Double XX Designs: Crafting a Custom SEMA Truck from the Ground Up

When Maxx Metcalfe with Double XX Designs from Cave Creek Arizona wants to build a SEMA bound truck he doesn’t mess around.

Maxx decided he was all in and went for a full frame-off custom build. He purchased a used 2002 7.3 Power-stroke truck which was a great base to start his build. The entire truck was then taken completely apart and after a relentless search he found a 2008 Ford F250 donor truck. He grabbed the frame, and axles and a few other suspension components from that truck and began prepping them and began to build his one-off custom suspension.

Maxx went to work right away designing his custom suspension on CAD and after many hours of measuring and designing and re-measuring and re-designing his ideas were coming to life. Now it was time to start up the waterjet and start cutting. Here comes the nervous part. Would Maxx’s measurements be correct? I have known Maxx for over a decade, of course his measurements are right!!

He fired up the waterjet and began cutting his parts out of steel. Here comes the exciting part. Maxx wanted all the suspension brackets to be welded to the frame and axles, NO bolt on suspension here on this build. A true SEMA build would require Maxx to think outside of the box in every aspect of his build. The detail work and parts he created are second to none. He then started the long haul of 50+ hours of nothing but welding.

He made locations for the HUGE Firestone airbags that would give him over 11” of travel. He demanded the best ride quality possible and didn’t stop there. He also added mounting points for the King reservoir shocks on all four corners.

After countless hours of meticulous welding the frame, axles, and all suspension components were ready to be sent out to be powder coated. What color would Maxx go with? He had to pick a color to make his truck stand out from all the other SEMA builds. He knew that he wanted the exterior color to be a FORD color called Silver Metallic, so what contrasting color would he pick? It’s very clear in the photos that he went with a 3stage color called Prismatic Booty Blue. I think these to colors married together look absolutely fantastic! What a GREAT choice!

TIME TO PUT THIS MASTERPIECE BACK TOGETHER!

After getting everything back from several local shops and vendors it was time to start the re-assembly. I personally, would be extremely nervous at this point. Was Maxx nervous? Not even a little bit.

With the truck being torn down for several months he jumped in with Double the XXcitement by grabbing the freshly powder coated frame, 4 links and other custom suspension parts like the Currie johnny joints and started on his road to SEMA. Finally, Maxx’s ideas were becoming a reality.

He went with these Currie joints so there would be no suspension creaks and the steering has the hydraulic assist so turning these HUGE High Polished 24×16 Fuel Wheels with 42×15.50 Atturo Trail Blade Boss tires would not become a daunting task.

The Air Ride suspension components went in next which is controlled by a full Ride-tech air system that monitors both pressure and actual suspension height with 3 presets. Just imagine 11” inches of travel from each corner that can be adjusted with a fingers touch.

All of the airlines are braided stainless steel with aluminum AN fitting’s to guarantee a leak free system. Nobody likes leaks!

Maxx also went with the 10-gallon aluminum air tanks with 2 Viair compressors and let’s not forget the required train horn for a monster like this. Maxx needs to make sure other smaller trucks move out of his way.

Exterior

Maxx converted the 2002 frontend to a fresh 2016 style with new style led headlights with the internals painted to match. He reskinned the tailgate to have the clean shaved look and added electronic poppers and deleted the factory hinges and used ram assist so that it opens and shuts with ease. He added the Bodyguard bumpers front and rear powder-coated and paint matched, loaded with all Rigid lights and lets not forget the almost 20 LED rock lights controlled by a Switch-Pros panel to light this thing up and night… and of course the obvious and tasteful CAD designed grille with the custom Double XX logo. All the exterior trim and plastics have been paint-matched including the taillights.

Interior

The interior was next, and it also needed the custom touches. Maxx wanted to keep the interior of this custom build classy, so he went with the new Roadwire leather seats combo with the soft gray tones with black inserts with a blue diamond-stitching. He also installed new carpet and to tie it all together added suede to the headliner. Sometime less is more and I think Maxx pulled that off tastefully.

Audio

Maxx had to go all out with the audio and video. If he was going to SEMA to be seen he also wanted to be heard. He added a huge stereo system with custom door pods, kick panel speaker pods, center console with 3 13” JL W3 subs that down fire, Pioneer touchscreen with 360 camera modules to see birds eye view of truck while driving, with JL amplifiers under the rear seat. With this set up everyone would hear his truck.

Performance

While Maxx was in the beginning stages of the chassis, he felt it was time to start the engine rebuild. He obviously needed to upgrade the engine and performance to match the rest of his build. He didn’t hold back on that either. He added 450+ horsepower with bigger split shot injectors, forged rods, brand new wiring harness, adrenalin HPOP with new lines, fuel bowl delete with regulated fuel return, GT38R ceramic ball-bearing turbo, Airdog fuel pump/filter with tank sump. Transmission is an ATS that has been completely gone through as well with billet internals and of course all these components had to be color matched.

So, now with the SEMA CRUNCH (all truck guys know what that means) quickly approaching this is where all of Maxx’s ideas, designs and hard work pays off. The final assembly was looking amazing as he finished the final details. What a great feeling of accomplishment Maxx has while installing the high polished Fuel wheel and tightens the lugs for its first test drive as a completed truck. He finally installed all his custom overlays onto the bright blue chassis made from 1/8 high polished aluminum. He also added the Royal tow hooks to the front bumper which is a great touch to this serious and aggressive frontend. Maxx was confident that his truck would stand out among the others.

After a few successful, test drives it was time to detail every inch of this truck and get it ready to by on display in the Atturo Tire booth at SEMA. The entire truck top to bottom has been polished and ceramic coated including the chassis and fender wells.

One interesting fact that I learned while writing this article is that most trucks are built with sponsorships from multiple companies and even though that in, itself is a way to establish great partnerships, the sponsors Maxx has came to him and offered support during his build cycle. This speaks volumes to Maxx’s ability and attention to detail. I have seen this build up close and in person and all I can say is “UNBELIVEBALE”. Job well done Maxx and I know that the SEMA crowds loved it.

In recent months I heard that the ownership of this masterpiece has been transferred to a proud new owner. I also heard that Maxx has another killer truck in the works. I can only imagine what he is thinking now and can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Can he really build a truck with more detail than this one? Will he keep it classy? I will keep an eye out and stay close. Perhaps I can get some eye-spy pics of what he is working on.

Either way I will let you know what I find out. One thing I do know about Maxx is he won’t be stopped!!