Build your truck

The one thing worth understanding first

The conversion is done firewall back. Nothing in the engine bay is touched, and the dash keeps the factory heating and air conditioning in its original position.

That matters more than it sounds. It means the enormous American aftermarket still fits your truck. Lift kits, snorkels, brake lines, all of it bolts on the way Ford intended, because the parts of the vehicle those things attach to were never modified.

You are not buying a compromised version of an American truck. You're buying an American truck that drives on the correct side.

1. Tray, tub or canopy

What buyers get wrong: They assume the factory tub is the truck. On a Super Duty the back half is the most changeable part of the vehicle, and what you put there decides what the truck is actually for.

• Keep the factory tub, priced with your build
• Alloy tray, single or dual cab length, priced with your build
• Lift-off half canopy, so you can go from tray to enclosed and back in an afternoon, priced with your build
• Full canopy with shelving and drawers, priced with your build
• Service body, if it's a work truck, priced with your build
• Under-tray toolboxes and water tanks, priced with your build

Ask me about: How a tray changes your payload and your rear overhang. It's the difference between legal and not, and it's the question nobody asks until the engineer does.

2. Towing

What buyers get wrong: Nearly everyone buying one of these is buying it to tow, and nearly everyone underestimates the wiring. The truck arrives with American connectors and American logic. Your float, your caravan and your plant trailer are all Australian.

• Gooseneck or fifth wheel hitch, priced with your build
• Adjustable drop hitch, if you tow more than one thing, priced with your build
• Electric brake controller, priced with your build
• Rewire to Australian 7-pin flat or round, priced with your build
• Extended towing mirrors, priced with your build
• Weight distribution setup, priced with your build

Ask me about: What your actual towing capacity is once the tray, the canopy, the tools and the family are in it. The brochure number and your number are different numbers.

3. Suspension, wheels and tyres

What buyers get wrong: They lift the truck because it looks right, and find out afterwards what it did to the compliance.

• Lift kit, since the US aftermarket fits, priced with your build
• Airbag helper springs for heavy or uneven loads, priced with your build
• Upgraded shocks for corrugations, priced with your build
• Wheel and tyre package, all-terrain or mud-terrain, priced with your build
• GVM upgrade, priced with your build

Ask me about: Which lifts need engineering and which don't. There's a line, it's not where most people think it is, and getting it wrong is an unregisterable truck.

4. Protection

What buyers get wrong: They fit a bar off the shelf without checking it works with the airbags. On a vehicle this expensive that's a bad afternoon.

• Front replacement bar, ADR compliant and airbag compatible, priced with your build
• Rock sliders and side steps, priced with your build
• Underbody and diff protection, priced with your build
• Paint protection film on the front, priced with your build
• Ceramic coating, priced with your build
• Window tint to Australian legal limits, priced with your build

Ask me about: Paint protection before the truck is delivered rather than after. Once there's a stone chip in it you're not protecting the paint, you're preserving the chip.

5. Touring and remote work

What buyers get wrong: They buy the truck for the trip and then spend the first year retrofitting it a piece at a time, paying labour six times instead of once.

• Snorkel, priced with your build
• Long range fuel tank, priced with your build
• Dual battery and DC-DC charging, priced with your build
• Inverter, priced with your build
• Roof rack and awning, priced with your build
• Rated recovery points, priced with your build
• Driving lights and light bar, priced with your build
• Fridge slide and drawer system, priced with your build

Ask me about: Doing this as one job while the truck is already in a workshop for compliance. Same parts, considerably less labour.

6. Inside the cab

What buyers get wrong: They assume the trim level is fixed. Some of it is. A surprising amount of it isn't.

• UHF radio, which almost every Australian owner ends up wanting, priced with your build
• Dash cam, front and rear, priced with your build
• Head unit and Apple CarPlay retrofit on lower trims, priced with your build
• Seat covers built for the seat, not universal, priced with your build
• Rubber floor liners, priced with your build
• Storage and console upgrades, priced with your build

Ask me about: Which of these are worth doing before delivery and which can wait. Not everything needs to happen at once, and I'll tell you what doesn't.

7. Running it

What buyers get wrong: They budget for the truck and not for the year after it.

• Service kit and filters, sized for the 6.7 Power Stroke, priced with your build
• Second spare, priced with your build
• Australian-spec replacement tyres, priced with your build
• Servicing arrangements, priced with your build
• Insurance and registration for a converted import, priced with your build

Ask me about: What it actually costs to run per year. I'd rather you knew before you bought than after.

Tell me what you're interested in.

You don't have to know what you want. Tick anything you'd like explained and I'll go through it with you.

No obligation, no price on this page is fixed, and I'll come back to you personally rather than putting you in a mailing list.

Build questions

Can I add accessories to a truck that's already been converted?

Yes. The conversion is done firewall back, so the mounting points, chassis and engine bay are unchanged and the American aftermarket still fits.

Does adding a lift kit affect my compliance?

It can. Some lifts sit inside what's allowed and some need engineering approval before the truck can be registered. Which side you land on depends on the height and the vehicle, so ask before you buy the kit.

Can I fit a tray instead of the factory tub?

Yes, and several Australian manufacturers build trays and canopies specifically for the F350. A tray changes your payload and rear overhang, so it needs to be part of the compliance conversation rather than a decision made afterwards.

Do I lose the factory air conditioning in a right-hand drive conversion?

Not on the current behind-dash system. The factory HVAC stays in its factory location, so heating and cooling perform as Ford designed them.

Is it cheaper to do accessories at conversion or later?

Almost always at conversion. The parts cost the same either way, but the truck is already in a workshop and you pay the labour once instead of returning six times.

What's the difference between an XLT and a Platinum?

Trim level, and it mostly affects the interior and the technology rather than the mechanicals. The 6.7 Power Stroke and the chassis are the same truck underneath, which is why a well-specced XLT is often the smarter buy.