With the rear steering cocked...
With the rear steering cocked all the way over to one side, the Fabtech F-250 looks pretty serious.
Fabtech's "Monster Truck" Is Designed to Be Driven HardIf you're a large suspension manufacturer and you're going to build a project truck, you know the off-road world is watching. Every part, every detail, every design, and every aspect of the truck will be scrutinized. It simply has to be better than good, it has to be exciting.
So, the talented crew at Fabtech decided to attack this monster-size F-250 with a plan to build a big lifted truck with big tires but design it in such a way as to make sure it was usable. This is no pretty show truck that doesn't function in the real world; this thing can be driven on the street, jumped in the dirt, and in general, treated badly. That was the thinking that set this truck apart from the usual high-profile show truck buildup.
 A view from the rear puts...  A view from the rear puts more light on the F-250's sophisticated suspension and rear end. |  Dirt Logic 4.0 Coilover shocks...  Dirt Logic 4.0 Coilover shocks from Fabtech control the ride. |  Lots of audio and visual toys...  Lots of audio and visual toys were added to the pickup for the pleasure of the driver and passengers. |
Oh sure, you're thinking, so then why aren't there any action pictures to prove this point? Good catch. We're not trying to pull the wool over your eyes. We hooked up with Fabtech to shoot these photos the second the truck was able to drive around the block to a dirt location. But, Fabtech is not done testing and fine-tuning this vehicle, and it simply wasn't ready to start ripping it to shreds. That will come at a later date, and we just weren't willing to wait that long to give you a close-up look at this beauty.
The one feature that surely turns heads wherever this truck goes is the rear steering. Fabtech had a custom-built rearend made to accomplish this difficult task, and it used a combination of OE parts to achieve the goal. Super Dana 60 steering knuckles and end forgings from an F-550 front axle were combined with a Dana 80 rear axle centersection by Dynatrac in Huntington Beach, California. It's all held together with a three-link suspension system using Fabtech's Dirt Logic 4.0 coilovers. Precision Gear supplied the 5.38 ring-and-pinion for both front and rear, and everything can be locked with the ARB Air Lockers in both ends. Fabtech whittled out custom billet aluminum differential covers for both ends.
The frontend is just about as sophisticated with a Super Dana 60 front axle and Dirt Logic 4.0 coilovers. A custom four-link suspension provides 16 inches of travel, same travel as the rear, while Dirt Logic 2.25 bumpstops are there for protection when the driving gets a bit rough. Dirt Logic steering stabilizers also control excessive shake at the front. Howe provided its hydraulic-assist ram steering for the front and the full hydraulic dual ram steering for the rear.
 Joe's Upholstery took the...  Joe's Upholstery took the graphic theme to the inside of the cab with a custom interior. |  The outer sections of a Super...  The outer sections of a Super Dana 60 axle from an F-550 truck are used on the Fabtech F-250. |  |