THE INVITE-ONLY EXTRAVAGANZA GOES PUBLIC

BY MIKE MCGLOTHLIN

Even though the 7.3L Power Strokes faded from the front lines of diesel performance long ago, they can still be spotted on job sites, hooked to campers, in event parking lots, and even racing or pulling on occasion—sometimes competitively. Despite being more than 16 years removed from production, they’re far from extinct. Regardless of what outsiders think, gearheads, power junkies, and trueblue believers continue to tinker with these prehistoric, 444ci HEUI-injected V-8’s and in doing so, continue to push the outdated 7.3L to new heights. As a way to bring the most powerful 7.3Ls in the nation to one centralized location, the 7.3 Jamboree was established in 2016 as an invite-only affair. For 2019, the event was made public and the invitation was extended to all 7.3L-powered trucks in North America. The response? A few hundred passionate 7.3L enthusiasts descended upon Middle Tennessee for the three-day gathering. Some of the most powerful 7.3L-powered ’94.5- ’03 Fords in existence took to the drag strip, dyno, dirt drags, and sled pull. Big name 7.3L vendors Irate Diesel Performance, KC Turbos, Unlimited Diesel Performance, and Bean Machine were on hand, and several top-tier 7.3L tuners were also onsite for customer support, including Brian Jelich of Jelibuilt Performance, Dan Kropinak of SDK Performance, and Dusty Hogate and Vaughn Nugent of 1023 Diesel & Fleet. Over the weekend, countless six-, seven-, and eight-second eighth-mile passes would be made, a new fuel-only dyno record would be set, and dozens of trucks would claw their way through the dirt.