Not your average SEMA truck

At the end of the day, though, if you want to do something compared to the extent of the typical flagship SEMA truck, you could be looking at a hefty bill sometimes going into the six-figures when you calculate parts and labor.

Jared Venz at Edge Products wanted to go a different direction with their next project truck to showcase their new applications for the 2011 Ford diesels. In the past, the SEMA trucks for Edge have been quite expensive. But this time around, Edge decided they wanted to build a truck that the average person could have done on a considerably smaller budget by keeping the total upgrade under $20K.

"With doing the every day bolt-on stuff we can get every day consumers to ask us, `What is this part?'" says Venz. "With some of these show queens that are so nice you get customers that come over and think that it's cool, but they don't generate that into their own daily driver."

First Step

The project started with a 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty and was brought over to Elite Customs in Ogden, Utah, to have the work done on it. One of the things we really like about the truck was putting the Edge Evolution CTS on it because it gave it more manly power.

To the suspension they installed a Pro Comp 6-inch Stage II lift kit to give it a more commanding appearance on the road. To the body, one of the most noticeable changes was the addition of the Fusion bumpers in front and back along with the Bushwacker fender flares.

In addition to the Edge Evolution CTS, the engine is boosted with an Injen air intake and a 4-inch MBRP exhaust. Those modifications equaled out to an increase of 82hp in peak-to-peak gains at the rear wheels when put on the dyno.

Ahead Of The Curve

The biggest difficulty or challenge that truck owners face with these newer trucks being released is finding parts. The 2011 Ford Super Duty had just been released when Edge first got involved with the project, so there were several parts that were hard to come by, but in the end they were able to find what they needed for his build.

Another issue they had to deal with involved the bumpers. Because the bumpers that they used were a powder coat finish, Elite Customs, who also did the body and paint work on the truck, had to paint them with a tri-coat finish to match it with the rest of the truck.

The truck is being used right now as a daily driver within the company as well as being used for several things including hunting, towing and city driving. The current person driving the truck is into motocross and, according to Venz, when he takes it around to races it gathers a lot of attention. The modified truck is now a good balance of being a solid daily driver as well as a hardcore diesel truck.

To help it be a great daily driver, the suspension, tires and exhaust were added with the thought that the functionality of truck still had to be there.

"It is built to look great but everything is functional," says Venz. "You can put family in it and feel comfortable driving down the road hauling your toys, plus it keeps the stock feel and ride to the truck."

While it still is considered a great daily driver, Venz says you now have the power to race down a track or compete in a sled pull. Power was definitely not overlooked with this truck.

Extra Attention

Venz believes this combination is why the reception to 2011 Ford has been so positive.

"It's pretty cool seeing people taking pictures of the truck and getting their picture next to it as well," says Venz.

When the truck gets driven around town, he notices people leaning out their windows desperate just to get a picture of the truck. He also mentioned that when people see the custom paint job on the back, they love it.

For the paint job, they wanted something that incorporated their logo and products, but at the same time was different and unique. They went to Elite Customs with an idea and the finished result turned out to be amazing.

"They included our product so it looks like it is running between these fingers; like it's being ripped apart by a demon-looking guy," says Venz.

They finished off the design with a tribal look on the outside to fill more of the tailgate. In order to make it a flat tailgate, they cut out the indent for the old Ford logo and replaced it with a new piece to smooth out the middle.

"Overall the truck is tight," says Venz. "It just looks gorgeous."

And really, that's what they were going for with this build. They wanted to show that you can build a high-end truck without the show truck expense and still have it stand out in a crowd. We'd say that goal was accomplished.