A New Twist

Here's the biggest news on the Twisted SuperCrew. In building the front suspension, Brandon retained only a few stock items, including the front differential, wheelhubs, rotors, and calipers. The factory spindles were deleted in favor of a custom set that offer beefier construction and integrate vertically mounted spherical bearings. The suspension pushes the wheels outward 5 inches per side. The added width garners more suspension travel and adds cornering stability.

Many truck builders begin with a functional four-wheel drive truck but delete the front drive system once long-travel suspension is placed on the menu. Even without four-wheel drive, there are compelling reasons to run the 4WD frontend parts. Hubs, wheel bearings, spindles, and brakes are often stronger on a 4x4 frontend compared with its 2WD brethren. The Twisted Supercrew stayed true to its roots and hung on to the front drive system. Silt bed? No problem. Loose, rocky uphill trail? Bring it on.

One argument against vertically mounted spherical bearings, aka uniballs, is that they can limit turning radius. This view is a testament to the viability of vertically mounted (bolt horizontal) uniballs when a system is properly designed and executed. The secret to success is to start with substantially large uniballs and add high-misalignment spacers for added turning radius. Tight turns are no problem here.

In the narrow gap between the King coilovers and bypass dampers runs a Sway-A-Way CV shaft. Brandon searched high and low for CV shafts in the length, diameter, and spline count he needed before discovering the needed parts at Kartek Off-Road.

The rear suspension's simplicity stands in stark contrast to the complexity of the front. Deaver leaf packs mount to the stock spring hangers and axle perches. Since the multileaf Deavers can cycle bigger numbers than stock, a Twisted Tin extended shackle was created to facilitate full travel.

Part of this truck's speed secret lies beneath the hood in the form of a Vortech supercharger. While it's true that big power gains can be had by selecting the right combination of pistons, camshafts, cranks, and cylinder heads, a supercharger can add an equivalent amount of power in one fell swoop without the labor involved during a complete engine rebuild. Perhaps the biggest advantage of a 'charger is that many are smog-legal.

Ford matched its stout 9 3/4-inch rear axle to the Triton 5.4L. A limited slip now takes the place of the stock open differential.

Off-road trucks follow no specific blueprint. The fabricator is free to choose a number of options that will accomplish the same task. This pair of 37-inch BFG Baja Project T/As hang off the back of the 'Crew in a Twisted Tin tire cage. This mount shifts more weight to the rear and makes the truck more stable at speed. When it's time for a tire change, the upper hoop pivots out of the way and gives full access to the spares.