Highboy Heaven: Robert Phillips’ Masterful Take on a Ford F-250 “Marilyn”

Robert Phillips’ Red-Headed ’74 Highboy

Dentside Ford Highboy fans are a breed apart, and Robert Phillips of Chino Valley, Arizona, is a proud member of this enthusiast group. He originally purchased this 1974 Ford F-250 crew cab pickup on eBay in a no-reserve auction back in 2013. The hammer struck at $14,000, and just after the auction ended, Robert packed his bags and happily made his way up to northern Idaho to collect the keys to his newly won prize. His plan was to simply drive it back home and enjoy it how it was.

 “ It was perfectly reliable from the start, and still was when I decided to tear it apart,” he comments about the major jumping point in his project.

 Obviously, it’s no surprise that Robert ripped into his truck, but he was truly content with the F-250 back when he first got it.

 “I drove it daily with a 460 4-speed manual transmission with no AC for 8 years,” he admits.

 Now, that’s really saying something because that combination doesn’t exactly make for an ideal driving situation—especially in Arizona. Eventually, Robert’s string of daydreams during that time about what his truck truly could be proved to be too much to keep as just fantasy. Once he collected enough parts and built up the nerve, Robert finally dismantled his cherished F-250, and it has never been the same since.

 The F-250’s factory suspension was something that Robert wished to alter drastically, but in order to achieve exactly what he wanted, the original frame wouldn’t be of much use.

 “It was apparent that I was going to have to change over to a 1978 4×4 frame instead, which I did for 3 reasons,” he states. “First, the steering box and overall steering design is way better. Second, the rear frame under the bed is 3 inches wider to accommodate the 38-gallon fuel tank. Lastly,  building on a different frame would allow me to create a new suspension/chassis system for it separately so I could still drive the truck.”

 The only modification made to the stock ’78 frame itself was a welded-on, custom front track bar mount. If Robert really wanted to, he could reverse the rest of the suspension components to take it back to factory condition, but that would never happen. He worked too hard to implement his grand vision of giving his F-250 the perfect stance without going too tall in ride height (even though it now sits 7 inches higher than its previous position). To get to this point, Robert installed front and rear 4-link kits, front Eibach springs and Fox Racing 2.5-inch adjustable coilovers tuned by Accutune in El Cajon, California, and Fox Racing rear 2×12-inch piggyback shocks and a Firestone full size air bag kit (not just helper bags) controlled by remote Ride-Rite function. The trick to dialing the altitude just right relied heavily on the custom front shock towers made by Hartland Fab in Raytown, Missouri, who also fabricated the center cradle that was based on Robert’s own design.

 Once the dust settled, the entire chassis and suspension components were sent off for powdercoating at Raw Customs in Chino Valley. Robert then measured everything out, and the front suspension reached 8 inches of travel, and the rear boasted a full 11 inches!

 “I was happy with how the new frame was looking”, Robert says about its progress. “To keep it going, I wanted to expand on a set of 16.5×9.75 Weld Super Singles wheels I got at a garage sale. I sent them to Weldcraft Wheels in Michigan to be customized to 14-inch widths. When they were done, VanBeelen Metal Polishing professionally sanded and polished the much wider wheels to get them ready for tires and mounting.”

 With a new chassis ready to rock, it was soon outfitted with a 44,000-mile engine and transmission pulled from a 2017 F-150 4×4.

 “The transfer case is from a 2009 or 2010 F-150 because those are the only years Ford offered a manual lever-shifted 4×4 T-case with low range that bolted to the 6R80 transmission,” Robert adds knowledgeably. “The engine and trans were a crate package from Mars Auto in Akron, Ohio. John Martin, owner and main tuner/guru, also custom made an engine wiring harness to swap over to a Mustang-style mass air control to work with the Roush supercharger, which was a major hurdle to make compatible with the Coyote engine. Anyway, we made it work, and Pat’s Performance in Grove, Texas tuned it to hit approximately 600 hp.”

 The next phase to be rolled out was whipping the F-250’s exterior into shape.

 “The truck had been pieced together in a previous restoration,” Robert mentions. “It appears only the cab, three doors, the hood, and one fender were original. The bed was from a 2WD truck and used to have a gooseneck hitch in it.”

 Once the restoration commenced, all the panels have been coated on the backside with Raptor Liner for adequate protection from the elements. The inside of the bed was covered in Raptor Liner to match the paint, which is Ford Performance Red from a 2000 Cobra R Mustang.

“I probably should have kept that part hidden,” Robert says jokingly.

 The remainder of the body is largely in factory condition—even the stock 1979 grille that he does get a lot of questions about.

King Ranch leather seats from a 2008 F-150 were lined up and installed to easily gain both comfort and style inside of the cab. The transplanted center console was customized as the front section was made from MDF and fiberglass to properly house the flush-mounted Kenwood stereo receiver and two JBL 6.5-inch speakers.

 “I had to buy a full hide of matching King Ranch leather so ICI Rides in Tempe could cover the dash, steering wheel and custom door panel inserts,” Robert says. “The truck didn’t have AC from the factory, but a Nostalgic Air climate system kit makes it look and function like it did. I found a factory AC dash panel off eBay and modified it to work with the Nostalgic system.”

 With the project completed after a solid year in the works, Robert can now relax and reflect on the process that featured numerous ups and downs along the way.

“This has been a dream truck for me since I was 15,” he says. “The only advice I could give to someone else working on something similar is to use a Mustang motor if using a supercharger system designed for a Mustang. Also, double the budget you think you’ll need to not be discouraged by additional costs as they pop up. Oh, and find a skilled welder to help. Cody Barenz of Prescott, who currently works at Delmo Speed as main fabricator, did so much for my truck. I honestly couldn’t have built it without him.”

 TRUCK Specs

 Owner

Robert Phillips
Chino Valley, AZ
1974 Ford F-250 Crew Cab

Chassis & Suspension

1978 Ford frame
150-inch wheelbase (factory 4×4 crew cab shortbed)
7 inches higher than ’74 Highboy
Front and rear 4-link (all arms welded by Cody Barenz)
Eibach front springs
Fox Racing front 2.5-inch adjustable coilovers tuned by Accutune, El Cajon, CA
Firestone rear air bags controlled by remote Ride-Rite
Fox Racing rear 2×12-inch piggyback shocks
Center cradle designed by owner, cut and built by Hartland Fab, Raytown, MO
Custom front shock towers
1979 F-250 4×4 steering box
Red-Head steering gears
BDS / dual Fox Racing stabilizer
Custom steering tie rod/drag link and air bag mounts
All suspension components powdercoated by Raw Customs, Chino Valley, AZ
38-gallon Bronco tank from LMC Truck

Wheels & Tires

16.5×14-inch Weld Racing Super Single wheels
Wheels custom widened 4 inches Weldcraft Wheels, Livonia, MI
35×15.5×16.5 Interco Super Swamper TSL SX tires
Power Stop drilled/slotted rotors front and rear
2020 Ford F-350 master cylinder
Hydroboost system by Battle Born Brakes, Vancouver, WA

Engine & drivetrain

2017 Ford 150 5.0L from Mars Parts, Akron, OH
Harness by John Martin @ Mars
Fat Fender Garage engine mounts, computer mount, throttle mount and heater adapter
Roush supercharger
Twin 340LPH Aeromotive fuel pumps
Exhaust welded by Cody Barenz
Stock manifolds, all stainless TIG welded 2.5-inch pipe
Borla mufflers
Billet oil pump gears
Mustang timing cover
Power By the Hour pulleys
Custom blower intake (welded aluminum by Cody Barenz)
Tune by Pat’s Performance and Tuning, Grove, TX
2017 Ford 6R80 transmission from Mars Parts
Shift cable from 2008 F-150 to adapt console shifter to 6R80
Derale trans cooler behind front bumper
BW 4409 transfer case from 2009 F-150
Custom adapter machined for front driveshaft and rear one-piece aluminum 4-inch driveshaft by The Machine Shop, Chino Valley, AZ
2008 F-350 front and rear axles

Body & Paint

Factory Ford paint color from 2000 Mustang Cobra R
Paint by Lee Avila @ Color Wheel Customs, Mesa, AZ
Vinyl pearl white graphics by owner
1979 Ford grille
FCK LED light bars and rock lights
Stock 1974 front bumper, rear vintage 1990s aftermarket bumper
Filled cab gas filler

Interior & Audio

2008 Ford F-150 King Ranch brown leather seats (last year of real leather)
Upholstery work by ICI Rides, Tempe, AZ
Dash, door panels, steering wheel, shifter wrapped to match seats w/ full Apex Leather cowhide
Dakota Digital VHX gauges
Forever Sharp steering wheel
Kenwood receiver
JBL speakers
Custom center console by Outlaw Upholstery, Chino Valley, AZ
Billet knobs by Meek’s Machine, TN
Stereo delete plate in dash w/ light switches by 3D Printed Ford Parts
Fat Fender Garage front seat mounts and interior light
Nostalgic Air A/C

Photo Credit: Devan Ence