Years ago, when Ryan Carter was just a young lad, he would hitch a ride to school with a neighbor. From an early age, there was something about the rattle of the diesel engine of the truck he rode in that did something for him. Now, years later, his personal school bus in middle school is the full-time F-350 project truck that he takes pride in building with his friends.
Carter’s project is a 2000 Ford F-350 four-wheel-drive that is coated in a beautiful Dark Toreador Red metallic paint. Even as spectacular as the color looks, Carter mentioned that if he could change anything about this truck, it would be the paint. That said, we can’t ignore the meticulous care that has been applied to this truck as it’s one of the best-looking 19-year-old trucks around.
You may be asking yourself, “How is that a 2000 model F-350? It looks like a newer body-style truck?” One of the first big changes to his truck was converting it to a newer style front end off of a 2003-2007 Ford. It has been said that, besides the late-model bodies, these body styles are the most sought-after in the Ford crowd.
Carter, a Texas native, bought this truck for only $16,000 and since then, has poured more than that into it. “I’ve probably got around $20,000 into this build,” says Carter. “It has taken five years to get it to this point, but I’m happy with it. The only thing I can say I would change about it would be the paint.”
In the five years he spent building this truck, Carter has encountered some ups and downs, but only one interesting thing stands out. “We did an axle swap on this truck in the span of two days. In total, we spent about 32 hours working and getting it all installed correctly,” says Carter. “Also, days after the install, we drove the truck all the way from Fort Worth, Texas to Arkansas.”
Other changes that Carter has added to the Super Duty over the years include a PMF four-link kit, traction bars, drag link, dual steering stabilizers, interior upgrades, as well as some badass American Force wheels wrapped in beefy Nitto tires to fit under its 7.5-inch suspension lift kit.
"If I had to choose what part of the build so far is my favorite, it would have to be the PMF four-link kit," said Carter.
So, where did all of this start? What got him enthused to modify diesel trucks? “My involvement with social media and going to events is what really brought on the interest in doing something like this,” says Carter. “The big Texas event at Ennis, the NHRDA World Finals, is what really triggered the thought.”
This two-owner truck has been very well maintained and you can tell.
Although it has a 6.0-liter Power Stroke body, it’s actually powered by a 7.3-liter Power Stroke. Carter relies on an aftermarket intake, exhaust, and a Hydra Tuner to keep this 7.3 engine spinning up to its full potential on his way to his favorite events.
The only drivetrain change was the Dana 60 swap from a 2005 F-250. The Dana axle is geared perfectly at a ratio of 3.73:1 to turn the 375/45R22 Nitto Trail Grapplers down the road, which is filled in a glossy set of 22-inch American Force Peak wheels. Riding high on a 7.5-inch suspension lift kit, Carter uses Fox Stabilizer shocks and a Red Head Steering Box to keep the tires aligned straight.
While down in Florida, at one of the Outlaw Diesel Super Series events at the Hardway Performance event at Emerald Coast Dragway, we saw a ton of trucks, but Carter’s F-350 stood out in a sea of other builds. We look forward to seeing what Carter has in store for this build. Stay tuned to Diesel Army for the latest in builds and event coverage in the future.
