One Piece at a Time

Dale and his wife are the proud owners of this 1975 F250 XLT Supercab with the Trailer Special additions. However...as the title says...this truck wasn't built overnight...but took shape over time. This is a true reflection of the statement "You buy a vehicle...you build your truck". Read on to see what we mean.

Dale got the truck in 1992 from his dad, and only 76k miles had rolled over on the odometer. It came from Dearborn with a big block 460ci motor, a C6 auto, 3:54 gears and horrible fuel mileage. Dale took a look around...saw a 750 Massey combine sitting still in the yard, and a "grinch" smirk came across his face. The 372 turbo Perkins came out of the Massey, and it was teamed to a 6 speed Allison that was "borrowed" from a '72 IH dump truck. A broke crank let Dale know that the right balancer wasn't mounted on the motor. Another motor was soon found.

This time Dale found a 1006 series (6.0L or 365ci) Perkins motor. In stock form...the oil burner pushed out 210HP at 2600 rpm's...but a whopping 610 ft/lbs at only 1600 rpm's. But there was no way Dale was going to leave the Perkins alone. In order to get the air moving, homemade twins were mounted under the hood. An HX35 pushes air into the HT60, which then moves the air through a 2001 Superduty intercooler. The MW Bosch inline injector pump has been fitted with 4k rpm GVS and 20 degrees of timing, and supplies fuel to the 330hp Perkins marine injectors. A 200 gph FASS helps to move the #2 along to the engine as well. Spent diesel fumes exit via the homemade 4" exhaust into the twin 4" chrome stacks.  Dale also built a 5" air operated exhaust brake to help him slow the load down. To assist with air tools, a Clayton gear driven air compressor is mounted on the Perkins. Dale hasn't had the opportunity to dyno the truck yet...but we're pretty sure its above stock.

Since this is a "big rig" motor, the tranny had to follow suit. The transmission is an RTO 6610 Eaton/Fuller 10 speed, with an 0.80:1 overdrive. The clutch is a 14" twin Bronze button with a 3800 lb pressure plate. The slave cylinder is an air over hydro type from a Volvo road tractor. A custom drive shaft helps to spin the posi'd Dana 70 axle stuffed with 3.54 gears. The Dana rides on a homemade air ride system that consists of KW bags with a self leveling valve. The front currently rides on a stock suspension, but there are plans to swap that out for an air ride setup as well. Hydroboost brakes from a 2001 Chevy help to bring this Ford to a safe stop.

Since Dale was going for the "big rig" look, a 33 gallon aluminum side saddle fuel tank was mounted. The front clip tilts forward to get better access to the Perkins, and Westcoast mirrors help Dale to see whatever it is following him. The truck rides on Alcoa aluminum wheels wrapped with 235/16" Goodyears.  Dually hubs were also mounted on the front to assist with the look.

Just as much attention was paid to the interior. A homemade walnut dash is fitted with "lots of gauges" to help Dale monitor what's going on under the air tilt hood. The seats are from a 2002 Ford, and the cab has been fitted with keyless entry and power windows. A Vintage heat/ac system keeps the cab comfortable year 'round. Out back, the homemade flatbed has been fitted with oak side boards complimented with aluminum upright supports. A B&W 5th wheel hitch resides back there...along with a Reese class V equalizer receiver hitch.

In case anybody was wondering, Dale built this truck to work. It is driven 365 days a year, through rain, mud and snow. If it can't pull his trailers, it does him no good. And...when cruising down the road empty, the big Perkins still manages to get nearly 25 mpg.

Congrats Dale on your truck being selected as the July TDG Truck of the Month. You have a helluva truck that anybody would love to have parked in their driveway.