Lindsay Rivera is undeniably a vehicle junkie through and through! Her greatest hobby is working on cars and trucks, particularly her ’97 F250 7.3L Power Stroke. She particularly loves restoring older vehicles to their former glory and turning them into testaments of time past. But she really considers herself to be an artist. Owning her own business as a cosmetologist, she prides herself on having an eye for detail and making anything she touches beautiful, whether it’s through her job or working on a vehicle.

In addition to her Ford, Lindsay also owns two Porsches. And when she bought her 2000 Porsche Boxster S, it was a manual transmission. She didn’t know how to drive stick at the time, but she bought the car anyway. She would drive the Porsche up and down her neighborhood for hours, and she would stall at least three times at intersections, which she says is the fastest way to learn because of how embarrassing it was.

“I even bought those stupid magnets for the back saying that I’m learning stick!” Lindsay detailed.

But once she was able to efficiently drive it, she fell in love with manuals and now she doesn’t drive anything else, which is why she did a ZF5 Manual swap with her truck. The first experience that sparked her interest in diesel trucks, OBS trucks in particular, was back in high school around 1999 when an old boyfriend’s brother had a gorgeous tourmaline green ’97 F350 7.3L Power Stroke. Lindsay remembers always hearing that diesel engine coming from down the road.

“It sounded like a school bus, and I just loved the size and the sound of that engine!”

Choosing Her Ride

Lindsay’s fiancé David’s dream truck was a ’97 Ford 7.3L dually ZF5, and, well, he bought one. Once she drove it, that was it. She instantly fell in love and knew she wanted one for herself.

She purchased her truck locally in Jacksonville, Fla., and knew it wasn’t drivable per the listing description. The listing stated the truck ran but needed a new rear end. She and David went to pick her up with a trailer and when they pulled up, the truck was basically abandoned on the side of the seller’s shop, spray painted black with the inside completely destroyed and dirty. Apparently the seller owned a motorcycle repair shop and someone traded the truck in for motorcycle work services.

It’s putting it lightly to say the truck was in rough shape inside and out. But the engine ran beautifully, so Lindsay got it up on the trailer and hauled it home.

“Honestly, I knew she was a diamond in the rough,” states Lindsay. “She was gorgeous to me even in the condition she was in cosmetically!”

The Truck Today

It already had an 8-inch lift on it, but what has Lindsay done to the truck since she got it? Well, other than the ZF5 Manual swap already mentioned, she definitely didn’t miss the three big mods to make when trying to improve a truck’s performance—a Donaldson 6637 intake filter, a 4-inch to 6-inch side exit to a 3-inch down pipe exhaust, and a Hydra tuner by Power Hungry Performance. She’s also got a 2-inch Sky RSK, 6-inch Super Duty springs, Rough Country shocks, and a Dana 60 Axle swap. She also put on some 20×12 Mayhem wheels and fitted them with 37-inch Ironman tires.

Considering the condition of the truck when she first got it, there was some general upkeep work Lindsay needed to do as well, such as replacing the door seals, doing a complete brake system redo, and refurbishing the interior with new OEM stock interior seats for the front and the rear. Then she repainted it Ford Oxford White, giving it its clean look. But she didn’t stop there, wanting to improve the truck’s aesthetic to fit her artistic vision. She equipped the truck with Pro Tuning Lab LED headlights, mounted a Ranch Hand brush guard on the front, put on West Coast-style tow mirrors, installed custom LED interior lights, and tinted her windows. Finally, she equipped her OSB Ford with some Bully side steps, a new headliner, an air horn with a compressor, a toolbox, and a 10-inch BOSS floating screen with an Apple Carplay head unit.

That’s how the truck’s sitting right now, but there was one thought driving the inspiration behind the build.

“I wanted to keep her as stock and classic as possible! I love the classic stock look of these trucks because they are such gorgeous beasts,” says the owner. “I restored her interior and kept that as stock as possible!”

And before anyone asks, yes, Lindsay and David made all of the modifications themselves. The truck may already have been lifted, but they even painted the truck together. And her personal favorite mods would have to be the new exhaust she fabricated herself and the Hydra tuner.

As for future modifications, Lindsay is thinking of an intercooler system as well as maybe some 44-inch Bogger tires—clearly she thinks that you can never be too big or your truck too tall, right?

A Woman’s Diesel

Lindsay hates the stereotype that women get about being bad drivers. And she doesn’t think her truck is necessarily easy to drive being a ZF5 manual and lifted 8 inches, but she believes women can do anything men can do. And she’s noticed that she gets more respect on the road with her truck.

“No one cuts me off or honks at me anymore. I think they think it’s some huge guy driving my truck… little do they know it’s a tiny blonde girl!” Lindsay humorously hypothesized.

She finds it funny because no one expects her to be hopping out of the truck, admitting that she is extremely girly and tiny. But she also loves it. She is a woman, and she has a truck. She doesn’t see the big deal that needs to be made over it, but she still thinks it’s awesome being able to break through the stereotype.

“In think women can be just as badass as men!” Lindsay says.

And with a truck like that, who’s going to refute her?

Looking Back

Lindsay fondly thinks back on the times she and her fiancé worked on her truck. She loved watching the transformation from neglected to perfected. The truck is truly back to its glory days, and of all the vehicles Lindsay has ever owned, her classic diesel Ford truck is honestly her favorite.

“I have owned many and still do but there is something about a truck that makes me feel good,” says Lindsay. “The smile on my face when I drive her and hear her turbo and engine, it’s the best feeling and driving experience I have ever had in my life!”

But it wasn’t all easy. That’s probably why she loves the truck so much—the feeling of perseverance and accomplishment is intrinsically connected with the build. It was especially difficult painting the truck themselves, and even more so with two kids, so the painting turned into a family project. Her son sanded the truck for two weeks straight, but they all thought it was fun.

“It was nice to spend family time and show our kids that hard work pays off. Building together as a family brings some great memories!” Lindsay says.

And she’s hoping when her son turns 16 they can all restore a truck for him as another family project!