Feature > Events/Trail Rides
Powerfest!
Celebrating 10 Years of the Ford Power Stroke Diesel Truck
story by Jim Allen
photos by the author and International Truck and Engine Corporation
 The Power Stroke Diesel Corral, surrounded by the RVs of owners, race fans, and race participants. The show-and-shine had representatives from all Power Stroke eras and ran the gamut from bone-stock to full-blown modified. |
Everybody knows and respects the fierce loyalty of a Ford fan. Under the umbrella of Ford fandom is a particular sect that can go toe-to-toe with any enthusiast crowd — that’s the Power Stroke diesel-truck gang. This fanatic enthusiast group showed its stuff at the Power Stoke Diesel Powerfest National Rally (August 4 - 8, 2004). Power Stroke rallies are nothing new, but this one was special. The event celebrated a decade of the hottest-selling diesel pickups on the planet.
Ford Motor Company and International Truck and Engine Corporation (builder of the Power Stroke engine for Ford) hosted the event at Indianapolis Raceway Park along with the Ford Ohio Kentucky Indiana Super Duty Club (FOKISD) and other Power Stroke clubs from around the country. This was a big deal, with legions of Ford Power Stroke truck owners showing up to pay homage. The event coordinated with the running of the Power Stoke Diesel 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck series race.
The portable dyno is a popular gathering spot at many diesel events, but it almost didn’t happen at the Powerfest. The scheduled dyno was involved in a major traffic accident on the way to the event, fortunately with no injuries, and was out of action. Perry Malicoat and Kent Taylor from Horsepower by Numbers made a lightning-fast run from eastern Ohio to fill the gap and, by Saturday morning, had set up and were running tests. Each rig got three runs; the best was entered into the competition. |
It’s not everyday that you’re pressed into hauling race drivers around to wave at adoring and cheering fans — notably when you get to drive a specially prepared 10th Anniversary 2004 F-250 Super Cab on one of the best-known racetracks in the world. Yours truly was blessed. |
No, Bigfoot wasn’t broken, but it provided some rather spectacular dead weight for Power Stroke dualies to haul around the track. |
Ain’t it a Honey (Wagon)? Without a doubt the strangest entrant in the dyno war was the truck that emptied the campground holding tanks. Bill Sprague, of Bill Sprague’s Septic and Toilet Services, couldn’t resist the chance to run his Power Stroke-powered 2000 F-350 dualie. It cranked out an impressive 258 horsepower and 589 pound-feet. Not bad for a piece of...! |
The tour of the International engine plant was a gearhead’s dream. Some 1060 engines roll out of here daily, all going to the Kentucky Ford plant. Visitors followed a Power Stroke from a roughcast hunk of iron to a completed and tested engine. If this sounds exciting, stay tuned for an upcoming article in Off-Road Adventures on building the Power Stroke. It’ll evolve from a pile of scrap iron to an engine being set into the chassis of a Ford truck.
So what do nearly a thousand Power Stroke owners with family and friends do for fun at a time like this? Thursday started with a tour of the Kentucky Ford truck plant to watch Ford trucks being built. The next day, another tour completed the mechanical circle of Ford light-truck diesel construction. An extensive walkabout through International’s Indianapolis engine plant allowed some 200 lucky Power Stroke owners the chance to see where the heart of the Ford diesel-pickup is built. One hundred percent of the output from this International plant feeds the Kentucky Ford plant. With the two factories being so close, it’s the manufacturing equivalent of a marriage made in heaven.
Other activities included a show-and-shine for staring and comparing and dyno tests that ran all day Saturday. The evenings were a time to party down with food and entertainment — a working vacation for Power Stroke trucks. Most of them hauled a trailer of some type to the event. Tom Raper RVs hosted a campsite, thick with fifth-wheel and conventional trailers alike.
Terry Cook’s number 10 Ford truck, fielded by PPC Racing, in the pits for fuel and tires. Powerfest attendees rubbed elbows with Cook at various times before the race. He placed fourteenth in a race fraught with crashes. Chad Chaffin won the race in a Dodge (damn it!).
The 2004 Power Stroke 200 at the Indianapolis Raceway Park was an exciting end to a fun-filled day. The Craftsman series trucks are nothing more than NASCAR-type chassis with truck bodies. Yep, there was some serious haulin’ going on.
Excitement came for 10 Power Stroke owners who were given a chance to tool their trucks around the racetrack prior to the Craftsman Truck Series race. The trucks represented the 10 years of Ford Power Stroke truck production, and the announcer recited its dramatic history as each truck drove by. A few other folks (including yours truly) got to haul race drivers around the track in specially prepared Ford Super Duties for the usual wave-at-the-crowd run.
Smoke equals power, right? Plenty of black smoke was present at the dyno from modified Power Strokes. The highest power and torque run recorded came from Chris Mayhous’ rig, which produced an impressive 400 horsepower and 805 pound-feet at the rear wheels. Hooah! |
The Super Duty Diesel Dog followed us around. A pile of them was in the back of each truck for the race drivers to hurl out to the crowd. This one must have had a fear of flying because it crawled into my |
Next year’s Powerfest Rally currently is being planned. It will be in Indianapolis sometime in August. If you’re a true Power Stroke believer, then sign up, fire up, and head your Ford diesel to Indy for a weekend of fun and fine company.
Evolution of a Legend
10 Years of the Ford Power Stroke diesel pickups were already at the top of the sales heap when the Power Stroke made its debut midyear in 1994. From that point on, it’s been an ongoing meteoric ride for Ford and International to stay at the top. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Ford Power Stroke pickup is a motoring legend. Here’s how it evolved.
1994.5
Alternately called 1994.5s or 1995s, the 1994-production Power Stroke Fords were sold alongside the older-generation indirect-injection 7.3L diesel trucks in the last part of 1994. The first Power Strokes were modestly powered (at only 210 horses and 425 pound-feet) compared with later models, but these engines did introduce many new innovations. A new direct-injection system used a unique electronic/hydraulic injection system called HEUI (Hydraulically Actuated, Electronically Controlled Unit Injector), or simply “Huey.” This system lowered emissions, the primary motivator for building the Power Stroke, and added power. This pristine truck, owned by Brian Higgenbotham, was one of the historic trucks to circle the racetrack in the Parade of Power. It doesn’t look like it has 215K on the clock, does it?
1995
The first full year of production for the Ford Power Strokes were offered as F-250HD and F-350 trucks in four- and two-wheel drive. Still rated at 210 horsepower, they could be purchased with a four-speed E4OD automatic or a ZF-built five-speed manual. Dale Isley’s Crew Cab is a rolling showcase for Tymar Performance in Spokane, Washington. Yes, it’s mightily enhanced. Isley won the “Farthest Traveled” award for the 2004 Powerfest.
1996
Not much changed from 1995, but a shortbed Crew Cab or Super Cab F-250 Heavy Duty model was available that year. All color options but three changed for 1996. Power output of the diesel was still the same as the previous year. This longbed Super Cab F-250HD belongs to Greg and Hannah Heizer of Middletown, Ohio. The silver-and-white paint is a rare combo. The Heizers also were in the Parade of Power.
1997
A big year for Ford with the introduction of a new F-150 and a new line of gas engines, though the diesel-powered Heavy Duty line didn’t change much. The Power Stroke received a few innovations, one being the split-shot injector (also known as pilot injection), which squirted a shot of fuel into the early part of the compression stroke at idle, before the normal injection point, and helped dampen engine-idle noise. This flawless 1997 belongs to Sean Driscoll of Jefferson City, Missouri. It won Best of Show, Pre-1999. It looks even better in person.
1998? Ain’t No ‘98s
In the midst of all the big changes at Ford in 1998, there were no official 1998 HD F-250s or F-350s. An extra run of 1997s kept the lots full in the early part of the year, and an early intro of the new-style Super Duty line took care of the rest of the year. It was a convoluted period, but the new trucks were worth the wait.
1999
Call them 1998.5s or 1999s. Either way, they had a major upgrade in look and features. The big, burly-looking, big-grille Super Duty line came into being, and it was a huge hit. Power levels went up to 235 horses and 505 pound-feet. Though the 1999 and 1999.5 look similar, the “V8” badge on the leading edge of the fender for the 1999 tells them apart. Built in February 1999, Lenny Ladethin’s “woody” Power Stroke is one of the earliest Super Duties. Lenny drove down from Winter, Wisconsin.
1999.5
The Ford Super Duty line evolved somewhat in the middle of the year. Most of those changes were under the hood, especially for the engine, which received a new turbo and injectors. Other minor changes included the engine badging on the door instead of the fender. That’s what denotes the 1999.5 from the earlier 1999. Cris Mayhaus brought his Deep Wedgewood Blue 1999.5 all the way from Effingham, Illinois.
2000
After the big changes of 1999, not much else came about in the Millennium year. The light-duty F-250 (under 8600 GVW), which wasn’t available with a Power Stroke diesel anyway, was dropped in favor of an enhanced F-150. Power levels remained at 235 horses/500 pound-feet. Mark Thomas’ Dark Toreador Red 2000 Super Cab F-350 lives in Gallipolis, Ohio.
2001
The millionth Super Duty was produced this year, and a Power Stroke dualie similar to this Crew Cab was capable of an 11,500-pound GVW. The engine ratings bumped from 235 to 250 horsepower for automatics and 275 for manuals.
2002
It’s really an F-250, OK! Matthew Lowe of Warren, Ohio, likes to mess with people’s heads. Just like 2001, the Power Stroke had two power levels this year, 250 horses/505 pound-feet with the new 4R100 automatic and 275 horses/520 pound-feet with the new ZF six-speed manual. In May of 2002, Ford announced the newest-generation Power Stroke engine, the 6.0L. Yep, the old 7.3L was on its swan song.
2003
The 6.0L Power Stroke began appearing in showrooms early in 2003. For a moment, the old and the new generations coexisted. Though smaller in displacement, the 6.0L, making 325 horsepower/550 pound-feet, was more powerful than the old-gen 7.3. Unlike the first-generation Power Stroke, which was adapted from the indirect-injection engine, the new powerplant was an all-new deal and not an evolution. The new five-speed Torqueshift automatic, integrated in every way to make a dynamic power package, made its debut with the 6.0L. Chuck Easley’s 2003 F-350 dualie Crew Cab is a heavy hauler in every sense of the word. Easley hails from Chesterfield, Missouri.
2004
The 2004s didn’t change much from 2003, but the engine got a 10 pound-feet bump in torque (to 560). As of 2004, 2.5 million Power Stroke engines had been produced. This Arizona Beige FX-4 F-350 model belongs to Carl Hecox of Bergton, Virginia.
2000 Excursion
Power Strokes appeared in more than F-Series Ford trucks. A modified version has been installed into vans and motorhomes. There’s also the Excursion. We represent the 2000-2005 Excursion with Canadian Duncan McQueen’s 2000. Imagine an F-250 chassis under an SUV body, and you have an Excursion. They appeared in 2000 fitted with a full-strength, 235-horse/500-pound-feet version of the Power Stroke. The current-model-year diesel Excursion is a 6.0L-powered (also a full-strength version).