PROJECT SD126
DSC reservoirs and Pac Racing coil springs along with 3.0 factory race series quadruple bypass shocks with the recirculating ECS2 and QAB. FOX 2.0 IFP bump stops are also added to help in the event the truck faces a hard G-out on the trail. A BDS forged drop pitman arm and track bar bracket were installed along with 2” OD x 0.250-wall steering linkage, a FOX ATS stabilizer and a Pac Racing sway bar assembly to keep this truck pointed in the right direction when its charging through the desert. Up front the stock Dana 60 was swapped over to a Dana 60 from a late model F450. In addition to gaining two extra lug nuts, the F450 axle is 3” wider at the inner Cs giving the truck additional clearance for the upgraded suspension components and a 4.30 gear ratio. The front axle is beefed up with a custom truss and heavy duty diff cover and rolls on a set of 42x13.50x20 BF Goodrich KR2 tires on 20x11 Stazworks 2pc Cheyenne 8 steel wheels.
In the rear the stock leafs were pulled out in favor of a rear 4-link with trailing arms. This offers next level performance to soak up the rough stuff and suspension travel for days, well about 20” of travel in the rear according to Reed. The rear arms are built from 2” OD x .25” wall DOM, with the trail arms receiving extra attention in the form of 3/16” laminated steel with mount points for the rear coilovers and shocks to be added. Rear shocks match the front with FOX 2.5 factory race series coilovers with a remote reservoir and 3.0 factory race series quadruple bypass shocks. Both are bolted-in using new frame mounts that required cutting out a portion of the front of the bed for clearance. FOX 2.0 bump stops and a Pac Racing sway bar finish off the rear suspension to position the rear Dana M300 axle also sourced from an F450. The axle was converted over to a SRW setup and the brakes were outboarded to match. New suspension brackets were welded in place and a heavy duty diff cover was fabbed up before bolting the new axle in and routing the brakes lines.
Power-stroked
Under the menacing RK Sport ram air hood the stock 6.7L Power Stroke lives in relatively stock form (for now). With performance numbers of 440 horsepower and 925 lb/ft of torque stock this truck is no slouch. BDS built on those numbers with an S&B cold air intake to pull cool, clean air in, the EZ Lynk Auto Agent with a mild performance tune and a modified Diamond Eye 4” Dfp-back exhaust kit to fit the shortened wheelbase. “It was one of our goals to keep this truck 50-state emissions compliant” explained Reed, “The challenge was we had 18” less to fit it all in”. The issue of how to fit the fuel tank, drivetrain, custom suspension and exhaust in was ultimately resolved with a custom built 25-gallon aluminum fuel cell mounted in place of the factory spare tire along with a custom built stainless steel DEF tank. Both are protected by 3/16” steel skid plates. The tail pipe arch is welded directly into the back of the DPF without a muffler to save space. All the necessary sensor bungs were welded in to keep emissions compliance.