We see it time and time again: when a guy grows up around a particular engine platform, they’re usually hooked on it for life. It seems this trend is particularly strong in the diesel world. The guys we talk to who swear by either Cummins, Duramax or Powerstroke are the real deal. We wouldn’t go as far as to call them “purists,” but they definitely have a lot of passion.
Eric McMichael is one of those guys who grew up watching his dad drive Ford trucks and then kept up Blue Oval legacy once he got older.
“I bought my first 6.0L about nine years ago to go dirt racing here and there and quickly realized that it was pretty competitive, and I really enjoyed it,” says Eric McMichael. “I was one of the first couple people at Rudy’s to go in the 9s with a stock engine. After that, I really wanted to see what it was capable of.”
Today, Eric owns his own business dealing with Powerstroke trucks every day – a shop called McMichael’s Diesel Performance. The Lancaster, PA-based shop is a fairly small operation with only three technicians and 3,200 sq.-ft. of space, but it’s made a name for itself in the Powerstroke community. The business doesn’t even have a website, but McMichael says he gets more than enough business from social media and word of mouth.
The shop gained popularity for its super-reliably built 5r110, e40d, and 4r100 transmissions, which Michael says stand up to some of the other great builders like Jesse Warren and Sam Wyse. His transmission work came about when he couldn’t find a reliable transmission builder for his own endeavors in his area.
“I’ve been influenced by and worked with Jesse [Warren] for the past couple years, and he’s really stepped up my builds, that’s where my new one started, McMichael says.”
McMichael’s Diesel Performance also does general repair work and custom tuning. The spotlight of Eric’s work shines brightly on his latest project – a 2004 F-250 equipped with a formidable compound-turbo 6.0L Powerstroke engine paired with an in-house built 5r110 transmission.
“There’s only a handful of people who can consistently get several years out of a 5r at 800+ horsepower,” he says. “It really comes down to Warren Diesel, a few other guys, and our shop. They hold up and I got it paired with a Warren engine to prove it.”
