Insane 1978 Ford F-250 Prerunner Packs 1,000+ HP of Bow Tie Power: Track Time Tuesday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Chevy-powered Ford F-250 prerunner wasn’t just built as a fun toy – it actually supports a real off-road racing team.
As off-roading continues to explode in popularity, we’re starting to see more and more prerunner builds pop up. The concept is simple – build a truck that’s nearly as capable as a dedicated off-road racer, but equip it with the sorts of amenities that also make it comfortable to drive on the street. And in that regard, this classic 1978 Ford F-250 prerunner – recently featured in a video from YouTuber Ford Era – is one of the coolest examples we’ve come across in some time.
The owner of this Ford F-250 prerunner, Kyle Craft, originally purchased it four years ago. At that time, it already had an LS3 under the hood and a roll cage inside the cabin, so it was the perfect start for his planned off-road build. However, Craft’s father convinced him that the duo should seize this opportunity and transform the vintage pickup into something truly special, so that’s what they proceeded to do.
The heart of the build lies under the hood, which now holds a 575 cubic-inch monster of a motor that’s also used in the family’s trophy trucks that tackle the tough terrain of Baja. The reason Craft went with this motor is simple, however – parts are widely available, so if it breaks down on the trails, the team doesn’t have to go far to get whatever they might need to fix it. It’s also plenty powerful, making 850 horsepower in its current, detuned state, though it is easily capable of making over 1,000 ponies on race gas. “It’s a little scary,” Craft says of his creation.
The rest of this pickup is equally beefed up, including the 4L80e gearbox behind the big-inch mill, along with a full Rancho drivetrain, King 3.0 coilovers with a 4.5-inch bypass, and beadlock wheels wrapped with massive 40-inch tires. Custom I-beams, custom-build differentials, and beefy four links round out the mods underneath.
As for the bodywork, the cab is original, but the front end has been replaced with a custom fiberglass piece based on the older 1976 F-Series pickup. And since this is an actual prerunner that gets used on race day, the team can tear it completely apart and put it back together in short order. “It takes about two days to do a full prep on this vehicle,” Craft says. “That’s taking this thing down to the bare frame, everything’s out, and then putting it back together.”
Throw in some modern creature comforts inside the cabin, and you’ve got the recipe for a seriously capable, comfortable, and versatile machine. And that’s precisely why so many people are building prerunners these days, even if they don’t actually use them to scout out the terrain for real race trucks.
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