UNDER THE RADAR

A STOCK-APPEARING, 700HP 6.0L POWER STROKE

Unmatched reliability, versatility, and adequate power right out of the box are all part of a diesel’s appeal. When Josh Todd traded in his square body Chevy hobby for this ’04 F-250, he was looking for all of these advantages. “I was tired of wrenching—it’s all I ever did,” he told us. “I told myself I am buying a new truck because I am not working on trucks anymore.” Thing is, gearheads will always be gearheads. And while Josh somehow managed to resist the urge to modify the 6.0L Power Stroke for several years, the need for more power eventually overcame him.

“I left it alone for six or seven years (when it was bone stock), but then I got the itch.” Jumping right in, Todd, his cousin, and a good friend, Zac Wright, didn’t waste time adding power in small increments. Instead, the truck’s first round of modifications called for a set of 155cc injectors, a PowerMax turbo, ARP head studs, and a built transmission— which effectively catapulted the truck into the 500hp range. Later, as Josh’s horsepower goals increased, the fuel, air, and hard-part mods would become more serious.

Stock Bottom End

Throughout the truck’s stock-to-700hp journey, the 6.0L’s bottom end went virtually untouched. The one occasion where Todd ventured into the short block was when he and Wright pulled the oil pan and added ARP rod bolts. When the heads came off, Todd had them ported and fitted with hardened valve seats. OEM Ford head gaskets and the aforementioned ARP studs keep the heads clamped to the block and combustion contained.

Fueling the Fire

After undergoing two overhauls, the original 155/30 injectors now flow 215 cc’s and benefit from 75-percent over nozzles. The conventional style (i.e. non-hybrid) injectors are on the verge of what the factory high-pressure oil pump can support, but ICP voltage holds strong at 4.8 volts. Steady, air-free fuel supply comes by way of a 150-gph AirDog system combined with a Driven Diesel regulated return.

Fixed Geometry Turbo

Once he’d learned that considerable performance could be gained by switching to a fixed geometry turbocharger, Todd ordered a T4 turbo mounting kit from Irate Diesel Performance and a High Tech Turbo S467 through Holderdown Diesel Performance. The S467—equipped with an 83mm turbine wheel inside a 0.90 A/R exhaust housing—sends 45 psi of boost through a Banks Power intercooler. Todd told us that the additional air volume provided by the S400 dropped peak exhaust gas temperature by 200 degrees.

Fortified 5R

Thanks to a host of internal parts obtained from Sun Coast, the 5R110 TorqShift was built for extreme use at nearby Tegeler Transmission. Among the five-speed transmission’s upgrades include higher count clutch packs with more holding capacity, a TransGo shift kit, and a billet input shaft. In order to match the S467 charger, a Precision of New Hampton torque converter was spec’d with a 2,400-rpm stall speed. Custom PCM and TCM tuning from Gearhead Automotive Performance keeps the injection system, turbo, and transmission all working in perfect unison.

The Silver Sleeper

Once you realize Todd is the type of guy that doesn’t take kindly to being told he can’t do something, it makes perfect sense why he built a 700hp 6.0L. If you tell him it can’t be done with the 6.0L, he will go out of his way to prove you wrong. Thanks to encountering his fair share of naysayers over the years, his determination to stick with Ford’s most notorious Power Stroke has only been heightened. Sporting factory 16-inch wheels, a traditional exit exhaust, and even a snow plow mount, Todd’s F-250 is a textbook example of a sleeper. By design, its stock-like appearance makes it a nightmare come true for Cummins and Duramax owners.

SPECIFICATIONS

2004 FORD F-250

OWNER: Josh Todd
HOMETOWN: Milledgeville, Illinois
ODOMETER: 79,319 miles ENGINE: 6.0L Power Stroke V8 with ARP rod bolts, ported cylinder heads, ARP head studs
FUEL: 215/75 conventional injectors, stock high-pressure oil pump, 150-gph AirDog system, Driven Diesel regulated return
AIR: High Tech Turbo S467, Irate Diesel Performance T4 turbo mount, ported intake manifold, Banks Power Techni-Cooler intercooler, Banks Power cold air intake
INJECTABLES: Banks Power Straight-Shot water-methanol system
EXHAUST: Irate Diesel Performance 4-inch downpipe, Silverline 4-inch system with 5-inch polished tip
TUNING: Gearhead Automotive Performance via SCT X3 programmer
TRANSMISSION: 5R110 TorqShift built by Tegeler Transmission with Sun Coast rebuild kit, billet input shaft, TransGo shift kit, 2,400-rpm stall Precision of New Hampton triple disc converter, manual lockup switch
HORSEPOWER: 700-rwhp (est.)
TORQUE: 1,200 to 1,300 lb-ft (est.)
TIRES: 255/85R16 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A
WHEELS: 16×7-inch factory Alcoa
SUSPENSION: Calvert Racing CalTracs, Rancho 5000 shocks