Custom Ford F-150 - Burnin' Desire

Some turn to the talents of an artist, working together on an MVIT (mental visual imagery translation) to create an illustration of that image in the mind. Those who pursue their dreams further and bring them to reality experience gratification.

Duffy Douglas from Dallas, Texas, like many custom truck enthusiasts had his mind set on a first-generation ride, only to change his mind entirely. Initially, Douglas planned to build a NASCAR-edition Ford F-150. But leaving the racin' to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing Series boys, Douglas made the right choice and decided to build this outrageous full-on custom ride.

To achieve a seriously altered and alterable ride height, Duffy performed the suspension mods himself, using Chassis Tech 2-inch drop spindles and Firestone 2,800-pound airbags with nitrogen-charged Toxic shocks. The framerails were C-notched in the rear to acquire adequate clearance of the rear suspension's travel. A Chassis Tech Blow Jax four-link rear suspension system was installed, allowing controlled travel but eliminating wheel hop under hard acceleration and lateral rear-end shifting. The Ford factory disc brake system delivers ample stopping power. A set of Boyd Coddington (20x8-inch, front; 20x10-inch, rear) polished aluminum wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich rubber (P245/40-20, front; P295/45-20, rear) are tucked up under the snug wheel openings, contributing to this flamed chariot's overall styling.

To fry the rear hides, Duffy increased the grunt of the Z81 engine by bolting on a Vortech Supercharger producing 10 pounds of boost. An ACCEL ignition coil sparks the MSD ignition, sending the electrical impulses through the 8mm MSD plug wires. To increase the exhaust flow, a pair of Bassani stainless steel 2-inch headers were bolted to the factory cylinder heads. The Borla 2-1/2-inch exhaust flows into a Bassani Hi Flo catalytic converter, increasing the overall torque and power. To handle the increased horsepower, Duffy reworked the '98 4R7OW transmission, then dropped in stronger clutches for more aggressive shift points. The stock rearend uses factory 3.73 ring-and-pinion gears.

The entire F-150's body was smoothed by the crew at Hardcore Customs in Irving, Texas. They shaved the factory emblems and the door and tailgate handles, then replaced the factory bumper with a molded-in Sir Michaels roll pan. Up front, the truck's leading edge was altered by exchanging the factory headlights for a pair of '02 Ford Harley-Davidson special edition headlights, with an '02 Harley-Davidson front spoiler under the stock bumper. After the body mods were complete, Jason Farley at Hardcore Customs laid out the interwoven, wispy flames, then mixed a special brew of Spies Hecker Durango Copper pearl, which he applied with the Del Sol green flames. To separate the blaze from the onyx black, Farley laid some graceful razor-edge pinstriping. The multiple flames and pinstriping were buried under innumerable layers of clearcoat. The paint given a couple of days to cure. That was followed by some intense buffing and polishing of the carefully wet-sanded surface, producing a glistening mirror finish.

The craftsmen at Hardcore Customs sculpted the interior's smoothed dash, custom center console, and door panels, then painted them black with exterior-matching interwoven Copper pearl and Del Sol green flame accents. A contrasting white-face gauge panel and A-pillar boost-pressure gauge cluster were implemented into the interior's dcor. For lateral directional changes, a Billet Specialties black and gray, leather-covered Rodder steering wheel caps the factory tilt steering wheel column. A pair of '87 Pontiac Fiero bucket seats were retrieved from a salvage yard and delivered to the stitch masters at Preston's Upholstery in Irving, where they were reworked and covered with high-quality gray and black leather.

The audio entertainment is distributed from an Alpine CVA1000 head unit. A sensitive Rockford Fosgate G2 equalizer blends and separates the amplified tones powered by a Rockford Fosgate 250X4 for the highs and mids and a Rockford Fosgate 650X2 for the four 10-inch subwoofers hidden behind the seats. An Alpine DVD 1A DVD player delivers visual amusement.

Whenever Douglas rolls into a prestigious custom truck show in his flamed, onyx Ford F-150 and purges the air from his suspension, he leaves an impression not only in the minds of the spectators, but also in the earth's crust.