Every month this magazine shows you some of the coolest trucks in the nation, but often these rigs earn their place in the book by being unique, unusual, and often out of reach. Many require either a CEO's paycheck, gobs of custom machining and fabricationskills, or both, but not this one. This is the type of truck any hard-working man with a standard paycheck and some time to invest could be cruising around in. We're not saying it's the cheapest truck on the trail, but it's also not the trickest, trendiest, or most taxing to your funds. It's simply a well-built truck with many off-the-shelf parts bolted on to make it look and perform better.
We actually found this truck at an off-road show where it was parked all shiny and clean with some big old street tires and some bling-bling rims, and we realized that with a little more aggressive tread and some different (more dirt friendly) rims it would make for a really cool trail machine. The owner (whom we call Silent Bob), actually had some different treads coming for it and before long we had him talked into taking this super-clean machine out for a little dirt dancing. Although it's hardly a monster mud racer or tubalicious tube buggy like we so often show you, it doesn't mean we don't appreciate a good clean truck that any man (or woman) could make their own.
Hanging out on the front of...
Hanging out on the front of this big red rig is the latest bull bar offered by ARB. We've always liked the rugged outback look of these bars, and though we're sure Super Dutys are quite rare across the deserts of Australia, this bumper easily brings that "down under" look to even the dustiest of U.S. trails. Silent Bob took the extra step and had the bumper painted to match his big Ford.
The bull bar houses a pair...
The bull bar houses a pair of PIAA lights and a custom mounted Ramsey 12,000 winch in front of a Carriage Works billet grille. Behind that grille is a robust 6.0 Power Stroke diesel outfitted with an Airaid air filter, a six-power-level Edge Hot Juice Platinum module with turbo timer (adding a claimed115 hp), and Magnaflow stainless exhaust. Doing ground duty is a set of 39.5x13.50R17 Interco Irok tires wrapped around burly black 17x9 Pro Comp wheels. Maybe it's just us, but the look of big rubber on black rims is way more rugged than big dub chrome, especially when coated with dried mud.
Making room for such big rubber...
Making room for such big rubber is a Superlift 8-inch suspension lift with a larger rear block and add-a-leaf in the rear and a set of Torque Max Traction bars. The axles run 4.30 gears, which work well with the diesel grunt and big rubber.
Up front Silent Bob and Jay...
Up front Silent Bob and Jay Parodi of PDC Motorsports in Brea, California, installed an additional coil spacer to give a total of 10 inches of lift. The wheelwells also house dual Superlift SSR monotube shocks, while in front there is a stainless steel skidplate, Superlift diff guard, and dual steering stabilizer kit.
To round out the complete...
To round out the complete package and to protect Bob's gear, the bed is covered with a Leer Fiberglass tonneau. Additionally the truck is accessorized with some Grippen billet door handles, a billet fuel-door cover, and some Bestop/Amp Research electric retractable power steps to help ingress and egress.
Tech Specs
Engine: 6.0L diesel, Airaid drop-in filter, Edge Hot Juice Platinum module with turbo timer, Magnaflow stainless exhaust
Transmission: 5R110 Automatic
Transfer Case: NV273
Front Axle: 4.30 gears, Superlift eXtreme Ring diff protector
Rear Axle: 4.30 gears, factory limited-slip, Superlift eXtreme Ring diff protector
Suspension: Superlift 10-inch lift with optional four-link upgrade and front coil spacers, rear blocks; Superlift dual stabilizer kit, Superlift SSR monotube shocks (dual fronts), Superlift stainless steel skidplate, Torque Max traction bars
Tires & Wheels: 39.5x13.50-17 Interco Super Swamper IROK bias-plies on 17x9 Pro Comp 7089s, 4.75-inch backspacing