Just How Fast is a 5.0 Coyote-Swapped F-100?
Fat Fender Garage extols the virtues of modern Ford power in a classic, familiar shape.
It’s the best of both worlds: the shape and style of a classic Ford truck, with the performance and convenience of a modern machine. Classic F-Series fans Fat Fender Garage has heard our prayers, and they now offer a kit to retrofit a modern Coyote engine in classic Ford trucks.
In this video on their YouTube channel, they aim to answer the question on everyone’s mind right now: just how fast is a classic Ford truck with modern Coyote power?
It’s quite a bit quicker than even big-block trucks of that era. According to Fat Fender Garage, it’s not so much faster that it overpowers a well-maintained stock suspension, but he did advise an upgrade to modern power disc brakes. After all, it doesn’t matter how fast you can go—everybody’s got to stop sometime.
According to the video, the engines in modern Fords are mounted slightly off-center for clearance and weight distribution. However, Fat Fender Garage’s kit is designed to keep the engine centered in the bay, so that the transmission lines up with the transmission tunnel and the driveshaft remains straight. It’s truly a bolt-in affair.
A modern, fuel-injected V8 has several benefits that may not be immediately apparent. It’s not just about power—a Coyote will start easier in all conditions, and return better fuel economy. There’s also an on-board diagnostic system to tell you what’s wrong if and when problems develop.
Used Coyote V8s can be had for around $2,500. While it’s a major upgrade, there are a ton of benefits, and driveability is substantially improved. Hopefully, the proliferation of kits like the one manufactured by Fat Fender Garage will help more Coyotes find their way into older trucks.
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