Full Size Off Road Beast

This truck is a work of art. It makes my truck look like a tonka toy.

- The idea behind the 2000 four-door behemoth was to make it functional in every way possible. As part of Fords "Power Professional" theme for the SEMA convention, the Swansons had the dubious task of creating a rig that could not only navigate the often treacherous terrain found throughout many popular U.S. recreational off-road venues, but to also give the truck the tools required for in-the-field reapairs. Fortifying the suspension of the truck with a Superlift 8-inch suspension lift kit was the first point. The straight-axle front suspension received new leaf-spring packs, as well as 2-inch spring hanger relocation brackets. The rear suspension also benefited from a new set of leaf springs and a pair of 3-inch pinion angle-correction lift blocks. Each corner of the new suspension was then damped by a pair of Superlift shocks, which were mounted on dual shock hoops. With a set of 39-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Radial tires and 16x10-inch MT wheels on board, the truck was almost ready for the dirt. Still, the chassis required a few upgrades to protect it from the elements. Go Rhino skidplates were attached to the framerails and both differential housings were treated to aluminum covers by Conn-Fer.
Putting a Super Duty such as this up in the air adds some heft to the overall weight of the vehicle, which obviously slows it down. The Swansons made sure their truck would have no problem in the get-up-and-go department. The healthy Triton V-10 engine was topped off with a Whipple Supercharger. The stock exhaust system was scrapped in favor of a large-diameter system from Borla. Superchips provides the right computer programming to keep the V-10 operating at peak levels, and dual batteries from Optima supply the necessary juice.

Read more