With major thunderstorms hitting the area and accidents on all the major freeways, only about 50 of the 80 people who signed up were expected to brave the weather to attend the Southern California Powerstrokes 4th annual meeting at Sunrise Ford in Fontana, California. But Ford fans are a die-hard bunch, and by day's end, more than 120 people had shown up for the dyno event, show 'n' shine, and driving-skills course. In addition to these competitions, there was a raffle, and '08 Ford F-250s were on hand for testdrives if anyone felt so inclined. Also, a representative from International was available to discuss the new 6.4L Power Stroke that's in the '08 models and to answer any questions that came up regarding the new design. A tri-tip barbecue luncheon was provided, courtesy of Turbonetics, which also raffled off an intercooler and debuted a Power Stroke turbo kit that has made 400 rear-wheel horsepower on a fairly mild tune, as of press time.
Rain dampened the first part of the event, but by noon, things were starting to clear up enough that the show-'n'-shine competition could be held. Vehicles were constantly on and off the dyno all day, and owners had the chance to post their dyno numbers along with their modifications so other members could see what it took to make power. Most trucks were in the 300-400 rear-wheel-horsepower range, with a few nudging 450. The drag truck, Stroked Lightning, topped out at 490 rear-wheel horsepower. The driving-skills portion of the event was one of the most interesting parts of the afternoon, with a marked dirt course in the field next to the dealership. For $1, you could blast through the cones and try to set a fast time. The course also had a very entertaining reverse slalom section, where drivers had to zigzag through cones backward.
After all the dyno soot and dirt had settled, the '07 event seemed like a big hit to all those in attendance. If you're interested in Power Strokes or want more information on these types of events, check out www.socaps.com.
 |  Despite cloudy skies, double...  Despite cloudy skies, double and triple parking was common because more people than were expected turned out from all over Southern California. |  Sunrise Ford was kind enough...  Sunrise Ford was kind enough to provide the venue for the event, where the attendants could stay dry as they ate and bantered about Fords. |
 For those who wanted to show...  For those who wanted to show off their driving ability, there was a driving-skills course in the field next to the parking lot. They had a 2WD class and a 4WD class with many drivers locking and unlocking their hubs and running both classes. |  This Excursion was the sleeper...  This Excursion was the sleeper of the bunch. Who would expect a near-9,000-pound truck to run in the 14s? What's even more interesting is that this ride had a top-three power number on a 120,000-mile stock motor that had never been taken apart. |  Turbonetics had plenty of...  Turbonetics had plenty of turbochargers on display as well as information on some new turbos for 6.0L and 7.3L Power Strokes. The company was also kind enough to raffle off an intercooler to some lucky Power Stroke owner. |