Bill Pierre Ford

This ‘85 GMC K-2500 comes from Jim Emmert of Molalla, Oregon. A swapped-in 6.5L turbodiesel with ATS turbocharger motivates the truck, while a Pro Comp 4-inch lift makes room for 35-inch Dick Cepek Mountain Cat tires. Used daily on a farm, Jim can’t help but count down the hours each week before packing his gear and heading up into the nearby Cascade Mountains for weekend ‘wheeling trips. Jim tells us the turbodiesel gets great fuel mileage and offers better performance than the stock 6.2L.

Ed Williams, lives in Kodiak, Alaska. The photos he sent in were taken in Cordova, Alaska, in front of Sheridan Glacier. His rig is a combination of parts that seem to work well in the chilly Northern regions. A ‘69 Ford Bronco frame was mated to a ‘74 body, and runs a 351 Windsor V-8 engine with a Holley 650 Truck Avenger carburetor. A Jacobs ignition and K&N air filter boost power while a C4 transmission and Dana 20 transfer case provide the gearing. Axles are stock except for a Detroit Locker and 4.88 gears. A 3.5-inch lift came from Bronco Graveyard, and dual Rancho 9000s help smooth out the ride. Beefed-up steering, custom-built bumpers, and a six-point cage round out the list of backyard ingenuity.

This ‘03 Grand Cherokee Laredo belongs to Tyler Raymond from Glenburn, Maine. Sporting an FIPK, a Power-Aid 1-inch throttle-body spacer, and a 2-inch body lift, this Jeep is a perfect daily driver for a region where lifts greater than 3 inches are illegal. Other mods include a Kevin’s Off Road transfer-case skidplate and a set of General Grabber AT2 tires.

David and Ben Weisensel of Granite Quarry, North Carolina, are both longtime readers, and these are the rigs they enjoy abusing each week. David drives the F-350 Crew Cab (affectionately referred to as “Black Thunder”) with a 460 with a rebuilt top end. Power goes through a rebuilt E4OD tranny with a shift kit. A front Dana 60 and rear 10.25 both are equipped with 4.56:1 gearing. A set of 35-inch Interco SSRs provide traction. David’s son Ben prefers old-school brute and drives the ‘77 F-250 Hi-Boy. Known around town as “Big Red,” this rig is equipped with a 400 V-8, stock C6, and a stock transfer case. Dana 60s front and rear sit atop 37-inch Boggers on Alcoa polished-aluminum rims.

Jeanne and Chuck Sylvester of Rochester, Massachusetts, own this sweet red rocket ship. Well, maybe it’s not a rocket ship, but we bet it moves like one. Under the shiny red hood lurks a 5.0L Mustang powerplant mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. From there, a trusty NP205 splits the fire between a front Dana 44 with a Truetrac and a custom Ford 9-inch with a locker out back. Both feature Moser axles and 4.10:1 gearing. There’s also a 6.5-inch lift from Rusty’s Off Road. Chuck says the 5.0L has no problem spinning the 35-inch BFG M-Ts.

Jennifer Buch of Tigerton, Wisconsin, drives this ‘90 Dodge Ramcharger equipped with a 4-inch Rough Country lift, 36-inch tires, and a high-output 318 V-8. This shot was taken on the Pipeline Trail of Wisconsin. Jennifer says she got stuck because she had to hit the hole a second time to get a good picture. Nice, Jennifer. Blame the camera …

Seth Hopper is a Marine stationed in Twentynine Palms, California. His ‘72 Jeepster Commando is affectionately known as a “Bullnose.” For now, it’s completely stock, though in the future Seth plans to upgrade the AMC 304 V-8, TH400 transmission, and Dana 20 transfer case with rebuilds. The stock axles are open and feature 3.73:1 gearing for now. We hope to see another photo of Bullnose once Seth gets around to performing the restoration.

This is the last report of our 2008 Pickup Truck Of The Year Winner, the Ford Super Duty. In the year of service it spent with Four Wheeler, our truck has been tasked to help people move, participate in desert clean-ups, towed various projects all over the country (including Colonel Mustard to Moab for Easter Jeep Safari), helped test trailers for our award-winning sister publication RV magazine, and gone wheeling from Pismo to Joshua Tree.

Over the 25,000 miles we put on the Super Duty, we were impressed with the reliability and power of the 6.4L V-8 and the comfort of the ride. While there is no mistaking it for a car, the exceptionally laid-out interior, ample size and quiet cab make for an incredible long range hauler. Hook a trailer to it, and the Super Duty is in its element. With 650 lb-ft of torque making towing effortless, even when passing, downshifts are rare and the backup camera makes single-person hitching a breeze. We have put as many as 17 straight hours in the saddle, through all types of weather, and hardly felt worse for the wear. The FX4 package gives a good mix of capability on and off highway, while retaining the Super Duty’s on-road manners.

Complaints mostly centered around the clean diesel particulate filter’s regeneration mode with testers commenting in the logbook, “One can re-set the trip computer mpg function at fill up, then enjoy 18 mpg on the hwy for a while, only to see the numbers plummet to the single digits as soon as the engine controller dials up another trap cleaning-guess it’s not hard to figure out why the mileage isn’t the same as the old trucks,” and “Throttle response, intake sound and exhaust note all change for the worse during a DPF regeneration cycle, but the 500-degree exhaust tips are perfect for heating burritos”. We also noted a rough ride over broken roads, but otherwise we’re hard-pressed for complaints.

Minor damage was incurred when our Super Duty was rear-ended by an inattentive driver in the rain.

Reliability, as we noted in previous reports, was great with only a rear door-lock solenoid and a tire pressure monitoring sensor needing replacement.

Over the course of this past year, Ford’s Super Duty has given us exceptional service and has reinforced our positive feelings for the big truck. We saw none of the early-6.0L diesel gremlins that our readers asked us to be on the lookout for, and in day-to-day use, the 6.4L has proven itself trustworthy and capable of carrying on the Power Stroke banner. If this year of experience with the F-350 proved anything, it was that we made the right choice in crowning it our 2008 PTOTY winner.

Report: 4 of 4

Previous reports: July ‘08, Nov. ‘08, Mar. ‘09
Base price: $36,850
Price as tested: $56,095
Four-wheel-drive system: Two-speed, part-time electronic, shift on the fly

Long-Term Numbers
Miles to date: 25,845
Miles since last report: 9,016
Average mpg (this report): 13.44
Test best tank (mpg): 15.07
Test worst tank (mpg): 6.61 (towing)

Maintenance
19,896-miles: 20K service and fuel filters, $475.34
23,043-miles: Recall and replace TPMS sensor, warranty
24,975-miles: Service and rotation, $153.38
Problem Areas: Door lock solenoid, tire pressure sensor

What’s Hot, What’s Not
Hot: Clean diesel, outstanding visibility, exceptional as a tow rig
Not: Clean diesel fuel economy, rough ride on broken roads, not much

Logbook Quotes
* “Cruise control cut out and truck went down on power. Restart cleared it – no more problems.”
* “The mirrors are outstanding, as is the overall visibility.”
* “The ride can be stiff at times, but get it out on the highway with a load on the hitch and it is as smooth as anything.”
* “I am impressed with the 6.4L, it has proven to be a solid motor with no lack of power.”