Few tow pigs can compare to Wally William's '99 Ford F-350. It's big. It's flamed. It's been 'bagged and bodied on custom-cut 24-inch wheels. And if you don't believe it actually pulls its fair share of trailer queens, think again.
Wally is the body shop manager at The Tin Shop, in Cullman, Alabama, which means he's the hands-on type who can tackle intricate projects from start to finish. His Ford was destined to hit pavement from the get-go, so a full air-ride system was priority numero uno. In order to introduce the front end to the low life, '99 Chevy spindles, arms, and springs were installed as soon as the FoMoCo parts were garbage-canned. Slam Specialties RE6 'bags were utilized up front, and to complement the custom triangulated four-link, heavy-duty Firestone 38D 'bags were incorporated into the system for a no-worries towing experience. After all, this dually pulls either a three-car wedge, two-car bumper pull, or an enclosed single car trailer to each show it attends. The entire air suspension system has been plumbed with 1/2-inch copper hardline, and is fed by two 100-lb. nitrogen bottles-enough to help out a fellow trucker in despair with its external air tool hook up. If you can't tell by now, when Wally digs his nails into a project, he goes all out, which is exactly why he just had to have a set of 24-inch Alcoa rollers. The only problem was that they didn't exist. Being the silver-tongued, sly guy that he is, he was able to coax Tennessee Wheel and Tire into cutting him a set from scratch. Now, how's that for one hell of a start?
Since Wally needed his dually to be able to pull its weight and then some, he souped up the stock 7.3L Powerstroke diesel V-8 with an Edge Performance programmer, a Magnaflow 3 1/2-inch exhaust setup, and a cold air intake that now cranks 420 hp and 614 lb-ft of torque to the ground. Not being one to call it a day after slapping a few bolt-ons together, Wally constructed a molding that wraps from behind the radiator shroud all the way back to the firewall. The stylish metal formation features attractive, bare metal inserts with custom flames from a grinder wheel, and features a center area bearing The Tin Shop's official logo.
A pebble pushing F-350 is sight enough to drive any custom lover into a full-on, foaming-at-the-mouth fit, but this truck's owner still had a few more exterior tweaks in mind to push his build way beyond all limitations. Wally yearned for his truck to demand attention from every set of eyes within range, so he opted to suicide the rear doors, shave every handle, and build a one-off rollpan. The rear fender flares were then raised, an '06 Harley Davidson F-250 grille shell, front bumper, and a 2-inch cowl hood were brought in to add a dash of style to the already street-savvy hauler. To really ignite the appearance of his newly styled ride, Wally sprayed a PPG black base coat and finished it off with long, lean traditional licks with blue pinstriping. Everything was handled in-house at The Tin Shop, which not only gave Wally full creative control, but allowed him to showcase the quality work his shop is capable of executing.