Power of Pink: Jessi's 6.7L Power Stroke

June 2020 Power of Pink Colin Peterson

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2020 issue.

For this issue’s Power of Pink feature, we have a BIG Power Stroke. Depending on where you live, the pictures used in this article might have you dreaming of being somewhere warm, since we’re now coming into the dead of winter. Just look at the beautiful weather and the nice backwoods country setting the girl is basking in with her big truck! This girl is originally born and raised in Indiana, but she lives in Arkansas, and she has an impressive truck that will blow you out of the water. Jessi Fogus resides in Bono, in Craighead County, relatively close to the Missouri border. Jessi is no stranger to the diesel industry, and you can tell from the photos she really means business when it comes to lifted trucks. She and her fiancé Dylan Wallace are both hardcore diesel pickup enthusiasts. In fact, they’re so hardcore their dogs have diesel-specific names. Going on Instagram as @jessi_6.7, she’s also a member of the Diesel Hotties female-empowering diesel performance club. “I’m a 2019 Hottie,” she says. “I joined the club in January this year!” She uses her Instagram to flaunt her truck as well as promote her club’s merchandise sales.

Jessi’s Diesel Life

Jessi’s truck, which she shares with her fiancé, is named Moose (name printed inside the front license plate frame). It’s a 2012 Ford F250 Lariat crew cab with the 6.7L Power Stroke. While she and Dylan did most of the work themselves, the powder coating on it was completed by Killer Coatings of Manila, Ark. It’s an upscale truck, and its massive lift and elegant colors really show off its class and good looks. Those colors foreshadow what the inside of the cab looks and feels like. The tuxedo black finish with rose gold accents throughout many areas (especially in the undercarriage) might match the color scheme of the lobby of a high-end hotel or office building. That black is “tuxedo” black, so that might also make you think of the classy attire of someone working in that building. The rose gold on black may even make you think of feminine toughness. The name Moose also makes sense, though, because the colors also resemble that of a moose.

It’s all a wonderful combination, but enough of that “tuxedo” chatter. The truck has much more to it than its classy looks and upscale bells and whistles. Jessi’s Power Stroke might have a prominent show vehicle look (like many trucks you might see at the SEMA Show). Well, yes, she and Dylan do use it as a show vehicle, but don’t let that personality fool you into thinking this truck is a “princess vehicle,” because it’s not! She makes very good use of her truck as well, because she uses the truck as her daily driver as well as a tow vehicle (check out the massive hitch, speaking of which). Often times, a truck that looks cool in this way is also quite versatile, mainly because of its ride and wheels.

Ride Monster

When you look at Jessi’s truck, the first big characteristic that should jump out at you is the lift. The massive 8-inch BDS Suspension lift with Fox shocks towers the truck over other vehicles on the road. That’s two-thirds of a foot; let that sink into your head! The suspension, which comes with BDS’s unique “No BS Hardcore Lifetime Warranty,” is one of the finest in the industry. It also features the heavy-duty 4-link system, which offers superior control in the steering wheel over rough terrain. With that setup, she’s using Flight Fabrications ladder-style traction bars, helping her suspension to really stand out from the crowd.

The very large suspension sits on top of 24-inch American Force Shock Faceplate wheels with 37-inch Fury tires. The American Force rims are groundbreaking innovations that feature laser-cut aluminum plates that bolt to the wheel surface. The plates come raw, so you can paint or powder-coat them however you like. That makes for endless possibilities of color combinations, so you can’t go wrong with the Shock Faceplate rims. We can see that Jessi has taken full advantage of it. The M/T tires are a great fit for off-roading; they still have superior traction off-road, yet they have the quieter noise and continuous road traction of the A/T tires. While Jessi’s not a hardcore off-roader, her tires still get moderate usage off the beaten path. “It doesn’t go off-roading a whole lot,” she says. “But it’s been taken deer hunting, out in farm lands, and down some dirt and gravel roads.” If you go off the blacktop a lot but don’t like the noise on it while getting to and from the off-road area, these tires are for you!

Hardcore Hauling and Other Gadgets

The biggest visible contraptions under the hood are an aFe cold air intake and a throttle body delete, but it’s the tuning on this beast that does the most for the performance. It’s an H&S Performance tuner, which features four power levels (stock, tow, street and performance). Most noteworthy is the tow power level, which offers a 40-50hp boost and creates an amazing tow rig, and Jessi does a lot of that. “I tow my fiancé’s bagged truck, a boat, trailer, and have used it to tow vehicles he has had in the past,” she says. “I’ve towed farm equipment also.” In towing all that stuff, she uses an adjustable B&W drop hitch. Jessi also threw in a Rockford Fosgate system (a 2x10 system with a 900 watt amp, in a fox box behind the back seat) for some extra fun.

Future Plans

As Jessi looks into the future, she’s in for a lot more fun. “Looking ahead, I plan to color my bed liner rose gold and the interior of my truck black and rose gold,” Jessi says. That will definitely flaunt the high-end looks more. She also plans to color-match her taillights and third brake light. As far as performance goes, she wants an intake piping kit upgrade, EZ Lynk custom tunes, and an air ride lift kit. For activities, she’s doing much of the same stuff in the near future, definitely aiming for higher stakes. “For now, it will be the same, but I want to turn this into a SEMA truck in the future,” Jessi says. “I’m looking to buy another truck to be the tower.” Of course, having a truck like hers is amazing, but it’s a lot of work, and she profoundly credits her fiancé in helping her achieve her dreams. “This all wouldn't be possible with out the love and support from everyone, especially the person who helped me build this truck, Dylan Wallace,” she says.

Photos credited to Damien Davis