The SoCal truck scene is alive and well, whether folks use them simply to take their kids to school, haul around gear for construction jobs, or get ready for some off-road madness when the weekend hits. The latter becomes the focus when the annual Off Road Nights show comes to town in Temecula.
This year, we spotted our friends from Diesel Tech out and about with a 2005 Ford F-250 that was deconstructed back when we did the shop tour in February. Now, the pickup is back to its normal self – well, normal… plus a little extra.
We spoke with owner Jeremy Taylor (son of shop owner Loren Taylor; it is a family business, after all) to learn more about the Blue Oval and all that had been done to spruce it up. “It started as a stock 2005 F-250, and we put a Carli coilover-bypass suspension kit on it,” say Jeremy. “We did their control arms as well.”
After getting the suspension set up the way he wanted, Jeremy moved onto tackling the motor modifications. “We pulled it out and did ARP head studs and a BulletProof EGR cooler, of course. We drove it around like that for a while and then did an EGR delete, a BorgWarner S369SX-E turbo, Stage II injectors from Industrial Injection, an ITP fuel return system, ramped up the pressure, and so far it’s been doing really good.”
Adding to the modifications are the custom tuning from Gearhead Automotive and a Banks Power intercooler system. There’s also an ARB air locker installed in the rear, and Warn locking hubs on the front. “As soon as those came out, I had to jump all over them,” laughed Jeremy.
Putting it all together were the BFGoodrich Baja T/A racing tires wrapped around some genuine KMC Enduro bead lock wheels. We could totally see this truck airing down and running out to Pismo or Glamis and having a blast through the dunes; sure enough, Jeremy was aching to do some off-roading soon.
“I plan on actually getting some paddle tires from Skat-Trak out in Yucaipa and take it to Glamis and try it out,” said Jeremy. “I’ve never driven it in the sand before, so I’m interested to see how it does.”
Now that the F-250 is wrapped up and ready for action, Jeremy is stoked with the final product. “Carli did a phenomenal job with setting up this kit,” he said. “It works wonderfully. Everything came together to a ‘T.'”
We have to say, we’re very excited with how this truck turned out as well. We invite you to stay in touch with everything Diesel Tech by visiting its website.