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Another day, another sweet find on Instagram. This one came to us in the form of a heavily converted blue 1999 F-350 owned by Kervin Sommers.
Kervin bought the truck when he was 16. It originated in South Carolina, and the first thing he did after purchasing it was to swap the street tires for some all-terrains. He also went with a helper spring to level the front, a pair of 2008 model year mirrors, resister mods for a cheap homemade chip, a programmed injector drive module for a later model year 7.3-liter, and some blue lights behind the grille. Nothing too fancy, but just enough to spruce up the truck.
Kervin bought the truck in October 2011. He was inspired to model it after a 1979 F-250 with a flatbed owned by a brother-in-law.
However, this was just small stuff compared to his next big mod. “After I had it for a few months, I finally got it repainted, and I stuck a TruckCraft flatbed on it,” Kervin said. “I’ve always liked the look of flatbeds.”
About a year after purchasing the truck, however, Kervin’s brother fell asleep at the wheel. This led to the brother crashing the F-350 into a guardrail. “It tore up the side of the cab and messed up the front of the truck,” said Kervin. “I figured it was the perfect time for upgrades!”
The truck was damaged in a crash in 2012. Kervin took the opportunity to give his F-350 upgrades to the suspension, engine, and flatbed. It was sanded and polished to a mirror finish.
Kervin went ahead and got everything he needed to restore (and improve) the truck: a four-inch Pro Comp lift kit, a Cervini scoop hood, a chrome eBay bumper and hood, aftermarket headlights, and a full restoration of the hood and cab courtesy of Premier Auto Body. A replacement 6.0-liter Power Stroke (donated by the brother) gave up the ghost a few months later. Kervin went for a 12-valve Cummins instead.
The flatbed is the star of Kervin's F-350. Equipped with chicken lights, it's a sight to see at night.
Using a kit from Diesel Conversion Specialists, Kervin kept the stock Ford ZF6 transmission and outfitted it with a Valair single-disc clutch, rated for 600 horsepower. “I got the truck going again in June 2013,” he said. “But I missed having the power of a hopped-up Power Stroke.”
Kervin toyed around with several mods until he found the right combination. He wound up running a BorgWarner S366, 4K governor springs, 60-pound valve springs, an AFC Live, Diesel Speed Shop 5×16 injectors, and 140cc over stock delivery valves. He also changed his clutch to a dual-disc South Bend clutch.
Going from a 7.3-liter to a 6.0-liter Power Stroke (which was destroyed in the crash), Kervin went with a 12-valve Cummins from a 1997 Dodge Ram. He’s given it all sorts of upgrades. This way, it can match the get-up-and-go he was used to with a Power Stroke V8.
Satisfied with the performance, Kervin moved onto the exterior. “I got a set of 36-inch Mickey Thompson MTZs, a custom-made toolbox with a built-in train horn, and an ARB constant-duty air compressor,” he said. “I also, with the help of my brother and a friend, sanded and polished the flatbed to a mirror finish.”
Proving the old adage true – you get out what you put in – Kervin’s work to his Super Duty is something we can really appreciate. Go ahead and check out more of his truck on Instagram.
