When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Well, here it is. The build thread for my ‘97 F150 drag racing truck. I have a pretty good idea of what mods I want to do, so now on to actually doing them.
What we’re starting with:
1997 Ford F-150 XLT regular cab flareside with minor mods (long tube headers, electric fan)
The goal:
A mid-to-low 13-second 1/4 mile drag truck
Mod goal list:
PI swapped 4.6L Windsor engine, upgraded throttle body, cold air intake, custom tune, Short tube headers, dual exhaust, fuel cell, better electric fan, 3.55 rear gears w/ TrackLok, better seats, 10.5 M/T ET Street SS tires, AR Torq-Thrust rims, roll bar/roll cage
Here are some pictures and a video of the truck pre-build. Hopefully more to come, soon.
Got the 3.55 TrackLok differential out of the donor rear. But, wouldn't ya know, my Dad found a decently priced set of 4.10s after we pulled the 3.55s. So we might go with 4.10s instead. I also ordered some refresh/rebuild kits for the rear and diff. In the meantime, I'm going to get started on disassembling the PI-swap donor engine.
Last edited by RaceTruckDriver17; 11-14-2021 at 07:10 PM.
Reason: Fixed grammatical errors...again
Looks like you have a great start so far, idk if you care about aesthetics but changing out the stock grille for a higher trim one would look amazing, i have an aftermarket one with a chrome surround and it looks spectacular! (when I get home i'll attach a few images of the grille along with a link to it f you're interested!)
Looks like you have a great start so far, idk if you care about aesthetics but changing out the stock grille for a higher trim one would look amazing, i have an aftermarket one with a chrome surround and it looks spectacular! (when I get home i'll attach a few images of the grille along with a link to it f you're interested!)
Originally Posted by itzbear
The truck and new grille! (Apologies for it being filthy, haven't cleaned it in a while and it wont stop raining here)
Nice truck, Bear! That is a nice grille. If you wouldn’t mind, the link would be appreciated. I do have some aesthetic mods planned, and you just gave me some ideas!
Link for the grille, I don't know if this is the exact same one I purchased but it's pretty close to it. (I didn't have the sale on my account, my dad got it for me as a b-day gift)
Made a good amount of progress over the weekend. So much that I'm going to break this update into 3 parts lol. But, first things first:
We got the 3.55s installed, and boy there is a noticeable difference. We went from a 3.08 open diff to a 3.55 TrackLok, so no more one-wheel burnouts. The gears we used were from an '04 F150 that we got as a parts truck from a friend. We also refreshed the new diff (new bearings, friction plates, and TrackLok spring), and replaced the wheel/axle bearings and seals.
The empty housing ready for some new gears The old differential and pinion 3.55 pinion installed and ready The 3.55 differential (before installation) The 3.55 diff disassembled and ready for a refresh All done. A successful gear swap
A friend of a friend of my dad said he had some seats that we might've been interested in. So, now we have a pair of seats from a Ford Focus ST to play around with. They're a little dirty from sitting in a barn for a while, but they should clean up decent...hopefully.
11-13-2021, 01:20 AM
RaceTruckDriver17’s 1997 XLT Reg. Cab drag truck build - “Matilda”
