The world of Modified pulling trucks is where you'll find some of the wildest diesel power plants in existence. Ben Miller, the owner of Double Overtime, decided a few years ago that he wanted to compete against the big-horsepower, Cummins-powered trucks in the Modified pulling class, and that he wanted to do it with a Ford Power Stroke. What is amazing is that he actually did it; he built a monster that will run right with the Dodges, and he did it with almost all Ford (and International) parts.
The truck itself is "mostly" an '05 Ford, and although the stock frame has been retained, it features massive reinforcements, eliminated crossmembers, and no rear suspension. The engine is the real news, however, and is unlike any Power Stroke we've seen before. Both 7.3L and 6.0L trucks rely on a HEUI injection system, which has trouble delivering enough fuel to make over 1,000 hp. Since Ben knew he needed way more than that to be competitive, he looked for a different approach. What he came up with was both incredibly difficult and time consuming.
The monster Power Stroke nicknamed...
The monster Power Stroke nicknamed the "Super Stroke" was built by TFS out of Vallonia, Indiana. In addition to assembling the engine, TFS also handled much of the trick fab work that went into adapting the big injection pump to the engine.
The entire HEUI system would be scrapped, and the truck would be converted to a Bosch P-pump styled injection system, using a Scheid-built "V-Pump" off of a 700-cubic-inch International engine. This meant reworking the entire engine-as a new front cover, lines, and injection system had to be designed, and the cylinder heads had to be cut and re-welded to accommodate the different injection system. Welding cast-iron is neither cheap nor easy, and Ben indicated about half the money spent on the entire engine went into the heads.
Below the one-off heads, a set of custom fire rings and Flat Out Racing head gaskets seal the deck, while a set of 9/16-inch ARP studs (yes! Non-metric) keep everything together. The block is a stock 7.3L, but has a serious girdle that ties into the mains, pan rails, and even engine mounts to keep a solid foundation. The crank is also stock and swings a set of Cunningham rods and JE Pistons. A custom ground billet cam rounds out the long block.
Speaking of injection pumps,...
Speaking of injection pumps, here is the Scheid Diesel-built monster pump that is responsible for the engine's quadruple-digit horsepower rating.
To make some major horsepower, a compound turbo setup using two HX82 turbos was built by Robbins turbo, and Ben would tell us little about them except that they combine to make up to 160 pounds of boost. There is also an external wastegate before the first turbo, which diverts exhaust pressure and sends it through the second (smaller) pipe that is sticking through the hood. Exhaust gas temps are kept under control by a three-stage Scheid water-injection system that includes no fewer than thirteen nozzles. Stage 1 is activated off the line, while stages 2 and 3 are controlled by a computer and activate when exhaust gas temps reach a certain level. Although it is never completely consistent, EGTs are usually in the 1500-1800 degree range during the pull.
So what does all this re-engineering and hard work add up to? Ben admitted that his power rating is "well north of 1,500 horsepower," and that the engine will spin up to a 7,000rpm redline. His hard work has also earned him multiple first-place finishes this year against some of the strongest modified trucks in the nation. A big thanks to Ben for giving the Ford guys something to cheer for, and for building a puller unlike any other.