A ’17 Super Duty that strikes the perfect balance between added power, enhanced curb appeal, and full functionality.
The truck culture can have a profound impact on our lives. First, we’re attracted to a particular make, model, or engine, and then come the various mods—many of which we justify as “mandatory upgrades.” After that, we become so attached to our pride and joy that it becomes part of our identity. Meet Ryne Cooper’s ’17 F-250, a truck he just had to have at all costs, and that he immediately set to work making his own. Within the span of only a few short years, the two became inseparable. Spotting his one-of-a-kind Blue Jean Metallic Super Duty cruising down the highway, towing a gooseneck, or plowing snow in the greater Lafayette, Indiana area was the same as bumping into Ryne at the gas station, grocery store, or local Tractor Supply.
Due to a somber set of circumstances, Ryne lost his battle with cancer in 2022. But his show-worthy workhorse remains, and his wife, Ali, keeps it in pristine condition—just the way he would’ve wanted. Ali meticulously maintains the late-model Ford, drives it in fairer weather, and even takes it to truck shows, including an event she specifically created to keep Ryne’s memory alive: The Useless Truck Meet. The truck, its influence on the local community, and the event serve as a memorial of the life Ryne lived: one of dedication, drive, commitment, and that exemplified how hard work pays off. This is Ryne’s story—a story about one of the most tastefully modified, do-everything trucks we’ve come across.
After owning his fair share of Cummins-powered Rams, and even having his and hers Mega Cabs (a lifted one for Ali and a lowered one for Ryne) at one point in time, Ryne couldn’t help himself the first time he laid eyes on the redesigned, aluminum body 2017 Super Duty’s. He had to have one. Once Ali was onboard, and with the promise that he would keep the truck at least five years, they flew out to Maryland in the summer of 2018 to get their Blue Jean Metallic F-250. Six years later, it’s still parked in their garage.As would make sense for a truck that’s expected to tow heavy, commute reliably, and haul anything and everything in between, Ryne stuck to simple, bolt-on mods in the performance department. Aside from a tune that bumped up power to roughly 540 hp at the wheels, the Maryland Performance Products intercooler piping kit shown here is the only other horsepower adder in the mix. Everything under the valve covers on the 106,000-mile 6.7L Power Stroke is bone-stock, as is the VGT in the valley and the 6R140 TorqShift transmission.Reliability is more important than extra pulling power for a late-model diesel that’s supposed to go to work every day, and that’s exactly why Ryne installed H&S Motorsports’ fuel filter conversion kit. It eliminates the 6.7L Power Stroke’s factory plastic upper fuel filter—the one that’s prone to cracking and leaking fuel into the valley—and replaced it with H&S’s billet-aluminum filter base with a spin-on Baldwin filter. It’s upgrades like this that show how much an owner cares about his or her truck.Not only does the truck’s Cervini cowl hood amplify the truck’s aggressive appearance, but the story behind it says a lot about the kind of man Ryne was—and that virtually every gearhead is. “Around the same time we’d just upgraded to a 4-seat Rzr, I knew the drill…parts were going to start showing up for it,” Ali told us. “I go out to the garage, boxes are everywhere, and we empty the contents of all of them and install them on the Rzr—except for one,” she continued. “Once everything was already on the Rzr, I spotted a big box. Ryne said he didn’t know what was in it, so I opened it and found the Cervini cowl hood…” Like the truck’s sun visor, the 4-inch cowl hood was paint-matched by Cameron Guernsey of Knockout Kustomz.In a display that indicated he cared more about ride quality on his ’17 than any previous truck he’d owned, Ryne installed a 4-inch conventional exit exhaust rather than a 5-inch system or stacks (as he’d done in the past). He’d endured plenty of common-rail Cummins exhaust drone in his time and was ready for a quieter driving experience. If you notice the rubber stuck to the bottom of the tail section, you’re not alone. It’s there on purpose, serving as a bittersweet reminder of the day Ryne was laid to rest. Ryne’s close friend, Evan Rusk, handled the honor of performing the truck’s final burnout.So, what exactly is the backstory behind the license plate? When Ryne and Ali bought the truck, its first owner had “RUINED6.7” plates in place on account of peers giving him a hard time about running big wheels and tires. After arriving home, and after family and friends told him he wouldn’t be able to tow, haul, or use the truck for anything work-related, Ryne decided to keep the trend going and ordered “US3L3SS” plates at the local BMV. Ryne’s 2017 Super Duty quickly became known—and is still known—as the Useless6.7 (@Useless6.7).As the B&W Turnoverball in the bed would indicate, Ryne’s truck is way more than a show queen. Ryne would hook on to his 37-foot, hydraulic dove tail gooseneck anytime something needed hauled, be it a skid steer, excavator, or a friend’s truck. And believe it or not, in the winter months you’d find a stainless steel Western V-plow hanging off the front of it. Ryne’s Super Duty couldn’t simply be a show truck or a weekend warrior—he needed it to be fully functional, reliable, and ready to work at any time.Proving chrome is far from obsolete, the 24×14-inch Fuel Off-Road wheels tie in perfectly with the truck’s chrome badging and door handles. The 24’s are bolted in place via chrome spike lug nuts and wrapped in 33X13.50R24LT MXT/HD Versatyre mud terrains, tread that Ryne put to good use both in the fields and the snow. To get the exact look he was after, Ryne also reverse-leveled the truck. Easy entry is provided courtesy of a set of a set of industry-standard Amp Research PowerSteps.Never one to tolerate traffic or distracted drivers, Ryne definitely put this Hornblasters system to work with some regularity. Ali told us that when Ryne laid into these it was your first warning—there was not another. If the train horns failed to move slower traffic over, Ryne wouldn’t hesitate to make use of what he liked to call the cowboy lane… which isn’t much of a lane at all. In fact, it’s usually left of the fast lane, oftentimes a shoulder.This front-end means business thanks to the mud terrains protruding out of the fender wells and the menacing cowl hood, but all the paint-matching and well-placed lighting upgrades make Ryne’s Ford aesthetically pleasing as well. Knockout Kustomz handled the paint-matching of the front bumper (and rear bumper), grille, sun visor, cowl hood, and also the work performed on the headlights and taillights. All of the truck’s strobe lights and safety lights came from Firewire LEDs, and the LED accent bars were sourced from Lanier Metal.In the cab, things are just as clean as they are on the outside, although much less modified. For a bit of OEM rarity, Ryne’s F-250 boasts Ford’s Lariat Ultimate trim, the “ultimate” adding the factory navigation system, twin panel power moonroof, bed lighting, tailgate step, and heated front seats. Over on the right, you’ll find the spot where Ali often found herself sitting on the edge of her seat while Ryne took the “cowboy lane,” many times with a trailer in tow.A solid balance between added power and ultimate reliability, combined with select, well-placed cosmetic mods, says a lot about Ryne and the way he approached this build. Though tagged as the Useless6.7, his Super Duty in fact retains all of its factory work ethic and does so in style—something his peers not only acknowledged and respected, but that they’ve since emulated. Ryne may no longer be here with us, but his legacy lives on in the truck, which Ali continues to drive. “Keeping his legacy alive is what has kept me alive the past couple years,” she told us.To celebrate the life of the quintessential truck enthusiast that was Ryne Cooper, Ali and a few good friends created the Useless Truck Meet, a show that raises money to help support families in financial need due to cancer and that drew a crowd of over 2,000 people to the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds in 2023. This year, held at the same venue in Lafayette, Indiana on August 17th, a chassis dyno will be onsite measuring horsepower, in addition to a sprawling gathering of trucks, food trucks, and vendors. Perhaps the best part about the event is that there are no trophies handed out. “Ryne didn’t care about awards or how much money you spent on your truck,” Ali told us. “If you were proud of your truck and what you’d built, that’s all he cared about.”
