How many of you out there used to own a diesel truck, and wish you still did? Maybe your pickup was stolen, or you needed the money and were forced to sell. Maybe it was in an accident, and your biggest fear was that your diesel truck would never be the same? Jason Gonzales made the best of a bad situation after a Ford Taurus pulled out in front of his '02 Super Duty earlier this year. Fortunately no one was injured, but the Taurus was completely destroyed. Thanks to the aftermarket front bumper, Jason's truck faired better, but still sustained heavy damage, including a bent frame.
Not wanting to give up on the truck that he loved, Jason took the opportunity to make his Super Duty even better. The front bumper was replaced with a Frontier heavy-duty unit. Factory fenders were added to the front, along with a steel cowl hood. In the rear, Jason was fortunate enough to still have the factory bed, since he was using a custom flatbed at the time of the accident. The stock bed was reinstalled when the Super Duty was reincarnated, and a Ranch Hand rear bumper was added as well. The truck was painted two-tone tan and black by Runners Body Shop. Runners also paint-matched the bumpers, skidplates, and shocks, and added purple pinstripes to separate the black from the tan. The skidplates were custom fabricated by Jason to protect the transfer case and undercarriage of his truck when he takes it off-road.
Custom paint, and he takes it off-road? It might sound like a contradiction, but Jason tells us, "It is a show truck, a work truck, and a play truck. I use it for everything from drag racing to hauling equipment to four-wheeling." Aiding off-road adventures is the 4-inch Rancho suspension lift that uses replacement leaf springs in the front and a lift block in the rear. To combat axle wrap that could result from the lift blocks, Jason made traction bars for the rear axle. Firestone air springs were also added to keep the truck level when towing. Dual Rancho 5000 shocks were used up front, while a single Rancho 5000 was added at each rear corner. The suspension makes room for 315/75R16 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/As wrapped around Weld Racing forged aluminum rims.
The 7.3L Power Stroke puts out 319 hp and 668 lb-ft of torque thanks to a host of modifications. The AFE Stage 2 intake comes with its own heat shield and leaves plenty of room for the dual Optima Yellow Top batteries. | 
A 4-inch Rancho suspension lift was added to make way for the 35-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrains. The dual steering stabilizers and dual front shocks were all paint-matched to the truck for a custom look. | 
The factory turbo benefits from a Banks BigHead wastegate to build maximum boost pressure as quickly, and safely as possible. |