A 7.3L Excursion in Colorado starts with less air to work with, and that costs power everywhere. The right fix is not one part. It is a complete airflow and control package that helps the engine inhale easier, move charge air with less loss, and push exhaust out with less backpressure. On this Excursion, we set the AutoMind tuner at 100 horsepower and paired it with turbocharger upgrades, a big-head wastegate actuator, a larger intercooler, a Banks Boost Tube Upgrade Kit, improved intake plumbing, and a freer-flowing exhaust path. The turbo changes improve throttle response and sustained power, while the lower backpressure reduces the work the engine spends pushing exhaust out. That means more of the fuel you are already burning can go to the wheels. We also added an exhaust brake system that works with transmission control to lock the converter and increase line pressure, so the truck can use the engine for serious downhill braking. Out back, the Banks differential cover is built to shed heat from the axle lube, which helps protect the gears and bearings under load. Put together, the truck gets stronger where it matters: better response, better pulling power, and better control in thin air.
Brian Shaw, professional strongman, YouTuber, entrepreneur, and four-time World's Strongest Man, brought his dream vehicle to Banks: a 2003 Ford Excursion powered by the 7.3L Power Stroke diesel. At 6-foot-7 and roughly 400 pounds, the massive SUV suits Shaw, but living near Denver presents a performance challenge. Reduced air density at mile-high elevations means less available engine power, particularly when carrying passengers and cargo through Colorado's mountain grades.
The Excursion was transported to Banks in Southern California for upgrades aimed at improving horsepower, torque, towing capability, and high-altitude performance. When the work was complete, Shaw traveled to California for the reveal. Before seeing the finished truck, he toured the Banks Technology Center and manufacturing facilities to see the engineering and development behind the components installed on his Excursion.
At the NHRA Museum's Banks exhibit, Shaw was introduced to the company's history dating back to 1958. The display covers decades of development in supercharging, twin turbocharging, turbocharging, racing, and diesel performance. A recurring theme is durability, with Banks race engines developed to survive complete racing seasons rather than simply produce short-lived peak power.
The exhibit also covers the formation of CP Auto and Marine in the late 1960s and milestones including Gale Banks' early turbocharging work at his San Gabriel shop. Banks' history in diesel performance is represented by early aftermarket turbo systems and numerous competition vehicles used as engineering test beds.
Several race vehicles illustrate that approach. A Studebaker was developed in naturally aspirated, supercharged, and twin-turbocharged configurations. Another Banks vehicle reached 277 mph during land-speed competition in the 1980s. The purpose-built Sidewinder S10 diesel drag truck later recorded a 7.77-second pass at 180 mph. Throughout these programs, racing served as a laboratory for developing and validating technologies that could eventually influence production products.
At the Banks California campus, Gale showed Shaw how components for the Excursion are manufactured. The truck's exhaust system provided one example. Banks uses in-house tube-bending equipment to form the large-diameter tubing, but the original machine was not strong enough for the material and dimensions the engineers wanted to use.
Rather than accepting the machine's limitations, Banks reinforced its structure and upgraded the hydraulic system to increase its bending capability. The example demonstrates the company's vertically integrated approach, where tooling, fabrication, engineering, manufacturing, and testing can all be modified around the requirements of the finished component.
Shaw also toured Banks' military engine operation. Gale explained that Duramax-based engines are prepared at Banks for use in the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, a military vehicle designed to operate under considerably more demanding conditions than a conventional road-going truck.
According to Gale, Banks supplies nearly 400 pieces per engine, including components extending from the cylinder block area through the lower crankcase and oil pan. Banks completes the engines and dyno tests every unit before delivery.
Each engine receives a 21-minute dyno run-in and quality-assurance test. Gale explained that the military duty cycle places substantially greater demands on the engine because of vehicle weight, acceleration requirements, and severe operating conditions. At the time of the visit, Banks had processed approximately 28,000 engines through the program over roughly 10 years.
The tour also included Gale's radically modified 1966 Chevrolet C20. Although the truck retains its weathered original body shell, virtually everything underneath has been reengineered, including the chassis, firewall, front structure, and powertrain.
The centerpiece is a heavily modified late-model Duramax diesel fitted with a large Whipple supercharger. The intake manifold incorporates a liquid-coupled charge air cooler beneath the blower, while a custom intake arrangement routes the supercharger drive through the assembly.
The engine is also equipped with nitrous injection, creating an unusual supercharged and nitrous-injected diesel combination. At the time of filming, the truck had not yet undergone final dyno testing, so its ultimate horsepower output remained unknown.
Shaw's Excursion received a comprehensive Banks power package centered around an AutoMind tuner. The truck was configured with a 100-horsepower calibration described in the video as 50-state legal. Gale also emphasized sustainable power, explaining that the calibration is intended to remain usable while towing rather than serving only as a short-duration maximum-output setting.
Airflow improvements begin with a Banks Ram-Air intake that draws air from the fender area and supplies the turbocharger through a less restrictive intake path. The turbo itself receives a higher-performance compressor wheel along with a revised turbine housing.
The turbine-side changes are intended to improve throttle response, sustain power under load, and reduce exhaust back pressure. Reducing that restriction decreases the pumping work required from the engine, allowing more useful power from the same fuel or allowing the vehicle to maintain speed with less throttle.
The turbocharger also receives a Banks Big Head wastegate actuator to increase boost capability. That becomes particularly useful around Denver and at higher elevations, where lower atmospheric air density reduces available oxygen.
A Banks intercooler with a larger core and redesigned inlet and outlet tanks supports the increased airflow. Reducing pressure loss through the intercooler allows more of the turbocharger's boost pressure to reach the engine. A Banks boost tube completes the charge-air path to the intake manifold.
The Excursion was also fitted with a Banks exhaust brake system to improve downhill control while towing. Gale explained that the assembly also provides a less restrictive path out of the turbocharger than the stock warm-up valve arrangement, contributing to improved throttle response and drivability.
Two electronic control modules manage the system. One controls exhaust-brake operation using engine data such as throttle position. The second works with the transmission, locking the torque converter clutch during downhill braking and increasing transmission line pressure to prevent clutch slippage.
During a descent with no fuel being added, the vehicle's momentum drives the wheels, rear axle, driveshaft, transmission, and ultimately the engine. The engine effectively becomes an air pump absorbing energy from the moving vehicle. Gale states that the system can dissipate more than 200 horsepower as braking power.
The rear axle was also fitted with a Banks differential cover. External scoops direct underbody airflow toward cooling fins, helping remove heat from the differential lubricant. Lower lubricant temperatures are intended to extend fluid life while protecting the ring-and-pinion gears and bearings during demanding operation.
Beyond the powertrain, the Excursion received a suspension, wheel, and tire package that substantially changed its stance. Bilstein supplied 5160 remote-reservoir shocks, with the external reservoirs providing additional fluid capacity and cooling during demanding suspension operation.
The truck rides on 17-inch wheels with 35-inch Falken Wildpeak R/T tires, filling the wheel wells and giving the Excursion a substantially more aggressive appearance.
Under the hood, Banks installed a custom engine cover featuring Shaw Strength and Banks branding. Inside the cabin, dual Banks iDash DataMonster gauges provide direct access to powertrain information. Transmission temperature, boost pressure, and exhaust gas temperature are highlighted as important parameters for monitoring the truck while towing and operating under load.
At the reveal, Shaw immediately noticed the Excursion's transformed stance. The larger tires, wheels, and suspension changes altered the truck visually, while the extensive powertrain upgrades were designed to address the performance limitations that originally brought it to Banks.
Gale also pointed out the Banks SideKick exhaust tip underneath the truck. The patented design is intended to promote exhaust scavenging by creating a low-pressure region at the outlet, helping reduce exhaust restriction.
Taken together, the modifications address the Excursion as a complete system. The package combines additional calibrated power with improved intake airflow, turbo response, altitude capability, intercooling, exhaust flow, downhill braking, transmission management, differential cooling, suspension capability, and real-time powertrain monitoring.
The finished truck was built around Shaw's original requirement: make his 7.3L Excursion a stronger and more capable tow vehicle for the thin air and demanding mountain terrain around his Colorado home.
