DARK HORSE
If You Ain’t First, You’re Last!
NOW, WE’VE SEEN OUR fair share of restorations, customs, hot rods, drivers and an assortment of wild Ford F-100 builds throughout the years. But it’s not every day that you come across an all-out race truck guised in F-100 cladding that performs both on and off the track. Frank Watson certainly had a goal in mind when setting out to build the “ultimate street truck,” and we’d say he absolutely nailed it!
Frank knew he wanted to build a beast of a Ford that would perform on track, road course, straight line, Pro Touring and even g-Machine status, all while being able to drive to and from. This was no easy feat, so Frank set out to partner with No Limit Engineering to handle the chassis/suspension foundation that would be the key to building the ultimate street truck, taking what was in his head and bringing it to life.
With No Limit Engineering getting the green light to build a chassis fit for an all-out road warrior (which is exactly what they specialize in), it was game-on from there. Frank located a 2008 GT500 to rob the drivetrain, and it was fit in place between the rails of the No Limit Protech square-tube chassis. Outfitted with beefy sway bars, QA1 adjustable coils and a Winters Performance quick-change rear, this beast was coming to life. A set of Forgeline GF3 wheels were spec’d out and 18x12 three-piece wheels soon sat at each corner with BF Goodrich measured at 300/30ZR18 keeping things planted. With a solid foundation, it was time to move efforts toward the exterior.
Weight reduction was a must, so a host of Munssey Speed performance carbon fiber products soon found a home on the exterior of Frank’s 1968 F-100. Widening
the bed and wheel openings for a more planted stance and center of gravity, the Forgeline wheels and wider wheelbase gave a menacing overall appearance. To continue this look, everything that could be removed was unbolted, shaved, smoothed and tossed to the parts recycler. Once the body was massaged and smoothed, Frank shot a nice clean
Hot Rod Black to seal the deal on Dark Horse and the mean gaze she now possessed. This same treatment was taken inside the cabin—mean, bare and functional.
Moving inside, a set of Corbeau Forza racing seats and a Sparco steering wheel were bolted up, and some more Munssey Speed carbon fiber parts made their way into the cabin to include a full set of dash inserts. A nice shaved dash and interior, bare bones cockpit style and a set of Speed Hut gauges rounded out the necessities. Mean and clean was the name of the game, and Frank certainly has this formula dialed.
With about a year of build time, it was time to put this beast to the test. It has hit Optima Street Car Challenge and race events across the country, performing and cruising. You just can’t beat that, a build that actually performs as well as it looks! It might be a bit more rare in the classic truck world, but we’re seeing these muscle trucks become more and more popular and we couldn’t be happier to see them out there getting used and abused!