Whipplecharger Supercharger Installation on a 1998 Chevy Dually

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If you purchased a 1996-or-later Chevy or GMC C/K series pickup that’s motivated by a 7.4L Vortec V-8--the contemporary handle used to describe a 454ci Rat motor equipped with GM’s Vortec package--chances are it’s either some type of dualie, a special-order 3/4- to 1-ton pickup, or a Suburban. And it’s likely that you ordered your truck with a big arm under the hood, since its low-range torque output helps when you’re towing and hauling. Whipple Industries offers many Whipplecharger screw compressor kits for all C/K-series pickups powered by either 4.3L, 5.0L, 5.7L, or 7.4L engines. The installation we observed was a kit for 7.4L V-8 Vortec engines, which was put on a new 1998 Chevy Extended Cab dualie with an automatic transmission and a set of Mesa headers and exhaust. Though we didn’t get a chance to dyno- test this unit, we can attest that it didn’t negatively affect the mileage under any driving condition; the mileage was equivalent to the stock figures. Performance did, however, improve dramatically--especially when towing. And yes, it did boil the dualie hides. Really. But if you want numbers, check out the ratings on the accompanying chart for this kit based on a stock truck that was tested by Whipple Industries on a Dynojet dynamometer. As the numbers show, this unit gets it on and with hard kick (as evidenced by the high torque peak in the low-rpm range). The suggested retail price for this kit runs around $3,850 (hey, whoever said power was cheap?). Read along as we install the unit, and notice how factory it looks once it's installed.