“Everything on a 450 (or even 350!) is way more ‘beefed up’ than, say a half-ton pickup truck. That’s just the name of the game and it’s just a different classification.”
It’s safe to say that Mike wanted to change things up a bit and maybe even cross off a bucket list item when recently purchasing a 2019 Ford F-450 earlier this year. His beefcake of a Ford’s attributes can read as follows:
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8’ bed dually
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6.7L Power Stroke V8 diesel engine
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450 horsepower
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935 lb-ft of torque
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19.5” forged polished aluminum wheels
Now if you turn back the clock with us a couple years, you can remember when Mike helped spearhead our Freedom Tremor project - a truck giveaway that had all proceeds go to a non-profit fighting against human trafficking. The truck Mike helped us build out was a 2020 Ford Super Duty Tremor. The contents of the build must’ve stuck with him ever since because now fast-forward 5 years later, and here he goes again. For the last 4 months, he’s been taking us along his journey of turning an F-450 into the Ultimate Ford F-450 Truck Build, and the traction has only been growing…
In June before doing anything else, the F-450 received its first (and most important) modification: a DiamondBack HD in Smooth Black finish as well as a Headache Rack. In addition to strengthening and better securing the bed of the F-450, the HD + Headache Rack combo compliments the “thick and beefy” aesthetic look of Mike’s build (but of course, we’re biased). To follow, he installed a few interior security details including a dashcam.
In July and August, modifications included extended-width front and rear bumpers that can muscle through anything, an exchange of fender flares, super single 40” tires that replaced dually’s, and sleek Alpharex headlights to complete his Ultimate Preparedness F-450 (for now).
The traction that’s been rapidly growing around the build has come in large part due to putting the F-450 to the test when Mike displayed it hauling a Japanese Honda Acty truck - a truck our other dear friend and Ambassador Talon Sei purchased this past summer as well. This ridiculous setup not only served as DiamondBack’s latest exhibit at Overland Expo Mountain West but also as a byproduct of millions of impressions on social media. And although going viral online is at the bottom of Mike’s to-do list when it comes to his F-450 build, it certainly helps keep you all in the loop…
To keep up-to-date with this Ultimate Preparedness/Bug-Out/All-Beef-No-Brakes Ford F-450 Build, do not hesitate to visit Mike’s YouTube and Instagram pages. Here are just a few highlights of the last couple of months:
