The Ultimate 7.3L Power Stroke Transformation!

Everyone has their favorite engine configuration when it comes to power numbers, torque, performance, and all-over quality, but if you ask Ford diesel fans what their engine of choice is, chances are most of them will put the 7.3L V-8 Power Stroke at the top of the list.

Known as being virtually “bulletproof” with regular maintenance, the 7.3L can be found in Ford light-duty trucks all the way back as far as 1994. Despite being replaced with the 6.0L Power Stroke in the second quarter of 2003, due in large part to California’s emissions and noise regulations, the 7.3 remains one of the most sought-after diesel engines in the Ford truck fleet today. That very engine is exactly what inspired Caleb Rennekamp of Groveland, Florida, to build this custom truck!

The 2001 Ford F-250 Platinum Edition you see before you came with a 7.3L Power Stroke straight from the factory—one of fewer than 3,000 produced for the model year. So when Caleb got his hands on it, he wasted little time before setting forth to upgrade the rarity, turning it into a unique one-of-a-kind pickup. Add the truck’s limited-run status with the 7.3L under the hood to Caleb’s prowess in the lifted truck world as the owner of Florida’s own Shifted Industries, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a sweet ride!

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Not Your Traditional F-250

While the truck’s 7.3L Power Stroke was enough to spark the idea for this build, Caleb didn’t want his truck to be like any other 2,479 other F-250 Platinums he’d seen. So, he started off by swapping the entire frame of the truck out for an F-350 crew cab longbed chassis, elongating the wheelbase to 176 inches. To the stretched chassis, Caleb and his crew at Shifted Industries added a plethora of performance suspension components, including Icon leaf springs with Sulastic shackles and Bilstein remote reservoir shocks with dual shock hoops up front, and a Kelderman 2-Stage air suspension kit working in tandem with the truck’s factory springs and new Bilstein shocks in the rear. The steering system was also upgraded thanks to dual Bilstein steering stabilizers. In total, the truck features a 4-inch suspension lift.

Under the truck you’ll find custom 17×14-inch wheels built by Shifted Industries. These are wrapped in 33×12.5R17 Nitto Mud Grappler tires for the ultimate beefy look, as well as performance on pavement and dirt.

Any Old Power Stroke? Try Again!

As we mentioned before, the truck’s 7.3L Power Stroke was the catalyst to its build, but you didn’t think that meant Caleb would leave the engine and drivetrain stock, did you? Never! In fact, he did one better—upgrading the engine considerably using some of the industry’s highest quality components, as well as swapping out the truck’s stock transmission for a heavy-duty ZF 6-speed manual transmission, all in the name of the ultimate build.

Aiming for even better power numbers and performance out of the Power Stroke, Caleb and his crew at Shifted Industries completely overhauled the engine, from the “small” in the form of seals, gaskets and head studs, to the “big,” ultimately equipping the power plant with an Obsession Diesel Performance T4 kit and S369 forced induction turbocharger.

“The entire fuel system for the engine was replaced with a FASS Diesel fuel system featuring Full Force Diesel 238cc/80-percent fuel injectors, a Sinister Diesel regulated fuel return kit, and a massive 67-gallon Titan fuel tank. The standard oil filtration system was also replaced, putting in its place a Harvard Corporation system with an impressive 27-quart capacity and a DieselSite Adrenaline high pressure oil pump. Other components added to the engine include a Mishimoto radiator, COMP Cams valve springs and pushrods, and a 5-inch MBRP exhaust system tied to factory ceramic-coated headers and dumps just behind the rear axle.

Backing the upgraded Power Stroke engine is that aforementioned ZF 6-speed manual transmission, which was swapped into the F-250 using all Ford parts and a Ford wiring harness. Inside, the transmission has been upgraded with a South Bend dual disc clutch, which pushes power to both the front and rear axles by way of 3.73 gears.

Platinum Status

While Caleb certainly wanted to build a unique truck, he didn’t want to take away from the fact that this one was pretty rare to begin with, so he opted to keep body modifications on the F-250 to a minimum.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the truck’s Platinum color-keyed grille and solid chrome bumpers have been swapped out for 2005-to-2007 model-year Ford factory fare, and the color-keyed windshield visor and specialty running boards that originally came with the Platinum package have been removed. Other than that, the truck’s exterior remains pretty standard, right down to the exclusive Silver Metallic and Mineral Gray Metallic two-tone paint scheme that truly set the 2001 Platinum Editions apart from the rest of the model-year’s F-Series trucks.

The interior of the truck follows suit, with restored two-tone gray leather Platinum Edition seats, as well as the standard Platinum Edition center console. A couple unique upgrades were added to the interior of the truck, but they fit in so flawlessly with the standard fare that you may not even notice them. These include full cab and roof sound deadening thanks to HushMat, as well as new Auto Custom Carpets carpeting.

An awesome build atop an already beautiful truck, Caleb’s F-250 Platinum Edition Power Stroke diesel is everything we would have liked to have seen from Ford for the model meant to commemorate the one-millionth Super Duty F-series truck since its revamp for the 1999 model year. But then it wouldn’t be quite so unique, would it? .