From the home of the pickup comes a stealthy update for a classic Ford. Though diesel isn’t popular with the general population, there’s a faction among American pickup owners who proudly run stock or big truck diesel power.
The owner of this 1972 F-250 was looking for more grunt and decided to swap in a 7.3 Power Stroke turbo-diesel out of a 1997 Ford truck. The 7.3L Power Stroke was the first Navistar-built turbo-diesel engine for Ford. The electronically controlled, direct injection engine came from the factory with 160kW (210hp) and 576Nm (425 lb-ft) of torque in an engine with a bore of 104mm (4.11 inches) and stroke of 106mm (4.18 inches), creating a slightly ‘undersquare’ displacement of 444 cubic inches in the old measure. The 7.3 is no angel when it comes to emissions standards, but it is more reliable and just as tune-able as the 6.0-litre version that replaced it. American aftermarket tuners have taken these big beasts to 242kW (325 bhp) without issues. With hybrid injectors, high-flowing turbochargers and custom-tailored powertrain control module (PCM) tuning, these engines can be modified on a budget and remain reliable even while producing three times the power they made in stock form.
Getting the 7.3 into the engine bay was hardly a straightforward out-and-in but the time and money paid off, delivering a one-of-a-kind pickup with enormous output numbers. The owner’s not saying exactly how much power and torque it produces, but it’s ‘more than stock’. This is a pickup with pickup.
Disturbingly for other motorists in late model expensive pickups and SUVs, it’s a ‘sleeper’ too. It may be 40 years old on the outside, with matted paintwork, a few dents here and there and general patina of a long hard-working life well lived – but it runs like it’s brand new.
Opening the hood (that’s ‘bonnet’ to us Kiwis) reveals the source of some tarmac-rippling grunt. The engine bay is fresh and it’s a work of art with the orange powder coating contrasting with the green and white two-tone paint job. The Power Stroke and its ZF5 manual transmission look right at home. The orange powder-coated intercooler piping ‘pops’ in contrast with the colour on the truck, and wiring is tucked away. Very sanitary.
There is a custom-built the fuel system and an aftermarket impellor mod to the Garrett turbo. It dumps exhaust gases into a 100mm system.
The Power Stroke has an aftermarket electronic engine tuner and can achieve 13l/100km. Not bad for a big truck engine.
Other mods: a 100mm lift kit puts the truck head and shoulders above urban traffic but the owner has stuck with 16-inch steel wheels and 35-inch tyres in a nod to the truck’s working past. Aggressive, yet conservative.
The interior is clean and original, straight from 1972, with almost nothing touched. though it may get upgraded in the near future. Top of the list is an aircon unit.
