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As diesel enthusiasts, we ask a lot of trucks. For some, the truck has to be completely purpose-built, packed to the roof rack with equipment and capability. For others, the truck must become a rolling personal statement, decked in colors and styles that speak to the owner’s tastes.
This 2015 Ford F-350, owned by Kevin Hemmeke out of Holland, Michigan, is a member of the latter category. As a picture of individuality, the Super Duty has just the right moves to keep itself on top. It’s even gathered fans on Instagram [2], where Kevin has nearly 13,000 followers, and all of them interested in the direction of the “Platinum Six Seven.”
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We reached out to Kevin to get his take on the build and his internet fame. In the process, we learned how the man got into diesels, his turnaround time with Platinum Six Seven, and the agony of taking power tools to a practically new truck.
Background of the Build
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Kevin recalls his love of diesels and how it started: “I’ve been into them a good five or ten years. It started with family. My brother pulled up in a brand new Duramax. I think it was a 2006 or 2007, but it was Granite Blue, and just the power and torque that came with diesels was mind-blowing to me. I’ve been into them ever since.”
Now on his third Power Stroke, Kevin wanted to ramp up the X-factor on this 2015 F-350. The idea came to him out of the blue – make the truck a promotional vehicle for his business, Impact Fab [5]. “I built the truck the way I did because I needed a good advertisement piece,” said Kevin. “It would drive business to the shop, but moreover, I just did it because I like building trucks!”
Over the course of a few months, the truck underwent quite a few modifications before making its grand debut in March 2016. The Super Duty is now a sight to see, and one worth delving into.
The Build
[6]Blacked-out from front to back is just how the owner likes his rig.
Starting in December of 2016, Kevin had his work cut out for him, but he knew he didn’t want things to take forever to complete. “I wanted to do it all during the winter, and do it all at once,” he said. “We ordered all of our parts at the same time, sent the parts out for powder coating, and then it was just assembly time.”
However, Kevin had to take a pause when he got to the suspension. It was here that he realized the ambitious scope of his project. “The removal of the factory coil buckets was probably the most interesting point in the build,” he commented. “I was literally taking a brand new truck and cutting the rivets out, and I was thinking, ‘Dude, we are tearing apart a $72,000 truck right now!'”
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Specialty Forged wheels, Fury tires, and Precision Metal Fab suspension components are the pieces that really put together this Super Duty build. The powder coating was done by Lakeshore Custom Powdercoating, and the color picked was Neon Yellow. Also, the King shocks were a custom order and colored black and chrome for the cool contrast factor.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the other suspension components, including Precision Metal Fab’s [10] 12-inch lift kit, steering stabilizer kit, and shock hoops, as well as Atlas [11] leaf springs for the rear. The powder coating on the mounts, trailing arms, sway bars, end links, and other suspension components was done by Lakeshore Custom Powder Coating [12] in Spring Lake, Michigan. “The color was a neon yellow,” commented Kevin. “I picked it so it would contrast with the black paint and help it stand out.”
But doing so proved to be a blessing, as the finished product served to showcase Kevin’s favorite aspect of the F-350 – the King [13] shocks. “They’re King 2.5-inch coilovers with two remote reservoirs,” commented Kevin. “I had them ordered in a custom chrome-and-black to match the truck. They’re like pieces of art.”
Adjacent to the killer suspension are the wheels and tires, of course. For these parts, Kevin went with Specialty Forged [14] 26×16 wheels, along with 40-inch Fury Off-Road [15] tires. “The wheels are huge, and they were the biggest Specialty Forged had at the time,” said Kevin. “I was just like, ‘go big or go home’ with that. As for the tires, I had heard about them online and decided to give them a shot.”
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[17]Is Kevin’s truck perfect? Yes, except for one thing – the paint. Given the option, Kevin would rather have white. “I spend so much time cleaning the black paint and keeping it looking good,” he said.
For the body, we can start at the front. There, the factory grille was taken apart and color-matched to Tuxedo Black. The wheel wells and fenders are the same, but underneath, Rigid Industries [18] rock lights were placed to shine down on the undercarriage.
Some of the lights are smoked on the truck, including the cab and mirror lights. Kevin also had the emblems painted black to match the rest of the look, and capped the body work off with a 3M [19] paint protection film.
Inside, not much has been done, other than a JL [20] speaker behind the driver’s seat. As Kevin stated, “Once you get the top-of-the-line interior, there’s not really much more you can do. So I left it all pretty much factory.”
[21]Rigid Rock Lights cast a blue glow to draw attention to the undercarriage of Kevin’s F-350.
Similarly stock in form is the drivetrain. Here, all Kevin did was install an EZ LYNK [22] tuner with PPEI [23] tuning, a No Limit Fabrication [24] cold air intake, EGR delete, and a Flo-Pro [25] five-inch, turbo-back exhaust system. Also, the transfer case was clocked 15 degrees to lessen the driveline angle to the front axle. Both axles have a 3.73:1 gear ratio.
Wrapping Up
[26]Kevin had his 2.5-inch King shocks custom-ordered in chrome and black to match the rest of the truck.
We really think that Kevin knocked it out of the park with his take on a Ford F-350. It combines the personal vision he had with a clean appearance, and that’s something that can only be achieved when the builder knows what he’s doing.
“I wasn’t inspired by any one particular person or build,” commented Kevin. “I just did a lot of research online: Instagram, Facebook, or Googling. Once I pieced it all together, I made sure rear end didn’t squat.”
Still, Kevin has but one regret. “I kind of wish I could go back and re-do the paint,” he said. “A different color would help a lot. Mostly because black is a very hard color to keep clean. I’d go with white instead, because when it’s dirty, it’s not as bad as black.”
[27]Kevin’s wife jokingly refers to the F-350 as a “dude magnet,” owing to its tendency to attract passerby whenever it’s stopped at a gas station.
Despite Kevin’s preference in color, however, he certainly isn’t struggling when it comes to notoriety. Along with his aforementioned Instagram following, the Platinum Six Seven has been known to attract real-life onlookers, too.
“My wife calls it a ‘dude magnet,'” joked Kevin. “Literally, every gas station I go to, I have to talk to someone about the truck. A random 5-minute stop ends up taking us 30 minutes.”
All in all, the F-350 is another well-executed build that we hope to see more of in the future. We’re stoked to see guys like Kevin out there, working on what they love. Kevin, meanwhile, is stoked to keep doing it, and wanted to take the opportunity to thank those that helped him complete the Platinum Six Seven.
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“Precision Metal Fab and Specialty Forged Wheels were a big help,” he said. “Their products tied the whole truck together. I’d also like to thank King. Their shocks help the truck ride like a dream.”
When you get a chance, head over to Kevin’s Instagram [29] to see more of what he’s been up to. In the meantime, what did you think of this standout Super Duty? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.