Overbilt F-650

Hot rodders have an old saying, "Too much is just about right," a truism that applies to diesel trucks as well. So, if that new Ford Super Duty you've been eyeing seems just a smidgen less than you want--nevermind whether you need more or not - then we have one righteous rig for you.

This hulking F-650 was created by the aptly named Overbilt Trucks, which not surprisingly does some hot rod restorations as well, through its Ridge Route Collectible Cars facility. Actually, the latter company's founder Pete Bodman started out restoring classic Buicks, but sons Kevin and Jeff branched out into some other projects, including this modified mammoth F-650.

The Bodmans' Goliath started life as the company tow vehicle, a Class 6 medium-duty, intended to haul an enclosed two-car trailer. Boys will be boys, though, and Kevin enjoyed tooling around in his stump-pullin' torque-meister, so much he decided to add a few personal touches - and then some. What it became is an immense amalgam of SUV accommodations, pickup bed utility, and big-rig capability. The imposing presence, all pumped and buffed to Olympian proportions, overwhelmingly exceeds that of any fullsize truck. It's as if Overbilt Trucks wrote the book on intimidation.

When Kevin Bodman decided to add a cavernous six-door cab and full-length cargo bed, he didn't want his colossal F-650 to end up as an oddball custom truck. Instead, his goal was to make it look like a factory offering, which it surprisingly does--sort of, as long as you ignore all those luxury features in the cabin. Indeed, the lines flow so nicely into such an integrated package that onlookers are often amazed that it was designed by Ford. Consumer reactions were so sufficiently positive that the Bodman brothers felt compelled to start a separate company, and thus Overbilt Trucks was born.

How difficult was it to build the initial concept vehicle, which, incidentally, can be had for a mere $115,000, while more customized versions cost extra? Fortunately, Ford F-650s are built to order, accommodating a wide range of commercial-duty applications, so tailoring the chassis to the Bodman's personal vision was not all that difficult.

The F-650 came to Overbilt as a two-wheel-drive crew cab, and after about a year, it was transformed into a six-door, eight-passenger vehicle. You might think of it as an elongated crew cab pickup, but with no sacrifice in the size of the full-length cargo bed. Put another way, it's sort of like a diesel stretch limo with a utility bed, except you won't be going to the prom in this big bad boy - unless it's the Monster Ball.

Both the extended cab and bed are Ford Super Duty items, ordered through Bert Boeckmann at Galpin Ford in Van Nuys, California. Daco supplied the cap for the bed. Before those items could be installed, though, Rite-Way Axle & Suspension shortened and sleeved the framerails to fit the Super Duty bed on the F-650 chassis.

In addition, substantial modifications were required on the cab, starting with removing the rear bulkhead. Then, Overbilt's Sam Johnson, who worked with Mike Hogan at California Collectible Coachworks, in Canyon Country, California, pieced together the cab extension with Ford Super Duty components, such as rockers, jambs, doors, windows, roof, and floor sections, by self-tapping and welding them together. Once the cab was complete, John McNown prepped and painted the body, so it would look like a vehicle straight from the dealer showroom.

After the cab was enlarged, it became obvious that climbing aboard would require either a footman with a stepladder or 16-inch drop-down power steps. Bodman chose the retractable steps, custom-fabricated by Kenny Baer at KCB Precision in Valencia, California.