Rickie Locke’s Show-Winning 2004 Harley-Davidson Edition F-250

RICKIE LOCKE HAS OWNED SEVERAL LIFTED FORD TRUCKS IN HIS LIFE BUT THIS 2004 HARLEY-DAVIDSON EDITION F-250 TAKES THE CAKE AS THE BIGGEST ONE HE’S OWNED TO DATE. THE SPARTA, KENTUCKY, DORMAN PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTION MANAGER PURCHASED THE HD EDITION FORD IN MINT CONDITION WITH ONLY 40,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK, BUT OF COURSE, HE COULDN’T STAND TO LEAVE IT STOCK FOR LONG. IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS HE OWNED THE TRUCK IT’S HAD THREE DIFFERENT LIFT KITS INSTALLED ON IT, STARTING WITH A PRO COMP 8.5-INCH LIFT.

THE TRUCK NOW SPORTS A FULL 22 INCHES OF LIFT.”

Sky High

Locke drove the truck for around 2,000 miles with the 8.5-inch lift before determining that it was not enough for him. Locke pieced together components to give the truck 18 inches of lift and drove it for another 500 or so miles before meeting Dave Anderson of Diablo Off Road and deciding to go about the lift in a different way. He wanted to make sure it was just as functional as it was tall. Anderson showed Locke his lifted Ford with a One Up Offroad suspension system and he was sold on making his Harley truck even bigger and better using the parts from Anderson’s truck.

After purchasing the components from Anderson, Locke went to work stripping all of the suspension pieces, then repainting them before installing them on his F-250. He also modified the components to work with his crew cab truck versus the extended cab truck the system was originally installed on. In addition to reworking the suspension mounts and arms, he also had to have new driveshafts built to keep the truck 4WD unlike other hugely lifted trucks that we’ve seen that end up as 2WD-only trucks. While he had the suspension removed from his truck, he removed the entire factory undercoating from the frame. He then sanded and painted it to make the truck and the new suspension pop once it was put back together.

46-inch tall 19.5/46-20LT Mickey Thompson Baja Claw tires wrapped around 20×12-inch Weld Racing Cheyenne wheels.”

Usable Chassis

The truck now sports a full 22 inches of lift from the 600 Series One Up Offroad system with 46-inch-tall 19.5/46-20LT Mickey Thomp-son Baja Claw tires wrapped around 20×12 Weld Racing Cheyenne wheels. Up front, the leaf springs from the previous lift were ditched in favor of a pair of Sway-A-Way Race Runner 2.5- inch piggyback coilover shocks to support the weight matched with a three-link setup that gives the truck 16 inches of suspension travel. The Dana 60 front axle uses an Eaton Detroit Truetrac locker to put the power to both front wheels through the 3.73 gears and uses a Dynatrac 35-spline free-spin kit at the hubs. Steering is handled through an OUO high-steer knuckle and heavy-duty drag link with a pair of Nowak 8-inch hydraulic cylinders to assist in steering those huge tires.

Out Back

In the rear, the Ford 10.5-inch axle housing rides below a set of 12-inch lift Valley Spring Service leaf springs. Massive OUO lift perches integrate the traction bar mounts to prevent the axle housing from rotating. Inside the axle housing, Locke is running 3.73 gears along with an Eaton Detroit Locker to put the power to both of the meaty Mickey Thompson rear tires at the same time. Long 2.5-inch Sway-A-Way Race Runner piggyback reservoir shocks are used in the rear to tame the bumps and keep the tail end of the truck planted. The shocks mount to the rear side of the One Up Offroad axle truss.

The front trailing arms and rear traction bars mount to the center cradle that in turn mounts to both frame rails. The cradle also supports a Profab Machine transfer case that follows the factory transfer case and transmission. It’s mounted vertically with both the front and rear driveshafts exiting the transfer case in the center of the truck without having the extreme driveline angles that would have to be dealt with if the truck was using just the factory transfer case. With a 1.545:1 gear ratio in the Profab transfer case, Locke is able to drive the truck normally despite the 3.73 gears in the axles. As a result of these changes, the truck has a final gear ratio of around 5.76:1. The additional gear reduction also helps minimize the load on the drivetrain, allowing it to live under the strain of those huge 46-inch tires.

To help bring the massive truck to a stop, Locke installed Off Road Unlimited slotted rotors front and rear for better brake cooling and efficiency. While he’s still using the factory calipers, he loaded them with Hawk Performance Ceramic brake pads front and rear. Of course, the factory brake lines would not be long enough to use with 22 inches of lift so Locke had a set of braided stainless steel lines built by Crown Performance to get the fluid to the calipers.

Drivetrain Performance

Locke’s 6.0L Power Stroke engine has been treated to a set of ARP head studs to help the engine last and keep the pressure inside the cylinders where it belongs. He drives the truck with his race tunes from Matt Robinson at Gear-head Automotive Performance to get the most out of the Power Stroke engine. It exhales spent gasses through a turbo-back 4-inch stainless steel MagnaFlow exhaust system that terminates in the stock location with a 5-inch-diameter polished tip. To dress up the engine bay, Locke installed a billet aluminum UPR dress-up kit and had many of the removable components treated to carbon fiber hydro-dipped graphics to make the engine bay stand out against the tall truck. The Power Stroke is backed by the stock 5R110 automatic transmission with an ATS deep-sump pan for additional fluid capacity and cooling.

Inside The Beast

Looking inside the big Harley-Davidson Edition Ford you’ll find the traditional black leather interior. Locke’s truck even has the rear bucket seats and center console option. He installed a set of UPR polished aluminum window and door lock switches that look great against the dark interior. He also replaced the factory head unit with a Clarion VRX575 DVD-receiver with a flip-up monitor to make road trips and downtime at shows and events more enjoyable.

Don’t be surprised if you see Locke’s big Ford standing tall over the other trucks in a show-n-shine competition at a major diesel event as he’s a regular on the show truck scene. He’s won many best of show and best suspension awards with his truck so if you see it at an event take the time to go up and say hi to Locke, and then check out the attention to detail that make his truck such a show stopper. UDBG

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