Fortified Front
As driven home from the dealer's lot, the F-250 was equipped with a Dana 50 front axle. While this unit is fairly stout, the ring-and-pinion is Dana-44-sized and not up to the tasks that Tony wanted to put his truck through. To ready the rig for the trails, Tony obtained an F-450-spec Dana 60 through Currie Enterprises. Additional fortification came in the form of a Dynatrac Combo Kit, which supplies stronger wheel bearings, locking hubs, outer axleshafts, and knuckles. The Combo Kit also improves steering precision and suspension compliance via better drag-link and track-bar geometry. Tony broke out the wrenches and put the Combo Kit in place himself. We can't recall the last time we've seen a tweaked Dana 60 housing, but we're sure the next one we see won't be Tony's thanks to a truss fabricated and fused into place by Mark Owsiany. The front driveline was lengthened courtesy of Precision Drive Shaft of Phoenix, Arizona. Bilstein 7100s damp all four corners. Behind the diff cover, a Yukon 5.38 ring-and-pinion set encircles an ARB Air Locker. Credit goes to Mark Mason of AZ Force in Phoenix for the axle, locker, and gear installations.
Most of the flatbeds we've seen have a look that shouts "workaday" instead of "weekend." This one gets a thumbs-up. We liked the slick mounting bracket that facilitates a functioning parking brake system, and the hinged tubular tailgate gives easier access to the bed-mounted spare. As heavy as 42-inch tires are, anything that makes muscling them around a little easier is a big plus.
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Classic good looks and function are found in the American Eagle 589 wheels surrounded by 42-inch Interco IROKs. The Moab mud seemed infused with Elmer's glue during our photo session, but the IROKs have enough void area to afford great self-cleaning, and their pavement manners were also admirable for tires this meaty and aggressive. | 
The prerunner-style front light bar, rock sliders/step bars, and rear traction bars are all Mark Owsiany creations and served as prototypes for Daystar Products. Any cab that's worth its rocker panels needs a pair of rock sliders. The 'sliders maximize ground clearance but still offer easier entry into the XXL 'Crawler. | 
Not a fan of fiberglass? Here's a great alternative. Owner-installed Bushwacker Cut-Out fender flares solve the problem of clearing big tires with low lift height by giving the rubber more room to run beneath the sheetmetal. The Cut-Outs also add width, which protects the paint from flying mudballs. |
A pair of Skyjacker 8-inch leaf packs raise the rear. Thanks to the big-time clearance created by the tubular bed, no additional lift was needed to clear the 42-inch IROKs. | 
The stock NVG 271 transfer case is a good item, so it was left in place. Kong's Offroad fabbed the skidplate/crossmember that tucks the 271 out of the way. | 
The Ford 10.5-inch full-floating rearend is superb and certainly worthy to be included in Tony's buildup plans. An ARB Air Locker and a Yukon 5.38 gearset were added to match the front. |
The 7.3 Power Stroke available in '01 would've added $5,000 to Tony's price tag, so Mr. Owens opted for the 6.8L Triton V-10 instead. Power gets to the ground through a five-speed manual tranny that feeds into the aforementioned NVG 271 transfer case. The engine bay is mostly stock, with notable exceptions in the form of a K&N air filter, Superchips power programmer, and a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust. The owner estimates 320 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The speedometer is accurate thanks to a Superlift TruSpeed calibrator. Other OEM exceptions are an ARB compressor and the control box for the Warn winch. |  |  |