You have already seen the Ford F-150 SuperCrew on the pages of Circle Track and Stock Car Racing Magazines as the Build-A-Truck. Now, we move into a new phase of calling it our Tough Tow Truck, because soon the SuperCrew will be joined by a Taurus that will be towed behind it.
The Taurus will undergo an evolution that will make it, like the truck, a street-driven race-themed vehicle. We will reveal more of that in upcoming issues, but for now let's take a look at what is being done to the truck and where the truck has been.
What We Are DoingFrom the last couple issues, you saw the truck undergo a basic change from its stock condition to a race look when the Roush performance package was added. That package lowered the truck some three inches and added a ground-effects front bumper cover. The suspension system and tuned shocks make the truck handle quite well, so from an operational standpoint, it is well on its way to being a Tough Tow Truck with a race theme.
As the progress continues on the truck, we will add a custom panel of race gauges. The gauges are from Point Zero and include oil temp, oil pressure, and water temp instruments. Having the gauges is one thing, but to install them in our truck is another. For expertise in creating special instrumentation panels, we turned to Hans deBot of deBotech.
Debotech specializes in carbon-fiber panel design; for our project a specialized panel will be created to house the gauges. Hans built a model from which a mold will be made to create the panel. He uses this process to fabricate even the most intricate panels. We will see more in future issues about how this is done, but for now the creation and design of the gauge panel is nearing completion.
In addition to the gauge panel, a graphic plan for the truck is taking shape, and our next issue will reveal its design. Along with the graphics, we will highlight other upcoming changes, so buckle up and stay with us as we take the F-150 SuperCrew and turn it into a street-driven, race-themed, Tough Tow Truck.
Where We've BeenAs the adventures of our Ford F-150 SuperCrew truck continue, the journey leads to Memphis, where it was on display for fans of the Craftsman Truck racing series. As you would expect, it was met with oohs and ahs. Our gleaming red truck stood as a beacon for truck lovers, and did it ever draw a crowd!
From there, the truck made its way to Charlotte, where thousands of race fans saw it on display for The Winston and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Hundreds climbed into the truck to check it out, and as you would expect, the truck has drawn nothing but raves.
Our next stop was the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. We joined the tour on its final leg at the Talledega Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. Car and truck lovers of all kinds participate in this tour, and we were not disappointed to find out that they loved our truck, too.
The final stop for this issue was the new Kentucky Speedway in Whitesville, Kentucky. The grand opening of the Kentucky Speedway hosted a sellout crowd for the Craftsman Truck Series, and again, thousands of people had the chance to see and touch the F-150 Tough Tow Truck. In addition, like everywhere the truck has been, fans who saw the truck went on their way saying, "Wow-what a truck!"
ManufacturersPoint ZeroDept. CT1044 Pearl Pentecost Rd.Winder, GA 30680770/867-9500
DebotechDept. CT1021104 Crealock Pl.Cornelius, NC 28031704.895.1907debotech@yahoo.com