AS SEEN IN OUR DIESEL WORLD APRIL 2026 ISSUE – Buy Now!

The Poster Child of a Generation

The first truck you fell in love with was usually not logical.  It typically lived as a poster on your wall, not in the driveway. For many of us who grew up ripping through magazines and loving vehicles of all kinds, the 1997 Ford F-250 Power Stroke was that truck. It was the one you circled, the one you imagined idling in your parents’ driveway, and the one that made work trucks feel heroic.

The timing mattered. The late 1990s were a turning point for diesel pickups, and Ford was in a strong place. The 7.3L Power Stroke had already earned a reputation for durability and torque that felt endless to even the most familiar of truck owners.  It was not about zero-to-sixty times. It was about the idea that this engine could pull anything, run forever, and sound right doing it. That mattered far more than numbers.

Enter Randall Williams. You may remember his red new-body-style F-350 dually we featured a while back. Well, this time Randall decided to show up with what many consider a dream truck—a red 1997 Ford crew cab long bed F-250, perfectly done with a modest lift, proper wheels and tires, picturesque paint, and a hearty motor that makes that 7.3 chugging sound we all know and love.  It is abundantly clear that Randall loves his red trucks, and after spending a day shooting this one, we absolutely understand why.

 

Randall told us that he set his eyes on this truck after rolling his previous truck in an accident.  His close friend actually bought the truck with the agreement being Randall was going to pay it off, but after the third payment, his friend gifted it to him as a bonus for his hard work.  That’s pretty amazing, to be honest. So Randall went off making sure it was perfect. He added billet internals for the transmission as well as Raybestos clutches, a one-piece heavy-duty driveshaft, and a triple-disc converter.

A Solo Motorsports Dana 50 3-inch coil kit was soon paired with Skyjacker springs and Bilstein shocks.  A 4-inch MBRP exhaust, a Marty’s E-Fuel kit with regulated return, a PHP Hydra Chip, and a cold air intake took care of the engine performance side of things, with a heap of parts still waiting to be thrown on!  We can’t forget to mention the beautiful 315/75/16 Cooper STT Pro tires wrapped around the Mickey Thompson Classic Locks.

We realized quite quickly during the shoot that the truck was the epitome of the 90s poster truck. Every angle sung in the sun, and each photo we got deserved to be its own poster on your wall.
I mean, just look at it—it’s hard to disagree. The truck has the right stance, the right sounds, original paint and interior, and the reliability to always have your back!

Randall has future plans for his truck, including an S369 Irate T4 turbo kit, Full Force 238/80 fuel injectors, and pushrods, just to name a few. That should wake the 7.3 up like it snorted wasabi, and we can’t wait.  You can find this pearl cruising around Oklahoma, and maybe a few events next year if we can convince Randall!