No one who builds a rat rod is concerned with taste—fight me. When the goal is to be as weird as possible, who cares if the paint is scuffed, or if the wheels are all the same? Better yet, just throw some parts at a thing that roughly resembles a car and call it good. That seems to be what happened with this obnoxious, haphazard, and wild-looking Ford F-250 for sale in Idaho.
It was built by the owner of Nick’s Metal Fab, and I recently had a chat with him to find out more about the slammed truck.
The uncovered engine is actually original to the Ford and, while you probably couldn’t tell from looking at it, it’s a 6.9-liter, indirection-injection (IDI) diesel V8 that’s had two turbos bolted on. Only one of them works, though—the other is there strictly for looks. When asked exactly how much power it made in its current form, Nick replied, “Not much.” Perfect!
These compression-ignition lumps were choked to 170 horsepower, while torque was rated at 338 pound-feet from the factory. There’s no telling how much oomph the turbo adds, but the gain in cool points is infinitely more important than performance in this case. Power is sent to an automatic transmission, as if it matters, before exiting at the rear wheels only.
Other doo-hickeys you can spot from the pictures include the exhaust that exits front and center while doubling as a nose for the truck’s menacing face. Two tiny headlights make up the eyes, while strategically placed metal rods that also look to be welded to the exhaust form the “mouth.”
Don’t forget the blinkers mounted above the shocks which are held up by skeleton hands, flipping the bird to everyone on the road. Classy.
Airbag suspension controls the ride height, which can either slam the frame-mounted body to the ground or help it ride just high enough to avoid stray pebbles. While the General Grabber tires could technically help the truck drive off-road, the fact that it’s so goshdarn low essentially negates that feature—but that’s kind of the point, you see.
Lastly, the interior is a work of art…if you liken a La-Z-Boy to the Mona Lisa. The armrests have even been replaced with those from a recliner, while the steering wheel is a blown subwoofer. The switches inside are the exact same ones you’ll find on your home’s living room walls, and the shifter has a pistol grip.
There’s no bed out back, though there is a set of fenders, unlike in the front. They’re made from jagged metal and resemble that of a semi’s rear drive wheels, though chains and what looks to be chicken wire bring back the aesthetic.
You wouldn’t be alone in thinking this truck is a bit out there, but all things considered, it deserves a least a nod of appreciation. It takes gusto to cut into a perfectly usable pickup and turn it into a rolling form of expression, and for $9,500, you could be the star of your local cruise night…if they even have those anymore.
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