Ford F-250 Restomod Hiding An Oil-Burning Secret

Ford F-250 Restomod Hiding An Oil-Burning Secret

It may have a Ford body, but it has an unexpected engine under the hood.

This 1975 Ford F-250 is not your typical off-roader; it has a more aggressive look while maintaining its vintage Blue Oval roots. It’s currently listed on the Mecum Auctions website and will be auctioned off on 11 November at Las Vegas 2023.

The truck, affectionately named “Wheelie,” started life as a factory crew cab, short-bed pickup truck. It’s one of the 2,123 units that were built in 1975. We’ve seen several excellent F-250 builds before, like the Harley-Davidson F-250 truck for bike lovers, but none came with an extensive list of modifications beyond the skin.

Under the hood, Wheelie has a P-pump 24-valve Cummins turbo diesel engine. It’s a nightmare for purists who like their engine swaps to stay within the same family. It also has an NV5600 6-speed manual transmission with a Southbend twin-disc clutch.

It also gets a Hamilton 188/220 cam, upgraded head gasket and fire rings, Killer Dowel upgrade, and 103-pound valve springs. A DPS turbo kit has a 64 mm turbo, ARP studs, and a P-7100 Street Pump.

The truck also gets a Keating Machine billet tappet cover and valve cover, Crazy Carl’s tunnel ram, Fleece Performance coolant bypass kit, FASS Titanium Series fuel pump, Pacbrakes inline-mount 4-inch PRXB exhaust brake kit, and an MBRP 4-inch exhaust. The project truck has ARB air compressors, PTO coolers installed on the transmission cover, and a Fluidampr to keep the gearbox cool.

The electricals of the project were done by Feringer’s Enterprises in Fairmount City, Pennsylvania. At the same time, Geatland Welding in Wasilla, Alaska, handled the custom fabrication work for the truck’s dual fuel tanks.

To help the truck off-road, it comes with an NP241DHD transfer case along with Dana axles front and rear. Other off-road goodies include ARB lockers, Warn hubs, a lower truss kit, knuckle gussets, traction bars, and a 4.10 gear.

The frame of the F-250 has been modified for better rigidity as it gets a 2001 F-350 Snow Package front leaf springs and a 2020 F-450 Platinum rear left springs with a conversion spring carrier kit.

You can already tell from the extensive mod list that the truck was meant to take on the Alaskan landscape and emerge victorious.

The exterior retains its vintage F-250 looks, but the truck does come with a few custom parts, such as its grille and bumpers, the latter of which comes with Smittybilt 12,000-pound winches. It also has multiple Decepticon logos sprinkled around the vehicle.

The build also rides on Fuel off-road wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A tires. It also has other modifications that help with towing, such as a SuperTruss rear hitch and a B&W gooseneck hitch.

As for its accessories, “Wheelie” gets a Horn Blasters outlaw train horn and Rigid LED E-Series Midnight Edition lights to give it better lighting at night.

Inside, the truck blends modern comfort with functionality, getting 2008 F150 seats and a Vintage Air climate control unit. It’s not as crazy as the MegaRexx F-250 Super Duty turned into a 10-seater SUV, as it retains a conventional ’70s aesthetic.