SHOW, WORK, OR PLAY

A 500HP ’99 SUPER DUTY THAT DOES IT ALL

Most of us remember when we found our diesel engine of choice. For Ken Houston, his addiction to the 7.3L Power Stroke began as a young boy, after his dad brought home an ’00 F-450. Believe it or not, Ken’s father was a Chevy guy, but back around the turn of the century the 6.5L Chevy he owned didn’t want anything to do with the 36-foot gooseneck trailer he needed to pull.

“My dad bought that F-450 when I was a kid, and I fell in love with the 7.3L and have been a fan ever since,” he told us. Now, at the age of 26, Ken works as a diesel mechanic and owns three 7.3L’s—the finest example being the immaculate, 20-yearold dually you see here.

From Farm Truck to Show-ready

Originally sporting a white and tan, two-tone paint scheme, the transformation of Ken’s early ’99 F-350 began two years after he picked it up. With the rocker panels shot because of rust and the front doors in need of replacement, he decided to repaint the whole thing. Thanks to the help of his local Paint Masters, the dually was treated to Ford’s Golden Bronze Metallic (a color first offered on ’11 Super Dutys) and a steel cowl hood from Goodmark Industries. Around the same time, the interior was updated with seats out of a late model King Ranch and a center console from an ’08.

Refreshed and Reinforced

More recently, Ken turned his attention toward the 300,000-mile 7.3L under the hood. Once torn down, the block was lined bored to restore the main bearing surfaces, the rotating assembly was

rebalanced, ARP main studs were installed, and reassembly of the short block took place at Estes Automotive in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The engine retains its factory bore and makes use of the original forged-steel rods. To keep the camshaft gear from walking, it was welded in place, and ARP head studs ensure the head gaskets never become an issue above 40 psi of boost. As for the valve train, Comp Cams 910 valve springs and Smith Brothers’ pushrods guard against valve float, valve creep, and pushrod flex at high rpm or under excessive boost.

Injector and HPOP Upgrades

To ensure he made 500 hp or more, Ken sprang for a set of hybrid injectors from Full Force Diesel. The Stage 3 hybrids he chose flow as much as 250 ccs through 200-percent over nozzles. A T500 high-pressure oil pump from Terminator Engineering is tasked with maintaining ample high-pressure oil volume for the hybrids to use, and fine-tuning from Jelibuilt Performance makes it all possible. To support the fuel side of the injectors, Ken pieced together his own low-pressure system based around the use of a Walbro pump.

Billet S471

Thanks to the 7.3L’s 444 cubic-inch displacement and the sizable injectors he planned to run, Ken knew he’d have no problem bringing an S400 to life. After contacting Black Widow Diesel, he had a billet-wheeled S471 bolted to one of the company’s T4 turbo mounting kits at the back of the valley. The S471 sends boost through 3-inch intercooler piping, the factory aluminumtank intercooler, a 3-inch intake Y, and 3-inch plenums Ken fabricated himself. On the exhaust side, stainless up-pipes link the factory manifolds to the turbo, with a 3.5-inch downpipe routing exhaust through a 4-inch dual-exit system from Diamond Eye.

Tow and Play-ready 4R100

In order for the 4R100 to stand up to the fuel and air he planned to throw at the engine, Ken enlisted the help of Tex’s Transmissions in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The folks there treated his four-speed automatic to a Sun Coast rebuild kit, a Transgo shift kit, and the proven triple-disc Stallion converter from Precision Industries. For improved cooling, Ken installed a 6.0L transmis

sion cooler and a deep pan from Mag Hytec. So far, the built 4R100 hasn’t skipped a beat on the street, at the track, or with more than 10,000 pounds in tow.

No Rest for the Obsessed

As part of his passion for all things 7.3L, Ken enjoys making horsepower with them. When we bumped into him at the 7.3 Jamboree, he’d just unhooked his F-350 from the truck and trailer he hauled to the event and started making passes down the drag strip. The next day Ken’s dually cleared 500 hp and 1,048 lb-ft on the chassis dyno, and then he loaded everything back up and made the -hour drive back home. As we write this, he’s looking into dual high-pressure oil pumps, more aggressive tuning, a locker for the Dana 80, and pursuing 600 hp. It’s clear he isn’t content with merely having one of the cleanest 7.3L dually’s around—he wants it to be one of the most powerful as well.

With 300,000 miles on the clock, everything needed to perform an overhaul in his possession, and a background in diesel mechanics, Ken Houston tore the 7.3L in his early ’99 F-350 apart before subjecting it to 500 hp and 1,000 lb-ft on a regular basis. During the rebuild, he would add ARP main studs and a Melling low-pressure oil pump, weld the cam gear, and install ARP head studs, shimmed Comp Cam’s 910 valve springs, and Smith Brothers chromoly pushrods.

Because he’d opted for a set of Full Force Diesel’s 250/200 hybrid injectors (250 cc injectors fitted with 200-percent over nozzles), Ken knew he needed to upgrade the high-pressure oil pump to properly support them. A T500 HPOP from Terminator Engineering has no problem supporting 500 rwhp. Also aware that higher pulse width tunes will stretch the limits of this HPOP, Ken plans to switch to dual pumps at some point in the near future.

Fitting for a dually, the Diamond Eye dual-exit exhaust system appears right at home on Ken’s F-350. The 4-inch diameter aluminized system is capped off with 7-inch tips and linked to the turbo via a 3.5-inch downpipe. Also notice the ’08-’10 model tailgate.

A set of tube-style lateral traction bars from Pro Comp help keep the Dana 80 and rear leaf springs from becoming unsettled under power. Ken had the bolt-on style bars paint-matched to the rest of the truck for a uniform look.

The factory Dana 80 still sports the stock 4.10 gears, but in an effort to load the engine a little harder Ken has plans to install 3.73’s at some point. Future endeavors also entail the installation of a Detroit Truetrac.

While strapped to the Dynocom chassis dyno at Bean Machine and the T500 HPOP on the verge of what it can support, the truck put down 500 hp and 1,048 lb-ft of torque. While these are pretty stout numbers for a tow-rig, in order to realize the full potential of the 250/200s, Ken plans to install dual high-pressure oil pumps in the future.

Not a fan of all the frame-mounted aftermarket fuel systems that are exposed to the elements and collect road debris, Ken decided to do something different on his Super Duty. He sourced and built all the parts required to amply supply the 250/200 injectors—and then mounted the filter base and pump bracket in the bed (and under the roll up tonneau cover). The age-old Walbro GSL392 serves as the lift pump in Ken’s homemade setup.

Thanks to his connection with a former supplier for the Louisville Super Duty plant, Ken scored a set of brand-new King Ranch seats originally intended for a ’14 model year truck. An ’08 center console adds considerable storage between the captain’s chairs.

Four GS series Auto Meter analog gauges allow Ken to keep tabs on fuel pressure, transmission temp, boost, and EGT. So far, his well-spec’d combination of parts has resulted in a constant 65-psi being delivered to the injectors at all times, boost from the S471 maxing out at 41 psi, and EGT peaking at 1,200 degrees with a load in tow.

The early ’99 gets its tough stance thanks to 33-inch, E-load range Mastercraft Courser CXT tread mounted to polished-aluminum Ultra 164 wheels. The front wheels measure 16x10, while the four in the rear are 16x8’s.

For a little added flare under the hood, Ken mated a compressor wheel to the oil fill cap. In keeping with the 7.3L’s International roots, the wheel fittingly came off of an old 1086 International farm tractor.