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Thomas Stevens of Powerhouse Performance

Thomas Stevens of Powerhouse Performance

Oil and Whiskey with Roadster Shop Mar 16, 2026 166 min
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About this episode

Thomas Stevens shares his journey from a homeschooled kid in California to running Powerhouse Performance, a thriving shop known for custom truck builds and performance parts. He discusses his early hands-on experience with diesel trucks, the challenges of DIY modifications, and his deep roots in motocross racing. The conversation highlights his passion for tinkering, the growth of his business, and the importance of customer trust and industry relationships. Thomas also reflects on how his motocross background shaped his approach to performance and customization.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Term

concrete pumper

"My dad's like go load your truck up with hose and You're you're now a concrete pumper if you're not in school you're pumping concrete and I had a 99 F 350 diesel duly lifted on 40s"

A concrete pumper is a truck that helps pour concrete where it’s needed on a building site by pumping it through a long arm.

Term

diesel

"I had a 99 F 350 diesel duly lifted on 40s and you know That's what I do is why you got a place in Havasu"

A diesel engine is a type of engine that uses a special kind of fuel called diesel. It helps trucks work better when carrying heavy stuff or pulling trailers.

Term

lifted

"I had a 99 F 350 diesel duly lifted on 40s and you know That's what I do is why you got a place in Havasu"

When a truck is lifted, it means the body is raised higher off the ground so it can go over rough roads easier and have bigger tires.

Term

lift kit

"Just tearing it apart in the driveway and you know doing a doing a lift on"

A lift kit is something you add to a truck or car to make it sit higher off the ground, so it can go over bigger bumps or have bigger wheels.

Car

Ford F-250

"You know 2500 f250 f350 diesel and getting 40s on like"

The Ford F-250 is a big truck that can carry heavy stuff and is often changed to have bigger wheels and higher suspension to look cool or go off-road better.

Term

DIY project

"At a it's a DIY like at home project or whatever is it'll make jacks I go up that I do that. That's there's a lot of logistics involved that are not like you're just weekend"

A DIY project means fixing or changing parts on your car by yourself instead of paying someone else to do it.

Concept

daily driver

"I'm gonna throw an intake on my daily driver this weekend or something like that or you know There's a lot that goes into the you don't think about"

A daily driver is the car you use every day to get around, like going to work or running errands.

Term

two-post lift

"Or you probably be like, oh fucking died. I need the two post lift I'm not using the drive on as the two post open. I need these tools. I need that tools"

A two-post lift is a big machine that lifts a car up in the air so you can work underneath it safely and easily.

Concept

motor swap

"Like how many I was 16 at home and you know and I man me and my friends just said we're gonna swap the motor Even that you're like, oh, wow, that's crazy."

A motor swap means taking the engine out of a car and putting in a different one, usually to make the car faster or better.

Brand

Yamaha

"Yamaha has always been a weird one. Yamaha is like a the side of uh, I've always rode Yamaha. So I've done Yamaha"

Yamaha makes motorcycles and dirt bikes that many people use for racing and riding off-road.

Brand

Kawasaki

"Kawasaki all of them were yeah, those are the bad ones."

Kawasaki makes powerful motorcycles that are popular for racing and riding on dirt tracks.

Brand

Suzuki

"So I rode Yamaha and Suzuki both like from"

Suzuki makes motorcycles that many people use for dirt bike racing and riding.

Term

two-stroke engine

"I mean it was a legit two stroke coming off of like a pw 54 stroke. Yeah, where you just"

A two-stroke engine is a type of engine that makes power quickly and is often used in small dirt bikes because it's light and strong.

Term

supercharger

"I saw it said, you know, magna charger Magnus and superchargers and I'm like, oh, wow, okay. This this this would be cool. I like I like boost, you know,"

A supercharger is like a pump that pushes extra air into a car's engine so it can make more power. It helps the car go faster by giving the engine more air to burn with fuel.

Concept

LS swap

""And then it just kind of grew and grew and grew and we were doing ls swaps and Diesel you know performance stuff obviously emissions legal stuff obviously being in california, of course""

An LS swap means putting a different, more powerful engine from General Motors into a car to make it faster and stronger. It's a popular upgrade for car enthusiasts.

Term

emissions legal

""Diesel you know performance stuff obviously emissions legal stuff obviously being in california, of course""

Emissions legal means the car or its parts follow the rules about pollution so it doesn't pollute too much. This is important in places with strict air quality laws.

Term

bolt-ons

""Just bolt-ons. When was the first one where you went home? You're like, we got the big job""

Bolt-ons are car parts you can add on easily without changing the car a lot, to make it faster or better.

Part

supercharged LS

""all-wheel drive denali for supercharged ls, you know full big brakes whatever you could do to bolt onto it, right? And he's like hey, I want to build a hot rod""

A supercharged LS is a type of engine that has a special part called a supercharger to make it more powerful by pushing more air into it.

Term

horsepower

"...Like dude, do you have any about how much horsepower this thing made once I put it on like talking about the supercharger? Yeah, this fucker was just like stop this fucking thing's making like 500 wheel horses..."

Horsepower tells you how strong a car's engine is and how fast it can make the car go. The more horsepower, the more powerful the car usually is.

Term

four-wheel drive

""four-wheel drive Standard cab short bed with the five-liter coyote that we did lifted""

Four-wheel drive means the vehicle sends power to all four wheels at the same time, which helps it drive better on rough or slippery roads.

Term

five-liter Coyote

""Standard cab short bed with the five-liter coyote that we did lifted You know, everyone's like, oh lower it put it on some drag radials and you know make a rocket ship out of it""

The five-liter Coyote is a powerful eight-cylinder engine made by Ford that helps trucks and sports cars go fast.

Term

drag radials

""You know, everyone's like, oh lower it put it on some drag radials and you know make a rocket ship out of it We did like an old like school heritage build, you know with the circle wheel and you know made it make it look old school""

Drag radials are special tires that help cars go faster in straight-line races by sticking better to the road.

Term

all-wheel drive

""I mean the all-wheel drive one the four-wheel drive ones. Yeah, they're they're you know straight line rocket ship. Um, but the uh""

All-wheel drive means the car sends power to all four wheels all the time, helping it drive better on different types of roads.

Term

two-wheel drive

""The two-wheel drive ones when you put a blower on them, they just get all squirrely and just you know burn out machine That's makes it even more fun. Yeah, if it was just shoot straight""

Two-wheel drive means only two of the car's wheels get power from the engine, which can make it harder to drive on slippery roads.

Term

blower

""The two-wheel drive ones when you put a blower on them, they just get all squirrely and just you know burn out machine That's makes it even more fun. Yeah, if it was just shoot straight""

A blower is a device that pushes extra air into a car's engine to make it stronger and faster.

Car

Ford F-350

""What are you thinking? Scroll down. Did you guys see that one that f 350 that we built on the camper special?""

The Ford F-350 is a big truck that can carry heavy loads and tow trailers, making it popular for jobs and outdoor activities.

Car

Ford Bronco

"So what's uh, what's the plan for Scott pauncher's bronco You got some secret things in in motion"

The Ford Bronco is a type of SUV that is good for driving off-road and rough terrain. People like to change parts of it to make it even better for adventures.

Car

Chevrolet 1966 Nova

"You got the 66 nova. You got cherry. You got your dream. Who's building it? You guys... 66 nova, what's the build tell us about the build?"

The 1966 Chevrolet Nova is an old car that people like to fix up and make faster. It's a small car from the 1960s that many car fans enjoy working on.

Term

LT4

"66 nova, what's the build tell us about the build? Uh fast track... Probably lt4... manual of course"

The LT4 is a powerful engine made by General Motors that makes cars go really fast. It uses special parts to get more power than regular engines.

Term

manual transmission

"Probably lt4... manual of course... Big tire big brakes"

A manual transmission means the driver has to change gears themselves using a stick and pedal. It can make driving more fun and gives you more control.

Term

big tires and big brakes

"manual of course... Big tire big brakes... Petina just not painted."

Big tires and big brakes mean the car has bigger wheels and stronger brakes so it can grip the road better and stop faster.

4 cars featured

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