Charlie Dietsche’s Home-Built ‘62 F-600

For those who struggle with certain aspects of automotive customization, listen up! The feeling of not having enough experience or knowledge to start a job involving suspension design, body and paintwork, or any other specialized skill set can be defeating. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. We could overload you with all the secondhand inspirational quotes you could handle, which really wouldn’t do much good. Instead, we’ll allow a special guest to give his firsthand account of how he built one of the craziest trucks around with his own inexperienced hands.

This 1962 Ford F-600 demands attention everywhere it goes due to its unique styling and impressive features. Its owner and builder, Charlie Dietsche, pulled off an amazing feat, but it truly was his first time doing a lot of the work. Haters will say he paid a shop to do most of it, but he pulled it off largely on his own. Charlie told us all about the processes that were once so foreign to him, and how he learned from each barrier that stood in his way.

“After seeing a restored F-600 at a car show in Boise, I was inspired to build one of my own”, Charlie says. “I found my truck in a junkyard, and it took the guys two weeks to dig it out. It was a complete POS. It had a 13-foot frame in back, which is really the only original part I kept except for the cab sheetmetal. Everything else is from something different. I’m not a mechanic but I thought I could build something out of this truck. I had no plan. My truck just kind of grew into what it is now.”

Charlie is constantly asked about his truck’s suspension setup, which he was happy to discuss with us. “I pulled a 2015 F-550 10-lug dually rearend out of the junkyard too, and it came with the 4-link rear suspension and brakes. I also got a 1965 Ford bed out of a salvage yard and lined up the axle and bolted it in. The 2015+ front axle 4×4 came from Colorado, and included the coils, which was awesome, but I had no idea how I was going to put all these parts onto my truck. I just cut the 4-link and coil crap off the cast differential housing and used the bump stop for the leaf spring to sit on. I had to build a tower to match the height for the leaf springs to sit on and build what looks like an axle truss to connect the whole thing together. The leaf springs did have to be moved outside the frame to miss the diff housing.”

Up until this point, Charlie was riding a high that came from making real progress on the suspension. Jumping into engine work, on the other hand, was a whole other department he felt more comfortable leaving to a professional. “Because of my lack of knowledge, I told the engine builder (Valley Crankshaft Inc.) what I wanted it to sound like, and what I got was a 675 hp Ford 351 Windsor with a BDS blower”, he says. “The transmission shop (Frank’s Transmission) suggested that I should go with a C6 unit with a NP208 transfer case, so they communicated with the engine builder for all the necessary info to mock it up. I did have to create my own engine and trans mounts though. I installed the engine level so the blower sticking out of the hood wouldn’t be leaning back. I hate that.”

“I will admit that I bought myself a welder just before buying this truck and taught myself the basics of welding, although I had never fabricated anything out of sheetmetal before”, Charlie continues. “Aside from banging out a few dents and some minor body and paintwork on a previous truck, that was really the extent of experience. When I mounted the rear wheels and tires, they stuck out 13 inches further than the side of the 1965 Ford bed I found at a salvage yard. I had to find two more left and right front fenders and cut them in half so I could use the back half of the front left and right to make each rear fender. That only gave me eight inches of depth though. I had to cut a wedge out of the bed 12 inches behind the cab to bring it out another 5 inches to get the 13 I needed.”

“The tailgate had to be widened to fit in with the heavily altered bed”, Charlie adds. “The gate was stretched 5 inches on both sides to make it fit properly. Both bumpers are custom but the paint codes I chose are both readily available. I selected a 2004 Nissan Xterra orange color as well as the classic Ford Wimbledon white for the roof and contrasting details. I’d like to thank Andy and Rhonda at WESCO Paint who told me which paint guns and air compressor to buy, and how to do bodywork and shoot paint because at that point I had never seen anyone do it. They also told me how to cut and polish the paint, which is extremely hard without seeing it done first.”

While the aftermarket has come through for many make and model classic trucks, there really isn’t much out there for these much larger F-Series pickups. Charlie quickly found that out and got in the habit of making his own components. “Inside the cab, I created my own carpet kit and mats that I had edge bound”, he states. “The bench seat was recovered in brown vinyl, and the gauges came out of an F-750 in Canada, so it has the air brake PSI and tach gauges that are just for looks. I wanted the interior to look stock, so I used the factory steering column and upgraded to power steering from a F-450, which also came with a Hydroboost system. At the time, I had never heard of that, but I engineered a way to move it away from the engine where the clutch pedal was and moved the brake pedal back to the right side of the steering column.”

There is so much more to say about this incredible F-600, but it felt right for its creator to do all the talking here. Charlie’s story is inspirational to all builders—especially those on the green side. This truck goes to show that anyone with guts and the willingness to learn and make mistakes along the way can make something great. “I really hope all my explanations make sense”, Charley jokes. “I made sure to take lots of photos so I wouldn’t forget what I did along the way.”

Even though Charlie did have some help with the engine and transmission, his truck is still the product of a DIY hobbyist—a huge win for dreamers and garage tinkerers everywhere!

Truck speces

Owner
Charlie Dietsche

1962 Ford F-600 4×4 Dually

Engine & Transmission

Shop: Valley Crankshaft Inc. and Frank’s Transmission
Ford 351 Windsor engine
BDS blower
Ron Davis Racing radiator
Schoenfeld sprint car headers
3.5-inch mandrel-bent exhaust
Magnaflow muffler
675hp
Ford C6 transmission
NP208 transfer case
Custom engine and trans mounts

Chassis & Suspension

Leaf springs moved outside the frame
Both driveshafts feature U-joints for steep angles
2015 F-550 front axle and 10-lug dually rearend
Coils and 4-link suspension
Hydroboost brakes
40-gallon fuel tank by Scott’s Hotrods

Wheels & Tires

Alcoa rims
Wheel adapters
285/75R24.5 Falken BI850 low profile tires

Interior

Stock steering column
F-450 power steering
Custom carpet kit and mats
Brown vinyl bench seat
Battery, fuse box, and relays behind seat
F-750 gauges

Body & Paint

Body and paintwork by owner
2004 Nissan Xterra Dark Orange / Ford Wimbledon White
1965 Ford bed
1966 grille and upper piece
Ford 750 emblem hood vent emblems
Custom bumpers and fenders
Tailgate widened 5 inches on both sides
Raptor Liner bed liner