What Happened to the Negative Camber Family Hauler?
This is a story that’s widely understood and shared by many in the custom truck world, especially those who have been in the game for some time now. Jimmie Broyles hails from Norman, Oklahoma, and has been building and driving customs for almost two decades. He’s had his fill of everything from laid-out minis to full custom Cadillacs. Bit by the custom bug when he was young, Jimmie has been cutting up rides of his own since he was 17. As a long time member of Negative Camber, he eventually graduated to the big show builds and built a few full-size show trucks and custom Cadillacs.
“24-inch American Force Raptor wheels”
A few years back, Jimmie needed a daily hauler and tow truck for a ’64 Cadillac project that he was in the middle of building. Since the Cadillac was a long-term build, he would need to haul it to different shops and some shows in its various stages before it would be complete. So, Jimmie did what any one of us would do and went on the hunt for an affordable and reliable tow pig. He came across this 2001 7.3L F-350 and struck a deal for a very “stock” Ford. Although the thought crossed Jimmie’s mind more than once, he vowed to keep this one stock and just use it as a hauler and work truck. Yeah, you can tell where this is headed.
Modest Intentions
But, let’s not get too far ahead of the story. Jimmie had been tinkering with the idea to just ’bag the F-350 and throw some wheels on it, but continued to resist the urge—until the opportunity came. His wife was out of town for a couple of weeks, and well, he happened to have all of the parts lying around in the garage. So, one night he just pulled it in and started cutting away. After about two weeks of working nights, Jimmie had the truck laid flat using a 2000 Chevy 1-ton suspension clip, ’bag-over-axle tow suspension and custom 4-link setup. Of course, his wife had no idea this was taking place, so in the meantime, he narrowed the rear end and had a set of Moser axles built while measuring for the 24-inch American Force Raptor wheels that he had ordered to complete the look.
It was definitely all down hill from there because now the truck was sitting on the ground where it belonged. Jimmie continued to build the truck in true Negative Camber fashion until it became what you see today. Jimmie grafted all-new 2009 front and rear sheet metal, added a custom fiberglass cowl hood and smoothed the bed. By the time it all was said and done, it definitely went a bit further than he had originally planned. The finishing touches included the bright red and traditional flame paint job sprayed by Joey Skinner with flames by Cole Stevens. From there, it was just a matter of finishing off the interior by fabbing up a center console for the Digital Designs audio system and covering the seats with custom Katzkin leather featuring alligator-style inserts.
Can you blame him? Sometimes we just can’t help ourselves, and every little thing snowballs into something else until we walk into the garage one day to see an award-winning build sitting before us. Some guys have all the luck. We just hope his wife went easy on him. DW
“All-new 2009 front and rear sheet metal”
[divider]Truck Specs[/divider]
Jimmie Broyles 2001 Ford F-350
Norman, OK
Negative Camber
Engine:
Ford 7.3 Power Stroke
Custom-built air cleaner
Tucked wiring and detailed engine bay
Power-coated and painted brackets and accessories
Custom engine cover painted to match
Chrome-plated accessories and dress up
Optima Yellow Top batteries
Excursion gas tank
Suspension:
2000 Chevy 1-ton front clip
Slam Specialties bags in the front
Firestone bags in the rear
Beltech shocks
Viair 480C dual compressors
Nitrogen bottle setup in bed
Custom notch and 4-link
Bag-over-axle tow setup
Narrowed rear-end with Moser Axles
Performed by owner and friends
Rolling Attire:
American Force 24-inch Raptors
255/30/24 Durun Tires
Body/Paint:
Converted/updated to 2009 Super Duty front and rear
Custom-built roll pan
T-Rex billet grilles upper and lower
Custom cowl hood
Sheet metal bed
Shaved gas filler
Painted PPG Red by Joey Skinner
Traditional flames by Cole Stevens
Interior/Stereo:
Katzkin sandlewood leather with alligator inserts
Performed by Curt Enochs
Suede headliner by Rodney Simpson
Smoothed and painted trim
Billet Specialties steering wheel
Billet pedals
Custom fiberglass console
Pioneer DVD in-dash
Digital Designs Subs, components and amps performed by owner
Special Thanks From Owner:
To all my family, American Force, Digital Design, Optima Batteries, Katzkin, Negative Camber, Jay Manning, Viair, PPG, T-Rex Grilles, Palace Auto Supply, Extreme Auto Options, Courtney Halowell, Joey Skinner, Rodney Simpson and everyone who supported and helped with the build.
