OLD-SCHOOL MEETS MODERN BLING

In a world where easy horsepower, fancy paint, and the latest and greatest trucks tend to dominate the landscape, it’s rare that we come across a show-ready OBS Ford. Luckily, there are people like Tyler Williams left in the world—a true connoisseur of the diesels of old. Tyler doesn’t pump money and resources into his ’97 F-250 because he’s stuck driving an older truck, he does it because he wants to. In fact, Tyler has a show-winning ’18 F-450 Super Duty, a 12-valve Cummins sled-puller, a slew of diesel-propelled work trucks, and even a Duramax-powered ’69 C10 in his stable, but he prefers his OBS over all of them. The reason behind why he feels this way is both sentimental and simple: “I grew up in a truck just like this.”

FRESH PAINT

Despite tracking down the five-speed ¾-ton he wanted in North Carolina, there was plenty of rust to contend with when Tyler got the truck back home to Tennessee. Undeterred by the F-250’s sizeable yet curable cancer spots, he pulled the bed, picked up a Cervini cowl hood on the cheap, sourced a rust-free core support, and had friend, Martin Ramsey, work his magic in the paint booth. The truck emerged wearing the same Oxford White paint code it did back in ’97, but was fitted with a paint-matched ’08 Super Duty front bumper and a rear roll pan from

LMC. Custom badging, headlights, and tail lights were also thrown in, along with clear cab lights.

’05 AXLE SWAP

For improved ride comfort and durability, the truck’s previous owner ditched the factory twin traction beam Dana 50 in favor of a coil sprung, Dana 60 out of an ’05 Super Duty. Tyler would pick up where he left off out back, installing a 10.5-inch axle, which brought a larger ring gear and disc brakes into the picture. The front-end sits 6-inches higher thanks to a Rough Country suspension lift, while the leaf

 Having owned several 7.3L OBS Fords, Tyler Williams never thought twice about doubling the power of his 200,000-mile ’97. Most of that added power comes by way of a set of Full Force Diesel’s 180cc Stage 1.5 injectors, which are equipped with 30-percent larger nozzles. Everything else under the valve covers is completely stock. Even the factory 15-degree high-pressure oil pump remains, but is healthy enough to support the truck’s dyno-proven 370 hp and 690 lb-ft of torque.

In order to maintain adequate fuel supply to the 180/30 injectors, an electric fuel system from 444fab replaced the factory mechanical unit, along with allowing for the factory fuel bowl to be deleted. 444fab’s system, which came with the aforementioned regulated return kit, is built around the use of a reliable Bosch SD lift pump.

 Tyler’s custom-etched headlights were built by Tommy Justice of East Tennessee Retrofit, and we’d say he knocked it out of the park. The tail lights were also paint-matched following our shoot, blending perfectly with the clear cab lights and completing the truck’s clean, overall look.