1989 - Ford F-150 - Mild to Wild in 55
A challenge to transform a stock F-150 into a full-bore Pro-Streeter in 55-hours!
 

• As a promotional idea for the 1989 Street Machine Nationals in Du Quoin, Illinois I suggested that we build a Pro-Street vehicle at the event from 9:00 Friday morning – around the clock –, until 4:00 Sunday afternoon – a total of 55 hours.

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• We would call the event 'MILD TO WILD IN 55'

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• We would build it in a 20' x 40' tent on-site and I would haul a trailer load of tools from my home in New York to Illinois to complete the job. This included everything from hand tools to a welder and sheet metal brake.

 

• When we arrived, the 20' x 40' tent had been downgraded to a 20' x 30', so inadequate space was something we would have to contend with right from the start.

 

• We endured torrential rain and even a tornado, complete with a fallen tree and flooding inside the tent which completely submerged our power source junction box ankle deep with muddy water.

 

• People later likened this as a “Monster Garage Style” project – but I'd like to point out that this project was built in 1989 (13 years before Monster Garage's first episode – and we completed it in 55 Hours instead of 7 Days.) 

 

The 'Mild to Wild in 55' transformation included a long list of fabrications and installations.

 

Fabrications Included:

Cutting off the rear frame 18” behind the cab

Designing and forming a new, narrowed rear back-half frame

Bending and installing a full roll bar and braces

Cutting out the truck's bed and making two huge wheel tubs

Designing and making a rear wing and mounts

Making the mounting points for the rear suspension

Building an entire dual exhaust system

Graphics painted on the truck - not decals or pinstripes

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Installations Included:

1 - narrowed Ford 9-inch rear axle

2 - Rear ladder bars with panhard rod

2 - Rear coil-over shocks

2 - Rear wheel tubs

2 - 4" dropped front spindles

2 - Pro Street style front wheels and tires

2 - Pro Street style rear wheels and tires

1 - Rrear wing

1 - Bed-mounted fuel cell

1 - Electric fuel pump

1 - Performance intake manifold

1 - Performance carburetor

1 - Performance air filter

1 - Nitrous oxide system

2 - Headers

2 - Super-Trapp mufflers

16 - Exhaust pipe sections

12 - Braided lines

2 - Racing seats

2 - 5-Way Safety harness

1 - Front grille

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The project was completed with less than 15 minutes to spare.

Check out the video in our VIDEOS section.

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