Extang’s F-350 is a Project with Street Party Appeal
Daily Slideshow: A Ford F-150 dually with barbeque and beverage facilities? Not just that, you can watch the game in its load bed too.
From Super Duty to Super Cruiser
What makes a pick-up truck different from an SUV or sedan is not the number of seats, but that load bed out back. The ability to carry a lot more stuff, heavier and oddly shaped, is what makes a pick-up truck valuable. But there are times, when the work is done, that owners ponder how they could possibly repurpose all that utility sheet metal surfacing behind the cab, for a more fun application?
Extang is one of America’s most renowned load bed accessories and cover manufacturers and with the help of some inspired students from Washtenaw, in Michigan, they showed what can be done with an F-350’s load area.
The project was one of many Ford commissioned for the annual SEMA custom show in Las Vegas and it perfectly illustrates how something as heavy-duty as an F-350 Super Duty can be rerolled into the perfect lakeside or beachside day-out leisure truck.
Business up front, party around the back
The Extang F-350 concept truck’s best bits are all around the tailgate area. If ever there was a Ford truck built for outdoor entertaining and hospitality, this is it.
A copper-plated swing-out cooler and grille combination mean you can barbeque and beverage wherever your journey might stopover. And don’t think you’ll miss the game either. There’s an integrated 65-inch LG OLED 4K television, which functions as part of the custom-mounted load bed cover. Relaying sound for this impressive infotainment system are Maxxsonics MB Quart eight-inch speakers
If you prefer something more interactive entertainment, there’s a slide out games table too.
>>Join the conversation about Extang’s F-350 right here in Ford-Trucks.com.
Street truck stance for a Super Duty workhorse
The Extang concept truck has a stance unlike any F-350, made possible some in-depth suspension modifications. ARFT Speed Shop was contracted with reconfiguring the F-350’s suspension geometry and decided upon a custom air-suspension system as the best solution.
The ARFT technicians devised a bolt-on four-link rear suspension solution, with an Air Lift Performance pneumatic management system, with accompanying air lines and fittings. Ensuring appropriate compression for the F-350 air-suspension system is a Viair pump, balanced by Dominator 2600-series springs.
Acting as a contact point between the air-suspension system and terrain (or road), are enormous 24-inch copper-plated wheels, which contrast perfectly with the deep black luster of this F-350’s paint finish.
>>Join the conversation about Extang’s F-350 right here in Ford-Trucks.com.
Not much to carry, but still rolls as a dually
The Extang F-350’s presence if unusual and imposing. The Super-Duty dually wheels and huge fender extensions celebrate its F-350 series workhorse lineage, yet the special black paint finish is a color least practical for working vehicle truck owners.
Perfectly detailing the custom black paint job was the task given to students from Washtenaw Community College’s Custom Cars and Concepts program. They had to meticulously apply the custom clear coat finish and as any vehicle refinisher will testify: pure black is a very unforgiving hue to work with. The exact color code applied to this Extang F-350 has an entertainingly elaborate name: AkzoNobel Modern Classikk Black Hole.
Contrasting the AkzoNobel color code are billet custom copper-plated fender badges.
>>Join the conversation about Extang’s F-350 right here in Ford-Trucks.com.
Ford's truck fuel V8
Although this Extang F-350 is the ultimate tailgate entertainment truck, it does roll quite a traditional hauling power- and drivetrain.
Ford’s 6.7-liter V8 turbodiesel powers the F-350 along. The only slight modification is a set of Ford Performance exhaust pipes with blackened tips.
With 935 lb-ft of torque, this party truck effortless rolls its DRW Maverick 24-inch wheels along, hardly feeling the rolling resistance of those Dilente DX10 Bandit A/T tires, measuring 285/40.
>>Join the conversation about Extang’s F-350 right here in Ford-Trucks.com.
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our How-to section in the forum.