How many times have you tried to explain off-roading to a nonenthusiast? Descriptions are good. Magazines and DVDs are better. In the end, nothing compares to actually taking someone out on the dirt and bringing him or her into the center of the action. Mike Jenkins has the F-150 to do just that. Better yet, Mike's truck can carry not one, but three firsttime off-roaders in a single trip.
This tale is a bit different from the familiar "stocker to stunner" truck metamorphosis, ecause this '02 was partially built when Mike purchased it used. A mild long-travel kit combined with a pair of coilovers and flared fiberglass front fenders gave Mr. Jenkins a daily driver that doubled as a fun truck for the desert. Hundreds of Baja miles were put on the SuperCrew chasing for stepfather Bob Land. A long-time racer, Bob first exposed Mike to desert racing at the Mint 400 in 1992. From his years of racing with Bob, Mike knew that although chasing was fun, racing was that much better. It was time to morph the SuperCrew from an able chaser into a competent racer.
The suspension was first. The F-150's popularity meant that aftermarket companies like H&M Motorsports and Newline Products had developed suspension kits that were on the shelf and ready to install. H&M's long-travel front suspension bolts to the stock upper and lower control arm mounts and features boxed chrome-moly construction. In place of the stock rubber bushings and OEM ball joints, the H&M kit uses desert-proven rod ends and spherical bearings. A fully fabricated H&M spindle connects the upper and lower control arms. The H&M hardware equips the front of the SuperCrew with 17 inches of desert-smoothing suspension travel. King coilover and bypass shocks provide the damping at all four corners of this truck. Newline Products' four-link rear suspension is on par with the front. Built from 4130 chrome-moly tubing and plate, the TIg-welded upper and lower links cycle through 30 inches of travel.
 Hella lights pierce the darkness....  Hella lights pierce the darkness. A Geiser Bros. front clip covers the added width of the suspension and allows for plenty of bumptravel. Black metallic gold paint was applied by New Image and gives this truck a classy, finished appearance. |  BFG tires and Walker Evans...  BFG tires and Walker Evans wheels have proven themselves on umpteen Trophy Trucks, Class 1 Unlimited Buggies, and this four-seat, fullsize SuperCrew. |  Beyond a few basic rules,...  Beyond a few basic rules, there's no set blueprint for building a desert truck. These rear shock mounts are as refreshingly simple as they are cleanly and attractively executed. Underneath the dimple-died plate, the King coilover and bypass shocks mount to flat tabs that span the distance between the tubes. |
Stock suspension combined with high speed usually equals sore backs and a battle-worn truck. Long-travel suspension combined with high speed usually equals a smooth ride and smiling faces. Smiles turn to frowns if the rest of the chassis can't keep pace with the suspension. To be durable, as well as race-legal, Mike's SuperCrew needed a bumper-to-bumper rollcage.
Anonymous Dirtwerks of Mission Viejo, California, fabricated the 'cage. In the past, SCOrE rules allowed using mild-steel tubing for 'cage construction. That is no longer the case. The new rules mandate either 4130 chrome-moly or DOM carbon-steel tubing. Tubing diameter is also dictated per SCOrE rules. Any vehicle 4,000 pounds or over with a closed cockpit (like a steel cab) must have the main tubes of the rollcage built using 2-inch, 0.120-inch-wall tubing. Mike and Anonymous Dirtwerks decided that 2-inch, 0.120-inch-wall 4130 chrome-moly tubing would be used front-to-rear for maximum strength.
With the truck now benefiting from the strength of the Anonymous 'cage, it was time to connect the rest of the dots. The stock rearend was shelved to make room for a Tubeworks Ford 9-inch boasting burly trussing and a 6.00 ring-and-pinion. The extralow gear ratio was needed because there's a 4.6 under the hood instead of a 5.4. The tactic worked; the 6.00 and 4.6 combo does a fine job of accelerating the SuperCrew. Aft of the engine, the stock tranny was left in place but was fitted with an Art Carr shifter for precise gear changes in bouncy terrain. Finally, a quartet of Sparco seats and g-Force harnesses let Mike give three lucky people a proper introduction to the desert.
 The stock spindles are decently...  The stock spindles are decently strong, but true desert-worthiness meant that H&M needed to design and fabricate a completely new spindle to complement its upper and lower control arms. Tubeworks hubs and rotors are equally durable. |  Unbolt the Trailer Products...  Unbolt the Trailer Products fiberglass bedsides and you'll get a view of the 2-inch chrome-moly tubing surrounding the fuel cell. A Lone Industries sway bar keeps body roll in check through the corners. The truck is no longer Mike's daily driver but retains its street registration just the same. |  The 4.6 V-8 is a good motor;...  The 4.6 V-8 is a good motor; it's just a bit short on displacement for a truck of this size. A K&N intake filters and smoothes incoming air, and JBA headers flow better than stock on the opposite end of the combustion cycle. A custom stainless steel cat-back exhaust system rounds out the engine mods. The 4.6 produces an estimated 275 ponies at the crank. |
 The cage ties into the frame...  The cage ties into the frame at several points as well as reinforces the trailing arms' pivot points. The underside of the cage is not seen often, but is no less important than the topside. |  Sparco seats are comfy and...  Sparco seats are comfy and supportive. A fire extinguisher is easy to grab if it's needed. |  A stock Ford 9-inch rearend...  A stock Ford 9-inch rearend is strong. A Tubeworks Ford 9-inch is desert-worthy. The fully fabricated housing features fully floating axles, Outlaw calipers, and Tubeworks rotors. The 6.00 ring-and-pinion set surrounds a spool that provides simple, reliable traction. |
 Building an engine cage is...  Building an engine cage is a tricky endeavor. The cage must be structurally sound. The cage must clear vital engine components. The cage should not get in the way of performing normal maintenance. Anonymous Dirtwerks did it right. |  Peace of mind is having 2-inch...  Peace of mind is having 2-inch tubing overhead. |  |