Project: Cheap Drag Truck

So I had this '97 2wd F-250 sitting here that was parked in the mud out next to the shop. The truck got me to work everyday for a couple years, then my daughter came along in '07 and I had no use for a regular cab pick-up. I tried to sell it but the offers were no where near what I wanted, and I knew the truck ran great and was reliable for me, but it was a rusted out hunk from bumper to bumper. So I parked it and decided to deal with it at a later date.

Well, spring '09 rolls around and I decide to tear it apart, keep some parts, give some away, sell some, then scrap the rest. In the process of dismantling we get the idea that it might make a neat drag project. Once it was stripped down and lightened up, I could throw on some extra go-fast parts I have sitting around and see if she'll make sub-13.0 second 1/4 mile runs for as little money as possible. Most of the parts to build the truck I had sitting around the shop anyway so the investment would be minimal.

The following is a description of the truck and the work that we've done to it.

Overview of Project

Keep it simple. If it wasn't needed to drive the truck down the track, it got removed and thrown in a pile. Custom fuel system, remote battery mounts, trans cooler, traction bars, welded rear end, Stage-2 injectors, larger turbo, custom programming, and some slicks was what was needed to move this thing down the track.

The truck

	Before		After
		How the truck looked when I drove it every day.		After several evenings and weekends of hard work.
		Stock motor & accessories.		Motor in race set-up.
		Stock XL interior.		Race interior.
Construction Photos
Misc Motor
		Head stud installation.		Head studs, valve spring and Injector install.
		Removal of old turbo, intakes and misc.		Install larger intakes.
		Engine race ready.
Fuel System
		Fuel splitter.		Fuel splitter in valley.
		Fuel system from rear.		Fuel system from below.
Running gear
		Welded gears in rear diff.		Custom rear disk brakes.
		Traction bar brackets.		Traction bars installed.
Misc.
		Dash gauges.		Relocated batteries.
		Custom Transmission cooler.		Rear shot.
		Cheap custom hood stack.		Action shot.

Results

The truck was a lot of fun the first summer of racing. It was very consistent and reliable all summer long, but we failed to reach sub 13 seconds, with a best of 13.40. we're very happy with that considering that for around $3500 (if we would have had to buy the stuff to build the truck) it met most of our expectations and was a bargain for the fun we had. We'll try again in '10 and see if we can get under 13.0, with the intent on getting to as many Division 5 NHRDA races as possible.

Happy racing!

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