In 2021, The Hoonigan team built a unique mix between a 2004 Ford F-150 Lightning and the famous Toyota 2JZ engine. Now Lord Frightening, as this thing is called, wants to prove that its 500 horsepower Toyota Supra powerplant isn’t for show by drag racing GMC Jimmy with the mother of all big block swaps.
Our favorite thing about the 2JZ-swapped Ford F-150 was that it was a tribute to the late Paul Walker, who drove a red Lightning shop truck in a few Fast and Furious scenes. Of course, putting a Toyota six-cylinder into a Ford truck isn’t easyโฆ a bit like installing an RB26 into a 1966 Mustang.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a famous sports truck. Its modern, small body usually hides a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 which produces 360 horsepower. It was quite a nice engine back in the day, with a modern supercharger, liquid-to-air intercooler, forged pistons, forged crank and 3-inch pipes.
What did Hoonigan do to the Ford F-150?
But the Hoonigan 2JZ made 514 horsepower and 472 lb-ft (639 Nm) of torque on the dyno. Among other things, this Toyota lump has a larger turbo, bigger injectors, and a custom intake. Of course, there’s a lot of fabrication needed to mount the six-cylinder in place of a V8.
Of course, there’s only one way to find out if the swap was successful, and that’s with a drag race. And here to explain what it’s all about is Suppy (@suppymk4), the guy who put Honda parts in a Hellcat-powered Rolls-Royce. We’re beginning to see a pattern here!
Its drag racing rival is not supposed to be fast. The 1978 GMC Jimmy left the factory with drum rear brakes, a single overhead cam engine, something like a 350ci V8, and maybe a 3-speed.
There are regular big blocks and then there’s this thing, an all-motor 572 cubic-inch monster. Apparently, it makes 733 horsepower in a reliable way, and to prove that the owner Zac Mertens drove it all the way from Utah.
And it makes over 700 pound-feet of torque, which is bad news for the chassis and suspension, both of which are stock. Over four times the power, no brakes: that sounds like a deathtrap, so it’s perfect for Hoonigan drag races.
The drag races themselves are pretty pointless but extremely entertaining. It looks like the 2JZ Ford F-150 is completely outgunned by the displacement monster. Its cowboy owner is apparently also more skilled, but we’re just happy to see crazy machines like these burning rubber and enjoy life decades after they were built.