 2-1/2 gallons per minute at full throttle. No, it won’t need this most of the time, but it must be there when called on. In an ...Read more - Jay to Gale: Hey, Can You Banks This?
Jay Leno’s tank car Gallery #2: Intake manifold construction The AV 1790 Hemi is an air cooled 90-degree V12 with cylinder banks over 50 inches long and a 42 inch width across the rocker covers. Because of Gale’s concern for thermal expansion in such a long engine, and for ease of manufacturing and assembly, we decided ...Read more - Jay Leno’s Tank Car: The Early Stages
Follow along with us as we take a behind-the-scenes trip through the Banks Advanced Prototype Engineering laboratory to view the magical transformation of a Cold War-era giant into a modern superpower. Yeah, It’s got a HEMI! Believe it or not, it was early experimentation with hemispherical head tank engines like this that started Chrysler’s legacy of ...Read more
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