TORQUE STEER

A 1,200HP, 2,200 LB-FT ’08 SUPER DUTY
When you’re a horsepower junkie but don’t want to sacrifice the reliability of your $70,000 daily driver, what do you do? You buy a second truck and throw all restraint out the window. This is the path to four-digit power Chad Flynn took with his ’08 F-250, a former plow truck from Cleveland. In the diesel game since the early 2000s, Chad knows as well as anyone that there is a point of no return when modifying your primary means of transportation. Even worse, the quest for more and more power can turn sour if you’re constantly turning wrenches on the vehicle you rely on day-in and day-out. So rather than continue to push the limits of his brand-new 6.7L Power Stroke, he set his sights on making this regular cab 6.4L a 10-second play toy.

PROVEN PARTS

With a little over 62,000 original miles on the clock, Chad plucked the 6.4L Power Stroke out of the truck and set to work prepping it to handle big power. Good machine work and proven hard parts served as the foundation for the build. An externally balanced crankshaft, R&R connecting rods with ARP rod bolts, and standard bore, cut-and-coated MaxxForce 7 International pistons from RCD Performance made the list, along with Elite Diesel Engineering’s Stage 1X cam. The factory heads were resurfaced, outfitted with Elite’s Stage 2 valve springs and cryogenically-treated rocker arms, and clamped to the block via A1 Technologies H-11 head studs.

BIG FUEL

Well aware of the 6.4L Power Stroke’s highly potent common- rail injection system, Chad added a second K16 pump, 150-percent over injectors, and an A1000 lift pump—complete with garden hose-sized fuel lines—to back it all up. The twin K16 system came from Elite Diesel Engineering and uses an additional, belt-driven high-pressure fuel pump to keep the rails full of fuel. The 150-percent nozzles were sourced from RCD Performance and Chad started fresh by installing them on a brand-new set of OEM injectors. To keep the common-rail system happy, Chad pieced together his own low-pressure fuel system based around the use of the aforementioned (and competition-friendly) Aeromotive A1000.

RAW POWER COMPOUNDS

The truck’s lightning quick spool up and big top-end power is directly linked to Elite Diesel Engineering’s Raw Power compound turbo arrangement. A 63mm factory-based VGT gets things started in a hurry, and an 88mm atmosphere charger from Precision Turbo and Engine comes on line at higher rpm. Dual wastegates allow the small-ish VGT to route excess drive pressure into the Precision unit to drive it harder. In instances where the 88mm charger sees too much drive, the second gate opens, venting exhaust into the downpipe.

STAGE 5 ‘5R

Surviving the more than 2,200 lb-ft of grunt the truck produces— not to mention the shifts that are made with that much twist on tap—is a Stage 5 TorqShift from Elite Diesel Engineering. The fortified five-speed features an Aermet input shaft, 300M intermediate shaft, a billet overdrive planetary and Low/Reverse hub, and is packed full of GPZ clutches from Raybestos. A 13-inch, four-disc converter from Diesel Performance Converters handles torque transfer and a drop-in Mishimoto transmission cooler keeps ATF temps in check. Gearhead Automotive Performance fine-tuned the TCM and PCM.

A 2,200 LB-FT HANDFUL

So how does the truck run? Let’s just say Chad has a fourth-generation Mustang with a supercharged 347 stroker under the hood that collects dust in the garage now. Not only is the Super Duty faster than his other toy, but it blew past Chad’s 900-hp expectation on the dyno, laying down an impressive 1,089 hp and 1,911 lb-ft before the nitrous system was armed. On spray, the truck’s numbers jump to 1,243 hp and 2,211 lb-ft—more than enough to run low 10s if he can find adequate traction.

For now, Chad plans to enjoy the taste of getting kicked off the local drag strip for going too fast. In the long-term, he has plans to install a cage and enjoy his horsepower safely. Whether it’s making the dyno beg for mercy, hurting feelings at the track, or running up town for a quick errand, this XL trim F-250 will be in a much different line of work than was ever intended.