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Newbies looking for more power

138K views 155 replies 54 participants last post by  Dave Whitmer 
#1 ·
This is an awesome place to start.

you pimped out a stock turbo, and got nothing in return, those parts fix surge, not performance,

you cannot stack programming in a 7.3, last i knew.

k&n is known to dust engines, though if you gotta complete kit it might not be as bad, its the stock replacement filter thats bad.

the HPx and the FRx are debateable. the FRx will get eliminated if you do a rr, and the HPx its hit and miss on ppls trucks if it helps or not. some do, some dont.

edge programming doesnt attempt to tune the trans. the extra power the motor creates is not compensated in the trans, for instance increasing line pressure, changing shift points to make better use of the power, etc etc.

imo, the only things i would have done is the exhaust, MAYBE the ic, the bypass, and cuz your a ex, the dual alt.

here, read this, and go from there. some of the conversion stuff is geared towards a truck, i dont know if it will fit your ex.

when looking to upgrade your truck, its all done in steps. from the guy only wanting some basic things, to the guy just looking for a little more, to the guy wanting full blown power. this is how i personally would do it. this is not the order it needs to be done, as it can be mixed and matched in any order. this is just a general guide to get you started.

hutch and harpoon. always first, imo $50-150 the hutch and harpoon are optional. the hutch is recommended. even if you do nothing else to your truck, the hutch is recommended. this is it. Welcome to guzzle's In-tank Hutch Mod Web Page the reason being, is with the return coming into the tank right next to the fuel pickup, any air in the return line is then sucked right back up into the fuel line. air is bad for our heui injectors. the harpoon mod just lets you fill up the tank, 29 of 30 gallons of it, without having to stand there for 5 hours, pumping real slow to cram the last 4 gallons in. if your already in there doin the hutch mod, the harpoon will take about 2 mins.

intake and exhaust $200-1000 i say $1k cuz stacks are not a cheap option. intake, and exhaust pretty much need to be done before anything. the oem air box is known to not seal and dust a motor, and if you put a chip on it, a exhaust is almost a requirement to keep egts in check. 90% of ppl run a 4" turbo back. 5" if you want deeper sound. but 4" is more than enough.

guages/guage pod $300+ i say 300+ depending on how many and what kind he gets (think csipsd) autometer or isspro are stand outs here. 95% of ppl will get a egt, boost, and trans. those are the three main guages you will need. unless your like joe, he has, last i knew, like 15 guages in his cab.

chip $400-600 depending on where he gets it, read this. Chip comparison and discussion links. - PowerStrokeNation if you still have a question on chip, i will call bs on you read that thread

rr $250-500 can you DIY or have to buy one, do you delete the bowl now, or just the RR. your truck as what is called a dead head fuel system. fuel goes from the tank, through fuel pump, to fuel bowl, through filter, to heads. any air that makes it past the fuel bowl has no where to go, except through the injector. like i said earlier, this is bad. a regulated return allows any air that gets into the heads, to flow through the heads, back to the tank, where hopefully you have done the hutch mod already. this is one version of the RR. Driven Diesel 7.3L Regulated Return Kit if you are mechanically inclined, and a DIYer, i made my own for $250. there are many versions of this, many sponsers sell it. i know irate sells it, and its mostly hard line, as opposed to braided hose like the one i posted from strictly. he dont have pics up, but this is jakes site. Irate Diesel performance •Power Stroke Performance . i personally used a fuelab regulator, regular steel hydraulic fittings, and some parkerstore pushlok hose. there is some talk about whether or not fuel that is heated goin to the tank is bad, but can be fixed with a fuel cooler. thats more of a to each his own opinion thing at this point.

that sets the foundation and gets the required basics out of the way to then go farther.

studs/springs/pushrods $750-1200 these are things that are just cheap insurance for a guy with stage1 or 2 injectors, a requirement of some one goin for stage 3 injectors. studs will help keep from blowing a head gasket. ARP and H11 are the two main companies. springs most ppl just use comp 910's. push rods, pic a sponser, they can get them

hpop (high pressure oil pump). our motors use high pressure oil to push the fuel out of the injectors. here http://www.cat.com/cda/files/87775/7/pehp9526.pdf is a general overview of how our injection system works. another thread here, also with some good links is this one. How Does A HEUI injector REALLY work? - PowerStrokeNation it is very possible, depending on mileage, and how the truck was maintained before you got it, that just by putting on a new hpop(even a stock one) you could very well have what feels like a brand new truck. the two most common ones short of full on big oil, would be the srp1 Beans Diesel Performance - Stealth Stock Replacement HPOP (SRP1) (Powered by CubeCart) and the adrenaline PUMPS ORDERED TODAY WILL NOT BE SHIPPED UNTIL AT LEAST MAY 26th - 1994-2003 7.3L Dieselsite Adrenaline HPOP with the srp1 flowing a little more oil.

trans-depending on how far you want to go with your truck hp wise will determine this one. $750-4500 just a quality torque converter and valve body, or a BTS

the rest of the fuel system, upgraded fuel pump, anything you didnt do in the RR step. $250-?, what kidna pump did you choose, fuelab and aeromotive are stand outs, and what didnt you do in the RR step.

injectors $1000+ cores for reman stage 1's, to the skys the limit on some exotic high flowing competition only injectors
turbo $1400 on the 38r, a simple drop in replacement for stock, to the sky's the limit again on exotic twins and plumbing

to maintain durability and maybe gain some mpg, and your not looking for eye popping performance, just a little more git-up-n-go, just get you a set of stage 1's, maybe a set of 2's, (injectors). any sponser can get you injectors. some of the injector builders, or sponsers that sell them that stand out in my head are, beans diesel performance, swamps diesel, unlimited, and full force diesel, and rosewood. that is not in any particular order. any tuner can tune those injectors to be real happy with your stock turbo. if your just looking for a small increase, and dont want to have lots of power, dont let ppl talk you into spending $3k on a set of hybrids when a simple $1k stg1 will more than do what you want from your truck.

i said maintain durability, because anytime you turn up the hp, durability goes down. its just a simple fact. with the advances in tuning nowadays, the durability bar has been raised. these things are now living at higher power levels with out failures than even 1 year ago. if you talk to a tuner, thank him for that.

before you decide to make a purchase, call a sponser or three and ask his opinion. what he has, what he would do with your money, how he would spend it. there is not a bad sponser on here, and all are highly knowledegable. call, tap into that knowledge. there are not stupid questions. if you dont know, ask, they will help you. the only thing stupid is not asking that question you want to know the answer to.

you did not pick a cheap platform to build power on. you did however, pick a realiable as hell one. switch out to a full synthetic motor oil, such as shaeffers. change it often. these things dont last properly with dirty oil. clean oil is your friend. simple regular maintanence makes these things bullet-proof in stock form, and more durable in non-stock form. slack on maintenance and it will tell you.

there are also cosmetic things you can do to your truck. for instance, the mirrors that are standard on 02 and up trucks will bolt right up to our trucks. the tow mirrors. even the ones on a 08. you will have to change the plug on the truck, and if your goin to heat and power and turn from non heated/power/turn you will need to change some wiring in the door, and run some new wires to control the new functions on your mirrors.

the 05-07 front end will bolt up. grille, header panel, headlights, bumper and upper and lower covers. if you go complete like that, you will also need the bumper brackets.

if you just like the harley headlights, you can tub out your existing header panel to make the new headlights fit, or just buy a 05-07 header panel and it will bolt right up and the head lights will fit right in. it needs to be noted that if goin to the newer headlights, you will need the pigtail adapter, or cut and create your own to make the new light work.

there are mix and match options for front end conversions all over ebay
Although there are certain sponsors mentioned in this post, they are there for reference. And while they make outstanding products, so do other sponsors. Do some research and pick one or more that you like doing business with. Or, spread it around and do business with them all.

Myself, personally, on tuner choice, you gotta go with Tony.
J/K, in my opinion, if you have one in driving distance, go with that one. If not, talk to them all and go with the one you feel the best about. There is no wrong or bad choice with the custom tuners that are sponsors here.
__________________
early 99, f250, 7.3, afe big boost, 4" turbo bak, autometer cobalt boost/pyro/trans, zoodad, pmt2, diy RR, cooling mist stg 3 mpg, gearhead tunes, 6.0 cooler, stupid long want to do list,
 
#31 ·
:whs:
 
#36 ·
I think Dave W. is barely seeing 24ish w/ 308 gears and tricked out for MPG. Could be a weird one but 24 is unlikely. I got 21 but ave 18-19 w/ my 7.3 but no matter how "gentle" i drove i could never get above the 21, which was on a road trip.
20ish could be doable for a 7.3 IMHO, tuned and running well, even w/ a mild lift. I had a 6" w/ procomp XT's and I ave 18-19 hand calculated.
 
#34 ·
I just purchased a truck and was wondering if i over paid. Its a 2000 f350 ext cab long bed lariat lifted 12in on 41in iroks, has banks turbo, banks 5in straight pipe, ats tranny, 20in xd rockstars, k&n cold air intake, banks big head waste gate, and a few other things. truck has 230,000 miles was woundering what you guys think the value is??? Thanks
 
#38 ·
I have had my overhead reading 99.9 mpg. Reset it at the top of a long downhill and coasted.... Hand calculated 20.3 mpg best tank ever, average 16 mpg with my daily driving(heavy foot).

Matt, You have the wrong vehicle if you really care about mileage. Go trade it in for a Prius or Jetta TDI.

For the info in the first post, how about some links to posts about the items listed.
 
#40 ·
hola everyone. tomorrow im buying a 00 350 4dr dually long bed. its 2wd and has the 5speed. id like to invest into the motor but not sure where to go as its my first. im used to dealing with efi's and i have a 77 250 thats been the latest project. how do i go about this and keep it drivable at the same time? its going to be my daily driver as well so i cant have downtime. that and money will be scarce for a bit obviously! any advice will be very welcomed.
 
#41 ·
read the very first post in this thread.

then get a ball park idea of how much hp your after. this does not have to be set in stone target number, just somewhere to start. stock your at approx 200 +/-

then you need a idea of what you have for a budget for this adventure.

then ask that question again.
 
#42 ·
Here is what I want...

As much power as I can get. Ideas on a good turbo/injector.

Truck will have:
Stock engine (for now at least)
Afe intake
Adrinaline
TW 6 pos chip
Gauges
Exhaust (down pipe back for now)
I swapped in a 6 speed but will likely put the auto back in after taking it up the road to BTS.

I'm willing to start out with minor engine mods like fire rings and ARP studs, etc.

What I want out of it when finished:

Ability to tow whatever whenever. (it's 2wd, drw 2001 F350)
As much power is I can reasonably run and still be driveable.
Willing to TT or even SC since that is going around these days. Whatever is most reliable DD, towing, and keeping up with new trucks...

Will I be able to get all that without more engine mods?
I know that more power is possible these days due to better tuning and more $$$ for the RIGHT parts... Is more than 500 hp possible if I am not out pulling sleds, etc?

I've been reading up online for a while now... Looking at maybe S467FMW and mount from irate... This might be more than I need?

Ideas welcome... Message me if you want or don't think replies are good for this newbie thread.
 
#43 ·
you need to pick a hp goal. dont matter if it changes in the course of things or not, you need to pick a number.

you then need to decide on a budget. if your goin for 500, its not cheap on a 7.3. you goin to start at around 4k. depending on what you get for deals, did you get some used parts, or are they all new.

if your goin to the extent of putting in fire rings, that involves removing the motor and sending it to a machine shop for machine work. if you go that far, a full build is not to far away.

Whatever is most reliable DD, towing, and keeping up with new trucks...

you can have first two of those three things reasonably cheaply. the third will cost some green.

go to the first page of this thread. now do paragraphs 2-7. these need to be done before you can reasonably do anything else to your truck. if not your spinning your wheels and making no progress that will not need to be redone when you melt/break/shear/or otherwise mess something up.

paragraphs 8-12 are the final step. these are the paragraphs that will end up determining your end hp.

if you simply aiming for 500, a set of 238/80, 38r, studs, springs, and tunes, and gear head had that at or just shy of 500. was pushing the limits of the combo, but very responsive street manners.

oh, and use the search button. there are so many "how do i hit 500 hp" threads in here, it gets old replying to them.

call a few sponsers and ask them also. all of them will take the time to talk to you.
 
#44 ·
Let me rephrase for you...

In TODAY'S tech, what will give me the most power and reliability LONG TERM in my situation? WITHOUT having to pull the engine?

In TODAY'S tech, what can the engine handle and WHY/WHY NOT?

These are questions that new people might have...

There ARE people here that have pushed limits AND people here that have tried many things that have been successful and/or failed...

Is it better to have twins? Can I get more power with less stress on the engine? Is adding a SC as good as the few doing it say?

I want my truck to live happily for a long time. Not planning on changing things all the time.

If calling people is necessary then what is this and other forums for? Helping others or flexing your internet muscle?

Side note, I don't usually say much here. Just READ... Notice how long I've been around? I've been reading for a while now, I know how to search but thanks for your concern... As to your getting tired of answering question, what is the point of THIS THREAD??? It's here to get the attention of the new people right? If you are tired of it then don't do it. Answer the question asked or STFU!

Now I'll go back to being my usual quiet self... :gun:
 
#45 ·
well then you should see if you have pmr or forged rods..
Unless your lucky like born with four rabbits feet and four leaf clovers for ears.
A pmr truck will die a horrible death at that level.

Forged rods ,arp or h11s studded one at a time on a seasoned gasket, girdled before fire rings if it was me, with 238-250 injectors, adrenaline/t500/dual whatever hpop, an irate mount and a gqssb or s-type turbo, dual stock fuel pumps,reg return, and a southbend clutch or bts

You good for 500++ depending on tunes

Id add a procharger with the gqssb if i could afford it
Other then water injection, airbags, helwig antisway bars, and traction bars id be done modding.

Ok after the fluidamper, coolant filter, and di headers then id be done...lol
 
#46 ·
Ideally i'd clone thuggy s ride...
Vanderchevy is got a decent build as well

I'd guess vander to be 57o plus...no girdle and forged rods
Thuggy is set to 7oo maybe more....billet rods and girdle.
Marty has a pretty good set up too but forgot specs. 6oo ish on stock block iirc
 
#47 ·
Hey my ET and trap time put me at 590-595! Lol!

If you just want a reliable daily driver that keeps up with new trucks, I would go with 250/100's, T4 mount with an s467, studs, springs, rods, exhaust, intake, fuel system, srp-1, gauges, trans, and custom tunes. That should make for a very reliable 500+ hp tow/daily driver/fun truck.

Irate can hook you up with all that and save you money doing it.
 
#54 · (Edited)
I doubt it... Ive had it for 2 years in the box do to time away with uncle Sam and my Trans swap...

I am thinking I could l:

Install the turbo I planned
Run the suggest injectors with 200% nozzles
Run the adrenaline
Run a good fuel system and RR
Studs, rods, springs
Get live tuned by a good tuner(which one?)
Keep it driveable until I get a short block ready?

If it is tuned right and I am not hard on it will the (likely) PMR rods live for a little while or not install ANYTHING until I have better rods?

I'm thinking about looking into different HPOP options...
 
#52 ·
Call bob and ask he is a straight shooter.
Imho it should depending on nozzle size,
but talk to the man that makes them.
 
#57 ·
its pretty simple.

400 bucks to spend - Page 2 - PowerStrokeNation : Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum

post #16 is a standard parts list. the only thing missing is entirely dependent on how much fuel system you end up doin. what missing is how you attach to your existing fuel system.

Driven Diesel 7.3L Standard Regulated Return Kit

this is a premade kit, keeping your existing fuel bowl.

i got all my parts, excluding the regulator, for around $250-275. i get a discount at a hydraulic shop also, though. all AN fittings, are the exact same as JIC fittings. jic are standard hydraulic fittings. they are also steel, where AN are aluminum.

if you use the jic, make sure to anti-seize them, or they will corrode together, just like anything steel.
 
#58 ·
This is a great addition to the site
 
#59 ·
just recently got a 95 ext cab long bed. 2 tank truck.
It already has a superchips programmer, which i will be taking off, maybe a small shift kit, and a trans cooler. I will be pulling a good bit but it will also be a dd. On a small budget what can i do? i know the basics. full exhaust intake and tune. now i've heard about this diy intake where can i find the specs on this. also i've read about some other things " don't know if they are true or not and if they would be worth doing" you guys tell me. running a 6.0 intercooler? whats this zodad mad? and what aout shimming the fpr? are there any other simple mods like these to just add a wee bit to the truck? and about this regulated fuel return system yall were talking about. would i have to do this to both tanks? any way to make it dump the hot fuel in the tank not being used, or just put a cooler on it and dont worry. yall sugest the what to do's. thanks jesse
 
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