Someone boosted a 4.9-liter inline-six and created a wicked F-150 tire-slayer.
This week’s Tire Smokin’ Tuesday video comes to us from the YouTube channel of Frank Krahnand it features his unique 1985 Ford F-150. Most of the trucks that we showcase doing burnouts are powered by V8 engines, but his half-ton truck is packing a 4.9-liter inline-six. That is unusual to begin with, but making this truck that much more interesting is the fact that the owner has added a turbo setup – allowing this base engine to make big power.
The Truck
The F-Series pickup featured in the video above is a 1985 Ford F-150 with the short cab, short bed and short wheelbase. When you add on the Cragar D-Window wheels wrapped in wide tires with raised, white lettering, this half-ton Ford has a very sporty look. It also appears to have new sheet metal welded into various portions of the bed, giving the truck a fighter plane look.
What makes this truck so special is the 4.9-literinline-six engine under the hood – and it is rare that anyone calls the old 4.9 special. In stock form, this engine would have delivered 125 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, but this inline-six has been fitted with a turbocharger setup. We don’t have details on the size of the turbo, but we have also included a video below of an under-hood video of the engine running. The turbocharger appears to be small, but it plays a key role in helping this truck make far more power than it did when stock.
The Burnout
As the video begins, the 1985 F-150 rolls onto a concrete slab, rolling into the throttle and quickly spinning the rear tires (or rear tire – it is hard to tell). It only takes a few seconds for smoke to begin to build around the rear end and as the cloud grows, the tires spin harder and make more smoke.
The burnout ends quickly, but the turbocharged 4.9-liter six-cylinder engine clearly makes this F-150 a whole lot more interesting to drive. Crank up your speakers and enjoy both short videos of the truck named “the Boosted Beaver”.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
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