2000 Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab

When Martin Barkey of Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, began looking for a new vehicle, he knew exactly what he wanted - a 2000 Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab with a six-speed standard transmission. However, finding such a beast would prove to be just as unbelievable as the truck that he went on to build. After searching all of Canada for his ideal vehicle, Martin and his wife Ginger learned that there were only three of these vehicles in existence in the entire country. Finally, an F-350 Crew was located in British Columbia, about 45 hours west of Toronto. After a quick plane trip to British Columbia and a 45-hour drive home in their new ride, the Barkey's could finally embark on their customizing activities on their new hauler.

Martin's plans for the Super Duty were for it to serve as both a tow vehicle for his 48-foot enclosed race car trailer and as a promotional vehicle for his newly formed company, MBRP, Incorporated. His company fabricates complete stainless steel dual exhaust systems, high-flow air filters, and offers computer chip re-programming for the '99-'01 Power Stroke Super Duty Fords.

With limited miles on the odometer, Martin delivered his pride and joy to Bracebridge Boatworks & Collision in Bracebridge, Ontario. These guys would start the transformation process. Using House of Kolor Orgasmic Orange, Passionate Purple and Lime-Time Green paints, the truck was prepped and sprayed by Mike Blakely and Guido Santucci. To step up the visual appeal, countless hours were spent wet-sanding and buffing the final clearcoats. The end result is nothing short of spectacular.

To further complement the theme and enhance the overall appearance of the truck, the boys at BBC smoothed and color-matched all the trim. This includes the front bumper, OEM Ford fender flares provided by Algonquin Automotive, and a Pro-Finish ram-air induction fiberglass hood. Then MBRP took over and demonstrated its expertise. All of the tubular products on the truck, from the front push/lightbar and the bed-mounted rollbar to the 4-inch-diameter steel tube side steps and the custom tubular rear step bumper, were custom-built and fitted by MBRP. A Specialty Covers remote control bedcover was installed to protect the contents in the truck's bed from prying eyes.

Elevating the behemoth was not an easy task, especially since the standard 8-inch Fabtech Motorsports Super Duty lift kit wasn't tall enough for Martin. After contacting Gary at Fabtech Motorsports and issuing a challenge that Gary gladly accepted, the race was on. Gary was able to engineer a 5-1/2-inch one-of-a-kind add-on suspension lift kit to work with his 8-inch kit. After re-configuring all of the steering components, the track bar, and the pitman arm to adjust for the increased angles, the end result was a suspension kit that provided a whopping 13-1/2 inches of lift.

Once the truck was lifted, there was more than enough room to accommodate the awesome rim and tire combination, that consists of fully polished 16.5x14 Weld Racing Road Hawk aluminum rims with 38.5x16x16.5 Super Swamper tires. Eight Fabtech Motorsports shocks with dual shock mounts and dual steering stabilizers were called upon to handle the rigors of serious off-roading while still maintaining a smooth highway ride. Next was a quick call to Con-Ferr Products for its new axle trusses for the front and rear axlehousings, along with aluminum differential covers for both the front and the rear. Con-Ferr took care of the roof rack as well.

Performance was greatly enhanced by the addition of an MBRP Power Stroke Power Pack, which consists of a dual stainless steel exhaust system, which exits behind the rear tires; a recalibrated computer chip for increased performance; and a high-flow air filter kit. The Power Pack is good for an additional 10 percent more hp to the engine, while the air filter kit is responsible for increased throttle response and better breathing for the powerplant.

Since Martin's truck would be pulling MBRP's 48-foot enclosed race car trailer, he called upon Hidden Hitch Products to assist him with his trailer's needs. The first item of business was to install Hidden Hitch's, top-of-the-line 10,000-pound bed-mounted gooseneck trailer hitch. Once installed, a trailer brake control unit was added. The front and rear bumpers were treated to upgraded Magnum Series hitches. When hooking up the trailer at night, all Martin has to do is flip one of the numerous aircraft-style switches and instant daylight is provided thanks to a pair of KC Hilites reverse lights mounted atop the rollbar, along with the five other KC Daylighters. The front push/lightbar holds four KC Titanium Series low-profile lights.

Serving as a daily driver and promotional vehicle, Martin and the MBRP gang gave the truck's interior a slight upgrade as well. With the installation of a Dashboards Plus trim kit, which uses a state-of-the-art system to create a carbon-fiber look, the interior resembles that of an Indy car rather than a serious off-road vehicle. To combat those long, boring drives from race to race or show to show, a sound system that rivals some home theaters was installed by Progressive Car Audio of Huntsville, Ontario. Progressive's owner, Moe Sabourin, was responsible for designing and installing the audio components, which include the custom speaker pods located in the door panels and quarter panels, as well as the custom overhead panel that houses the compact disc changer. Relying upon a six-channel, 600-watt Phoenix Gold XS-Series amplifier as the heart of the system, Moe proceeded to mate two pair of XS 130-Series component speakers with four XS 104DVC 10-inch subwoofers to deliver enough sound to wake the dead. Controlling the speakers and amplifier is the job of a Sony CDX-M600 X-Plode Series receiver. The four-gauge power wires and 12-gauge Zeropoint speaker wires route their way through the handbuilt, leather-covered amplifier and subwoofer enclosure, residing under the rear seat like snakes in a jungle. To increase the audio experience and decrease any unwanted noise, the entire interior of the truck was gutted to allow for the installation of sound-proofing materials. When cranked up, it is nearly impossible for you to hear yourself think - let alone whatever the person next to you is saying.

Working until the wee hours of the morning, this chariot from another country was completed in just four weeks. For Martin and his crew of dedicated industry professionals, it serves as a testament to the hard work, ingenuity, and overall dedication that they have for their industry and its products.