Phat Phabz’s ’17 Ford F-350 Takes Center Stage

You’ve seen this truck before, maybe once or twice since it underwent its full-color change to its radiant red paint and interior. But before that happened, this 2017 F-350 has lived a whole other lifetime.

The Ford was once owned by Matt Holden—a well-known name in the custom game as he works alongside Jake McKiddie of Phat Phabz out in Choctaw, Oklahoma. Together, the guys built the truck to debut at the SEMA ’17 event and gained a lot of attention during the process. Back then, it was a shimmering blue color with killer painted graphics on each side. After a few years of enjoying this fully customized showpiece after its grand Vegas debut, Matt reached the point of looking to unload the F-350 so he could move on to his next project. Luckily for him, Jake was there with one hand full of cash and the other ready to snatch the keys.

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While its condition was pretty clean in an OEM kind of way, it didn’t stand a chance in making the same lasting impact as it does now.

COLOR WHEEL

Before the name on the title was officially changed, Jake already had an idea of what he wanted to do with his F-350. After driving it around to a few big shows across the country, including Scrapin’ the Coast, Slamboree and Camp-N-Drag, along with a few trips to the lake with his family, he began the process of changing the entire color of the truck from blue to red.

Why would anyone want to buff out a full custom paintjob, you may ask? Well, according to Jake, he simply prefers red over blue. He also knows that Matt prefers blue over red, so aside from getting to put his own spin on his new truck purchase, Jake would get to deliver a friendly, colorful jab to his good friend and business partner. You can just tell these guys have a blast working with one another.

the entire truck was sanded down and sprayed with red toner to get Jake’s ideal color just right.

To start the color change process, Jake and his pal, Opie, began stripping the interior so all the components could be sent to Mike Cotter in Texas. Mike planned on dying the dash, paneling, and everything else that Jake wanted to see in red. The interior space in the F-350 was mostly stock before, so the in-cab palette was largely dark gray and silver.

While its condition was pretty clean in an OEM kind of way, it didn’t stand a chance in making the same lasting impact as it does now. To add more red inside the cab, Curt Enoch of Curt’s Creations in Midwest City, Oklahoma, installed new carpet and headliner, as well as recovered the seats with fresh Katskin leather kits that match the rest of the interior perfectly.

The next item on the agenda was to get cracking on repainting the exterior. To get this done, Jake reached out to Mikey Johnson of Downtown Auto Body in Shawnee, Oklahoma. There, the entire truck was sanded down and sprayed with red toner to get Jake’s ideal color just right.

The overall demeanor of the truck is drastically different from what it was when Matt owned it, as it appears more vibrant and most definitely stands out from the crowd. While a lot of work and attention to detail was invested to switch up the exterior by repainting every single nook and cranny, it was the only rational move to make in order for Jake to fully start claiming the Ford as his own.

MORE CUSTOMIZATIONS

While the F-350 has also been recently treated to a shiny set of 26-inch American Force “Holes” wheels, a one-off rear roll pan fabricated by Kyle Dimetroff, along with upgraded 16-inch Wilwood rotors, and 6-piston TX6R calipers on each corner, there’s a lot left from the previous version of this past SEMA truck intact.

The same custom chassis that the Phat Phabz crew built for the truck’s first iteration still lurks beneath the Ford. The one-off frame was fabricated with 2×4-foot/1.88-inch-wall tubing and features double rails underneath the cab, which makes it absolutely bulletproof. The truck was purposefully designed that way to not only cruise as low as possible, but to also be capable of hauling and towing heavy loads with ease while doing so.

While it may have been hard for some to wrap their heads around cutting up a brand new F-350 back when the guys built first built the truck for SEMA in 2017, an equal number of folks may now be scratching their heads figuring out why someone would alter an already amazing custom truck to the degree Jake has done.

In this business, extreme measures must be taken, and there is no reward to be had without taking an equal-size risk. Jake has zero qualms or regrets committing to such a big endeavor. And for those doubting the magnitude of what has gone into “simply” changing the paint and interior space, the undertaking was massive—and the final result is nothing short of impressive.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The main objective at the forefront of this project has always been to create an absolutely stellar F-350 that can be driven and put to work daily while still being able to clean up and show on the weekends. The gooseneck in the bed and the hide-a-hitch behind the roll pan are clear indicators that Jake and the Phat Phabz crew stand behind the structural integrity of their frame fabrication nearly five years after its fabrication.

On the other hand, the top-shelf custom touches made throughout the truck’s reinvention displays their intention to build nothing but the highest pedigree of street truck imaginable. This is nothing new—it’s just the Phat Phabz way.