My Truck

Our Beach Camping page... (UPDATED - 7/3/2010)

NEW 2008 F250 XLT with 6.4L Powerstroke Diesel

My new truck started life as a 2008 F250 XLT Super Duty 4X4 extended cab with a 6.4l Powerstroke Diesel, Torqueshift 5 speed automatic, 3.73 limited slip, 4X4 Off Road package, 9800 GVWR Trailer towing package with Tow Command, 18" cast aluminum wheels and "shift-on-the-fly" four wheel drive! We purchased it from the "more than competent" Sales Team at Metro Ford in Raynham, MA on President's Day - 2009. As with my 2007 4X4 Ranger Sport, I can't seem to leave anything alone... read below!

The nose as it looked from Ford (minus the air dam)...

...but with the new bumper and billet grille, a much more impressive stance...

...and with the new ReadyLift 2.5" Leveling Kit, even better!

The rear view however, still looks relatively docile...

...but a little better after the ReadyLift kit!


Wide stance towing mirrors...	...and chrome steps!

A recent shot with the bumper but before the Readylift...

...and a new shot with the ReadyLift Kit, as it looks now! Look at the tire clearance...

Wheels and tires came first... I had a set of 35X12.50R-17 Toyo Open Country MT's mounted on 17" x 9" HELO HE842 wheels. Thanks to Matthew, Shane, Phil and the gang at Town Fair Tire in Raynham, MA for putting up with me and getting the truck the way I wanted it! The wheels have black centers and a polished rim - they look really good against the dark Toreador Red on the truck. I also installed a set of Bushwacker Pocket style flares and planned to color match them to the truck. I test fitted them and liked the black so they're staying that way for now. They definitely cover the additional offset created by the new wheels and tires.

I installed an Undercover Hard Tonneau cover to cap off the bed and cover anything I might want to carry back there. I also installed a 3" Steelcraft Polished Stainless Steel bull bar for the front and two Hella 7" offroad lights - that finished the front of the truck off nicely until I decided to buy the Road Armor bumper and Smittybilt winch setup.

I installed a Banks Ram Air intake system, as well as their single outlet Monster Exhaust. I also added a River City Diesel Offroad pipe kit and an SCT Touch Screen Xtreme tuner with Innovative Diesel Performance's Custom Tune Package. Yeah, that's right - four tunes ranging from a mild mannered 65 hp Tow Tune to their 320 hp Extreme Race Tune - those numbers are "increase over stock" at the rear wheels! I'm running the 150 HP Street Tune and the truck really gets up and goes... especially once it's rolling and you give it some pedal. The next step, if I can get the courage, is give it a try down the quarter mile. Maybe next fall I'll watch for one of those "Run what ya' Brung" nights and haul it up to NH. We'll see... stay tuned!

I just finish installing (4/19) a Readylift 2.5" Leveling Kit and the WC Motorsports Track Bar kit. The kit was quite a project for someone that doesn't do this stuff regularly but I got it done with help from the guys at WC Motorsports & Offroad. I am quite limited on the amount of lift I can run due to center of gravity restrictions once the camper is onboard. Some of the ruts on the beach and the crazy angles we have to negotiate make it very tricky with 3000lbs sitting up that high. I feel that the 2.5" ReadyLift Kit should do the trick and still keep the center of gravity down to a satisfactory level for the beach. It also adds enough clearance to stuff some 37" Toyo Mud Terrains on there when the 35's wear out! :-)

	As my last big item on this truck for a while, I purchased one of Cervinis' fiberglass cowl induction hoods and installed it June 5th. I had planned on using their Ram Air scoop but I was worried about the possibility of snow/rain/beach sand entering the engine compartment through those Ram Air scoops. I like the more aggressive look of the Ram Air hood better than the cowl but I decided to play it safe and buy the cowl induction model... that's what I had on my Ranger, too.

The images below are of my new hood with the new two-tone color scheme and silver pinstriping. The sides will have two-tone also! The new color is Black Cherry Mica from a 2010 Mazda - it looks black in the first picture below under low lighting conditions. As you can see though in the second picture, when the sun hits it, the deep, rich maroon color stands out. I removed Ford's "4X4 Offroad" stickers and I airbrushed a sunset scene from Sandy Neck Beach (pictured above, left) and had some custom vinyl lettering cut to replace Ford's stickers. It should all be done by the end of July - watch for pictures. The finished product should be sweet but we'll see - don't want to jinx it! Keep checking back because there's almost always... more to come!

- Cervini's Cowl Induction Hood -

Deep Maroon with Silver Pinstriping...

New N-Fab Nerf Steps are on...

Installation was extremely easy and fit was perfect...

Two-tone sides should be finished by the end of this week...

Metallic Silver Vinyl by "Signs by Tomorrow" in Norton, MA

...matches the silver pinstriping nicely. Thanks Melanie!

Let's air 'em down and see how they work!

Another Photoshop job... two-tone paint & pinstriping plans!

Reflections...

Looking across Cape Cod Bay at Dennis/Yarmouth.

Low tide at Sandy Neck Point... (March 2009)

...which a year of erosion later, looks like this. (March 2010, same spot!)

- New Winch Bumper -

The Nose with it's NEW LOOK above - It consists of a Road Armor Stealth Bumper with Pre-runner Bar and Smittybilt XRC 12 Winch from Top Gun Customz of Alcoa, TN.

Two PIAA '5164' 4 inch Driving Lights, two PIAA "5161" 4 inch Fog Lights, both from eBay and I transferred two Hella 7 inch driving lights from the original bull bar to the Pre-runner Bar. Later this spring, a Cervini Cowl Induction Hood with maybe some custom airbrush work?