They started with the four-tonne platform provided by a 1985
Ford F700. They choose the mid-80s F700 for two reasons. First,
the stock fenders provided enough steel to cover the nearly
two feet of tire width without having to use aftermarket flares.
The second reason, was for aesthetics. "If you look at
the truck and you're looking at the body lines, the box matches
up with the doors on the cab perfectly," Olivier described.
"All the bodylines would match and it would look like something
Ford would have built at one time or another. That was the whole
idea of it."
L'Heureux found the truck, a former CN railway heavy hauler,
sitting in a local used auto lot owned by a friend. Despite
having sat on the lot for years, cursed by its carburetor
in the age of fuel injection, the truck was in excellent condition.
The stock 370 cubic inch big block Ford engine was largely
untouched save for a degreasing, removal of CN specific hardware
and swapping out the governed carburetor for a four-barrel
(which was recently changed out again for a more fuel efficient
two-barrel). A custom dual exhaust let the engine breathe
a little easier. The stock Alison automatic transmission,
front springs and cab were similarly largely left as they
were.
As the build moved towards the rear, however, the torch came
out. First to go was the 18 foot flat deck. Replacing the
working class flat deck with short box off 1996 Ford proved
to be a challenge when trying to line it up to the cab that,
unlike the average half-tonne, sat six-and-a-half inches off
the frame. Not wanting to use body lift mounts, L'Heureux
used custom frame rails to elevate the box to the correct
height. In the void between the frame and bed he placed essentials
such as the batteries and the fuel tank from a Bronco.
The other challenging aspect of the build was installing
the differentials and transfer case. After re-calculating
the wheelbase, L'Heureux mounted the one-tonne transfer case
forward of its original position using a some custom fabrication
to still use the original perches. The front differential,
a Dana-60 out of a 1981 Dodge, just bolted in. In the rear,
another Dana-60 differential was beefed up with a Detroit
Locker and 7:17 gears. L'Heureux had considered using 6:18
gears, but they had disappointed him before so he stuck with
the gear set that is more common to vehicles such as forklifts.
To finish the custom fabrications off, the rear springs were
re-arched and the slipper style mounts were replaced with
shackles. Ten gallons of black paint on the undercarriage
camouflaged much of the custom fabrication to appear as stock.
Finally, the 49-inch monsters that inspired the build were
mounted on 16.5-inch Daytona style rims. "I'm a real
freak for the big balloon look and these are the smallest
rim size these tires come in," Olivier explained. "You
can get these tires in a 20" rim but they don't look
as big."
Since being completed late last fall, Olivier has had strangers
stopping him in the street to ask what Ford dealership he
bought the truck from as well as car show judges stopping
him for awards. The daily driver won two awards each at the
2006 World of Wheels and the iLLConformity Summer Shocker,
including best in its class at both. At the Shocker, Olivier
was pleasantly surprised to take the trophy for best engineered.
"I was amazed at that. I thought a mini-truck would take
it with all the hydraulics and movement they have. That was
a sweet trophy to take."
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