Kevin McMurray of Peoria, Arizona, grew up riding dirt bikes in the desert and on motocross tracks, so he's always had the racing bug. In time, he swapped to racing UTVs until recently when he decided he wanted to get into the truck arena. He found a '97 Ranger that suited his needs and made the purchase. The Ford you see here was originally modified for the previous owner and built up as a serious daily-driver prerunner.
Kevin saw it as a good start to what he wanted to become a Class 1400 race truck for some more serious desert romping. With that intent, he turned to the guys at FST Motorsports in Phoenix to bring the truck to the next level and make it race worthy. They further beefed and tuned the suspension, installed a more reliable drivetrain, and upgraded the powerplant to a healthy V-8. Now the truck moves fast and soaks up the bumps with ease.
When we saw the truck it hadn't been completed for too long and had already seen some races. Kevin's first race was a Whiplash series race in Snowflake, Arizona, where he placed second in class. He's followed that with a fifth place showing at the SNORE Battle at Primm race. This truck's gone from playing in the streets to dueling in the dirt.
 |  Each front beam on the Giant...  Each front beam on the Giant Motorsports suspension terminates with a Dana 44 patterned inner knuckle and mates to a F-150 5x5.5-inch 4x4 outer knuckle. OEM disc brakes are used up front with dual plate rotors and the steering rod has been outfitted with rod ends that bolt to the knuckle arm. A stock steering box is used but a 2:1 quickener helps Kevin steer the truck with less arm waving. |  Inside the engine compartment...  Inside the engine compartment cage resides a Chevy LS2. A crate engine was purchased and installed in place of the original V-6 motor. The V-8 is complemented with a set of ceramic coated Summit headers and Magnaflow exhaust. Intake breathing is done through a custom air box near the passenger front corner built by FST Motorsports. |
 Removing the FiberwerX hood...  Removing the FiberwerX hood reveals the detailed engine cage and front chassis tubing. The chassis is constructed from chromoly tubing and wraps around all the vehicle internals for protection. Relocating the radiator to the rear of the truck provides much more clearance to allow the front tires a good approach angle and make room for a high clearance front skid plate. |  A menacing front bumper hangs...  A menacing front bumper hangs forward on the truck and serves adequately if needed for a bit of tail nerfing on the race course. Kevin tries a loud police siren first to see if that will get a slower moving vehicle out of his way. |  A Ron Davis aluminum radiator...  A Ron Davis aluminum radiator sits behind the cab along with a FST fabricated aluminum shroud and electric fan. Below it are large external oil and transmission fluid coolers. A second battery sits low, under the radiator. Kevin carries a Hi-Lift jack and a spare rear driveshaft should he run into trouble while out on the course. |
 The steering setup in front...  The steering setup in front consists of a Giant Motorsports Cross Over Steering Swinger. This linkage is what allows the input from the steering box to get transmitted to both of the front equal length beams and do so as they travel through their large arcs of travel. |  A snail's view of the front...  A snail's view of the front suspension reveals the Giant Motorsports Prismatic I-Beam kit that tucks up nicely under the Ranger chassis. The LS2 engine spins power into a TH400 auto tranny with the help of a custom FST billet tail housing. FST Motorsports also built a custom tubular crossmember that sits under and supports the rear of the transmission while also providing some support to the framerails. |  Rolling stock consists of...  Rolling stock consists of 37x13.5R17 BF Goodrich Baja T/A KRT tires mounted on FST sourced beadlocks. A spare BFG Baja is cradled off the back of the truck above the fuel cell. The combined weight of the filled fuel cell and heavy spare tire help balance out the weight distribution of the truck to help it stay closer to level when airborne over jumps and dropoffs. |