mobile-menu-icon
Ford Authority

BDS Suspension’s ‘Project SD126’ Ford F-250 Is An Off-Road-Ready Beast: SEMA 2017

For the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, which opens Tuesday, BDS Suspension cooked up this big, orange monster of an off-road truck based on the all-new, 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty, dubbed “Project SD126”. The final three digits of that codename refer to the wheelbase, which has been shortened from 142 inches for extra maneuverability off-road.

The base truck is an F-250 4×4 Super Duty XLT Regular Cab with Ford’s available 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine, converted to a short bed. A cold-air intake from S&B, and a Diamond Eye exhaust system, help the factory oil-burner breathe a bit easier, while an EZ-LYNK programmer helped the build team take full advantage of those modifications with the engine tune. Power is sent through Ford’s factory 6-speed TorqShift automatic to F-450 Dana 60/M300 10-lug axles with 4.30 gearing, via front and rear drive shafts from JE Reel.

There’s been plenty more done to the suspension, where BDS Suspension has performed a four-link front conversion and a rear trailing arm conversion. Fox 2.5 DSC (Dual-Speed Compression) coilovers with 3.0 external bypass dampers, featuring 14 inches of travel, have been fitted to all four corners. The coil springs, as well as the sway bar, come from Pac Racing, and the bump stops switched out for Fox 2.0 IFP units.

This custom 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty rides on bead-lock-capable Stazworks Cheyenne 8 wheels with BFGoodrich Baja TA KR tires. McNeil Racing fiberglass fenders and bedsides were installed to accommodate the wider track.

2017 Ford F-250 by BDS Suspension - SEMA 2017 01

But that’s not all that’s been done to the body. BDS Suspension’s Ford F-250 off-roader build features front and rear bumpers from Rogue Racing, AMP Research powersteps, and a ram air hood from RK Sport. The truck is equipped with a Warn Zeon 12-S winch with a Factor 55 FlatLink, and up front, a 40-inch RDS lightbar from Rigid Industries is mounted, flanked by Rigid amber radiance pods. The entire body is shod in stunning PPG orange metallic paint by Butler Body Shop.

Inside the cab, you’ll find Kicker audio from the Ford Licensed Accessories catalog, including Kicker component speakers and 12-inch CompRT subwoofer. The PRP Racing endure recliner seats are fitted with 5.3 harnesses, and a Magellan eXplorist TRX7 GPS has been installed, ensuring that this trail-hungry Ford F-250 doesn’t get itself lost in the wilderness.

BDS Suspension’s “Project SD126” Ford F-250 Super Duty will be put on display at the Ford booth at the 2017 SEMA Show. Stay tuned for info on additional Ford SEMA builds.

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

Subscribe to Ford Authority

For around-the-clock Ford news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest Ford updates. It's totally free.

No Comments yet

Leave a comment

Cancel