1968 Ford F100 - Off Road Truck

Before you read through this feature, grab your stack of old OFF-ROAD magazines and find our August 2008 issue. On the cover, we featured Jared and Austin Evelo's pair of Ford Explorers tearing up the Barstow desert. As promised, we now bring you their little brother Ryan's '68 Ford F-100, built with only one thing in mind: Going bigger than his big bros. Having previously built both a Ford Explorer and a Ranger, Ryan became very familiar with the Ford line and decided to try his hand, and welder, at this old school fullsize.

Equal-length kingpin I-beams were built by Ryan using 1-inch uniballs at the frame pivot. The beams were built using 1.5-inch DOM tube and 1/8-inch steel plate on both sides. Ryan is using stock '68 F-100 spindles on 7/8-inch kingpins. A very minimalist front bumper and skid plate protects the front end from harsh landings.

Equal-length kingpin I-beams were built by Ryan using 1-inch uniballs at the frame pivot.

Specs
Vehicle:
'68 Ford F-100

Owner:
Ryan Evelo

Chassis:
Stock with 4130 chromoly cage

Engine:
360ci 5.9L V-8

Drivetrain:
Ford C-6, Currie 9-inch rear

Suspension:
NS Off-Road I-beams, Radflo shocks, Deaver Springs

Steering:
Custom

Brakes:
Stock

Tires/wheels:
35x12.50R15 Mickey Thompson M/T tires, American Racing wheels

Interior:
B&M shifter, Sunpro gauges, Icom V-8000, Rugged Radio intercom

Other Parts:
Fuel Safe cell

Favorite Off-Road Area:
All over SoCal and Baja

Along with the beams, the front end also included extended radius arms on 1.25-inch Heims with cutouts for steering. Ryan got this idea from a previous Toyota build that used a pitman/idler arm setup. This setup works great on the '68 because it puts the steering pivot in the same plane as the beam pivot allowing the geometry to work well with little to no bump steer. It also lets both tie rods be the same length.
Along with the beams, the front end also included extended radius arms on 1.25-inch Heims
The spare tire was removed so we could show you the rear half of the truck. In the future Ryan will be adding cooler mounts and maybe a few extra goodies, but this truck is and always will be built with fun in mind. One thing we loved about this truck is anyone can build something like this and it won't break the bank.
The spare tire was removed so we could show you the rear half of the truck. In the future

Finding an off-the-shelf set of leaf springs made for a '68 F-100 that would do the kind of work off road that Ryan needed is pretty tough. Ryan gave the guys at Deaver a call and decided to run a set of their 64-inch race leaf springs. In order to get them to work properly, he had to fabricate custom front spring hangers.. Together, with 18-inch-stroke Radflo quadruple-bypass shocks and 3-inch Radflo hydraulic bumpstops, the rear now pulls a generous 21 inches of wheel travel.
Finding an off-the-shelf set of leaf springs made for a '68 F-100 that would do the kind o
Ryan kept the original 360ci V-8 and made only a few modifications. The cylinders have been bored 0.030 over, and an Edelbrock intake manifold was added, as well as dual Flowmaster mufflers. The original Ford C-6 transmission is still getting the job done. B&M provided a three-speed shift kit and shifter keeping smooth transitions between gears.
Ryan kept the original 360ci V-8 and made only a few modifications. The cylinders have bee
NS Off-Road built the 'cage front to back using 1.75-inch 4130 chromoly tube.

As a machinist and welder for Radflo, Ryan knows a thing or two about choosing the right tool for the job. Sixteen-inch-stroke 2.5 Radflo coilovers with 3-inch Radflo hydraulic bumpstops are found at both front corners. Flying through the air, the front end is strapped off at 20 inches of travel.
As a machinist and welder for Radflo, Ryan knows a thing or two about choosing the right t
Custom shock mounts were fabricated on top of the Currie 9-inch rear end. The rear is stuffed with 4.56 gears, 35-spline axles and a spool.
Custom shock mounts were fabricated on top of the Currie 9-inch rear end. The rear is stuf

A Fuel Safe 32-gallon cell was added as far back as possible for optimal weight distribution.
A Fuel Safe 32-gallon cell was added as far back as possible for optimal weight distributi
Mickey Thompson 35x12.5R15 M/T tires are wrapped around 15x8 American Racing Outlaw II wheels. Flared Fenders provided 4-inch bulge fenders and replacement hood. The stock rear bedsides have been modified and cut to fit the larger tires.
Mickey Thompson 35x12.5R15 M/T tires are wrapped around 15x8 American Racing Outlaw II whe
Beard suspension seats have been firmly mounted to the rollcage using Crow five-point belts. Ryan made a custom center console for the B&M shifter, cup holders and Ipod mount but kept the original factory dash with added Sunpro gauges. Communications are handled using Icom V-8000 race radio and Rugged Radio intercom systems.
Beard suspension seats have been firmly mounted to the rollcage using Crow five-point belt