A 7.3L Power Stroke That Packs a Punch

A Nasty 7.3L Packing Big Fuel, Oil, and Air

Durable, dependable, and reputable. While virtually no one will argue the 7.3L Power Stroke doesn’t live up to these words, the venerable, HEUI-injected, large displacement V-8 isn’t particularly thought of as a good foundation for making big horsepower. But that’s exactly what motivated Shawn Matz to make his ’00 F- 250 anything but your average, run-of-the-mill Super Duty. It was built to put newer trucks in their place and showcase the capability of the 7.3L. “Everybody, every step of the way, has told me I’ll never make much power, so I set out to prove them wrong,” he told us.

“EVERYBODY, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY HAS TOLD ME I’LL NEVER MAKE MUCH POWER, SO I SET OUT TO PROVE THEM WRONG.” —SHAWN MATZ

After killing the factory forged rod engine (and a spare while this mill was being put together) Shawn Matz pulled out all the stops when he built the 7.3L Power Stroke currently residing in his ’00 F-250. Built like a tank, the cast-iron V-8 utilizes a girdle, Carrillo forged rods, valve-relieved and coated cast-aluminum pistons, a Gearhead Automotive Performance Stage 2 sled cam, and fire-rings in the block. Top end modifications include a set of ported heads (courtesy of Crutchfield Machine in Liberty, North Carolina) with Stage 2 beehive valve springs and Stage 2 chromoly pushrods from Swamps Diesel Performance.

A T4 turbo mounting system from Irate Diesel Performance, complete with stainless steel uppipes and intercooler piping, makes running an S400 based charger possible. The big single was built by Turbo & Diesel Injection of Indianapolis and features a billet 75mm compressor wheel, 96mm turbine wheel, and a 1.10 A/R exhaust housing. The Kelly Group Powdercoating of Lafayette, Indiana, finished the intercooler plumbing and compressor housing in “caution” orange.

As for fuel, 400cc hybrid injectors with 400-percent over nozzles from Full Force Diesel dwell in the heads (commonly called 400/400’s). Meeting the big injectors’ oil demands is the proven Gen3 high-pressure oil pump from Swamps Diesel Performance, which mounts above the OEM 17- degree HPOP.

NOT MESSING AROUND

Purchased with 250,000 miles on the clock, Shawn wasted no time modifying the untouched 7.3L under the hood. Thanks to a set of 300/200 (300cc ﬂow/200-percent over-sized nozzles) hybrid injectors, S475 turbo, and a built transmission, the truck was soon knocking on the door of 600- rwhp. However, at the 330,000-mile mark, the stock bottom end decided it’d had enough—which only prompted Shawn to do a full-on engine build and push the envelope even further.

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On the fuel supply side, the factory filter bowl and corresponding hardware has been removed from the lifter valley and an AirDog II system is utilized for filtration along the frame rail. However, Shawn uses a Fuelab Prodigy series lift pump to send fuel to the engine. A Fuelab regulator keeps a consistent 70-psi on tap for the injectors.

NEW BOTTOM END

Getting started at Diamond Engine and Machine in Monticello, Indiana, a fresh block was machined and cut to accept ﬁre-rings. From there, a new rotating assembly—which included Carrillo forged rods and ﬂy-cut (and coated) cast-aluminum pistons—was balanced. For good measure, Shawn included a main bearing girdle of his own design in the build. Wanting the 7.3L to breath a bit better, Shawn had the factory-based heads ported by the folks at Crutchﬁeld Machine in Liberty, North Carolina. Further aiding airﬂow and helping to drive the large single turbo in the valley is a Stage 2 “Sled” cam from Gearhead Automotive Performance. Once back from the machine shops, all engine assembly was left in the care of nearby Amos Diesel Performance in Michigantown, Indiana.

“AT THE 330,000-MILE MARK, THE STOCK BOTTOM END DECIDED IT’D HAD ENOUGH”

A set of traction bars from Harness Machine & Fab rules out any rear wheel hop and axle wrap. Beyond that, the truck has chromoly axle shafts all the way around, as well as a Grizzly locker in the rear end.

Ushering the 2000 model-year Super Duty into the modern age are front captain’s chairs from an ’08 King Ranch and a roomy center console from the same King Ranch donor.

FUEL AND OIL

Going beyond the 300/200 hybrid injectors that landed the truck in the 600-hp range, a set of Full Force Diesel 400/400 units stepped up the fuel game considerably. Keeping the oil side of the HEUI equation happy is a Gen3 high-pressure oil pump from Swamps Diesel Performance. Fuel supply consists of an AirDog II for ﬁltration, a Fuelab pump feeding the engine, and a regulated return fuel kit from Irate Diesel Performance.

The 4R100 automatic behind Shawn’s potent 7.3L is built to handle plenty of abuse. A 2,500-rpm stall triple disc, billet torque converter not only makes the S475 very drivable, but a heavy-duty billet stator all but eliminates a common failure point. The rest of the slushbox consists of a Sun Coast pump, Raybestos clutches, Sonnax billet input, intermedi- ate, and output shafts, and a valve body set up to Shawn’s liking.

Every serious drag racer has one of these mounted somewhere in the cab: a torque converter lockup switch. Having complete control over lockup is something most high-powered diesel owners prefer at the track, and Shawn is no exception.

COMPRESSION

The job of creating boost is left to a billet S475 dwelling in the valley. Built by Turbo & Diesel Injection, it features a massive 96mm turbine wheel, 1.10 A/R exhaust housing, and a T4 ﬂange. Thanks to a complete T4 turbo mounting system from Irate Diesel Performance, the hefty snail (aka turbo) packages very well under the hood. At full tilt, more than 60 pounds of boost makes its way into the engine.

To tune the truck’s PCM, Shawn uses a Hydra chip from Power Hungry Performance, with custom tunes created by Gearhead Automotive Performance. Thanks to the spot-on tuning, the big injector 7.3L is exceptionally well mannered, streetable, and reliable. In fact, Shawn tells us he can daily drive the truck on the drag race tune.

TRANNY

Building the 4R100 automatic was assigned to a friend and local transmission guru Donnie Stringer. A custom triple-disc converter with a 2,500-rpm stall was employed to help make the S475 drive well on the street, along with upgraded clutches, all-billet shafts, and a modiﬁed valvebody. The ﬁnal piece of the puzzle (and arguably the most important) was dialing in the truck’s PCM tuning. For that, Gearhead Automotive Performance was charged with taming the 400/400s—and everything else—for street use.

For that little something extra, Shawn conceals a 15- pound Nitrous Express bottle under his tonneau cover. A single 0.070-inch jet feeds the funny stuff into the intake path via progressive controller. However, with the current parts combination, Shawn has yet to spray the truck.

PROVEN SUCCESS

To be clear, nothing Shawn has done with his F-250 has reinvented the wheel— but that’s the point. He kept things simple, and chose to run a combination of parts that has been proven to work well. The end result is a truck that’s reliable, capable of running high 11s on fuel, and has no problem keeping up with newer trucks. In today’s age of common-rail diesel performance, it’s a pretty big statement to outrun the new blood in a 7.3L— and Shawn spends a lot of his time doing just that. DW

The familiar BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A’s sit at each corner for all-season traction, and good bite at the drag strip. To add a little bling to the mix, the truck is graced with a set of 20×9-inch chrome Fuel Octane wheels.

GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT’S BEEN DONE TO THE TRUCK, YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW EASY IT IS TO MELT THE REAR TIRES. SHAWN WAS KIND ENOUGH TO CONCLUDE OUR PHOTO SHOOT WITH OUR FAVORITE KIND OF SMOKE SHOW.

SPECS:

Year/Make/Model: 2000 Ford F-250

OWNER: Shawn Matz

HOMETOWN: Burlington, Indiana

ODOMETER: 340,000 miles

ENGINE: 7.3L Power Stroke with main bearing girdle, Carrillo forged rods, ﬂy-cut and coated Mahle cast-aluminum pistons, Gearhead Automotive Performance Stage 2 “Sled” camshaft, ported heads with Swamps Diesel Performance Stage 2 beehive valve springs and Stage 2 chromoly pushrods, ARP 2000 head studs

FUEL: Full Force Diesel 400/400 hybrid injectors, Irate Diesel Performance regulated return, AirDog 165-gph, Fuelab lift pump, Beans Diesel sump

OIL: Swamps Diesel Performance Gen3 high-pressure oil pump

AIR: Turbo & Diesel Injection billet S475 with T4 ﬂange, Irate Diesel Performance T4 mount with up-pipes and intercooler pipes, BD intercooler, Beans Diesel billet intake plenums

INJECTABLES: Nitrous Express system with progressive controller, 0.070-inch jet, 15-pound bottle

TUNING: Gearhead Automotive Performance via Power Hungry Performance Hydra chip

EXHAUST: 5-inch Flo-Pro system with no muffler

TRANSMISSION: 4R100 with 2,500-rpm stall, billet, triple-disc converter, modiﬁed valve body, Raybestos clutches, Sun Coast pump, Sonnax billet input, intermediate, and output shafts

HORSEPOWER: 700+ hp on fuel (est.)

TORQUE: 1,200+ lb-ft. on fuel (est.)

TIRES: 305/55R20 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A

WHEELS: 20×9 Fuel Octane

SUSPENSION/DRIVELINE: Harness Machine & Fab traction bars, Dana 60 front axle, chromoly axleshafts (front and rear), rear Grizzly locker