Vintage-looking race-rig blends the old with the new.
Different Modern
Granted, not much is left of the old 'Big Job,' but it is there in spirit. When people ask Sam Collins why used a 1949 F8 as the starting point for an Ultra4 race truck, his answer is straightforward. “I wanted to build something different than anybody else's.” A modern Ford motor was his other requirement for the vintage-looking race rig.
Photos courtesy of Nitto Tire and Paolo Baraldi.
Competitive Rig
Hailing from Washougal, Washington, Collins knew that he wanted to off-road race at an early age. He first learned to drive his father's 1966 Ford farm truck at age ten. A few years later, he transformed the same truck into a competitive off-road rig. Collins then entered Four Wheeler magazine's 'Top Truck Challenge,' followed by a couple of W.E.Rock events.
Time Passion
Having experienced the slow pace of competitive rock crawling, Collins realized that what he really wanted was to go fast. His next off-road challenge was racing quads, but trucks were always on his mind. As his friends began to compete in Ultra4 racing, Collins figured it was time to get back to his true passion and began building the F8 in 2016.
Unique Goal
Ford started producing the F-Series in 1948 under the 'Bonus-Built' name tag. The F8 was the largest of the heavy-duty commercial trucks series, marketed under the 'Big Job' name. Collins began his build after dragging a wrecked 1949 F8 back to his home garage. His end goal was to create something unique by combining the old with the new.
Toughest Series
Collins races his highly-modified 1949 Ford F8 in the Ultra4 King of the Hammers and BITD series in the unlimited, extreme race vehicles 4400 class. The national series is considered the toughest off-road race out there. It is held each year from the end of January into the first week of February on public lands in Johnson Valley, California.
No Limits
The 4400 class is the top tier of Ultra4 racing, where pretty much anything goes. The open-ended guidelines state that trucks must use a transfer case with four-wheel drive and meet certain safety standards. Other than that, there are no limits to tire size, engine type, axles, or suspension setup. Unlike other classes, there are no stock chassis stipulations.
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Pro Case
Collins' Ultra4 rig is fitted with a 2015 5.0L Coyote engine that pumps out 450 horsepower. The motor is hooked up to a TH400 General Motors transmission, coupled to a three-speed Hero Transfer Case. Spidertrax 3.5'' Pro axles went on the front, with the 4'' versions at the rear. The suspension consists of a four-link with Fox Factory 3.0 shock absorbers, and tube bypasses, with PAC springs.
Fun Shift
SMT American Forged rims and BF Goodrich Racing KR3 tires complete the running gear. Unable to compete with the factory-backed teams, Collins explained that racing is more than just winning. He summed up that intangible aspect in a YouTube feature. “It's neat because you can go through a rocky canyon and come out, shift gears and go 100mph across the desert...that's what's so fun about this.”
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