DIGI-TALL-HUSTLE

Words: Fuelish Media

Photos: Brian McGee

We are living in a different age as the fabric we live by is changing rapidly. It’s happening so fast that there is a clear difference between generations. Though the digital age might seem as if it’s been here forever, it’s still in its infancy. To older folks this is nothing to take seriously. It’s all Millennials know and they are using these new tools as a means to live by. The digital era can have a large influence on the world and make all the difference in your personal life.

Cade Smith is living proof of this, as he was able to fund the entire build of this 2017 F-250 by working his Instagram account very strategically. It may sound like a fairy tale, but it’s the complete truth. This type of success on a digital platform doesn’t come overnight and takes a lot of work. Just about everyone is on Instagram, but most use it for entertainment purposes while others like Cade dedicate numerous hours each day to build a page for the sake of gaining a large audience.

So how does one go about generating a large footprint in the digital space? Well, Cade’s story began when he was 14 and launched his page, @dieseltrucking just for fun. Determined to build it up, he plugged away while gaining big numbers. After getting about 120K followers, Cade had to ask his parents to start a PayPal account in order for him to accept payment from those wanting to advertise on his page. Fast forward a few years and Cade’s page now has over 1,000,000 followers. With big numbers, he is able to bring in a steady cash flow with his work on social media.

Cade was previously not big on custom trucks and had no one influencing him when he started his venture. Once things got serious, he had offers for sponsorships and figured he might as well help his partners by building trucks. This doesn’t mean these truck builds were free; there are always costs involved when taking on a project like this.

The F-250 is Cade’s fourth truck and was his first SEMA build. With a rendering from Keg Media on hand, the truck was taken to Brian’s Motorsports (BMS) for the Kelderman lift to fit the 24×16 Specialty Forged wheels with 40” Toyo Open Country M/T tires. The truck also features Fusion bumpers, a custom Gravel Empire grille, Royal Hooks and a grip of LED lighting.

Once completed, the truck rolled into the Las Vegas Convention Center where it sat for a week in the Toyo Tires Tread Pass. With this build, Cade proved that legitimate actions can happen through social media efforts and it is nothing to scoff at.

Special Thanks to Brian’s Motorsports for building the truck, Mr Speed Coatings for all the powder coating and Neely Precision LLC for machining custom parts

GEAR: 2017 FORD SUPER DUTY F-250

WHEELS / TIRES

24×16 Specialty Forged C704 Concave wheels
40×15.50R24 Toyo Open Country M/T tires

SUSPENSION

10”-12” Kelderman air ride adjustable lift kit
Air Lift Performance 3H controller
Fox 2.0 reservoir shocks
Dual steering stabilizers
Mag-Hytec front differential cover
Mag-Hytec rear differential cover
All suspension parts powder coated striker gold

PERFORMANCE

PPEI Tune from Kory Willis with Ez Lynk tuner
4-inch MBRP straight pipe exhaust
S&B Filters cold-air intake

EXTERIOR / ARMOR

Front Fusion Bumper
Rear Fusion Bumper
Gravel Empire custom grille featuring the Diesel Trucking logo
AMP Research PowerSteps
All exterior parts and accessories painted to match

RECOVERY

(4) Royal Hooks black show hooks

LIGHTING

Legends Offroad custom headlights retrofitted with dual projectors and painted to match
Smoked tail lights
Smoked third brake light
Smoked mirror lights w/ LED switchbacks
(2) Rigid Industries rock lights
(6) Rough Country 2” square black series LED lights
Rough Country 20” black series LED light
Oracle Wheel Lights – white

ACCESSORIES

Gen-Y Hitch 18”-inch 21k drop hitch
HornBlasters 244 Nightmare edition train horn kit
(8) Infinite Rule Security locking pins

INTERIOR

iPad Mini Dash conversion kit
All interior pieces painted in Striker Gold and Magnetic Metallic