Saga of speed
Going fast runs in the Wahl family. "I started in the early '70s at a muffler shop," truck owner Mike Wahl says. "I worked for a guy who had a high-speed car built for running on salt flats. My dad also helped get me started in racing."
These days, Mike's focus has shifted toward his daughter Erin and the 7S Ford Ranger he had built for her at Desolate Motorsports. "Erin will drive and race more when she gets more experience. For us, going to the desert is a family thing."
The build began with a cab and frame procured from a wrecking yard. Per Class 7S rules, the Ranger keeps the engine in the stock location and uses modified stock suspension parts. The class restrictions mean that 7S is a "driver's class," where a single truck has little technological advantage over another. The secrets to 7S success are to upgrade key components on the truck for extended dirt duty, and to get as much seat time as possible prior to hitting the starting line.
It's clear that Erin's time is coming. In the BITD Vegas to Reno race, Erin took the wheel long enough to be listed as a driver of record next to Danny Cannon and Dave Sanchez. Congrats!
 Ford's 8.8 rearend has been...  Ford's 8.8 rearend has been standard issue for 4-liter-equipped Rangers for quite some time, but it still doesn't stack up to the ruggedness of the legendary 9-inch. This particular 9-inch is based on a Speedway Engineering housing, which was trussed by Desolate Motorsports. The pumpkin is filled with 5.67 gears, 35-spline axles, and... |  ... a spool, and was built...  ... a spool, and was built by PDC Motorsports in Brea, California. To protect the low-hanging pinion yoke, OC Offroad built this slick skidplate that bolts into place. Deaver leaf packs handle the springing chores, and a Desolate antiwrap bar keeps the springs from winding up under braking or acceleration. |  This X-brace is surprisingly...  This X-brace is surprisingly easy to step over on your way in. Stock door panels have been deleted in favor of featherweight sheets of aluminum. |
 The stock coil buckets must...  The stock coil buckets must be retained, so captured Eibach coils are used instead of coilovers. King damps this front end with bypass shocks mounted to the front of the I-beams and bumpstops mounted inside of the coil buckets. Suspension travel is at the class limit of 12 inches, but the ride is still fairly smooth. |  Sometimes the stock radiator...  Sometimes the stock radiator cap sits at the highest point of the cooling system, and sometimes it doesn't. The latter was the case on this truck, so a remote filler neck was plumbed into the upper radiator hose. A stock radiator and a stock engine-driven fan provide superior cooling, even when the Nevada silt beds get nasty and deep. This truck relies on a '99 4.0 SOHC V6 for locomotion. A compact, powerful engine, it's also easy to come by in many wrecking yards. |  Ford never bolted a C4 automatic...  Ford never bolted a C4 automatic behind an SOHC 4.0, but that very combo is one of the best when it comes to prerunners and desert racing machines. The tranny was rebuilt by Jerry's Transmission in Norwalk, California, using a B&M shift kit and a custom TCS torque convertor. An Art Carr shifter selects the gears, and a PWR cooler keeps the ATF temperature under control. |
 Just enough material was added...  Just enough material was added to the stock spring hangers to make them survive in the desert. |  Class rules require using...  Class rules require using stock radius arms but allow material to be added for strengthening purposes as seen here. |  We've never experienced, or...  We've never experienced, or heard of, a clogged UMP air filter. This one is tucked neatly under the dash, supplying the freshest, clearest air available. |
 This slick Direct Concept...  This slick Direct Concept Engineering stainless steel light housing is available from Desolate and can be used by itself or in conjunction with stock rear taillights. Street-driven trucks should retain stock taillights. |  Thirty-three-inch BFGoodrich...  Thirty-three-inch BFGoodrich Baja T/As wrapped around Boyd Coddington wheels are this truck's connection with terra firma. Check out the "Desolate" lettering carved into the wheel's reinforcement ring. |  |