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David Beach’s 7.3L F-250: Reviving the Power Stroke Legend

JON DANIELS . November 18, 2024 . Diesel World
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David Beach’s 7.3L F-250

A familiar face on the Outlaw Diesel Super Series circuit (ODSS), David Beach and his 1996 Ford F-250 have proven that these tired 7.3L Power Stroke motors can still get up and go with the best of them. Going into Ultimate Callout Challenge this year, David was tied for first, and after his unfortunate motor mishap at BG Truck Jam, dropped down to fourth place. As it turned out, we were there that weekend at the Jam, and we actually stayed in David’s race trailer the whole time we were there.

The pearl white 7.3L has been given a monstrous overhaul that boasts both beauty and brawn. Almost every part has been powdercoated or polished, with myriad power additions such as Hypermax connecting rods, Mahle pistons, VS racing 468 turbo, 450/400 Full Force injectors, BTS dual high-pressure oil pumps, beehive valve springs, Nitrous Express Max 5 controller, and Smith Brothers pushrods just to name some of it. (Check out the full list on page 24).

On our shoot at the track, it was very difficult to get a shot that didn’t look good. The fiberglass hood pops off to reveal all the sick aqua and polished touches, and the whole bed of the truck houses the rest of the performance equipment such as the Derale transmission cooler, the 5-gallon fuel cell, and an additional radiator to help keep everything fresh and ready to go. The truck features an 8.5-certified rollcage that extends into the bed area and looks absolutely fantastic. Helping put the power down is a Twisted Diesel 4R100 transmission paired with a DPC quad disc torque converter.

One of our favorite things to shoot with any of the diesel drag vehicles are the low PSI tires—something about them just oozes grip and speed, and David’s 28×10 R16 Hoosiers are no exception to this. The tires wrap a set of Centerline 16×10 polished wheels quite nicely, too. Honestly, the whole truck is more or less show-ready, and the fact that David races it is a testament to his build quality and attention to detail. There aren’t any scratches, there’s nothing hanging down from the underside, and knowing the motor is one of the old “dinosaurs” makes its consistent performance at the track that much sweeter.

At the event, David made a pass where an extremely loud pop occurred and subsequently shut his motor down. It was found that the turbo ate itself when the nitrous was hit, forcing the burst of pressure back into the motor and causing a lightsaber-like slice through one of the piston heads. We honestly haven’t seen such a perfect slice inside a motor like this one, and it sadly cost David his weekend of racing. But, if you know David, you know that things like this don’t really affect him too much. He isn’t one to dwell on the negatives for too long, and being a diesel mechanic by trade, he knows that this will just mean another couple of long nights in the shop. It also helps that the ODSS group of drivers are all close friends at this point, as the camaraderie helped lighten the spirits right after it happened. David also happily ran the dyno at the WrenchWorkz compound later that same night, which helped let off steam—it’s genuinely hard to be upset when a bunch of guys give you their trucks to floor it on a dyno.

You can actually catch David’s fateful run and his dyno reign on our Diesel World Facebook page in our BG Truck Jam recap video!

1996 Ford F-250

Engine 

  • 7.3L Power Stroke
  • VS Racing 468 Turbo
  • 450/400 Full Force injectors
  • BTS Dual high-pressure oil pumps
  • Hypermax rods
  • Beehive valve springs
  • Coated valves
  • Smith Brothers pushrods
  • ARP head studs
  • Turbonetics intercooler
  • Irate Diesel piping
  • Rican Built turbo pedestal
  • HyperGate wastegate
  • Beans Diesel intake plenums
  • Nitrous Express Max 5 controller

 

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