Dirt-Tech Shop Feature
by Ryan Plowman
| After a few phone calls back and forth regarding Dirt-Tech, Ryan let me come down for a shop tour one Friday afternoon to check out the shop, and the projects they were completing at the time. Below are only a few of the projects Dirt-Tech has completed, but they show all aspects of what they can accomplish with your vehicle and a few green backs. |
| Gary’s truck was back in the shop after a weekend trip in Ocotillo. Gary had Ryan and his crew at Dirt-Tech put together this dream prerunner that, well, now resembles an F-150. The only thing available from the factory on this truck is the sheet metal cab! A complete tube-frame chassis was constructed around the Ford cab, and then complimented with the finest of aftermarket components. As beautiful as the truck is, Gary uses his truck to extensively prerun with Alan Pflueger and his crew in the harshest of conditions. On the off weekends, you can find Gary spending time with his family in Ocotillo and the outlaying deserts. |
| In the after hours that follow a long, hard day work, Ryan spent building up his personal Ford F-150. Ryan felt that there was no better way to showcase their rock solid products than building a truck to race on the parts they sell. The front and rear suspension components, including the rear-end housing, can be purchased at Dirt-Tech and installed on your own Ford F-150. The front suspension kit consists of a 100% bolt-on kit made up of the finest components. 100% 4130 place and TIG welded, Ryan incorporated a massive 1.5’’ lower uniball to achieve the kits 20’’ of wheel travel. Instead of the OEM hubs and brake package, Ryan decided to ditch that in favor of a 2.5’’ hub assembly from Desert Specialties, with a Wilwood 4-piston caliper and custom rotor for the ultimate stopping ability. Onto the rear suspension, the rear leaf springs and frame were cut off in favor of a 4-link suspension system cycling near 30’’ of wheel travel, with dampening provided in the front and rear by FOX Racing Shox. A stout 2’’ 4130 Chromoly cage and chassis structure were completed but left enough room for 4 passengers in the cockpit, and a 42 Racer X fuel cell out pack for long trips. Nesting outboard of the fuel system are the two 37’’ tall spare Goodyear tires, just incase Ryan were to come upon a flat tire out in the desert. This truck houses the finest of components built in house at Dirt-Tech, and really showcases the vehicle the company is capable of. |
| After seeing the beautiful red beast parked in his neighbors driveway (Gary’s red F-150 shown above), Gary Fukuda wanted his F-150 to be a toned down version he could enjoy on the weekends with his family. Gary sent his truck to Dirt-Tech with the intention of having a mild prerunner built, but after a few add-ons and then a few more, the truck snowballed into what you see above. Featuring the same front and rear suspension kits as Ryan’s race truck, Gary felt it was more than enough for a weekend cruiser with ample suspension travel to make it ride like a Cadillac on and off the road. Within the cockpit area, Gary opted for a stylish STACK digital gauge cluster dash for easy gauge readings, and a large enough Lowrance GPS system to keep the truck on track with the ability to find their way back to camp; all of that, including the stock AC/Heater controls, nestled in a custom hand crafted aluminum dash. Instead of leaving the entire rear cage work open, Gary decided to cover everything up with aluminum panels for the ultimate finish on a beautiful truck. Incase you’re wondering, yes that is a California license plate on the truck, but don’t think you’ll see this truck driving down the 405 anytime soon. |
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