Diesel Performance Industry’s 2018 F350 build

DIESEL PERFORMANCE INDUSTRY’S 2018 F350 BUILD

Every year, companies all over the country put together show trucks to show off their shop’s ability, their skill set and the broad array of parts available within the aftermarket to make any truck unique to an owner’s needs or styling preferences.

The SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada, is usually where these builds are showcased and where everyone gathers in November to see the latest and greatest product ideas to hit the market every year.

For James Brendle, owner of Custom Auto in Idaho Falls, Idaho, building show trucks from SEMA is nothing new. He’s been doing it for almost 20 years now. However, as the brain child and leading force behind the Ultimate Callout Challenge and Diesel Performance Industry (DPI) Expo, now being held in Indianapolis every May, Brendle wanted to build something a little more versatile that could not only be that “show truck” you’d expect to see at SEMA, but also still keep its usefulness to be driven from show to show and not trailered everywhere it goes.

For the 2018 DPI Expo, Brendle set out to build the ultimate show truck—a truck that could be driven, a truck that could haul trailers loaded down with expo equipment, a truck that could still turn a few heads sitting in a display booth after a little polish—with the advertisers and companies that would be setting up booths at the show. The 2017 Ford F350 crew cab fit the bill almost perfectly but was obviously going to need some aftermarket parts to get where it needed to be. So, with the help of the guys at Outlaw Diesel, the build started to take shape during the 2018 DPI show.

Of course, the first order of business was the stance—a full-8-inch suspension lift kit package from Cognito Motorsports with its matching traction bars offering the complexity and great looks with the functionality and ride quality you’d expect in a brand-new truck. Fox reservoir shocks were installed to offer great on-road dampening

with the ability to handle the harshest off-road conditions without fade. The truck rolls on 40x15.50r24 Amp mud terrain tires wrapped around 24x12 American Force Bravo wheels in a subtle matte-black powdercoat. To add to the aggressive stance, the ram air hood comes from an RK Sport.

The factory grille was replaced with a paint-matched RC5X grille from Royalty Core. This new grille also offered a great place to house four 8.5-inch LED light bars from Rigid Lighting. An Identity series paint-matched front bumper from Road Armor was also bolted on and housed a dual row of 30-inch, a single row of 20-inch and three sets of pod LEDS. Bushwacker flares were paint-matched and wrapped to help offer a little extra coverage over those massive, 40-inch tires. A set of RBP RX-3 side steps, also coated in matte black, add functionality and great looks. Other unique styling cues came via the paint-matched headlights, taillights and mirrors, all from Dezert Lighting.

Because this truck was built not just as a show truck, but also to be driven—and driven a lot—a 55-gallon replacement fuel tank from Titan Fuel Tanks was installed, along with a FASS 165 gph lift pump system.

This combo offers extended range when traveling across the country, as well as great fuel filtration fed to the engine. For a little extra power, emissions-friendly tuning from Kory Willis at PPEI was downloaded into the ECM with EZ Lynk’s latest hardware. Magnaflow’s 5-inch black Dpf-back exhaust kit was bolted on, along with a cold air intake from S&B filters. In the cab, the 500 hp running to the ground is monitored through an Edge Insight CTS2 touch screen display.

The cargo space is nice to have in a truck such as this, because it can be used to haul boxes of marketing material and swag from show to show; and keeping it all safe from the elements is vital. As a result, a Revolver X2 bed cover from BAK was installed, as well as the carpeted Bedrug insert. The unique collapsible Bakbox also makes for a great toolbox inside the bed. It can be folded up and moved out of the way quickly if the entire bed space is required.

To get that “custom show truck” look, a painted Royalty Core grille, a dozen LED Rigid Lights, paint-matched headlights from Dezert Lighting and a Road Armor Identity Series bumper were bolted on. Not only does this combo look great, it also helps provide a tough, aggressive stance.

While the truck was originally built to be a show truck for the Diesel Performance Industry Expo and 2018 SEMA show, that doesn’t mean it won’t get driven daily on occasion. The beauty of a build such as this is that all the aftermarket boltons actually improve the truck’s on- and off-road performance. The Cognito 8-inch suspension lift offers perfect steering and suspension geometry, with remote reservoir shocks for a very impressive ride.

The Fox reservoir shocks supplied with the Cognito lift offer great on- and off-road performance, because the increased fluid capacity resists shock fade under harsh conditions. The Progressive rate coil springs also offer a smooth on-road ride while offering enough dampening to keep a big, heavy truck such as this from getting too stiff when getting into the harsher conditions off road.