Vehicle manufacturers build vehicles to be as functional as they can for a wide range of situations. Trucks are really the “every man’s” vehicle. Whether you want a grocery getter, something fancy to take to the opera, want to get dirty in the mud or haul a small house across country, there is a truck that will do it.

Most magazines focus on trucks that are built to the extremes’. That is partially because, you the reader,like that and that is partially because these trucks become “less truck” and “more art”. We here at Diesel Army are really trying to show the functional side of built trucks as well as the pretty trucks. That is why we are featuring sled pulling trucks and drag racing trucks that are built to an extreme, but that extreme is used and tested. There will be trucks that grace our digital pages that are all show, but our main focus is function. So, when we came across Diesel Power Products’ 2012 F-250, we knew we had found something pretty special.

“We created and built a true multipurpose truck,” said Josh Ullrich of Diesel Power Products (DPP). If you look at trucks like the Ford F-150 Raptor, it is a blend of a high performance desert racer that can live in the city. So DPP gave it some thought and decided that is exactly what they would do. They would make their own version of “city-country mouse” with a completely custom F-250 Raptor. Their plan was really to take it up a notch with this project. What they wanted to make sure they did was create a high performance desert toy that can live in the city, but it, also, is able to work on the ranch. The question is where to start? Let’s find out what their plan was and how they made this amazing vehicle happen.

Photos Courtesy of Josh Meckel and Bryan Howell.

They started by focusing on airflow: both in the engine and out the exhaust. So, an H&S Performance intake was installed to help get more fresh air in and they combined FLO~Pro and Magnaflow parts together to make a 4” turbo back exhaust system. To help with adding a little more fuel and timing to the equation, DPP went with an H&S Mini Maxx module.

Connected to the engine is an ATS Five Star torque converter that sends power to the fully built and upgraded ATS transmission. The power is then transferred back through the factory driveshaft and into the rear end with set of Nitro Gear’s 4.30 gears connected to an ARB air locker. The locker turns the factory axles spinning the 17” American Racing ATX Series Slab wheels feature true bead locks. The bead lock holds the 40” Maxxis Trepador Radials to the rim.

Up front, a PSC Motorsports hydro assist steering box was added to…well, assist in moving these big meats on the rocks and at low speeds. To clear the 40’s, a Carli Suspensions 4.5” lift was added. This kit uses a set of King Off-Road Racing Shocks 2.5” dual bypass shocks front. Instead of using the radius arm drop that the kit offers, DPP opted to install ICON Vehicle Dynamics’ 4-link front suspension kit. In the rear, the entire leaf spring pack was replaced with a Deaver rear leaf springs in the Carli Suspension kit.

To keep with the Raptor theme, a set of FiberWerx fenders were installed, but heavily modified to open up the wheel wells for further tire clearance, as well as grafting the Raptor taillights into the FiberWerx bedsides. Next, a Raptor inspired graphics package was added to the truck along with a lot of blue accents. The Super Duty badging was updated to say Raptor SD.

In order to ensure the truck was just as functional as it was stylish, a set of Amp Research power running boards was installed. When the doors are open, they drop down to help with the ease of access, but when the doors are closed they are up and out of the way. This helps ensure more ground clearance when off-roading.

Up front, the truck has the factory front bumper with a Warn Hidden Kit Mounting System, which pulls the front bumper further out to provide enough clearance to mount the winch behind the bumper, but includes gap guards to conceal any gaps produced from mounting the bumper further away from the frame/body. With the bumper pulled out, a Warn Industries 16.5 ti winch was set into place. With a 16,500-pound capacity, they don’t have to worry about getting stuck and overheating / working the winch. Then, they installed a Randy Ellis Design light bar and mounted the four ARB Intensity lights mounted to it. If that wasn’t enough light, DPP also, installed a 50” Rigid Industries light bar on the roof using a Socal SuperTrucks mount.

To keep the styling fresh, DPP reversed the paint scheme after the first year.

To keep their gear protected when playing in the sand or at the grocery store, a Truxedo tonneau cover was added. The soft roll up cover helps keep the environment out, but is still very accessible. In addition, by covering the bed, there is less drag on the truck and it can get a little better fuel economy. To further extend the mileage or play time, the guys at DPP installed a Titan Fuel Tanks 50 gallon factory replacement tank.

If you look at the vehicle as a whole, DPP really upgraded the key parts to increase looks and utility, but they didn’t over do any single aspect to lose functionality. One of the amazing aspects of this entire build was that it only took a week to complete. What an amazing feat it is to complete a build of this level in such a short period of time. This really shows the passion and skill level of the guys at DPP. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have all of the parts already in stock.

We think this project turned out exactly as they envisioned it. It is all “city” with some desert race and a little bit of country mixed together. It’s the perfect truck for any mood that may strike during the week and on weekends.

If you want to see more of this truck, keep an eye out because this truck is driven around all the time in Spokane Valley, WA. It, also, regularly visits off-road parks around the country. Then you have the major events like King Of The Hammers, Ultimate Adventure, Off-Road Expo and the SEMA Show.