Words: Eddie Maloney
Photos: Brian McGee
Since 1967, the SEMA Show has brought together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers and restoration specialists. Currently the SEMA Show is held annually in Las Vegas, NV, and has seen numbers reaching nearly 162,000 attendees. Stepping on the show floor can be intimidating, and many visitors never truly get to see it all. With hundreds of featured vehicles on display, it’s sometimes hard to comprehend what goes into building a “SEMA quality” vehicle. Over the past few years, the lifted truck and off-road scene has taken the market by storm, with hundreds of lifted trucks built for the annual gathering. Needless to say, with so much “bling” in one spot, it can be a bit difficult to stand out.
But that doesn’t seem the case for Tim Dunaway, who builds vehicles that demand your attention. Hailing from a small town due north of Houston called The Woodlands, Tim’s rides are in such demand that he has taken 13 of them to SEMA in the past three years. “I envision how I want my builds to look; they can’t look ordinary. I want them to be remembered,” he asserts. With that many quality builds, it’s hard to overlook Tim’s vision, which is why his builds have graced the covers of numerous publications over the years.
For the 2018 Show, Tim decided it was time to add a little flavor to the mix. He picked up a new 2018 Ford F-250 Platinum Edition from Planet Ford of Spring, Texas, just a few months shy of the SEMA Show. “I have built many trucks over the years, and with how hot the scene has been, I knew I had to build one that was different,” he admits. So immediately after the purchase, Tim got in touch with Robbie Bryant of KEG Media and discussed the design and management of the entire build. Robbie put Tim in touch Rob Pique of Plan B Fabrication and soon the build was about to come to fruition.
Shortly after the truck arrived in central Florida, the infamous “SEMA crunch” began. The Plan B crew wasted no time starting the build with a custom radius arm setup and installed SORD coil over shocks. The steering system was converted to include heim joints and a high steer crossover setup for added stability. Plan B also went a step further and installed a dual steering stabilizer setup on the front axle, along with a 1.75” custom-built front sway bar kit with full frame cross members on the front and rear. The entire suspension utilizes a double overlay setup, with mirror stainless steel finishes. The finishing touches to this custom setup were a set of massive American Force 30×16 Nemesis wheels wrapped in a new set of FURY Off Road 42×16.50R30 Country M/T tires that were also to debut at the show.
After the stance was complete, Tim was on the hunt for a local shop near Plan B to work on the rest of the mods to complete the build in time for SEMA. Aftering hearing rave reviews about Ultimate Auto in Orlando, FL, he called on owner Joe Labon for his services. At this point, Tim’s brand-new Ford was in several hundred pieces at two different shops. But thanks to two amazing crews, Tim was able to get it all done in time and loved the result.
Ultimate Auto hooked up the Ford with a custom BASF Grabber Blue Pearl and a new widebody exterior, with custom Alea Leather interior and the cleanest sound system money can buy. Words cannot fully explain the massive amount of detail that went into this build and it was completed in time for the big show. Even before Tim’s F-250 arrived at SEMA Show it had garnered a tremendous amount of attention via social media and became the talk of the show once it was positioned at the American Force display. Amongst the many awesome trucks that were showcased it was unanimous that he was awarded the LFTD & LVLD Best Truck of Show Presented by AMSOIL!
Special Thanks to my wife and children, Robbie Bryant (KEG Media), Ultimate Auto, Plan B Fabrication, and all the companies that came on board to help create this one-of-a-kind build!
GEAR: 2018 FORD F-250 PLATINUM EDITION
WHEELS / TIRES
- 30×16 American Force Special Forces Nemesis concave wheels powder coated blue
- Shifted Industries fully polished spacers
- 42×16.50R30 Fury Country Hunter MT tires
- True Spike Lug Nuts powder coated blue
SUSPENSION
- Front – Full custom radius arm setup, adjustable 18”-24” SORD shocks
- Rear – Full custom trailing arm setup, adjustable 18”-24” SORD shocks
- FloAir polished-aluminum billet tank and compressor
PERFORMANCE
- Engine: 6.7L Power Stroke turbo diesel
- FloPro fully polished exhaust
- S&B Filters intake
- PPEI Tuning with EZ-Lynk module
- Torqshift heavy-duty six-speed auto transmission
EXTERIOR / ARMOR
- Custom BASF Glasurit Ford Grabber Blue; custom blue pearl
- Road Armor Identity Series front and rear bumpers
- Custom Gravel Empire front grille
- McNeil Racing 6-inch front fenders and rear bedsides
- Retrax motorized bed cover
- RK Sport hood
- Prismatic Powders powder coating
- Amp Research power steps
- Rhino Hitch fully chromed
- HornBlasters kit
- LumiLor painted faceplates applied and mastered by Paint with Light Solutions (think of the movie Tron)
LIGHTING
- The Retrofit Source custom headlights
- GoRecon custom painted tail lights, side mirror, and third brake light
- Pod Pockets flush-mount inner fender rock light holders
- Twisted Pro bumper lights and pods
- >(80) Rock lights underneath
BRAKES
- SSBC B8 Barbarian 8-piston complete brake kit
INTERIOR
- Custom distressed leather from Alea Leather
- Lock’er Down USA center console vault
- Ride Controller module
AUDIO
- NavTV ZEN-A2B/DSP12A-A2B
- Mosconi DSP 8T012 Aerospace audio processing
- (4) Audio Control amplifiers
- Morel Elate Titanium components
- (4) JL Audio 10TW3-D4 subwoofers
- Stinger 9000 series wiring
- Stinger Roadkill sound damping
- Naviks NK1304 video conversion
- Vizualogic Phoenix 7-inch rear seat video
- Apple TV
- Viper Smart Start module
