Those who know Editor Rick Pewe know that Rick hates poseurs. Working with Rick means being like Rick. After reviewing a pair of illustrations, Rick said that the 20-inch wheels had to go and fast. “The goal of this truck should be capability and reliability. So we headed down that path, but strayed well off that trail.
When buying three trucks from Galpin Ford, you won’t have to worry about inventory. We knew we wanted to build a “poormans” Raptor, so the first choice was the SuperCab body style. The shorter wheelbase with a short bed would be the goal and of course, 5.4L Ford power.
Other than the wheel size choice, Tavis Highlander’s design was spot on. So with a Ford F-150 Lariat chosen, the first stop was install the ProComp 6-inch Stage I Lift Kit which will be documented in the February 2011 issue of Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off-Road. Editor Ali Mansour was on hand to document the installation at Four Wheel Parts and in an afternoon, the kit was in place.
Originally, Rick scoffed our ideas about adding a power-adder. “For us, it’s about reliability, not sheer power. Well, we didn’t want to move the Edelbrock E-Force Supercharger from it’s home on the Hot Rod F-150, but when we realized the Hot Rod truck we purchased was actually a 4.6L 3-valve, that left only the 4x4 to get the E-Force assembly which pops horsepower up to 478. Unfortunately, however, this install happened on a Wednesday and we had to be in Vegas Monday morning. Hold on, we’ll need that supercharger to get there.
With the Diesel Power Super Duty wrap complete, when we saw this F-150 next it was in Mad Mike’s domain at Galpin Auto Sports to install the wrap graphics. Once that was done, we mounted and wired the ProComp lights on the Explorer ProComp Motorsports Light Bar fitted with three 7-inch 100W MS Driving Lights. While we were hoping to add the Bushwacker pocket flares, we were running out of time.
But we made it and as we drove the truck at the photo shoot, all loved the soft, pre-runner styled chassis which rides smooth on the road. The Edelbrock E-Force blower helps overcome the 35-inch tires and we stole it from Hot Rod. So, if you agree vote for the 4Wheel & Off-Road Ford F-250 4x4 by simply joining Facebook and voting at the CRAFTSMAN Facebook page. Enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a 154-piece CRAFTSMAN tool set by voting for our truck on November 2-4 2010.