A Cummins-Powered ‘74 F-350 That’s Staying in the Family

We recently went out west to Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado, to check out the Wild West Showdown and see what kinds of rigs the Rockies had to offer. It did not take long until we laid our eyes on Anthony James’ maroon 1974 Ford F-350 dually. This thing stood out in the best way. From the well-polished 22-inch Alcoa wheels to the hidden 100-shot of nitrous in the tool panel of the flatbed, this Cummins-swapped retired tow truck had no problem getting to the show or hauling ass down the drag strip.

As we’ve said many times before, we absolutely love hearing about the stories that are usually lovingly cemented alongside these older trucks. This one is no different. On the shoot, Anthony was telling us all about how his grandfather used this truck to tow vehicles to their body shop from 1978 until 1998. He also shared how he would go out to the garage as a youngster and sit in the driver’s seat and pretend like he was driving any chance he got. As years passed, the truck sat, and Anthony’s desire to own the truck and make it his own only grew within him. In 2018, Anthony was finally able to purchase the truck from his grandfather and start the build he had always dreamed of.

As far as mods go, this thing has a cool list. The old motor was ripped out, and in went a 1994 12V Cummins with a built VE pump, an S362 SXE turbo, a CAI, an upgraded intercooler, and a Nitrous Express 100 hp shot with purge kit. Surprisingly, Anthony said that the motor swap wasn’t too difficult apart from fabricating new motor mounts himself, making the oil pan fit (have you tried just flipping it around? Anthony did), and finding the space to stuff the intercooler in the engine bay.

As far as transmission work goes, you can find an NV4500 living under the truck that has been rebuilt with all new components and a bigger input shaft thanks to Advanced Transmissions out of Fort Collins, Colorado. There’s also a custom one-piece four-inch aluminum driveshaft with an upgraded 1410 yoke to ensure everything is holding together under full chat.

The interior has one of our favorite upgrades—a Holley Pro Dash digital gauge cluster. We’ve been seeing these increasingly more lately. They’re super versatile and allow for so much customization, and you can certainly add this F-350 to the growing database of vehicles that look good with a Holley Pro Dash installed. Another very clean addition is the nitrous panel that features switches for the nitrous, heater, purging, and opener. Catching the purge off this thing fills your inner child up to the brim and just adds to the list of why we love this thing. Anthony took the factory bench seat and had Stitch or Dye Upholstery out of Fort Collins, Colorado, throw some suede and leather at it, with some really nice maroon diamond stitching to match the exterior. You can’t forget the suede headliner either, which really helps round the look out and gives off that elegant vibe from inside.

The exterior oozes character and history. Every piece has a story that Anthony is happy to share. The original tow truck bed remains, and damn do those stacks look good back there! The paint and the graphics were done by Cooper Auto Body out of Fort Collins, Colorado. In one of the most genius mounting spots possible, Anthony cleverly hid the nitrous bottle in one of the toolbox panels on the side of the flatbed. Nothing to see here; it’s just another pawpaw truck. And if you look closely at the windshield, you’ll notice that there’s quite the groove etched into it from what looks like windshield wipers. Your eyes are not deceiving you. When Anthony was playing inside the truck one evening as a young child, he accidentally flipped on the wipers and promptly left the truck to go back inside. The wipers were left on all night and wore down to bare metal on the dry windshield. The groove that was left became a memento to Anthony and his family that still stands today.

Now, this tow truck doesn’t do much towing anymore, but it definitely hauls. Anthony was ripping pass after ¼-mile pass at the Wild West Showdown with no cool-downs in between. As with most things that have a Cummins stuffed inside, they crave abuse, so this pairing works very well. Anthony said that one of his goals with this build was to prove to himself that he was capable of doing it—we’d say he nailed it. He also told us that he could not have done this at all if it weren’t for the constant support from his family, friends, and loved ones. Be sure to keep an eye out for this rig if you’re in Colorado because Anthony plans on taking it to more events. Ask him to purge—you’ll be glad you did!

1974 Ford F-350

Engine & Drivetrain

• 1994 Cummins 5.9L 12V
• 60-lb valve springs
• Head studs
• 5×14 Power Driven Diesel injectors
• Built VE pump
• S362 SXE turbo
• Cold air intake
• Custom intercooler
• Nitrous Express 100 hp kit and purge kit
• 3-inch intake horn
• Custom 4-inch exhaust
• Built NV4500 transmission

INTERIOR

• Factory bench seat reupholstered
• Suede and leather bench
• Maroon diamond stitch
• Holley Pro Dash
• Suede headliner
• Nitrous Express switch panel