"And the award for Best Paint goes to Mike Faria with his '02 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson edition." As the saying goes, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I'd be rich. Truer words have never been spoken because with Mike's crazy paint, other show participants just get dominated.
Humility is a virtue that Mike understands. "I do the shows for fun and relaxation," he says. But when your BedRug-lined bed is full of trophies and awards, it's easy to say that. When we thought of cool trucks for this issue's paint and body features, this bad boy was the first rig on our minds.
Delivered to the crew at Huntington Beach Body Works, in Huntington Beach, California, the stock, dark-shadow gray F-150 was soon to be stock no more. While at HB Body Works, a Cervini's hood was installed, along with a Sir Michaels' tailgate handle flip kit, and SnugTop lid. Rich Evans and Terry Stevens took control of the paint situation and turned the F-150 into a medieval masterpiece. Using a mixture of House of Kolor White, Black, Chrome Yellow, Tangerine, Molly Orange, and Apple Red paints, the skin was instantly set ablaze with axes in full swing. Terry went crazy with the realistic flames, and the 3-D razor flames are awesome. Seven coats of clear were applied to keep everything safe and glossy, and also add to the graphic's depth.
Removing the 18-inch Lightning wheels, Mike had to upgrade with a wheel that could hold its own against the wild canvas. Jesse James was up to the challenge with 22x9-1/2-inch .38 Special wheels wrapped in 285/30R22 Toyo rubber. Dropping the F-150 over the 22s are Belltech's finest components, with an AIM C-notch and Hellwig antisway bars keeping the rig true in the turns.
Powering the SuperCrew is the factory, supercharged 5.4L V-8 with a Volant intake, Bassani Xhaust system, and plenty of Phoenix Imaging "black brushed" engine pieces. Bringing this power to a halt are Rotor Pro's drilled and slotted rotors. Blasting down Pacific Coast Highway is a great time, especially with all of the tunes exploding from the cab.
Mike kept the audio stealth because, after all, the exterior brings the truck enough attention. An Alpine head unit sends signals to Boston Acoustics mids, Diamond Audio highs, and plenty of bass is heard from the JL Audio stealth box in the center and rear console. Juice is supplied by three JL Audio amps, and the Alpine head unit also plays movies on the three 7-inch Eiger Vision monitors. Housed in the A-pillar pod are three Auto Meter gauges reading boost, fuel pressure, and transmission temp.
For night time fun, Mike installed a Street Glow neon kit and had the windows tinted by Suntouch for privacy. A genuine love for custom trucks is evident hanging out with Mike, and we can't wait to see the Harley chopper he is planning on building to match this dominating fullsize.