Weighing more than twice that of the average super truck, this modified F-350 handles a big jump like a pro.
In most cases, sending a modern Ford F-350 Super Dutyover a big jump onto a paved surface would lead to massive amounts of destruction, but the BA-350 is not your average Super Duty. This one-ton beast was built by DEFCO Trucks in Denver, Colorado and his goal was to create a Super Duty that looked and performed like a race-ready super truck.
As the video above from the DEFCO YouTube channelshows, this F-350 can handle the toughest challenge for a race truck, flying through the air, slamming down on pavement and surviving to do it all again.
F-350 Becomes BA-350
The BA-350 was designed, engineered and built by DEFCO’s Doug Paddock, members of his shop crew and Chris Lewis, owner of Lewis Built Performance. Lewis used his experience as a trophy truck racer and builder to design a suspension setup that offered 12 inches of front travel and 17 inches of rear travel, while also putting the body way up in the air.
Up front, this F-350 has a Lewis Built BA350 Stage 2, featuring King three-inch triple-bypass shocks, King three-inch coilovers, King steering stabilizers and a Lewis Built custom track bar and centerlink. Out back, the Lewis Built BA350 Stage 2 design featuring a heavy-duty cantilever, custom Atlas leaf springs, and King 3.5-inch triple-bypass shocks.
Finally, in addition to the unique suspension, wheels and tires, this modified Super Duty features DEFCO armor, DEFCO exhaust, an SCT tuner, Dana Super 60 front axle, Sterling 10.5-inch rear axle, 4.30 gears, ARB Air Lockers, and the flared fenders and bedsides from Advanced Fiberglass.
Taking to the Skies
The result of the BA-350 build is an F-350 that looks like a Raptor, but can a one-ton truck really perform like a super truck? To prove that this big Ford could handle the rigors of an off-road race truck, Paddock and his team built a jump in a parking lot and they sent the Super Duty over that jump at high speed.
As you might expect, the four-ton pickup got lots of air off of the jump, but it handles the hard landing on the pavement surprisingly well. The front fender clips fail, but after some simple fixes, this F-350 was back on track.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
