He started customizing and manufacturing cars at the age of 13, until Marco Martins acquired the 1995 F350 7.3L Powerstroke diesel engine that became a passion. This led Marco to accept many diesel projects in his store, Bad Apple Customs, such as this turbocharged 12-valve Cummins for Chevrolet C30. check it out!
Diesel by this week
After seeing several of our recent "Diesel of the Week" posts on Cummins Manufacturing, Marco Martins of Bad Apple Customs in Rehoboth, Massachusetts contacted us. First of all, we are very happy that he is a fan of Engine Builder, but we are more happy to hear that he wants to tell us about his own Cummins build.
Bad Apple Customs is a complete car customization shop that can handle almost anything, from the 66-year Impala with custom air suspension to the twin-turbocharged LS tractor tire monster truck, and everything in between. This ability is due to Marco's skills.
"I have been customizing and manufacturing vehicles since I was 13 years old," Martins told us. "My shop is suitable for all areas. Currently, our big project is the 1950 Chevrolet 3100, equipped with a complete pneumatic chassis and Duramax diesel engine."
Martins' passion for diesel work was first ignited after having a 1995 Ford F350 and a 7.3-liter power stroke. "Soon thereafter, there was an increasing demand for diesel-powered trucks," Martins admitted.
The specific diesel engine Marco told us was the turbocharged 12-valve Cummins engine of the 1987 Chevrolet C30. The truck started as a non-rusting California truck, but once it reached the Bad Apple Customs, it underwent a frame modification. The purpose is to use the Chevrolet C30 as a weekend cruiser and pull gooseneck trailer.
"Of course, for engine selection, we chose the classic 12-valve Cummins diesel engine with a five-speed NV4500 gearbox," he said. "The engine is being built to handle more than 1,000 horsepower, but it will be slightly insufficient due to the application."
Marco started construction with spare Cummins cylinder blocks and added aftermarket components such as Carrillo rods, ARP rods and main bolts, customized Hamilton camshafts, Hamilton tappets, and Hamilton springs and titanium retainers. The cylinder head has undergone a number of different machining tasks, such as decoration, ports and O-rings to obtain high horsepower potential.
Helping the pursuit of horsepower are a set of large fuel injectors, a built-in 215 fuel pump and a single billet S362 turbocharger from BorgWarner. Marco plans to pair the engine with the S363 as a composite turbocharger of the S480 after the truck is completed.
In order to add points to Cummins' 12-valve valve, Marco said that he strictly uses Amso as his engine oil. This 1987 Chevrolet C30 will be ready for launch soon, and we are very happy to have the opportunity to see it.
This week, the diesel engine was sponsored by Amso. If you have an engine you want to highlight in this series, please send an email to [email protected] to Engine Builder editor Greg Jones
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