Cummins Base Engine

 
     

The 2003 Cummins common-rail fuel injection 24-valve compression ignition engine produced 393 HP and 600 lb.-ft. of torque as delivered from the Cummins Engine Company. Gale Banks Engineering has boosted that to over 700 HP and over 1200 lb.-ft. of torque for Project Sidewinder.

The “Salt Quake” engine produced 393 BHP @ 3800 RPM achieving a maximum of 600 lb-ft of torque as supplied by the Cummins team. Those are very impressive numbers!


Click thumbnails for larger image

'Salt Quake'
Torque and Power

As delivered to Gale Banks Engineering, the Cummins 5.9L Salt Quake turbo-diesel made very good power, but Banks modifications doubled it.

This graph shows the horsepower and torque curves of the “Salt Quake” development engine as delivered by Cummins.

 

The Banks modified Cummins 5.9L turbo diesel uses a Holset Turbochargers HY 55 Variable geometry turbocharger to generate over 50 pounds of boost.

The first “Salt Quake” engine from Cummins was used as a dyno test standard to assure that Banks new facility is in compliance with results obtained from Cummins on their own dynamometer

Already a surprisingly strong performer as delivered, the Cummins 5.9L diesel is the foundation of Project Sidewinder. Banks modifications have only made it stronger.

The engineering team at Cummins® built the base engine code named “Salt Quake” for the Sidewinder Project on their own time. This is the same basic engine that Banks® has further modified for Bonneville. This compression ignition (diesel) engine was used in baseline testing in preparation for the performance modifications by Banks. The Cummins baseline engine is a 5.9 liter, 24 valve inline six-cylinder design utilizing a Holset® HX40 turbo. Displacement is 359.0 cu. in. with a compression ratio of 15.1:1. Power output is 393 brake horsepower at 3800 RPM and 600 lbs.-ft. of torque over a broad RPM range. The electronics are Cummins and the fuel injection is state-of-the-art common rail. This stout engine has provided a durable, powerful base on which to build, impressing the dynamometer test engineers at every step. Most notable has been the apparent ease with which this engine makes power. It is deceptively quiet and doesn’t sound like it’s laboring even when subjected to a full load on the dyno.