Daily Slideshow: This F-450 Commands the Road
Texas boys love their trucks. And much like everything else, the trucks are bigger in Texas.
Movin' On Up
Philip Hall grew up admiring large tow vehicles. Especially big lifted Fords. So, in 2011 when he found himself as the owner of a Dodge Mega Cab, he knew things weren't quite right. Thankfully, he has a sweetheart of a wife who gave Hall the blessing to trade in his Dodge for this 2012 F-450 Super Duty King Ranch edition. What followed was a series of modifications that eventually left this F-450 as one of the most imposing figures on Texas highways.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Up, Up, and Away
Never one to leave well enough alone, Hall decided to give his new prized possession a little bump in the height department. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and Hall ditched his first lift kit. What followed was a larger suspension upgrade, until, that wasn't high enough either. Finally, Hall went full madman and with the help of Kevin Russell, owner of B&C Off-road and 3rd Coast Suspension, they settled on an air suspension which would give Hall the ability to change ride height as he pleased.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Floating on Air
Providing the lift in the front is a Firestone airbag setup. The shocks are Fox Racing 2.0 reservoirs. Steering stabilizers keep this F-450 pointed in the right direction.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Four-Link Rear
3rd Coast Suspension put together a quality package to prop of the rear of Hall's F-450. Their setup is comprised of Firestone airbags which are filled by a Viair 444 compressor. An 8-gallon air tank keeps some air in reserve, should Hall have the urge to raise the ride height at a moment's notice. The rear shocks match the front Fox racing 2.0 reservoirs. A four-link setup keeps things in place and an AFE rear differential cover provides both a functional cosmetic upgrade to the Dana 80 rear-end. 4.30 gears help turn the meaty tires.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Leaving a Footprint
Speaking of meaty tires, Hall's F-450 features 40 x 15.5 inch Toyo Open Country mud terrains. At the center are 22 inch Fuel Maverick wheels. No doubt that's a lot of rotating mass. But how ridiculous would this truck look riding on 16-inch wheels? About as ridiculous as Shaquille O'Neal showing up to the gym wearing size 9 sneakers.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Texas Firepower
Out of the box, the standard 6.7L Powerstroke Diesel V8 packs a punch. Continuing with the theme of "more is more", Hall had the engine tuned with an H&S Performance Mini Maxx Race tuner capable of up to a 150 horsepower bump. An AFE cold-air intake shovels air into the Powerstroke motor and an aFe exhaust with EGR delete lowers exhaust gas temperatures while allowing the Mini Maxx tuner to operate at peak capabilities.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Wrap it Up
To avoid the stigma of "just another black truck" Hall called upon John Vo at Pixelwerks to mastermind the wrapping of his skyscraper F-450. Hall got his wife, Carrie, involved in the build and she eventually came up with the rough draft of the wrap design. After a road trip to Houston, the truck was wrapped in a 3M product featuring Carrie's design.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
Attention to Detail
Despite the mammoth size of Hall's truck, they didn't gloss over the tiny details. Among the finer parts of Hall's build are the painted grille, emblems, and front bumper. On the underside, Clear Lake Paint & Body took care of spraying the axles and driveshaft.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
A Cohesive Design
Hall and his team did well to keep a synchronized look with his F-450. A Platinum model grille, Amp Research power steps, and custom front and rear light from Plain An Simple provide just the right amount of flair and function to this build.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
All Day Comfort
Starting with the King Ranch package ensures comfort right from the start. The leather seats featured in the King Ranch are regarded as some of the best you can get in a pickup truck. To build on that, Hall upgraded the stereo head unit to a Kenwood in-dash DVD player and ordered up DD Audio component speakers, a subwoofer, and amplifier. Hall also had the accent pieces color matched and installed an air gauge cluster to the B-pillar.
>>Join the conversation about the F-450 Super Duty right here in the forum.
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section of Ford-trucks.com.