From Simple to SEMA: Erika Vanadia’s Epic 1997 Ford F-250 Transformation

Erika Vanadia’s 1997 Ford F-250

Most of us know how it feels to look back at a truck and realize we’re in just a little too deep. For Mark Vanadia of Big Time Kustomz in Randolph, New Jersey, what started out as a simple, daily drivable build for his wife to take their kids to shows almost overnight turned into a frame-off SEMA build that retained its drivability while looking absolutely immaculate.

 Now, Mark is no stranger to modifying trucks, so when his wife expressed a desire for an older Ford truck for herself, he immediately started the search for the perfect one. There was only one caveat: It couldn’t be a longbed because, she said, “They are too long!” And soon, there was a 1997 Ford F-250 in the driveway ready for the straightforward build Mark and his wife planned.

The original plan was to create something that was nice to drive and looked great: ’05+ axle and steering swap, 4×4 conversion, 4-inch lift, and 35’s with some Weld’s—a build that everybody can agree would look phenomenal and be period correct! With that goal in mind, Mark reached out to Trevor at PMF Suspensions to get the lift going. Trevor realized this would be a great chance to expand his company’s OBS product line, so he decided to come up with kit that included coil buckets, rear trac bars, sway bar brackets, and, of course, the lift itself.

With the lift being sorted, the next few steps were to get the truck to Madsen Restoration and Motorsports for bodywork plus repainting the whole truck, and then seal the frame at Mark’s shop. It all changed once the rendering of the truck fell into the hands of Mark and Trevor. Trevor offered them the opportunity to take the truck to SEMA and place it in the PMF booth! Once they accepted, they flipped the plan on its head; a full frame off with myriad mods were to be done for SEMA 2023. With loving approval from his wife at every step of the way—she picked out all of the colors and gave final approval on all cosmetic aspects—the dream build began.

The team at Big Time Kustomz focused on making this a truck that could be loved and appreciated by both the old school enthusiasts as well as the new kids on the block. To our eyes, they smashed that goal and gave us a truck that is a testament to their skillsets and attention to detail.

 The motor was dressed up in-house with XDP valve springs, pushrods, and head studs, an S&B cold air intake, Irate E-fuel system, Marty’s Pre-Pump kit, Turbo Time stage 1 turbo, Banks intercooler, and Jeli-Built tuning, with a 4-inch MBRP exhaust kit, just to name a handful of the mods—but there are more! A stage 1 4R100 took place of the stock E40D transmission, paired with a Goerend converter and a modified pump, thanks to Warren Diesel Shop. Mark took the front and rear drive axels from a 2008 F350 and swapped those in, along with an aluminum rear drive shaft.

As far as suspension goes, the team at PMF created a 10-inch coilover kit that turned out beautifully. It has King shocks all throughout with a PMF stabilizer to guarantee a smooth and controlled ride. The truck is sitting on 40-inch Interco Super Swamper Boggers with 17×14 Weld Mountain Crushers and a huge SSBC brake kit nestled inside. Believe it or not, the truck has full steering lock and doesn’t rub at all. No issues cruising this down the road to speak of! You can clearly see from our photoshoot in the lakebed just after SEMA 2023 that the suspension and entire underside are immaculate. Despite the environment, it was flawless. And I know that you know what the underside of your grandpa’s OBS looks like!

One of our favorite things on the underside was that everything had its place. There was nothing out of line, no frayed wires, no gunked up connectors, not even the slightest speck of oil on anything. That was one thing Mark and his team strived for; the truck had to be spotless. They also wanted everything to be placed with purpose. They shortened wires, they tucked where needed, and they touched every single nut and bolt.

The interior was upgraded with 2008 Super Duty powered seats using OBS Solutions brackets, custom door panels, dash and trim by OBS Solutions, billet handles, LED lights, and door panel bracket by Complete Performance. It has a super clean black interior with a subtle light aqua accent to match the suspension.

All the hard work came together once the truck and team were all set up in the PMF booth at SEMA 2023. The truck outshined everything around it all week, proving that the team at Big Time Kustomz are more than capable of building a top-of-the-line truck themselves. Mark said he cannot appreciate his team enough for believing in his vision and working tirelessly to deliver on that vision. The easiest part of it all? Trailering it home when he first got it! The biggest problem they ran into was figuring out how to ensure all of the wiring was clean and not sloppy, and they solved that by taking their time and redoing things over and over until they were all happy with it.

We just saw this thing at Carlisle Truck Nationals 2024, and it is still just as beautiful as we remember it. If you have the chance to get out to one of the big diesel-based shows, there is a good chance you will run into the Big Time Kustomz crew and their OBS!

TRUCK Specs

1997 Ford F-250

Engine   

1996 7.3 powerstroke
XDP Valve Springs
XDP pushrods
XDP headstuds
XDP starter
XDP alternator
XDP battery cable kit
XDP radiator
XDP oil cooler
Diesel Site front cover
CNC fab NPOP lines
S&B Cold air intake
Irate E-fuel system
Marty’s Pre-Pump Kit
Turbo Time USA Stage 1 turbo
Banks intercooler
Jeli-built tuning
Transmission
4R100 Stage 1
Goerend Converter
Modified Pump
Diesel Site Cooler
3.73 gears

Photo Credit: Mach1Media