1971 FORD F250 HIGHBOY

The sought after Ford Highboy is a factory 3/4 4x4 truck that sits on beefy suspension, allowing for fitment of large diameter wheels right out of the box. Who doesn’t love that? Well this `71 has gotten quite a bit of love from many a passer by at this point. I picked this rig up from a neighbor who had driven it for years and done quite a bit of suspension work. However, he had moved onto another project and the old Ford was in serious need of service, clean up, finish work, and some updates. I saw the potential in her and decided to take this F250 home.

I can’t take credit for the idea of hiding the lightbar behind the grill, but I love the way it turned out. It’s always a challenge to integrate modern features into a vintage truck while maintaining the classic look that we all love about these vehicles.

High capability was the drive behind the stance on this rig. Up here in north Idaho, it’s easy to find yourself on what could more or less be called a “road” with zero cell reception and even less chance of seeing another motorist. So the ability to blaze your own trail and get yourself out of whatever trouble you just found, is crucial. Luckily the 35” BF Goodrich mud tires and 6” lifted Super Duty springs make for more than enough ground clearance. A Ford factory HD Dana 44 axle out of a 78 F250 and a twin link Chevy 14 bolt rear fitted with 4.10 gears turn those massive BFG tires with ease. Power assisted four wheel disk brakes handle the stopping.

No flat bed is complete without a set of stake sides. Let’s face it, while flat beds are very helpful for loading large equipment, it sucks having to strap your cooler down in the back when its time to hit the lake in the summer. I wanted something that flowed with the belt line of the truck, yet still provided that function. A double slat design shaped up quickly with some pine common board. I counter sunk all the wholes and fitted it all together with stainless carriage bolts to resist rusting. To make the fresh timber look as well aged as the rest of the truck, a burn finish with a torch did the job nicely.

The cab visor almost didn’t happen. During negations on purchase, the original owner opted to keep it. After some smooth talking and some extra greenbacks, I managed to keep it married to the cab.

Some of my signature touches include custom interior finishes, like one off door panels and headliners. Snuggled up next to old glory is one of the two things every farm truck needs, a holder for your cowboy hat.

The second thing every farm truck needs… a gun rack. Even better if you have a vintage Winchester lever action to fill it out. My model 94 chambered in 30-30 fit the bill well.

The cab was still in its factory lunar green paint, and I just couldn’t bring myself to cover that up, especially with such a well complimenting exterior color. It was too much grey inside for my liking however, so I opted to lay some satin black on the inner door skins to tone that down, while providing contrast for the dash. A shift knob fabricated from an old piston I had laying on a shelf just felt like the right move.

A 90s F150 bench seat adds some extra support, along with a bit of refinement. The grey twill fabric was perfect for the paint color, and far more comfortable than vinyl, especially on hot summer days. A complete set of three point seat belts from RetroBelts bring the interior up to date from a functionality standpoint, while still retaining that vintage look.

A sucker for the Ford FE motors, I was happy to see the factory 390ci V8 was still nestled under the hood. A few modifications had her purring to my liking. An Edlebrock 600cfm 4 barrel carburetor and headers with dual exhaust let her breathe easy, while a flame thrower ignition heats things up in the combustion chamber. A Borg Warner T18 manual granny gear 4 speed transmission and divorced Dana 24 HD transfer case send all that power on down the line.