Flawless Ford F-250 7.3L
Ashton Davis’ 1997 flawless Ford F-250 is an oddity. At first glance, you would think the truck just rolled off the assembly line. The truck’s fourth owner, Ashton reports the Ford is all-original. The paint, chrome, upholstery, dashboard, carpet, and headliner—are all original. “Not only is the headliner immaculate, but it’s also not sagging!” he exclaims. You ask who owned this truck and in what climate-controlled facility did they store it? With 126,000 miles on the odometer, the two-tone beauty is Concours quality.
The truck’s original owner, based in Salt Lake City, sold it in 2011 to an enthusiast in Pueblo, Colorado. From there, it was sold to a man in Costa Mesa, California, which is where Ashton purchased it. The previous owner ceramic-coated the paint, which may explain the pristine exterior.
“Leading up to my appointment at Banks, the only things I’d added were the spray-in bed liner and replaced the leaf springs, struts, and tires. The new Dorman leafs lifted it about 2” which is perfect for the BFG KO2s. “The owners prior to me are to thank for preserving it so well,” admits Ashton.
The bone-stock 7.3L Power Stroke added a Banks PowerPack which adds a whopping +120hp, +256 lb-ft and improves fuel economy by 10%. The PowerPack includes a Banks Big Ass filter, Techni-Cooler intercooler system, Twin-Ram manifold inlet, boost tube upgrade, custom tune, Quick-Turbo turbine housing, and stainless steel heat-shielded Monster Turbine outlet pipe.
As ’94-’97 Power Stroke owners know, the truck didn’t come with an intercooler from the factory so high intake temps robbed the engine of horsepower. An absurd amount of power potential was left on the table. Intercoolers are density machines. In fact, the Banks intercooler system cools boost air so effectively, it adds almost as much horsepower as the turbo! The difference in performance is night and day. For example, the system slashes 1,000 feet off the 0-60 while towing! (Test vehicle and trailer combined vehicle weight: 17,480 lbs. Test data here.)
Banks Monster Exhaust
Reducing exhaust backpressure is the job of the Monster Turbine Outlet Pipe and 3.5” Monster Exhaust. Reducing backpressure makes the turbine’s job easier, thereby reducing pumping losses on the exhaust stroke. The less energy used by the crankshaft to expel exhaust, the more horsepower it can deliver to the rear wheels. The Banks system liberates horsepower on the flawless Ford!
Dynafact
Keeping an eye on both boost pressure and exhaust gas temperature is simple with the Banks Dynafact pyrometer and boost gauges. And, as early 7.3L owners know, considerable performance is lost with the transmission’s lazy shifts. This is corrected with the TransCommand transmission-management module. It firms up shifts, increasing responsiveness and fuel economy.
Ram-Air Diff Cover
The cherry on top of Ashton’s two-tone 7.3L cake is the patented Ram-Air rear differential cover bolted to the Sterling axle. It keeps the gear oil 5x cooler which prolongs the life of his ring and pinion.
“Both of my kids are young and they absolutely love it. I’ve already told my son that it’ll be his someday. I expect the engine to last, especially with the Banks PowerPack keeping it cool and happy.”
Banks Installation reservations are now open, so come on down!