Hearing the roar of 53-inch Hercules tires, your eyes are immediately drawn to the bright-blue inferno lifted to the heavens on an insanely custom suspension. This is no dream world of custom truck bliss; this is the reality of one amazing 2002 Ford Super Duty built by BTW Performance in Azusa, California. Towering above traffic like a Greek god looking down on the wretched humans, BTW's Ford leaves everyone who sees it speechless.
Starting out life as a work truck, the F-250 quickly went from mild hauler to a mind-blowing, wild machine now sitting a full two feet higher than stock. Inside the lift bays at BTW the suspension was the first stock piece of hardware to be thrown into the scrap bin. Using huge custom Atlas leaf springs, custom dual-ram hydraulic steering with King reservoirs, and front axles stuffed with 5.13 gears, the front suspension means all business. Dual King Off-Road reservoir shocks keep bumps in the road to a minimum, and the heavily gusseted front diff support ensures the front end is well protected. Each piece of suspension was either chromed by Pacific Poli-shing in Pomona, California, or powdercoated by Island Powder Coating in El Monte, California. Large Atlas leaf springs articulate the rear axle, with a One Up Off-Road axle gusset supporting the diff with 5.13 gears inside and more King Off-Road reservoir shocks. J.E. Reel driveshafts using high-angle U-joints send the torque of the Volant intake and RBP exhaust-equipped V-10 to both of the axles. In order to hop up into the newly lifted beast, Kodiak power steps were modified using 20-inch chrome-plated swing arms. Rolling stock was a priority with this wild custom, and the crew at BTW continued the all-out theme with 53-inch Hercules Pneumatic Backhoe R4 drive tires sized 21L-24 IND. Filling the 24-inch gap inside the monstrous tires are 24x12-inch KMC Rockstar wheels with blue-painted center caps. Now that the truck was in its own stratosphere, the crew at BTW looked to make the body match the suspension.
Star Body and Paint, in Azusa, shaved all of the emblems and applied the jet black basecoat that now calls the F-250 home. Daniel Serna of DSG Kustom Graphics went bananas on the all-black canvas applying the awesome Cobalt Blue tribal flames to the Ford. Inside each flame lick are masterfully detailed skulls adding even more intimidation to the rig. A billet grille, projector headlights, and blacked-out taillights finish the exterior modifications.
Inside the cab resides a mild interior in comparison to the rest of the truck. Two-tone leather and suede seats add comfort for the passengers, and a blue-painted triple A-pillar pod is filled with vital engine information. The stock plastic dash bezel was smoothed and painted blue with flames and houses the Kenwood DVD-player, which in turn sends signals to the Audiobahn flame amps that were overtly mounted in each of the rear doors. Each amp powers the Audiobahn mids and highs with an arsenal of four Kicker Solo-Baric 10-inch subs behind the rear sear. An all-suede, flame-stitched headliner looks down on the passengers, as does a 10-inch Eiger Vision monitor.
Driving to our photo shoot location, people seemingly had to pick their jaws up off the dashboard. Speechless - that is what this awesome truck leaves people of all custom truck enthusiasm, and that is the effect cover trucks are supposed to induce.