Mike Dillehay has built a...
Mike Dillehay has built a lot of nice trucks in his time. This ’08 Ford is certainly at the top of the list.
The usual definition of a sleeper car (or truck) is a vehicle with an unassuming appearance and neck-snapping performance. Well, Mike Dillehay’s ’08 Ford is certainly not unassuming, as the lowered truck runs on 20-inch BMF Novakane Death Metal black wheels and 33-inch Mickey Thompson ATZ tires, but it will snap your head back when he mashes the accelerator, as the truck puts out more than 600 hp and more than 1,200 lb-ft of torque.
It’s no accident the truck turned out this way. Mike is a very meticulous and calculating guy. He planned every step of this build, and it turned out exactly as he intended from the beginning. After having lots of lifted trucks, Mike decided to go the other direction for a change of pace. The crew cab shortbed truck is four-wheel drive and runs the International 6.4L diesel engine. A nice complement of speed parts adorns the truck, starting with an S&B intake system and ending with a MagnaFlow exhaust. In between is some pretty heavy stuff.
This is where all the magic resides. Plenty of speed parts, all tuned to perfection. The best quarter-mile time the truck has run is 12.52 seconds at 107 mph (and that was with a weight of 8,300 pounds, including the driver). The highest dyno test (running on diesel only) was 636 hp and 1,232 lb-ft of torque. The truck is absolutely smoke-free on the street.
Both bumpers were painted...
Both bumpers were painted to match the factory paint.
The high-power twin turbos are from Elite Diesel. No Limit Fabrication provided the intake elbow and cold side pipe to tie it all together. Elite Diesel parts were used throughout the burly engine, including pushrods, valves, a Stage 1 cam, wastegate, LPFP distribution block, and more. And when we say more, we mean things like a complete HD billet transmission from Elite Diesel. Said tranny has a Sun Coast converter in it. Innovative Diesel Tuning helped make everything work together. Mike runs a 3.55 axle ratio.
The truck runs on Firestone Ride-Rite airbags with a Viair system onboard to always ensure plenty of air pressure. An AirDog 165-gph air/water low-pressure fuel system combines with a 50-gallon stock replacement tank from Transfer Flow to supply fuel to the engine.
Billet grilles from Carriage...
Billet grilles from Carriage Works snazz up the front of the truck pretty nicely.
The twin turbos have already...
The twin turbos have already been added since our photo shoot. The truck is now a triple-turbo terror.
A Spearco intercooler keeps...
A Spearco intercooler keeps the intake charge cool.