Article and Photos by
Bryan Fross

   When most people go to work, they are going to do a job that they don't necessarily enjoy. By trade, Ricky Monjaraz from Paramount, California works on off-road vehicles at R.I.S. Designs Inc. making billet grilles for 4-wheel banshees. He enjoys his work and also enjoys taking his own off-road vehicles out for a spin in the desert areas of California. To do this, Ricky needed an truck to haul them. That is where the buildup of this 2002 Ford F-350 4x4 Diesel came into the picture.

   Ricky's 6 month buildup of his truck was started at Twisted Suspension where they installed a 16-inch drop shackle lift. Custom shock hoops were installed along with Fox reservoir shocks in the front and rear. Everything was then pulled out and either powder coated or chromed for a clean overall appearance. The factory wheels and tires just had to go so Ricky replaced them with 17-inch Weld Racing Stone Crushers. The wheels were then mounted up to 44-inch Super Swamper Truxs Tires and then bolted up to the truck.

   To get the outside of the truck not only presentable but show ready as well, Ramzey's Auto Body sprayed a tribal flame paint job on the huge Ford with a custom mixed green. The front grille was removed and a DJ Motorsports stainless steel tribal grille was installed. To get into his massive truck, Ricky added a set of Kodiak Sidewinder Steps with a 12-inch drop extension to help keep him from ripping his pants open every time he tried to get into his ride.

   Inside the cab of his truck, Ricky added a little comfort and a little style to make it more enjoyable. The new Renegade Seats were covered in Black Ostrich Skin, Carbon fiber silver, and gold. It was all sewn together and finished off with Green Fiber Optics seat piping. The ceiling and seats received 3D stitched flames and a checkered flag pattern. The air conditioning knobs were discarded and Nu Image billet ones were added. Along with the a/c knobs, Nu Image billet flame pedals and stainless steel door sills with green tribal blades add an interior touch to match the exterior paint scheme. The factory audio system was not going to cut it in the long run so Ricky had the head unit replaced with an in-dash 7-inch Performance Tecniques flip up monitor with DVD and TV tuner. The headrests from the front seats were pulled out and 6.5-inch Micro Vision monitors were installed in them. The passenger side sun visor also received a 5-inch monitor. The sounds are pushed through three 10-inch Audiobahn subwoofers with two 500 watt amplifiers.

   The stock motor and transmission needed a little attention after adding such a large lift to his truck so it was time to address that part of the project. The 7.3 liter  Diesel got help for a K & N Air Filter and full stainless steel exhaust from Bully Dog. The Transmission got a boost from a Transmission Masters Shift Kit & extra clutches were added .

  Ricky would like to thank everyone who helped with his project and especially Josh at Mobile Splash Auto Detailing (323) 707-3905. We would both like to thank Ericka Hoffman for gracing Ricky's truck for the feature.

Model: Ericka Hoffman

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