Red 1977 Ford F100 Pre-Runner by RJ Fab Goes Airborn Using 427 Power

Vintage trucks turned into Pre-Runners are some of the coolest things in America. They’re super-rare and spectacularly fabricated, probably because most cost Lamborghini money. This is one of them, the V8-powered 1977 Ford F100 Pre-Runner built by RJ Fab and recently highlighted by AutotopiaLA.

Autotopia is better known for its muscle car showcase videos. However, every once in a while, they travel to places like sunny Hesperia, California to film Pre-Runners like this. The last one was a Ford Ranger with F-150 Raptor looks that basically defined what a Pre-Runner is supposed to be.

If you look at this from afar, it’s like any of those late-70s early-80s lifted trucks, the kind you’d see all over campuses. It’s got the same KC lights you’d see on a K5 Blazer or even the Toyota pickup from Back to the Future. However, the vintage red paint actually hides a fully rebuilt 1977 Ford F100 that basically has none of the original components.

This was originally built by another company, but the owner wrecked it hard just four weeks after he bought it. And so it ended up with RJ Fab, where it basically got constructed all over again. The cab is basically the only real F100 component left, and even that had to be repaired. Its roll cage was also revised to be thicker and stronger.

Pre-Runner suspension, brakes and V8

Duel to all the metal that goes into that, this thing weighs about 5,800 lbs, so it needs a lot of engine. A 427 Ford small-block resides under the hood, but it’s no Cobra engine. This is a 351 Windsor that’s been stroked out. She’s currently running fuel injection via a Holley Terminator system and makes 325 horsepower to the wheels. Given the heavy gearing, that’s probably about 500 hp at the crank.

The truck has some suspension technology that would seem alien in 1977. Fox shocks with 5-tube bypasses and coilovers combine with lots of suspension travel. There are 21 inches of wheel travel at the front and 28 inches at the rear, so it’s worthy of being called a Pre-Runner.

You need that kind of travel when you’re jumping desert dunes. Plus, this has 40-inch off-road tires, including two spares with matching beadlock wheels on the back. Thankfully, the brakes are also up to the job, 14-inch Wilwood rotors with 6-piston calipers.

The interior is also pretty nice, with heated seats and more gauges. I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing costs $500,000, and to see it jump is quite the spectacle as a result.

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