When we last left you, our super hero Super Duty was in a perilous position. There was only a matter of days left before D-day (Day One of Ultimate Adventure) and the 46.7-inch-tall tires hadn't been mounted on the truck, the not-common 20-inch bead locks were in a different state, the rollbar that our rules required was on the garage floor, we needed to have the Dynatrac Dana 60 frontend put in with the ARB locker and Precision Gear ring-and-pinion, and the list went on. For us, as well as most invitees of this year's Ultimate Adventure, the adventure started far before Day One.
So the home-stretch thrash kicked into high gear. There's nothing like the excitement of trying to build a truck in a way that nobody else has, using parts that, frankly, we just weren't sure were going to work together. Like any true super hero plot, we had to make sure the deck was stacked against us, so we didn't even leave enough time to test anything. By working with some extremely talented and understanding suppliers and using what little skills we've garnered over the years, we were able to pull together a Super Duty that looks and performs like no other. And then we beat the snot out of it to prove our point.
The real heroes this month were the crew at Dynatrac who thrashed to finish their prototype Pro Rock 60 specifically designed to fit Ford Super Duty trucks. We also owe Tom Reider at Reider Racing and Precision Gear considerable thanks for providing the Precision Gear ring-and-pinion sets on very short notice, as well as bearings and seals for the rear axle.
That's not to discount the effort made by our fearless advertising reps, Jeff Nasi and Jerome Dziechiasz, to install the Warn M15000 winch in Cedar City between midnight and 5 a.m. the first official day of Ultimate Adventure. It got a work out, and the truck might still be in Utah if not for this amazing winch. Special thanks go to Jeff and Jerome, who pretty much went without sleep for the entire week of Ultimate Adventure to massage the truck through its debut.
Our big regret was not having time to install the AGR steering system which would have greatly enhanced the driving of this beast. We also suspect that it would have saved us from a few of the situations we ran into, and maybe even a few broken parts. We will bring all you Super Duty owners a complete steering upgrade article in the near future.
There are never enough words, photos, and pages to tell you everything about a project vehicle, but hopefully this series on the Ultimate Super Duty has given you fresh ideas on building a fullsize truck.