Trials and tribulations abound during a truck build. Even the best-planned assembly will still have pitfalls to avoid. Add to that the amazing quantities of money shooting out of the bank account at beyond-rational speeds during the melee of parts ordering and it's easy to see how stressful completing a project can become. Having a wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other on your case about said money only worsens the craziness. Jeremy Fuhlman of Corinth, Texas, has wrapped himself up in the creation of this 2002 Ford F-350 and in the process turned his joint account with his wife, Kelly, into twisted wreckage. According to the pair, total cash outlay is near $160,000.
Under the big Ford, the crew at Killer Ridez completely boxed and smoothed the frame to prepare for serious suspension changes. Square tube crossmembers replace the factory pieces, and Jason Priest bent custom tubing for the truck's new suspension mounts. A parallel four-link with wishbone holds the front Dana 60 in place, and a triangulated four-link out back contains a Sterling axle. Gearing was swapped to a 5.13-ratio front and rear to more easily turn the Interco 49-inch rubber and Weld 20x12-inch Dakar wheels. Stopping the heavy mass are Ford F-450 brakes and Classic Tube extended-length braided stainless hoses. Suspension height to clear the big meats is courtesy of Firestone airbags originally designed to support buses. Controlling the 18 inches of front, back, and side-to-side adjustment is a Dakota Digital ride control unit and Sway-A-Way Race Runner 20-inch shocks. Half-inch air line and fittings from Cyclone Diesel feed the air ride suspension from an Oasis compressor and three 6-gallon chrome air tanks. Obviously, the OE steering cannot function with so much lift, so a PSC Motorsports hydraulic power-steering system was installed to control directional changes. Once completed, Tex McDorman coated the entire chassis in vibrant Viper Red, with contrast supplied by the Advance Chrome Plating shiny bits.
Powering the behemoth is a 7.3L Powerstroke with plenty of goodies adding to its already stout capabilities. For safety, SM Diesel in Dallas, Texas, O-ringed the heads to handle the additional power slated for the diesel V-8. That additional power starts with thirty pounds of ATS turbo boost backed by an aFe intake and custom MBRP stainless exhaust. Fueling the fire of angry ponies is an Edge chip assigning an extra 150 horses to the mix. A Cyclone Diesel 150 shot of nitrous and 250 hit of propane make sure the horsepower spirits are appeased. Handling all the extra go-go action is a BD Power custom-built transmission and the stock transfer case that has been re-indexed with an Attitude Performance indexing ring. Making everything appear show-worthy is the extensive labor necessary to smooth the engine block, transmission, and transfer case for paint. Tex McDorman and son, Critter, of Sanger, Texas, painted flames on both the transmission and transfer case utilizing House of Kolor pearls.
Running gear in place, attention to the body was needed to complement such a highly customized frame. The 2002 front clip components were swapped for Ford's Super Duty Harley-Davidson pieces and then topped with a cowl induction hood. Welder at the ready, the tailgate handle, taillights, fuel door, cab clearance lights, and emblems were forever sealed off in steel. A Bob Grant roll pan is also molded-in in place of the factory Ford bumper. Cleaning up the lines a bit more are a SnugTop keyless entry tonneau cover and Carriage Works polished billet grille insert. Covering the Viper Red exterior are flames originally laid out by Dirty, of Dallas, and sprayed by Santiago, also of Dallas, Texas, in House of Kolor Viper Red, Tangelo Pearl, and Purple. Following an accident just before the coveted SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jeremy had Tex work his magic once again and repaint the flames upon repair of the damaged area. Not content to just leave it as is for SEMA, Tex jumped in and added skulls on the hood and suspension wishbone, the BD Diesel logo to the tailgate, and a copy of Kelly's lower-back tattoo to the underside of the wishbone. KC Hilites bolted on the front light bar covered in four 8-inch KC lights and lastly, polished Deak-N-Built flamed pinch weld covers for the rocker panels make an unsightly area worth looking at.
Not to be outdone, Jeremy's interior region is red as red can be. Anything plastic was turned buttery smooth and drenched in Viper Red, and matching red carpet from Interior Supply Service brought the floor to life. Kevin Sockwell at American Drag Seats in Houston, Texas, sewed together the flamed leather headliner and seat coverings. Inlaid flames engulf the reshaped front seats along with a Tex-designed Anger Management logo. On the rear seats, the folding center portion was eliminated and the accompanying red leather was stitched with American Drag Seat's logo. Getting carried away by fire, even the sides of the seat and sun visors received the hot touch. A polished, flamed Colorado Custom steering wheel, flamed Nu Image gauges, and billet flame pedals work to spice up the mix. From floor to ceiling, in the center of the interior resides a tidal wave subwoofer enclosure that two Kicker Solo X subs call home. Dispersed throughout Jeremy's cabin are three sets of Kicker SS matched component speakers, two SS mid-bass drivers, a KX three-way crossover, and Kicker SXRC remote amplifier controller. Lifting up the tonneau cover reveals the rest of the sound system. Mounted securely to the SnugTop cover are six Kicker SX1250.1 amplifiers, and not far away, in the full bed enclosure, is a Kicker 18-inch Solo X subwoofer. Including the bed enclosure, work was performed by Brian Butler of Butler's Customs in Corsicana, Texas, on the center console, door panels, tidal wave sub box, and tonneau cover. Keeping the multi-thousands of watts energetic are eight Optima batteries and two 200-amp alternators.
Jeremy has competed in top-notch shows such as Texas Heatwave, Midnight Fantasies, Greenville Showfest, SEMA, and Diesel Nationals and has come away with "Best of Show," "Best Undercarriage," or "Tallest Truck" at almost every one. Jeremy's wife named the truck Anger Management after completing all the stepping stones necessary to see the truck to completion. Jeremy would like to thank many people for their contributions, including all his sponsors, John, Allen, Lumpy, Tex, Critter, Kevin, Bryan, Brock, Wes, Chris, Harald, Christian, Dewayne, Chris, Nick, Casey, Alley, Tom, Ron, Michael, Jim, Mom, and Dad; but most of all, he'd like to thank his beautiful wife, Kelly, who put aside her own needs so the truck could see the light of day. There exist so many more details that could not be fully covered in these pages. For more information on the truck, turn your preferred browser to www.jeremyfuhlman.com/superduty.htm for a full list of sponsors, modifications, and additional photos.