FREE SUBSCRIPTION: This is becoming our favorite section. Real trucks, purpose-built on a paycheck budget. If you’d like to submit your truck for our Truck Next Door section, send your name, hometown and state and a description of your truck, along with a high-resolution photo, to trucks@dieseltechmag.com.
Remember, if your truck is published, you get a free one-year subscription to Diesel Tech.
Andrew Mintha
Bancroft, Ontario
I work construction and find myself all over Ontario, so I knew I was going to need a reliable truck to do the job. My 2006 F-350 6.0L Power Stroke was exactly what I was looking for. It’s also my daily driver, but I needed to make sure it was going to be up to the task and work as hard as I do.
First off I had to get a little lift, so I put in an 8-inch Rough Country lift and added 20-inch RBP 93R rims and 37-inch Pro-Comp X-treme A/T tires. I wanted to make sure I had power to do my job, so I added some ARP head studs, a K&N intake and a Sinister Diesel Bulletproof EGR cooler.
I figured that if this was going to be my daily driver, I wanted it to look good outside of work, too. I put on a Fabtech bumper, a Paramount restyling grill, Harley blacked out headlights with HIDs and recon tail lights. I liked the way that the truck looked and it was definitely starting to turn heads. There are a lot of other things that I have in store for my ‘06 F-350 and I’m sure when I can catch a break from my work, I’ll start checking things off the list.
Justin Wright
Montezuma, Kan.
My 2007 GMC Sierra 2500HD Classic also happens to be my first diesel. I live in an area flooded with Dodge trucks, but I didn’t want to succumb to the peer pressure and fit into the crowd. The first thing I went after was a leveling kit, followed by a custom exhaust upgrade. I wasn’t really enjoying that, so soon after I did another custom exhaust. Then I threw in a 6-inch RC lift and new 35-inch Mickey Thompson ATZs on 16-inch Helo 791 rims. Shortly after that I went after some performance with an S&B intake. Not seeing the power that I wanted out of that, I added a TransGo Jr kit and beefed up my turbo.
I was beginning to like the power that I was getting, but I wanted to see some work done inside. I added a new set of pillar gauges and—feeling the need to get some good sound—I installed a Pioneer DVD/navigation system and hooked that up to a 1000-watt Probox. I just managed to get my 2500 paid off this month so the real fun is just beginning. By fun stuff I mean the fast stuff. As a trucking dad, I don’t always get the extra cash to do everything that I want, but where I’m sitting now, I get 25 MPG. The upgrades are in the near future, but 25 miles a gallon on the highway is pretty good for a daily driver. With the prices of diesel continuing to climb, getting some extra mileage always puts a smile on my face.
Daniel Garvin
Snohomish, Wash.
I originally started working on my 2002 Dodge 2500 Cummins to tow some of my toys around the Northwest, but after I got my first taste of power from sled pulling and drag racing, I got hooked and the upgrades kept coming. At first, as a daily driver, I did some interior work with some custom Cummins embroidery and an Okole seat cover kit.
I worked in a Hamilton Billet 188/220 camshaft, Industrial Injection valve springs with titanium retainers, a set of Dynomite Diesel 250hp injectors, a FASS Titanium 150 pump, an S&B intake, South Bend Clutch 3250 Dual Disc and a whole lot more. I realized that I was going to have to have the suspension to match up with all of the power that I was putting into the truck, so I put in 6-inch BDS coils, Extreme-Articulation Severe Duty adjustable control arms, track bar and Extreme-Articulation sway bar extensions, transfer case clocking ring and rear leaf kit. There was a great deal more that I added to help keep my truck strong for the sled pulling and drag racing I do. Truck building is my passion 24/7, and I don’t see my love for it going away anytime soon.
