In high school, students search for a cheap and reliable vehicle to get them from place to place. These vehicles could be bought from their parents or you purchase one yourself. For some, buying and modifying a vehicle makes them have pride in their ride.

Junior Justin Heldt finds more value in a vehicle than most people would. Heldt drives a 2002 Ford F250 that he bought on August 4.

“I love the exhaust note that it has, I love the speed of it, I love how it looks, I love how it is a crew cab but the best part is, it’s a V10,” Heldt said.

When Heldt first bought his truck, it had not lived up to his expectations in what he wanted it to look and sound like so he decided to do some modifying.

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Photo Submitted by Justin Heldt

Junior Justin Heldt bought a 2002 F250 on August 4. This is what his truck looked like before he did any modifications. Heldt says he enjoys a lot of features about his truck such as the speed and the exhaust note.

“I have all new plugs and coils in the truck so that’s it for the motor. I installed a four-inch MBRP (a brand of high performance exhaust systems) straight pipe, and on the cosmetic side of things I have taken off the mud flaps, steps and door strips. I tinted the truck and installed dual antennas for the CB,” Heldt said. “I have installed a Tonneau Cover, I have recon clear cab clearance lights, I have painted some rust and I fixed the gauges that went out and also took off the bug deflector and all the pinstripes.”

Heldt has dedicated a lot of his time to alter his truck and has invested some money into the improvements. Not only does Heldt enjoy features of the outside, but also the interior features. 

“I like the electric front driver and passenger seats; most trucks today don’t even have that yet,” Heldt said. 

Before Heldt bought his current truck, he previously was driving a 2001 F250. Unfortunately, that truck was totaled and that is how he ended up with a new truck to start off the school year. 

“The only difference between the two trucks is that the 2001 was a red super cab and the 2002 is a white crew cab. My current truck is an upgrade because while the last one was clean on the body and did really good burnouts, the frame was rotted,” Heldt said. 

Heldt’s decision to keep remodeling has not stopped, and in the future more changes will be made to his truck. 

“I want wide polished wheels, want to lift it, re-paint the entire truck, fix the little rust, install a new front clip off of a 2008 F250, build the motor set-up for boost, and then drive it until I get more ideas,” Heldt said. 

Do you have pride in your ride? Email The Red ‘n’ Green for a chance to be featured in the next article!