What is, hands down, your ultimate dream truck? A new Ford Raptor or Bronco? An all-original Ford Highboy? Or maybe even a souped-up late ’80s or early ’90s mini-truck?
We’ve seen a lot of cool trucks in our days, and in impressive forms at that. But when it comes to some of the most-notable and memorable in our minds, it’s the trucks you don’t see many of on the road that stand out, especially when taken to levels that some may scratch their heads at.
One such truck is this beauty—a 1966 Ford F-250 crew cab named “Blue” by builder and owner Kyle Delfel. A fabricator by trade, Kyle certainly knew how to take this truck from stock to stunning, giving it a new life as a one-of-a-kind performance machine while allowing the truck’s old-school charm to continue to shine through!
Owner of DelFAB in Snohomish, Washington, Kyle has built some incredibly impressive trucks in his career—just check out the cover feature from the Summer 2024 issue of F-Series Builder’s Guide. Kyle’s retro-inspired 2023 F-350 single cab conversion speaks for itself when it comes to showcasing Kyle’s talents. But if you’re more of an all-around old-school Ford fan, which Kyle clearly is, this ’66 is truly one for the books.
“That beautiful beast you see under the hood is a 2022 Ford Performance 7.3L Godzilla V-8—one of the baddest naturally aspirated performance engines Ford has come out with to date.”
When we asked Kyle why he wanted to build this particular truck, we got a pretty standard answer— “Because it’s my dream truck.” But it was what he continued on with that really drove it home: “This truck has been in my family for five years and my kids and I have made some great memories in it.”
Started in 2021, the truck’s build was set to be a challenge from the start. While the crew cab had the look Kyle was after, it didn’t exactly have everything his dream truck should feature. So he did what he knows best—to fabricate, retro-fit, and outright transform the four-door into the epitome of a classic Ford enthusiast’s ultimate old-school-meets-new-school truck package!
One of the most appealing parts of this build for Kyle was the truck’s original four-door crew cab body. Painted Arcadia Blue from the factory and never touched since, even with touch-up paint, the condition of this F-250’s metal skin is incredible, and it was of the utmost importance to maintain throughout the build process. After all, it was the love of classic Ford trucks that inspired this build in the first place.
Not wanting to add anything crazy or take away anything from that old-school charm, Kyle opted to add just a couple things to make his truck stand out. One of those is a fully custom, serial-numbered canopy and TrailCap topper Kyle had specifically made for the truck. The only other body modifications are the added KC HiLiTES 7-inch Gravity LED headlights, a Pro6 light bar mounted with custom billet mounts atop the front bumper, and two Flex ERA 4 lights out back.
Inside, the truck’s interior is likewise very classic feeling, from the factory seats reupholstered to their current blue by the original owner three months after truck was bought new, to the stock gauges in the dash, albeit modified for the modern powerhouse lurking under the hood. The interior also features drive-by-wire throttle and reverse controls for a more modernized driving experience, mounted under the dash and controlled by the truck’s original gas pedal, as well as a gun rack mounted over the rear window.
Everything looks and feels (and even smells) like a vintage Ford. But like we said before, there’s something not so vintage lurking under the F-250’s factory skins.
Now, you didn’t think we’d be featuring a virtually stock 1966 Ford F-250, did you? While cool in their own right, we strive to take things a level or two beyond factory F-Series trucks around here. And what Kyle stuffed under this classic Ford’s hood certainly took it up a notch.
That beautiful beast you see under the hood is a 2022 Ford Performance 7.3L Godzilla V-8—one of the baddest naturally aspirated performance engines Ford has come out with to date. This bad boy bone stock is good for over 430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. That’s over double what any factory engine configuration the 1966 Ford F-250 could have come with would have produced.
To that, Kyle added Fat Fender Garage headers, as well as a fully custom 4-inch exhaust that he fabricated using a Super Duty muffler and resonator. The engine is expertly wired with a Ford Control Pack, and is fed by a stock fuel tank, modified to allow for an Aeromotive Stealth intake pump, plumbed with DelFAB custom stainless fuel lines.
Backing the Godzilla is a 2022 Ford 10R140 10-speed automatic transmission with gears selected via a factory ’66 Ford automatic shifter inside the cab, which was modified specifically for the upgraded setup. Behind the 10-speed sits a divorced 205 transfer case from a 1975 Ford F-250 4×4 featuring a 1.96:1 low-range ratio, tied to the transmission by a custom intermediate driveline from Drivelines NW. Up front, the truck features a rebuilt Snow Fighter high-pinion Dana 60 front axle out of a 1979 F-350, while out back is a rebuilt Dana 60 rear axle out of a 1975 F-250. Both are spun by custom drivelines from Drivelines NW.
Up front, the Dana 60 is fitted with 4.11 gears, while out back, 4.10 gears help the truck with even quicker acceleration. The rearend also features a limited-slip differential. All drivetrain assemblies on the truck were fully rebuilt, powdercoated, and outfitted with all-new hardware.
Planting the truck to the ground are 16mm-backspaced SuperLug tires with 9.00/16-inch sidewalls, wrapped around 16-inch non-split 1966 F-250 factory wheels. Brakes on the truck are stock to the axles, but are tied into the build with a 1979 Ford F-350 master cylinder and DelFAB custom stainless steel brake lines.
You’ve got to have a hearty foundation when you’re building a classic truck with a Godzilla powerplant, so Kyle retrofitted the truck’s frame with 1975 Ford F-250 Highboy 4×4 components, as well as outfitted the Ford with Deaver front and rear leaf springs, Fox 2.0 remote reservoir shocks both front and rear, and a Fox 2.0 stabilizer.
Kyle also borrowed the Highboy’s steering box for the project and had it rebuilt by Red-Head Steering Gears. The truck also makes use of a Stearman Cycle electronic power steering system, which was modified to clear the engine.
The truck’s suspension is topped off with a custom DelFAB 6-inch lift.
Just like with the driveline assemblies, all of the chassis and suspension components were powdercoated—“and every leaf spring, every bracket, every bolt replaced,” Kyle adds.
Kyle’s vintage crew cab is one gorgeous build that perfectly meshes old-school cool with modern performance. While Kyle told us if he had to do it over again he would keep the Coyote V-8 he originally had under the hood instead of Godzilla-swapping it, we wouldn’t change a thing about this build. Not that Kyle seems to want to trade it in any time soon, specifically telling us this truck is not for sale—ever!
Suspension & Chassis
Wheels & Tires
Engine & Drivetrain
Body & Paint
Interior & Stereo
Photos by Solomon Lunger
Not all truck builds are quite the same. Sometimes, the desired result is an obvious full-blown custom creation; other times, the truck is designed to be a little more subtle. For the sake of sparking discussion, it’s safe to say that this 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty rides the line of both worlds but slightly teeters toward the latter category. At first take, most onlookers might only see a brand-new truck with a big lift and a few accessories hanging off it—fair enough. Those who really do know their Ford trucks and can differentiate between Ford’s modern trim packages represent the slim segment of enthusiasts who understand that this truck, in this form, should not even exist.
To break things down, let’s focus on properties of this truck that can be easily overlooked. First, it’s a two-door standard cab F-350 with a full Platinum trim, which are two options that are never offered together from Ford. A crew cab configuration is all you’re going to get at the Platinum level, which is just fine for 98% of those looking to buy one. That estimation was left with a narrow window open for Ford fanatics like Kyle Delfel of Snohomish, Washington, who have very stringent preferences. Kyle runs his shop DelFAB where he spends a great deal of his time building trucks that meet his visions. When it came time to do something with his 2023 F-350, he wanted to create a throwback retro feel while still embracing every single modern amenity that comes with the Platinum trim package. The only hurdle that stood in his way is that he was dead set on transferring everything possible from his crew cab into a two-door configuration. It was at this point when the plot significantly thickened.
…this truck, in this form, should not even exist.
Kyle is an admitted fan of the free-wheeling-style Ford Highboy trucks of the 1970s—but honestly, who isn’t? They were great-looking trucks designed for the times. Kyle’s obsession for these trucks might shoot a few levels past “fanatic” though, which thankfully makes things much more interesting for everyone. To create the modern two-door Highboy of his dreams, he had to do some careful planning and spend a lot of money to purchase not only one new Platinum edition F-350 pickup just to have all the components included in the trim level, but also two other Ford Super Duty pickups to give him the cab, bed, and chassis, among other items he would need to pull off a successful transformation. Sure, it was a big investment to make, but the project was something Kyle just had to see come to life with his own eyes.
When it came time to do something with his 2023 F-350, he wanted to create a throwback retro feel while still embracing every single modern amenity that comes with the Platinum trim package.”
The foundation of any project is the frame, so Kyle began outfitting the factory chassis he had with an adjustable 7-to-9-inch lift kit from One Up Offroad. The kit is comprised of everything necessary to give the truck a commanding stance using components that work harmoniously together for the purpose of providing surprisingly excellent ride quality—especially for a lift of this stature.
…Kyle began outfitting the factory chassis he had with an adjustable 7-to-9-inch lift kit from One Up Offroad.
The entire front-to-rear suspension package was installed and test fit, and once Kyle was happy with how it all went together, the entire chassis, including every single bolt and bracket, was blown apart and sent to Powdercoating Inc. in Mukilteo, Washington, for a black and chrome two-tone finish. The reassembly process was smooth and satisfying, especially after the inclusion of the 20×12 American Force Ridge CC wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ rubber. With a heavily upgraded chassis now ready to roll, Kyle was then able to move on to the next phase of the project, which was arguably the most important.
…the entire chassis, including every single bolt and bracket, was blown apart and sent to Powdercoating Inc.
The crew cab F-350 Platinum that Kyle purchased for the build was merely a donor truck if you can wrap your head around that! It was destined to be pulled apart well before his signature on the dealership papers even dried. Everything except for the factory rear bench seat was utilized only because it didn’t quite fit into the standard cab.
The process was painstakingly difficult to accomplish, but the overall fit and finish looks just like it should from the factory. Not only do the seats, dash, and infotainment screen look like they belong in the two-door cab, but every beep and ding function within the interior work just as they should, when they should.
The only giveaway that something is a bit out of place is on the gauge cluster. The digital readout displays an interior configuration that shows a rear seating layout, but it doesn’t seem to bug Kyle much, which is really saying a lot.
Not only do the seats, dash and infotainment screen look like they belong in the 2-door cab, but every beep and ding function within the interior work just as they should, when they should.
With the cab conversion well taken care of, it was finally time to address the F-350’s exterior. This project was a bucket-list-level build for Kyle, and he truly wanted to see what a modernized free-wheeling-packaged Ford Highboy could look like. Of course, the incorporation of free-wheeling-inspired graphics was a given. Ardor Printing, also located in Snohomish, was asked to apply the high-vis gradient 3M chromatic film to both sides of the F-350, which elevated the factory black paint dramatically. To further push the retro styling of the new truck, a newly developed lightbar from KC HiLiTES gives the front end instant throwback appeal.
A few custom touches were made by smoothing and painting the sidestep pocket, and then positioning the actual step upward and inward to make it less noticeable. The same smooth-and-paint treatment was given to the corner step on the rear bumper to blend it in as much as possible, and the running boards were shortened for the same reason. Aside from those custom accoutrements, there are plenty of high-end Platinum options present including the keyless entry handle, LED taillights, power tailgate, and all the badging that demarcates the truck from other trim levels.
This project was a bucket-list-level build for Kyle, and he truly wanted to see what a modernized free wheeling packaged Ford Highboy could look like.”
It’s hard to gauge just how much time was required to complete this build from start to finish. If Kyle wouldn’t have disclosed his actual timeframe of finishing it in just two months to make the SEMA ’23 deadline, it would have been reasonable to assume that he spent at least three to four times that amount. Tremendous disassembly work and time spent piecing things back together between three different trucks to get just this one up and running really took a toll on Kyle, but seeing it through was well worth the backaches and trouble.
Aside from those custom accoutrements, there are plenty of high-end Platinum options present including the keyless entry handle, LED taillights, power tailgate, and all the badging that demarcates the truck from other trim levels.”
At the end of the day, his F-350 sits largely in stock condition, which is a larger feat than going full custom for what it was intended to be—don’t be mistaken! Even though one could outfit a XLT trim single cab to make it look the part, it wouldn’t have the functions of a true Platinum edition truck. That’s what it all comes down to, and what truly divides Kyle’s F-350 from any other would-be pretender out there.
TRUCK SPECS
Engine/Drivetrain
Chassis & Suspension
Wheels, Tires & Brakes
Body & Paint
Interior & Stereo
