A No Prep Kings Twin-Turbo 540 cid Big Block Chevy Engine - Engine Builder Magazine

A No Prep Kings Twin-Turbo 540 cid Big Block Chevy Engine

After Jeff Lutz wrecked his '57 Chevy in 2021, he got to work on a new race car. The result is this '04-'06 Pontiac GTO with a twin-turbo 540 cubic inch big block Chevy engine capable of a reliable 4,000 horsepower! Don't miss the details!

Engine of the Week is presented by

If you’re a fan of Street Outlaws, you’ll likely recognize the name Jeff Lutz. He’s one of the stars of the Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings series and is famous for his cars Mad Max and his ’57 Chevy. He also owns a race car shop named Lutz Race Cars where he does chassis building, turbo systems, dyno tunning, and roll cage work and certification.

Jeff Lutz’s ’04-’06 Pontiac GTO bodied Pro Mod race car

Unfortunately, Jeff wrecked his ’57 Chevy in 2021, which meant a new car was needed. Jeff is a fan of GTOs, so it was a chance for him to use a GTO body and another example of the trusty big block Chevy under the hood. The result was a 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO with a twin-turbo 540 cubic inch big block Chevy from Vinson Racing Engines. We caught up with Jeff at the 2022 Piston Powered Autorama to get the details on the new race car and its engine setup.

“The big block Chevy platform of motor, I’ve been running for over 15 years,” Lutz told us. “Ever since I went twin turbo, I’ve been working with a local guy named Mark Vinson of Vinson Race Engines. He’s one of my best friends and I’ve raced with him a lot. He does an amazing job for us.”

Jeff latest big block Chevy is based on a 540 cubic inch Trick Flow block, which hasn’t been in production since 1989.

“Trick Flow made a big block Chevy with Sonny Leonard a long time ago,” Lutz says. “I don’t think they ever sold real well. I lucked into a batch of them and I’ve been running them ever since. They’re bulletproof.”

The Trick Flow block is equipped with a Callies crank, aluminum GRP rods and Pro-Filer Big Chief heads. It also features T&D rockers and Trend one-piece pushrods in the valvetrain, and twin 88mm Precision turbos give it some solid boost. The big block Chevy setup puts power to the ground via a Rossler 400 Turbo trans.

“It’s almost a bulletproof package for us and I’ve got so much data over the years,” he says. “I’ve had these engines in my ’57 and in Mad Max and I have it in this ’04-’06 Pontiac GTO Pro Mod. I just absolutely love it. It’s reliable horsepower. The 540 big block Chevy is a tried and true piece. It’s 4.250 stroke and a 4.000 bore. Everything is happy. The rod is not too long. The stroke is not too big. We’ve just had a lot of success with it.

Twin 88mm Precision turbos

“You can buy the billet stuff and all that good stuff. You don’t need it. This is all cast with water heads and a water block. I just don’t run any water through it. It’s reliable and you can put water in it and drive it if you want to. This is the same motor combination that I do Drag Week with. You can drive it 1,200 miles if you want. We put 89 octane in it and drive it straight down the road. On the street, we get almost 11 mpg believe it or not with 89 octane and no boost.”

The engine is lubricated via a Moroso six-stage dry sump oiling system with a Moroso oil tank and oil pan, as well as Moroso valve covers. Jeff utilizes a clear view oil filter, which he says has ‘saved my butt many, many times.’ You blow air through it in order to see if anything is in the filter.

Jeff told us there wasn’t anything overly special about this build and that for what it is, it’s actually a fairly low-budget engine, but a reliable one.

“It probably makes upwards of 4,000 horsepower, reliably,” he says. “On the race track in the eighth mile, this car has been 3.89 at almost 200 mph. This engine in my other car set the Pro Mod record five or six years ago in the quarter – it went 5.78 at 256 mph. It’s just an all-around good piece.”

The 2022 season of No Prep Kings features a 15-race series, and Jeff is excited to get racing.

“The goal for the season is to win,” Lutz admits. “We did really good last year. We hit the ground pretty close to running, but it wasn’t quite good enough.”

Jeff will be looking to improve this year, and in fact, all the NPK folks have stepped up their games, making the racing over the years extremely fun to watch. We’ll be eager to see how this new 540 BBC and its 4,000 horsepower can perform!

Engine of the Week is sponsored by PennGrade Motor OilElring – Das Original and Engine & Performance Warehouse Inc./NPW Companies. If you have an engine you’d like to highlight in this series, please email Engine Builder Editor Greg Jones at [email protected]

You May Also Like

Vortech Supercharged 572 cid Big Block Chevy Engine

When David Pearson of Little Evil Racing shows up at the track with his Pro 275 Foxbody Mustang, people fear him, and for good reason. David has set numerous 275 drag radial world records, and with a Vortech supercharged 572 cid big block Chevy in this Mustang, another record may fall!

Eye candy at a show like the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) tradeshow is literally everywhere you look. Each aisle is packed full of engines, cars, trucks, components and parts, machining equipment, and so much more. Frankly, if you don’t keep blinders on, your eyes won’t let you actually make it to where you need to be!

422 cid Small Block Chevy Circle Track Engine

We were treated to a shop tour of Terry’s Machine Shop by owner Todd Gilliam. This old-school machine shop outside of St. Louis does a little bit of everything, and they had just wrapped up this badass 422 cubic inch small block Chevy engine for a circle track customer. Check it out!

Supercharged 500 cid Billet Hemi Engine

Doc Baker is a racer and builder who does things his own way. A perfect example of his work can be seen under the hood of his 1971 Dodge Demon – this supercharged 500 cubic inch billet Hemi engine. Check out what went into the build!

521 cid Blown Big Block Chevy Engine

According to owner Colin Jost, this 521 cubic inch blown big block Chevy engine doesn’t know it’s a Chevy since everything was built like a Hemi. Regardless, it’s 2,500 horsepower of awesomeness. Check it out!

Supercharged 526 cid Hemi Engine

With a long history of street cars and street racing, as well as experience with Top Fuel and Top Alcohol dragsters, Jamond Haug of Homewrecker Motorsports knows a thing or two about engine work. Check out his supercharged 526 cid Hemi, which sits inside a 1969 Z28 Camaro!

Other Posts

Drag-and-Drive World Champion to be Crowned in 2023

Drag-And-Drive Addiction and Summit Racing recently announced big news in the world of drag-and-drive racing that a World Champion drag-and-drive racer will be crowned in 2023. Related Articles – Tick Performance is Under New Ownership – 30th Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show Open for Registration – Joey Logano Races to First Cup Win at Atlanta

MAHLE Motorsport PowerPak Options for Big Block Mopar Engines

Both the 383,400 (B) -8.1cc Flat Top and 440 (RB) -24.6cc Dish pistons are made of high strength 4032 alloy with a slipper skirt forging and are dual coated with MAHLE’s GRAFAL® skirt coating and Phosphate dry lubricant.

1973 Toyota Celica with a Turbocharged 388 cid LS Engine

As day one of Sick Week 2023 came to a close at Orlando Speed World, we passed by the pit area of Steve Groenink. We did a double take of his 1973 Toyota Celica, which features a turbocharged 388 cubic inch LS engine. The 6-second capable build is our Engine of the Week! Related Articles

Discover Pro Tips & More at Drag Racing Sponsorship Summit

Racers, teams, promoters and sponsors at all levels of competition are invited to join sponsorship guru Alex Striler and more than a dozen top panelists from some of the biggest brands in motorsports for the 2023 Drag Racing Sponsorship Summit. Related Articles – Proform Big Block HEI Distributors – Toyota, TRD Launch GR Supra Jr.