Courtesy of Engine Builder by Evan Laux
It’s always a good feeling to finish up your first build, and in this industry, there’s no shame in showing off what you’ve created. In fact, some of our favorite guys to talk to are the ones who just got started in the industry, or ones that have been in it for years and just got around to their first major build. It’s awesome to see the progression from first timer to professional, and oftentimes those first timers blow us away with what they’ve come up with.
Josh Kaye from West Bend, WI recently reached out to us regarding an engine he put together for his 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500. He owns a business called Kaye’s Trucks and Parts where he sells repair parts and equipment for Chevy and GMC trucks, alongside a small dealership he opened just a few years back.
Performance work isn’t really a part of the operation at the moment, but that could change in the future. For now, Kaye is content with his recent build.
“This truck was originally a gasser I shipped up from Texas in 2017,” Josh Kaye says. “I did some minor frame work, put an Escalade 6.0L motor in it and did a cam, lifters, valves, and all that. The 9-inch lift kit happened in 2020 and then in 2021 the engine blew up. That’s where the diesel project started.”
The LBZ Duramax came from a donor truck Kaye had purchased at an auction. After bringing it home, he tore everything apart and started building it back from the ground up. To make sure the block was clean and ready for a rebuild, it was first blasted and then surfaced.
