Banks Power 25326 SIDEWINDER TURBO SYSTEM, 1982-87 6.2L TRK/SUB, L/D, 4WD

Sidewinder turbo system

PICKUP/SUBURBAN/BLAZER/JIMMY: In 1989, GM selected Banks as the 6.2L factory-turbo option, and remained so until GM released their own 6.5L turbo-diesel. To this day, Banks Sidewinder out-performs GM's 6.5L factory-turbo or any other turbo. Banks' ultimate upgrade for 6.2L workhorses provides best gains of +60 hp and +115 lb-ft torque, plus 19% better fuel economy. That's no smoke!

Speaking of the power from a rebuilt 6.2L, we ran our "new" Banks' turbo'd engine on the dyno at Vanderley Racing Engines in Lyman, Mississippi, not far from where Karl Hagar and Warren Spears did the overhaul. Here's what we found: The original '82 6.2L delivered 130 hp and 240 lb-ft torque. Our "new" 6.2L delivered 58 hp more than the stock engine did and 110 lb-ft of torque between 1,100 and 1,800 rpm, and 40 hp and 85 lb-ft more power at 2,800. That puts our builder engine in the same power range as the 6.5 turbo found in today's GM heavy-duty pickups.
In addition to the typical engine rebuild parts, we stepped up the power quotient on our builder by installing a Banks Sidewinder turbo kit-a dealer option GM offered in the latter days of the 6.2L. The Banks kit includes everything from the Banks Ram-Air intake with cast air-filter housing to the Sidewinder turbo with turbocharger exhaust manifold, pressure-chamber-plenum boost tube, special radiator hose, and crankcase-vent duct. It also includes a complete 3-inch stainless exhaust system with a Dynaflow muffler.