[Video] Could Jason Tiedeken Have Created The Baddest Ford Crew Cab Prerunner?

Jason Tiedeken of Innov8 Racing Inc. set out to build what he calls the “Baddest Crew Cab Ford Prerunner.” Check out his rig and see if you think he’s accomplished his goal.

The project started with a 1990 Ford F-350 with a work truck body. Jason has built a few trucks on his own but when he decided on the scope of the project he recognized that he needed to bring in some collaborators. His good friend Ryan Kibbe of Kibbetech Offroad contributed his fabrication skills to the project.

The first step was to strip away most of the body, and not just the work bed but also front fenders and hood. Then the rear of the frame was cut off and replaced with a Kibbetech design. The front suspension is comprised largely of Blitzkrieg components with King 3.5” coilovers with three-tube bypass. To the new rear frame, a Kibbetech triangulated four-link suspension was added along with a roll cage, all fabricated from 4130. Compression loads are handled by the same King triple bypass coilovers as on the front, all four tuned by KDM Shock Technologies. Roll control is provided by Sway-a-way bars with Kibbetech billet arms.

Next came the drivetrain. And here’s where it swerves off the path of your typical build. Jason decided on a 6.0L LQ9 – yes, a GM engine in a Ford truck. And a high-compression, high-performance version originally developed for Cadillac SUVs. Jason left the internals stock as they were already pretty beefy and the engine produces 345 horsepower and 380 lb·ft of torque.

Instead, Jason concentrated on how to make the engine more powerful through external upgrades. A Holley EFI system with a fabricated high ram was installed and fed through a K&N filter. Fuel is delivered from a 70 gallon Harmon Racing fuel cell. Exhaust gases are routed out through a Kibbetech fabricated system utilizing Magnaflow mufflers. Everything’s kept cool by radiator, oil, and transmission coolers by CBR Performance Products.

Keeping the truck up off the ground are a set of 17” x 7” Innov8 Racing forged aluminum wheels, wrapped by BFGoodrich 39x13.5x17 Baja T/A tires. Stopping the rig is a set or Jamar Performance brakes with six-piston calipers.

Power is transmitted through a GM 4L60 four-speed automatic fitted with Winters shifter to a Camburg Racing fabricated nine-inch rear end with four-inch axle tubes. The ring and pinion is from Yukon Gear and it’s a ground-grabbing 5.36:1.

With the mechanicals all sorted, it’s time to take on the interior. The stock dash was swapped out for a Fiberwerx unit fitted with a Holley Digital dash (one on each side). Also fitted to the dash is a PCI Race Radio intercom system incorporating a Kenwood radio, a Lowrance HD7 satellite GPS system, and to keep everyone comfortable, a Red Dot heating-air conditioning system.

Driver and front seat passenger are seated in Beard race buckets, with a Beard back row. The seats are finished in black and grey suede. Steering is via an Ididit tilting steering column fitted with a Momo steering wheel. Braking is through a Jamar master cylinder, pedal, and handbrake.

With all of this mounted to the chassis, the body now needs to reflect the capabilities of the truck. Fenders with six-inch flares and the hood are all from Autofab Fiberglass.

With the vehicle assembled it was shipped over to Maaco to be sprayed in white. Once the paint was ready a vinyl wrap designed by Innov8 Racing and Alex Flemming was applied. As it’s no longer really an F-350, it’s been renamed the F-500 and then the KTF500. While Jason’s had a chance to try out the truck locally, he has another destination in mind.

According to Jason, the truck is built for go and not show, so he’s already been burning up the dunes at Pismo and Glamis. Where Jason would like to head next is Baja. “I’m in love in Mexico, and I’m definitely planning on some Mexico runs,” he added.