There is a popular meme that depicts three people dressed as Spiderman with each one pointing fingers at the opposing two. While this might sound outlandish, this same scenario was being played out in the Ford gasoline pushrod engine segment with the 7.3-liter found in the F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks, with three factions each waiting for the other to make the first move. 

You had Ford waiting on the demand to furnish the engine as a crate package. Then there were early adopter enthusiasts yearning for a modern pushrod engine that could hold massive power. And finally, there were aftermarket part manufacturers waiting to see if the market would support enough volume to make the venture worthwhile. All were waiting for one Spiderman to become the hero.

The processing of those events might sound crazy, but if you’ve been around Ford engines long enough, then you might recall when 6.2-liter Boss engine owners tried to do any modifications, ever. The aftermarket manufacturers were not eager to produce products for an engine Ford wasn’t going to offer as a crate engine. The majority of those engines would remain relatively stock. However, the 7.3-liter Godzilla was already being promoted by the likes of Brian Wolfe in the NMRA and Preston Folkestad debuting his wide Fox Body. People were excited to see where this new 445 cubic-inch monster could go.

Enter Indy Power Products

A few months prior to Ford Performance releasing the 7.3-liter Godzilla as a crate engine, and nearly two years before the Megazilla entered the market, Indy Power Products decided to pull the mask off and introduce products to the relatively small market of enthusiasts who were looking for easier options to complete their swap, without the hassle of custom fabrication. The problem wasn’t so much the fault of the engine itself as it was the packaging from Ford. As you can imagine, the engines were meant for the spacious room between the 3/4-ton, heavy duty truck’s framerails, not a Fox Body Mustang or Cobra kit car.

Owners Jim and Nancy Ryder had their hands full, as the Godzilla’s engine was not only robust, but the architecture creates issues ranging from the oiling system to the intake, in the performance spectrum. The 7.3-liter utilizes a deep sump pan, oil cooler, and shaft-driven, variable vane oil pump. On top, a restrictive banana-neck inlet to the intake manifold collects odd stares and robs intake flow at high-RPM, as it was originally created to clear the factory fan shroud. Meanwhile, the serpentine belt setup was boisterous and designed for a modern work truck, with some Godzillas even coming equipped with dual alternators.

Co-Owner Jim Ryder is a mechanical engineer who likes a hands-on approach. His dedication to the Godzilla engine for performance products has geared Indy Power Products to take the main stage.

However, Jim is a mechanical engineer who spent his career with Roush Enterprises and Ford Motor Company. He was the Engineering Manager for Roush Fenway Racing, Powertrain Engineer for Roush Industries, and Calibration Engineer for Ford Motor Company. So, the idea of reengineering a few key components of the Godzilla engine was not far-fetched. His wife Nancy also spent several years in the automotive industry, working at Roush Enterprises with various project management roles and leaving at the position of Vice President of Sponsor Operations to embark on promoting the Indy Power Products brand. 

Together the duo has decades of automotive industry experience and have now released several products to alleviate the hassle of swapping a Godzilla engine into a smaller chassis. “The first series of parts we have focuses on the Ford 7.3-liter gas engine platform,” Nancy explains. “The natural fit, attraction, and impressive design makes this crate motor easy to satisfy various projects.”

Solving Problems With Products

Timing and Oiling

One of the first problems that plagued early adopters of the Godzilla swap was the oiling system, and the deep sump that accompanies it. Since the goal of most chassis engineering is to get the center of gravity as low as possible, you have to remove the deep sump and fabricate a much shallower one on the skirted block. However, the fun doesn’t stop there, as the oil pump system needs to be relocated to the front timing cover removing the shaft-driven variable vane oil pump. Seeing as how the sump contained more than just oil, relocating it proved to be an engineering challenge.

Indy Power Products’ engine oil pump conversion kit is a great solution for reducing the overall package size of the Ford 7.3-liter Godzilla Truck Engine. It eliminates the deep sump pan, oil cooler, and shaft-driven variable vane oil pump, as well as the oversized original equipment timing cover.

Indy Power Products attacked this with a multi-faceted approach and created a multitude of ways to configure their oiling and timing cover setups to work for various applications. The patented Indy Power Products oil pump conversion kit is designed to work with any of its front accessory drives, including all single belt or 6-rib poly V-belt drives. . The billet front cover is offered in two different versions: one that is designed for those using the OE oil system, and one designed for those replacing the OE oiling system. 

We want to stay consistent in supplying high quality parts that people can rely on and feel confident and satisfied with their investment. Nancy Ryder, Indy Power Products

The latter of the two timing covers is designed to accommodate a new Indy Power Products oil pan that fits your build’s criteria (Cobra-style, front sump, or even custom)  but most importantly, the sumps save up to 3.6 inches of depth. This allows you to mount the engine lower in the chassis while minimizing complexity.

FEAD Up With The Serpentine

When performing an engine swap it is easiest to minimize the complications that a factory engine might have such as the original Serpentine setup. While needed in the OE realm, it’s rare that your swap will require all the tensioners, pulleys, and accessories that the F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks have, or at least not the industrial sizing of each component. Indy Power Products’ complete FEAD packages work with its billet front covers and are designed to create a very compact, clean package using the stock Ford front belt location and a single 6-rib poly V-belt with an automatic tensioner.

The Indy Power Products Front Drive Systems are designed to work with the company’s front timing covers and create a very compact, clean package for your project

To retain versatility, Indy Power Products FEAD packages can be ordered to include an alternator, alternator with air conditioning, alternator with power steering, and alternator with air conditioning and power steering. The FEAD packages come with a Powermaster 150-amp alternator, Sanden air compressor, and plenty of billet goodness to make even the most stringent car show judges satisfied.

Intakes and More

As mentioned previously, the intake manifold on the Godzilla engine has a quick upsweep that was originally designed to avoid interference with the factory fan shroud. Although not out of place on the F-250 and F-350 platforms, on a swap it can be an eyesore, but also create a restriction on power.

No more banana neck in the intake! The Indy Power Products’ intake manifold is the ideal product for increased horsepower at higher RPM and returning the engine to traditional hot rod aesthetics.

Since the goal is to make your swap as simple as possible, Indy Power Products’ cast aluminum dual-plane intake manifold makes for an ideal product. Not only does the intake manifold ditch the front throttle body altogether, for a more traditional hot rod look, it increases horsepower above 6,200 rpm. Preliminary testing has even shown the intake to increase horsepower to 625.

In addition to the timing cover, FEAD package, and intake manifold, Indy Power Products also makes products to give your aesthetically challenged 7.3-liter some killer looks, with its billet valve covers, coil covers, and fuel rails. You can even custom order a complete crate engine that has been fully modified with Indy Power Products components for your custom build.

The combination of Indy Power Products valve and coil covers redesigns the aesthetics of the industrial 7.3-liter into something much more desirable.

Get Godzilla Swap Ready With Indy Power Products

While most companies were waiting for Ford or the loyal Ford enthusiasts to really begin the 7.3-liter movement, Indy Power Products stepped up with a complete line of products to help the do-it-yourself swapper. Their products are made in America and are tested by Willis Performance and Creative Werks, two shops that are constantly pushing the limits of the Godzilla engine. So, if you’re looking for high-quality products for your Godzilla engine, then a peep over at the Indy Power Products site would serve you nicely.