Often times in life, we discover the grass isn’t actually greener on the other side. You make changes, blast through the fence and you realize that it isn’t what you thought it would be. Such is the case for Chris Sims. He grew up with family and friends that had diesel trucks, bought himself a fully built up F-250, and he loved it.

But, he decided to sell it and make the move to a 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon — a top-notch vehicle — but after a short four months, he missed his diesel. Chris set out to find a vehicle he was passionate about again and came across his current 2007 Ford F-250. Three days later, the truck was in his driveway.

A menacing stance, no doubt about it. The 10-inch Rize Industries suspension lift allows the Six-Ohh to tower over vehicles around it.

Chris purchased it from the original owner who used it as an off-road toy. “I turned it into a pavement princess show truck,” he admits, and plans to get it into the SEMA show, possibly after he converts the front clip over to a 2011-plus Super Duty-style front end.

He started with the exterior. The tires were bald and it was a little ugly. It did, however, already have a suspension lift — a Rize Industries 10-inch four-link system using Fox 2.5-inch diameter reservoir coilovers.

Fox coilovers are optional for Rize Industries’ suspension systems. The reservoir allows more space for oil and gas inside the shock, which keeps the shock running cooler and at peak performance for longer periods. The truck may not see too much dirt anymore, but either way, Chris Sims will be riding around in comfort.

All of the suspension components are laser-cut and boxed for strength, and all four suspension links are fully adjustable with Kevlar lined spherical rod ends. Even the Panhard bar drop bracket and anti-sway bar brackets are heavily gusseted. Limiting straps are bolted in to make sure the Fox coilovers don’t overextend and shorten the life span.

Out back, the Rize Industries’ system includes replacement leaf springs and a taller block. A pair of reservoir shocks from Fox Racing handles the rear damping duties and smooths the ride. The Rize Industries rear traction bars are extremely helpful in keeping wheelhop to a minimum when the skinny pedal gets heavy. With the extra altitude, Chris fitted it with 40×15/50R20 Toyo Open Country tires wrapped around 20×14 Fuel Maverick wheels.

When Chris bought the truck, the front push bar was already installed. Being a bit worse for wear, he repainted it gloss black to go along with the two-tone strip along the bottom of the side sheetmetal. His previous truck was all white and he wanted something different. To change things up, even more, he added a Harley-Davidson edition grille with a custom paint-matched Ford emblem.

There are plenty of ways to light up the night in with this truck, too. A 52-inch LED light bar extends across the top of the windshield, a 20-inch LED light bar chills in the front bumper, and two auxiliary pods sit on the brush guard.

Under the hood is the Ford Powerstroke 6.0-liter diesel, if you hadn’t noticed the “Six Ohh” sticker on the tailgate yet. Though mostly stock, the 6.0-liter does have a four-inch exhaust system that pipes up to a six-inch stack coming up through the bed of the truck.

The motor on this 6.0-liter truck may not be touched, but the owner has plans to tackle that project down the road.

Chris is a member of a club his buddy put together, Bad Habits, that started at Camp Pendleton, where he is stationed. “It started out just a group of a few marines,” Chris said, “and we are currently branching out to civilians as well.” The members meet up once a month to show-and-see new upgrades and have a good time together.

Bad Habits has Facebook and Instagram pages that members can post offers for truck parts or even ask for help from the community. Three to four or more members usually end up helping out at wrenching parties. They are now working with other truck clubs and groups to broaden their reach and get even bigger turnouts for events.

Good core components are the start of any build. Sometimes a vehicle can be found that has those good components and hasn’t been hacked, just as Chris did. Sure, he’s had to put in some extra effort to clean a few things up, but the current result is stunning. No project is ever really done, and he intends to keep plugging away on upgrades and modifications on his beloved truck.

Chris Sims’ 2007 Ford F-250 may have had quite a bit done to it when he purchased it, but the plan and build are far from over. We hope he accomplishes his dreams and makes it to Las Vegas and the 2016 SEMA show.