Job Well Done
Ten months and some three-dozen upgrades later we’ve reached the end of the road of our 2011 Ford F-250 4×4 build; Project Super Crew is ready for work
“No road. No problem.” That was our secret credo a year ago February when we drove a sparkling white F-250 4×4 away from Town & Country Ford in Bessemer, Alabama, an hour north of our offices.
We’d just dropped $51,195 on the 2011 Ford Super Duty Crew Cab 4×4 diesel. The odometer on the gleaming white mid-trim XLT hadn’t even clicked over 20 miles when we put the key in the ignition on the dealer’s lot.
A year ago Project Super Crew was a vanilla-white F-250 that would blend in with any fleet pickup.
That first hour behind the wheel of Project Super Crew was as exhilarating as it was unnerving; freezing rain mixed with sleet made I-20 a body shop owner’s dream and a driver’s nightmare.
Fortunately for us we managed to avoid any incidents. Over the past 10 months — and with the help of Truck Supply & Outfitters and our sponsors have succeeded in accomplish our long-term goal: turning our vanilla-fleet Super Duty into a ride any hard-working contractor would be proud to drive.
FOCUS ON EFFICIENCY
Every aspect of the build has been focused on raising the big Ford’s efficiency and performance to a new level when it comes to being a tool dedicated to work in the field where heavy equipment and rough terrain prevail.
AMP Research’s PowerStep automatic running boards make getting in and out of the Super Crew a breeze. The retractable BedStep2 aids reaching into the toolbox.
It’s a mobile office. It’s a service platform. It’s a trailer tow truck. It’s a rolling billboard. It’s a safety vehicle. It’s a crew transporter. It’s an off-road machine.
If you’ve followed our build in these pages and online then you’ve seen how we’ve increased the driving range with a replacement Transfer Flow fuel tank, added a UWS refuel tank, and increased the ground clearance and traction capabilities with Mickey Thompson tires and a front ARB Air Locker.
The ride and handling for both towing and off-pavement use has been improved with a four-inch, four-link suspension and larger sway bars. Fender flares are in place to protect the colorful vinyl body wrap, too.
Hellwig’s Lifted Sway Bars grace both ends of the Super Crew suspension. These adjustable sway-control bars are thicker than factory to minimize body roll while letting the BDS suspension work its magic.
We’ve added AMP power running boards and bed steps to ease getting in or out of the big Ford or reaching the UWS toolboxes, and upgraded to HID headlights to see better at night.
B&W Gooseneck and weight-distributing hitch systems were put in place to add towing versatility, and we’ve made sure warning lights abound so Project Super Crew can serve as an escort vehicle or safety pickup for road workers.
We’ve also added HID remote-controlled spotlights, and included backup lights, driving and fog lights in the Buckstop Truckware bumpers to aid both driver and workers on the jobsite and on the road.
We’ve installed a Console Vault safe inside the center console for an added level of security for smaller items of value.
A 12,000-pound-capacity Mile Marker hydraulic winch resides in the front bumper for added security. Safety, after all, is a high priority in this build.
MOBILE SHOP/OFFICE
So is getting work done. Want to service or do light repairs on the jobsite? There’s a Vanair Air-N-Arc welder/air compressor/generator and Sage Oil Vac service set mounted on a skid that slides into the bed.
Storage space abounds within the UWS toolboxes (each has LED lights inside) for whatever might be needed on the jobsite.
There’s also Hi-Lift jack and heavy-duty ARB 12-volt air compressor handy just in case the skid has been left at the shop or on another jobsite.
No road, no problem. Locked and loaded, Project Super Crew heads up an old powerline road.
Inside the Super Crew’s cab we’ve installed a CB radio to go with the in-dash navi system, state-of-the art radar system, heavy-duty laptop stand and cell-phone holder. A pair of hand-held radios resides in the security vault mounted in the center-console.
That’s not all — there’s a hidden GPS tracking system on the Ford from US Fleet Tracking that keeps tabs on the truck 24/7.
Marathon camo seat covers and thick molded plastic floor liners protect the interior — and we’re including a bucket full of cleaning supplies just in case you need to impress a client — or take the family to dinner.
Speaking of dinner, a big 12v ARB Freezer/Fridge is also part of the Project Super Crew package.
WAIT, THERE’S MORE
Keeping the F-250 Crew Cab 4×4 in top-notch driving shape is also important to us. That’s why we’re using Valvoline Commercial Products lubricants when Town & Country Ford does the routine service every 3,500 miles.
As of this writing we have just a little more than 9,800 miles on the odometer. Fuel economy has been averaging just a shade over 13 mpg, which includes a lot of city driving, and trips to Las Vegas, Dallas and Charlotte, North Carolina, for trade and automotive shows.
That’s not bad numbers for a pickup that weighs more than 8,000 pounds and sits a good six inches taller than it did when we started this project build.
The Ford Super Duty 6.7L diesel is a strong performer. But we still have plans to install a Hypertech programmer and exhaust system to go with the cold-air intake we have in place.
The programmer and exhaust, when installed, should improve fuel economy a skoash and add a little more pep in the Ford’s already strong step.
We hope you agree it’s a job well done: function with form, efficiency with performance.
REGISTER TO WIN IT ALL
The best part of the entire build is one of you contractors reading this article will be driving away with the entire package — if you entered the Project Super Crew Sweepstakes. The drawing will be the first week of April.
Not registered? Go to our website and register to win it all: propickupmag.com/project-trucks/super-crew/sweepstakes-registration/.
Our ProPickup staff would love nothing better than to bring you to our offices, show you some great Southern hospitality, and send you off with the keys to Project Super Crew.
2011 Ford 6.7L
F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab 4×4
SPONSORS
Ford Trucks / Ford Motor Company
BUMPERS: Buckstop Truckware
COOLER: 50qt ARB Freezer Fridge
ENGINE: Hypertech programmer
FRONT WINCH: Mile Marker H12000 Hydraulic
FUEL TANK: Transfer Flow 50-gal. replacement
HITCHES: B&W Turn-Over Ball Gooseneck; B&W Tow & Stow
LOCKER: ARB USA Air Locker
LUBRICANTS: Valvoline Commercial Products
RE-FUEL TANK: UWS 75-gal
SEAT COVERS: Marathon SuperHides
SECURITY: US Fleet Tracking AT-X5
SERVICE: Sage Oil Vac
STEPS: AMP Research BedStep2 / PowerSteps
TIRES: Mickey Thompson 35×13.50R18LT MTX
TOOL BOXES: UWS Truck Accessories
WELDER/COMPRESSOR: Vanair Air N Arc 150
DONORS
AUDIO/NAV: Rosen Navi Multi-media 7” LCD
AUX LIGHTS: PIAA
BED LINER: BedRug
BODY WRAP: Camoclad
BRAKES: EBC Slotted/Vented rotors
ELECTRONICS: Cobra iRadar/Radios
FIRE EXT. MOUNT: Polyperformance
FLARES: Bushwacker Pocket-style
HEADACHE RACK: Spyder Industries
HEADLIGHTS: Orion HID
INTAKE: Airaid cold-air intake
JACK: Hi-Lift First Responder
LAPTOP MOUNT: Gamber-Johnson NotePad V
POLISH/CLEANER: ProLong
ROOF MOUNT: Acari No-Drill Mount
SECURITY: BOLT locks & latches
SPOTLIGHTS: GoLight Stryker HID
SPRAY-ON COATING: All-Pro Linings
STORAGE: Truck Safe Console Vault
SUSPENSION: BDS 4” 4-link w/ leaf springs
SWAY BARS: Hellwig Lifted Sway Bars
TOOLBOX LIGHTS: Access LED strips
WARNING LIGHTS: Whelen
WHEELS: Dick Cepek Torque 18”x9.5”
WINDOW TINT: Llumar
SPECIAL THANKS
Truck Supply & Outfitters, Tuscaloosa, AL
Town & Country Ford, Bessemer, AL
