Find him on Instagram: @service_highboy
Body By Highboy: What year’s your truck?
Butch (@service_highboy): 1975.
Body By Highboy: How long have you had it?
Butch: Since 2022.
Body By Highboy: What were you after when you picked it up?
Butch: It had to be a Ford, and it had to be 4x4.
Body By Highboy: What’s the story that stands out most with this rig?
Butch: Back when I lived in Arizona, I bought a ’73 F-100, refreshed the motor, and used it to move back to Oregon. But where I live now, 4x4 is a must. One day I randomly searched Craigslist and spotted this truck for sale in the valley near my uncle’s place. I had him check it out, and he said it was solid. When I went to see it myself, it was definitely a solid base — but also needed some love. Originally, I planned to drive it back over the pass, but that wasn’t happening. I trailered it home and started tearing into it. What began as making it “drivable” snowballed fast — especially after swapping the full-time transfer case for an NP205 divorced case.
Body By Highboy: Sounds like you’ve done a lot. What upgrades have you made so far?
Butch: Oh, the list is long!
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Fully rebuilt NP205 divorced case.
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Cleaned and removed over 100 lbs of farm dirt, then coated the frame and undercoated the cab and utility box with Raptor Liner.
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Swapped the front Dana 44HD for an open knuckle, rebuilt it, and added a Lugnut brake kit.
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Rebuilt the Dana 60 rear with a Detroit locker, 4.10 gears, Yukon chromoly axle shafts, and another Lugnut brake kit.
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New shocks and hardware front to rear.
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Refurbished all the utility box compartments and coated them.
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Benchwork steering conversion kit.
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Cab is going back together with a Painless wiring harness, Dakota Digital cluster, and Battle Born Brakes F600 booster with aluminum master cylinder and stainless hard/soft lines.
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Planned 6R80 transmission (waiting to be rebuilt) adapted to the 390, which I’ll also rebuild.
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Aluminum radiator, Holley Sniper 2, and an in-tank pump in a new Aero high-volume rear tank.
Body By Highboy: What’s the long-term plan for it?
Butch: Get it back on the road by spring 2026 and enjoy driving it everywhere I can.
Body By Highboy: Anything else you’d like to share?
Butch: I found out this truck was once used on one of the largest strawberry farms in Oregon. I bought it from one of the nephews who got it back from whoever it had been sold to. Inside the cab, there are little scratches that I’m guessing came from kids in the family. That history is part of why I’m keeping the exterior as-is — just cleaned up. It’s about honoring its past while making it a great runner for daily driving.