Compound Turbo 5.9L Cummins Engine - Engine Builder Magazine

Compound Turbo 5.9L Cummins Engine

Dustin Damgaard’s interest in the performance world began years ago when he attended a National Hot Rod Diesel Association (NHRDA) for the first time – building powerful race machines has been a hobby ever since. He just finished a a 5.9L Cummins build that doesn't disappoint. Check it out!

Diesel of the Week is presented by

Happy holidays everyone! The Engine Builder team is already back home to be with family, but that doesn’t mean we can’t pump out one more crazy diesel engine for you all to enjoy before filling your stomachs tomorrow and passing out on the couch. Everyone could use a well deserved break right about now, so we’ll keep this one short.

Dustin Damgaard is a diesel mechanic located in Peachland, Canada. He’s been working in the diesel industry since 2008 and has two journeyman tickets for off-road mechanics and heavy-duty diesel mechanics; he also owns T&D Mechanical, which provides heavy equipment repair services in the air. Naturally, he knows a thing or two about diesel engine work. 

Damgaard’s interest in the performance world began years ago when he attended a National Hot Rod Diesel Association (NHRDA) for the first time – building powerful race machines has been a hobby ever since. 

“The truck I have now kind of spiraled from when I first got it,” he said. “I bought it a few years back and it was pretty basic, a VP44 truck with a small turbo and chip in it. The itch kept itching so I tried a few different turbo and component setups on it.”

The 5.9L Cummins eventually got the P-Pump treatment. The bottom end is essentially stock, and the stage 2 billet head unit comes from D&J Precision Machine. Damgaard says there was minor port work done, but nothing crazy. A number of aftermarket parts were installed to give the engine that extra kick, though.

After the block was stripped down, a colt stage 4 camshaft and tappets were installed. A Keating Machine billet tappet cover, front cover, block off plates, and freeze plugs round off the bottom end. Manton valve springs, retainers and bridges were also added.

For the fueling side, Damgaard went with a Waterman fuel setup from Granby Truck Stop. Scheid diesel conversion lines and Westin Automotive 16×16 injectors with crossover tubes and the edge filters cut out are paired with an Industrial Injection 13mm fuel pump. 

As for forced air, a Steed Speed manifold with a T4 inverted gate works in conjunction with a Forced Induction 467 on the manifold and a Garrett GTX50 88mm. 

Currently, Damgaard races his truck at local events including Dirty Diesel, where he’s seen quite a bit of success on the track. Right now, he’s looking to upgrade his setup to common rail and make even more power, hopefully to the tune of 1,500 horsepower. As such, he’s parting out his current setup – anyone interested in contacting Damgaard for specific parts can reach out via his Facebook page.

Diesel of the Week is sponsored by AMSOIL. 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

Compound-Turbo 6.0L Powerstroke Engine

Steve Burton of New Performance Automotive and Chris Moore of Flatwoods Diesel Performance recently teamed up to build this compound-turbo 6.0L Powerstroke engine. Check it out!

Less than a year ago, we featured a pretty sick 5.9L Cummins engine built by Steve Burton at New Performance Automotive. The Rural Retreat, VA-based shop specializes in maintenance, in-house manufacturing of specialized parts, engine dyno services, and they also do some pretty sweet diesel engine builds for customers.

Compound Turbo VP44 5.9L Cummins Engine

Cole Sojka’s diesel truck journey began at the age of 16 when he bought a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 as a farm truck. Over the past eight years and 100,000 additional miles, he’s transformed the truck, including building up the 5.9L VP44 compound-turbo Cummins engine. Check out the build!

Cummins engine
Single-Turbo 5.9L Cummins Engine

Aaron West has done a few smaller scale builds to date, but he recently finished up a “Frankenstein” truck that is pretty impressive. The body is a 1990 Dodge D150, while the chassis is from a shortened 2003 Dodge 2500 4WD, and the engine is a turbocharged 5.9L Cummins. It’s our Diesel of the Week!

Dodge truck and 5.9L Cummins engine
All-Billet Duramax Drag-and-Drive Engine

Having been put on the back burner due to Wagler Competition’s popular DX Duramax engines, this brand-new billet Duramax engine has finally made it to the forefront. Rather than being aimed at truck pullers, this lighter diesel engine is specifically designed for drag racers and drag-and-drive events. Check out what makes this Duramax unique.

Wagler billet Duramax engine
Billet Triple-Turbo 6.4L Cummins Super Stock Engine

During a recent visit to Scheid Diesel, we got to see what goes on in the Terre Haute, IN-based engine and machine shop. We also got a deep dive on the details of a $150,000, billet, triple-turbo, 6.4L Cummins Super Stock engine build. It’s the pinnacle of Scheid Diesel builds, so don’t miss what’s in and on this engine.

Other Posts

Rislone DEF Crystal Clean

First-of-its-kind product removes damaging crystals from SCR systems, clears P20EE codes.

Rislone DEF Crystal Clean
Logan Yelton’s Turbocharged 5.9L 12-Valve Cummins Engine

During last year’s Ultimate Callout Challenge, Logan Yelton’s ’93 Dodge truck stood out as we walked through the pit area. We got a chance to speak with Logan about his company Loganbuilt and the 5.9L 12-valve Cummins engine under the hood of his vintage Dodge truck. See what went into the build in this Diesel

Diesel Daydreams at R&R Engine and Machine

We’ve know R&R Engine and Machine owner Bryan Menke for quite some time. He’s just down the road from our HQ in Akron, OH, so we recently stopped in to see what was new at the shop, which specializes in light, medium and heavy-duty diesel engine work. There’s literally nothing R&R can’t handle, so check

Cummins Announces Next Gen X15 Diesel Engine

Cummins Inc. has announced it will launch its most efficient heavy-duty diesel engine ever. As the next product in the Cummins HELM 15-liter fuel agnostic platform, the diesel X15 will be compliant with U.S. EPA and CARB 2027 aligned regulations at launch. The next generation X15 diesel engine in North America will serve the heavy-duty