It's hard to imagine, but 10 years ago, there were no Duramax engines, common-rail 5.9L Cummins, or 6.0L Power Strokes. The diesel power wars were just beginning, and the diesel performance industry was still a novelty. Back then, Bryan Kinney (aka Psychostroker on the message boards) was a Chevy guy and was driving a 1-ton with a 454 gas engine. He knew very little about diesels-and even less about the Ford engine called Power Stroke. Now he could write a book about them.
Bryan's latest engine combination (there have been several) was built from an '00 International 7.3L block and has been prepped for diesel sled-pulling competition. Four years ago, when this engine came together, there were very few high-performance hard parts for 7.3Ls. What couldn't be bought had to be made. Head-gasket failures and high-pressure oil-pump issues plagued what was at that point Bryan's daily diver.
After thousands of man-hours developing, testing, and competing, Bryan felt he'd maxed out the 7.3L. He was even considering going the Duramax or Cummins route like everyone else. But new technology has recently been developed that has renewed his International power goals, and as he says, "This engine is just the beginning."