Custom Ford Prerunner Trucks - Two For The Go

Underneath all of the structural metallic trickery still lie a few shards of OEM sheetmetal. The firewall, cab floor, and rear cab wall have been left in place, and still protect the driver and codriver from the elements, hot automotive fluids, and fire. The balance of the truck's body panels, including the roof, is now rendered in lightweight, easily replaceable fiberglass.

The rear shocks' upper mounts tuck neatly behind the bedsides and below a slick dimple-died plate. Note the "black box" rally tracker bolted to the rear 'cage. This device is used by SCORE to make sure racers stay on course and respect posted speed limits while on public highways in Baja. Out of necessity, each Baja racecourse traverses short sections of Baja's public highways.

The JD equal-length I-beams were fabricated using 4130 chrome-moly tube, plate, and billet which was machined to form the beam ends; precisely laid TIG welds hold it all together. Steering the 37-inch BFG Baja T/As calls for more strength than a steering box alone can reliably supply, so a Howe hydraulic assist works in concert with a Howe-built Saginaw steering box. Steering with one finger isn't too smart, especially at race speeds, but it is possible with these components.

Kingpins give absolute reliability to this front end. JD built its steering knuckles around readily available Kartek spindles and hubs. Aurora rod ends are used to connect the tie rods to the JD knuckles. The JD design is both smart and well executed: The rod end is mounted to the knuckle in double shear (the fixing bolt goes through mounting tabs on both ends instead of just one), and the rod end's shank is held in place by both a jam nut and a pinch bolt. The red urethane spacers keep the rod end centered in its mounting clevis. No misalignment spacers are used, which means a bigger bolt can pass through the rod end. Bottom line: big-time strength.

Ford's big-block 460 V-8 is a portly powerplant at over 700 pounds, but when the throttle is mashed, things happen in a hurry. Since the motor was pulled from the engine bay during the buildup, it was a perfect time to add some extra oomph. El Cajon, California's Total Performance bored the block 0.060 over, added a stroker crank, and finally balanced and blueprinted the mill. An 825-cfm Demon carburetor sits atop a Weiand intake manifold and breathes through a K&N filter. Other engine goodies include an MSD ignition, a custom oil pan by JD Fabrication, and a custom exhaust via Vista Muffler's Matt Simpson. Noah's Class 8 competitors will have to out-accelerate 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque if they expect to pass the Beer Can.

As first built, Noah's F-150 was fitted with a nicely equipped Ford 9-inch rearend based on a stock housing. When the truck jumped into full Class 8 trim, the stock rearend was traded for a fully fabricated, full-floating Tube Works housing stuffed with 40-spline axles, a spool, and a 4.56 ring-and-pinion set. The housing's bracketry includes strike pads for the King bumpstops and small coves to clear the ATL fuel cell's tubular mounts. The four-link rear suspension travels 28 inches from full bump to full droop.

From the trail to the racecourse, spares are more than just a good idea, they're frequently the difference between having a good time and having to tell stories that will hopefully get funnier with time. Six quarts of oil rest at the ready, securely held in place. Military surplus ammo cans are tough, weather-sealed, and cheap to purchase, so additional spares and tools found their way into a U.S. Army castoff mounted aft of the ATL fuel cell.

Climbing past a rolled-up Diest window net is the only way to get into the pilot's seat. The tubing isn't a jungle-gym climbing challenge, it's carefully triangulated to put each tube to proper structural use. Below the rearview mirror is a stub can. When the truck arrives at a checkpoint, a unique checkpoint stub is placed in the stub can to verify that the truck made it to the checkpoint.

Heat up your tranny and it won't matter how much motor or suspension you have - you won't be moving. Dual Fluidyne tranny coolers chill the Steve Culhane-built C6.

Be a good codriver... or else! Yours truly was treated to a short ride in the Beer Can. For some reason, I never asked whether or not that switch really works.

The 17x8-inch Ultra wheels bolt up to the Kartek hubs using burly 5/8-inch studs. Wilwood rotors and calipers are actuated by a CNC pedal and master cylinder combo.

Once they've climbed inside, driver and codriver actually have spacious surroundings. The Beard seats tilt back just enough to give generous foot room, and the steering wheel is within easy reach of the driver. An Art Carr shifter controls the C6, and Auto Meter gauges relay critical info to driver and codriver. Like many competition machines, there's no speedometer, only a tach. Ground speed can be found by reading it on the Lowrance GPS display screen. First-aid supplies are at the ready in a translucent box fastened neatly out of the way on the tranny tunnel.

Ford's stock steering setup is a funky one. The driver's side beam, which is the longer of the two, has the shortest tie rod. As a result, toe-in changes as the suspension cycles. JD complemented its equal-length I-beams with a swing-set steering linkage that's much more durable than stock and features equal-length tie rods for better handling. A grease zerk fitted to the swing set's outer shell makes maintenance easy.

Having the hottest shocks in town isn't a good thing when you're in the middle of a 20-mile whoop section. Hot shocks fade, and the truck then handles like a pogo stick. To avoid the pogo syndrome, a 3-inch King bypass shock shares the load with a 3-inch King coilover. Together, the pair of shocks has enough oil capacity to resist fading, and the control added by the position-sensitive bypass shocks gives the driver added confidence and control at speed in the rough. High-tech parts can be rendered useless if they're bolted up to weak or poorly executed metalwork. No such trouble here - this front end is both aesthetic and athletic.