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INTRODUCING: SMOKIN’ SS – Part 1

April 9, 2024

Working-Class Heroes: The Best Pickups at Goodguys 2025

Let’s be honest—there was a time when trucks were the stuff you parked behind the show field, used to haul parts, or maybe pulled your “real” hot rod to the event. What once might have been considered second-tier to muscle cars and traditional hot rods is now front and center, with classic pickups, slammed cruisers, high-horsepower haulers, and fully reimagined showstoppers filling the Ohio Expo Center grounds.

TWO WORLDS CONVERGE

Nick Barron is no stranger to building fine performance vehicles. For more than 40 years, he has been the catalyst in handcrafting some of the finest performance machines around, a clockwork of components powered by nasty big-block Chevy engines and outfitted with the finest in custom appointments. The results of his handiwork have been seen racing on the quarter-mile and in other tortuous events. His vehicles have received many recognized awards for product innovation and consumer excellence. With a reputation for quality workmanship, performance, speed and superior handling, the success of Hallett Boats can be attributed directly to Barron. The boats Hallett has produced over the last four decades have afforded him the opportunity to involve himself in a number of new, exciting adventures. Barron is not only the owner of this new, beautiful Jerry Kugel-created full-fendered ’32 Muroc II roadster, he is also the owner of and innovator behind Hallett Boats, a high-end custom performance boat manufacturer located in Southern California.

HISTORY RECOVERED

Having already gathered a number of special Fords in his collection, Tennessee’s Kayo Erwin was more than pleased when he first located a ’63 Ford Galaxie lightweight. It was in relatively good condition and certainly ready for a complete restoration, although not all was as it seemed. What Erwin didn’t realize was that beneath the numerous layers of paint were the remnants of true history, and if not for the vision of Erwin’s wife, Brenda, the dramatic finding could have been wiped away forever. Ready to chemically strip the body of its outer layers, Brenda’s concern over what might be hidden beneath led Erwin’s restoration team to take a more involved path that would eventually uncover a truly amazing discovery. Slowly but surely, with each pass of the dual-action sander, a little more evidence came to light, first with one word, then another, and then three words that would prove to be very informative: “South Bend, Indiana.”

Spotlighter

Super-High Super Duty

Selecting a Superlift kit for big-meat clearance and ride quality

Tall lift kits used to mean a rough ride. Times have changed—the suspension aftermarket has figured out how to accommodate huge meats without inflicting permanent kidney damage on the driver and passengers. Computer-modeling and other engineering advancements prioritize ride quality into the suspension design. Spring packs with more, thinner leafs is an example of how tall-truck suspension philosophy has evolved.

Author

Tom Morr

Photos by Tom Morr & Brian Cox

The Super Duty as a Prime Candidate for Lifting

Newer Ford Super Dutys are prime candidates for serious lifting. Stock, they look somewhat rugged and industrial-strength, but raising them up and slapping on aggressive rubber makes Super Dutys truly outstanding.

Installing the Superide Select 8” Kit on a 2001 F-250 4×4

To demonstrate that the competent do-it-yourselfer can still add a tall lift to a late-model truck, this article shows highlights of Superlift’s Superide Select 8” kit going on a 2001 F-250 4×4. (The system shown here fits leaf-sprung 1999-2004 F250/F350 4x4s.)

Features of the Superlift Super Duty Kits

The Superlift Super Duty kits offer several premium aspects. As mentioned already, ride quality is addressed with more, thinner leaves per pack: 9 or 10 in front (depending on lift level) compared to some other manufacturers’ 5 or 6.

Available Kit Sizes and Benefits

2” – fits 34” tires: This kit includes replacement front springs and U-bolts, a heavy-duty track-bar bracket, and front bumpstop lowering brackets.
4″ – fits 35” tires: Includes the 2” kit’s bracketry with taller front springs, longer front anti-sway bar links, and rear add-a-leafs.
6″ – fits 36” tires: Above components but taller front springs and a dropped pitman arm; rear leveling combines 2.5″ rear lift blocks with add-a-leafs or optional replacement Superide Select springs.
8″ – fits 38” tires: Builds on the 6″ kit by adding rear bump-stop drop brackets, front brake-hose relocation hardware, and either 4″ rear blocks for use with add-a-leafs or replacement Superide springs (shown here).
10″ – fits 40” tires: Adds new leafpacks at each corner with 2″ rear blocks for leveling; includes replacement front spring hangers, Bulletproof braided-steel brake hoses, an adjustable front track bar, extended front and rear swaybar links, and a rear-shock crossmember mount that has tabs for running optional dual shocks.

Optional Upgrades for Superlift Kits

All complete systems come standard with Superlift’s Superide shocks: gas-charged fronts and hydraulic rears. For this job, we upgraded to Superlift Select Series (SS) monotube shocks (Bilstein 5100s).

Additional Superlift Upgrades for Performance and Style

We also opted for a few other Superlift upgrades. First, dual front shocks mounts and dual steering stabilizers really optimize ride and handling.

Professional Installation and Final Adjustments

Superlift recommends that these Super Duty kits be professionally installed. However, they’re straightforward compared to many IFS kits, so we relied on Richard Kale and Alfredo Valadez at Off Road Unlimited (ORU) to give curious do-it-yourselfers an idea of what’s involved.

Results: A Super Duty Ready for the Road and the Trails

A day at ORU accomplished the mission. Now the daily-driven truck rides on 37” Cepek Fun-Countrys, and the 8” Superide Select springs (backed by multiple SS shocks) are softer and more compliant than the ride from the previous 6” springs.