Father-Son Diesel Duo: Building Bonds and Powerful Ford Trucks

It’s always a father’s dream to be involved with his son in a special project that involves lots of bonding and mutual enjoyment. It just so happened that Jim Tobin and his son Nick—both from Las Vegas, Nevada—were able to bond over their Ford diesel trucks. Nick was first on the diesel bandwagon after he took a ride in a neighbor’s diesel truck. Nick promptly fell in love with the torque, power and sound of the diesel, and soon got his father interested.

While Nick likes to run the dyno and make power, his F-350 is at stock height and generally unmolested overall. On the other hand, Jim decided he wanted a taller truck that has some additional capability off the pavement, but he isn’t into spinning the rollers to check power output on the dyno.

Method 17x9.5 polished aluminum wheels were encased with a Toyo 37-13.5 Mud Terrain tires. — Method 17×9.5 polished aluminum wheels were encased with a Toyo 37-13.5 Mud Terrain tires.

Both Nick and his dad have been sharing their passion for diesel rigs since Nick’s first ride in an oil burner. They’ve enjoyed the passion together and vow to never give up the fun or the family bonding they’ve discovered behind the wheels of their respective rigs.

Subscribe Our Weekly Newsletter

A Rigid 20-inch LED light bar was installed inside the bumper for better night vision.

JIM’S FORD

Jim Tobin’s 2012 Ford F-250 received a Carli Suspension lift up front using King 2.5 coil-over double-bypass gas shocks. The rear suspension was raised by installing a pair of the same King gas shocks along with Deaver Add-A-Pack leaf springs. A Carli rear differential cover replaced the factory cover for better cooling and appearance.

To achieve an aggressive spinning style, Jim had a set of Method Double Standard polished aluminum 17×9.5 wheels wrapped with Toyo 37-13.5 Mud Terrain rubber.

Among the upgrades are the air horns, compressor and the air tank (seen here). Besides sounding the horns, this tank will be rigged in the future, as an air source for other needs too.

Under the hood we discovered a bone-stock 2012 Ford 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine. When your diesel runs as good as this one, and is under warranty, tinkering can wait until later.

For better night vision, a Rigid 20-inch LED light bar was installed inside the front bumper. A pair of AMP Research remote Power Steps was installed for easier access in and out of the cab. Jim had a pair of 10-inch subwoofers installed behind the back seat to accomplish a deeper audio base and bump. To be heard above the din, a powerful air train horn was installed underneath on the frame rail.

A pair of AMP Research Power Steps was installed for easier cab access. These steps fold down when the doors are open and fold closed when the doors close. Here you see the third option: parked down for cleaning the roof or getting gear out of a roof rack.

The front suspension was lifted and also firmed up with a pair of King 2.5 coil-over double-bypass gas shocks. Carli Suspension was the source for this tuned setup.

Out back, the factory suspension was beefed up with the addition of Deaver leaf springs and double-bypass gas-filled shocks that complement the front shocks.

Lifting the hood exposes the 2008 Ford 6.4 Liter Power Stroke diesel engine. This mostly stock engine cranked out 576 horsepower on the dyno at the Las Vegas Diesel Dyno Days event.

NICK’S FORD

Nick Tobin’s 2008 Ford King Ranch F-350 was left mostly stock as of our photo session. The only engine modifications at that time were an S&B cold air intake and an MBRP exhaust tip. An H&S Performance Mini Maxx tuner was installed to improve torque, power and shift points among many other features. Nick took home a trophy from the Las Vegas Diesel Dyno Days event that he attended with his dad. Nick won for most horsepower in his class at 576 hp.

An H&S Performance Mini Maxx tuner was installed in the dash above the A/C duct.

An S&B Cold air Intake system was installed to help improve the engine’s breathing.

The factory 20x9 aluminum wheels were consumed with a set of BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain T/A tires. — The factory 20×9 aluminum wheels were consumed with a set of BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain T/A tires.

As with his dad’s Ford, Nick also installed an air system and air storage tank.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Raising children is a lifetime commitment for a parent. Your author, Bob Ryder, and his wife, have raised two sons and are still heavily involved in their lives, 34 and 31 years after they came into this world. Like the Tobins, the Ryders have many fond automotive-based memories and many more to build together. DW