By Evan J. Smith
photographer: Evan J. Smith
In the search for performance, racers learned a long time ago that improving airflow in and out of the engine generally results in more power under your right foot. Over time, this theory has gone from the racetrack to the street, in both the car and truck markets. And while there are some elaborate induction systems costing hundreds or thousands of dollars, there are also simple and cost-effective ways to unlock extra power from your existing combination.
One such component is the new Power Elbow from Accufab, which is designed to increase power and engine life on '05-'06 Ford 6.0L diesel engines. It retails for $159 for the unpolished and $179 for the fancy polished version (shown, top left). A similar unit is also available for '03-'04 models. Best of all, installation is simple and takes just minutes.
Ford made big waves with its 6.0L Power Stroke diesel engine. In stock trim, this '06 model made 274 hp and 447 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. | 
Big breathing is made easy with Accufab's Power Elbow for the '05-'06 6.0 Power Stroke Ford. The elbow retails for under $180 and can be had with a natural or polished finish. | 
To accurately test the Power Elbow, we used an '06 F-350 along with the Dynojet chassis dynamometer at JDM Engineering in Freehold, New Jersey. During the test, we monitored vitals such as engine coolant and oil temperature. Running the tests with the fluids at the same temperature is one way to increase validity. |
The four retaining bolts were then removed. | 
The elbow was lifted from the engine and separated (right) from the hose. |  |
"The reason for developing this product was to reduce inlet backpressure," said George Klass of Accufab. "The Power Elbow replaces the stock intake, which has a sharp turn in it and restricts flow. Our elbow helps to improve inlet airflow, but more importantly, it reduces backpressure and that lowers exhaust gas temperature. Over time, high EGT can cause engine problems, especially when towing," Klassadded. "We saw a huge drop in inlet temperature too, because there was less restriction. The gain in power was secondary."
Removing the stock elbow is simple. First, we loosened the clamp connecting the inlet hose. | 
As air enters the stock elbow, it must make a sharp turn to enter the intake manifold. | 
Air is redirected much more smoothly with the Accufab piece. |
We wanted to put the Power Elbow to the test, so we headed to JDM Engineering in Freehold, New Jersey, to run one on a Power Stroke 6.0L. We strapped JDM's own '06 F-350 dualie to the Dynojet to first establish a baseline. Jim D'Amore of JDM didn't have a "tune" in the truck, but he did go into the computer to lock the torque converter for the purpose of dyno testing. His F-350 spun the Dynojet to a peak of 274.47 hp and 447.15 lb-ft of torque.