A Steelroad Rod And Custom 1973 Ford F250 Build

When it comes to rust removal and custom paint, Steelroad Rod & Custom is always high on any local guys list as a go-to shop. A good example is Neil Edmondson, who was sitting with a 1973 Ford F250. Although a lot of work had been done to it in the past, it was unfortunately in pieces.

Owners Name and Surname: Neil Edmondson

Builders Name and/or Shop name: Steelroad Rods & Customs

Photos By Jan van der Walt

Neil Edmondson wanted a big truck to pull his boat after his Ford Ranger almost ended up floating next to his boat. Niel wanted something big that would stand out. Well, you dont get much bigger than an F250 with a lift kit.

Soon parts started arriving at Steelroad. This includedthe cab, four doors to repair at best, a few bonnets, a valance, fenders and a load bin without a tailgate. Everything was covered in dents and rust.

Willies team went to work on it and soon all the rust was cut out and replaced with brand new metal. All bodywork and mock-ups were done on a shop trolley as the chassis was done elsewhere.

The bonnet was so bad that Willie had to cut three different bonnets to make one good one. Niel selected the colour from a current build in the shop and Willie worked his magic on the paint. Once everything was done, the body panels were shipped back to Niel for assembly.

A few months went by and all of a sudden a Rollback arrived with the F250 on the back, this time with the chassis and motor in tow. Things didnt go well at the assembly shop and Niel needed to get the F250 done. Unfortunately, the already painted body parts took a lot of damage and had to be fixed as well.

The chassis was completely stripped and sandblasted by Combination Coatings. Steelroad had to modify the shock mounts to fit new shocks that would match the lift that was already installed. The pitmans arm was refurbished and a new 44 linkage was fabricated. New fuel and brake lines were then installed and the rear brakes were refurbished. New bushing was done by Syds Suspension Specials. The ratio was also adjusted.

The F250 came with a Ford V8 351 Winsor with an original 4-speed box. Niel rebuilt the motor himself and added a bunch of new parts. This included stainless steel headers, a Holley four-barrel cab, a Dress up kit, and MSD dizzy and coils. A new fabricated stainless performance exhaust was fabricated by Wimpie at Steelroad. The material was supplied by Jacksons distribution. Also, the petrol tank was relined by Villieria Radiators in Pretoria.

A new wire harness was imported from LMC Trucks along with a billet grille, new front and rear bumpers, and also headlights and tail lights to name but a few.

When it came to the tailgate, Niel wanted something different. He imported the tailgate from a new F150 and Steelroad fabricated it onto the back of his F250.

Furthermore, a new Air Con unit, central locking and electric windows were installed. Steelroad also fabricated a new billet gauge cluster. Finally, the F250 was repainted and finished off with 10 coats of clear to allow a mirror finish, once polished.

The end result is amazing, especially with the Micky Thomason wheels and tires that he got with the truck.

The truck may look finished. However, Niel still has a lot of plans for the future.

A sway bar needs to be added to stiffen the suspension, as well as disc brakes on the back, to allow even better braking. This is mainly because this F250 will be getting a 408 Eagle stroker motor that Neil is currently building. It will be with a 5-speed Toyota D4D gearbox. The bell housing is from Gill Engineering.

Niel wants to express his gratitude to the team at Steelroad Rod and Custom for once again doing awesome work.