Ford pickup from the 1980s get a surprising amount of air using a snow pile as the jump.
While hunting for this week’s Freaky Friday video, we came across this clip titled “Epic Ford Truck Jumping Part 2”. The still image shows an F-Series pickup perched over a Chevrolet Cavalier on a pile of snow, and it looks like it has all of the makings of a stunt gone wrong. However, this old Ford pickup makes good use of the snow to get a ton of air time, easily clearing the tired old Chevy compact.
Epic Ford Truck Jump Introduction
There aren’t any details included with this video from the TurnBad4Good YouTube channel, but we don’t need to know much to enjoy the shenanigans.
The prime subjects of this video are an eighth generation Ford F-Series pickup, a third generation Chevrolet Cavalier and a big pile of snow. Those items don’t really come together to form an epic jump stunt on paper, so we watched this video the first time with the expectation of the clip being a freakish fail. Instead, we bring you this video because it’s pretty freaky how far off of the ground this Ford truck gets with a snow pile.
As for the truck itself, all we know is that it is an F-Series from the eighth generation, which ran from 1987 through 1991. We can’t tell whether it is an F-150, F-250 or F-350, but it is a single cab, long bed truck with four-wheel-drive and a V8 engine. It is likely powered by either a 302- or 351-cubic inch WindsorV8, but Ford also offered a 460-cubic inch big block during this era.
In any case, it has enough power to build a decent amount of speed as it runs up to this snow ramp.
Taking to the Skies
The video begins with the old Ford truck easing up onto the ramp of snow, possibly checking to see if it will support the weight of the pickup. Once the truck is lined up how the driver prefers, he backs it away from the jump. The camera angle changes as the run begins, with the F-Series charging down the short stretch to the jump.
Amazingly, when the big Ford hits the pile of snow, it is launched up into the air, easily clearing the Cavalier. We then see what appears to be the same jump from the other side, followed by some footage of the truck continuing on after the big jump.
While we wouldn’t recommend making a jump for your Ford pickup out of snow, the engineering behind this project worked in the end.
"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.
