Base Model F100 Gets 800HP GT500 Swap | Before & After
Charlie Morris and his dad drove this bone-stock 1971 F100 1,200 miles from Texas to Tennessee for the Grand Nationals. Two years later, it's the only GT500 Predator-swapped F100 in the world—800 horsepower, 6-speed manual, and built to destroy tires. His dad passed away before seeing it finished, but he was there for the journey.
This wasn't supposed to be a GT500 build. Charlie originally wanted a Coyote with a Whipple supercharger—a solid plan for serious power. But when Ford stopped making the 2023 Mustang GT500, he called us with a different idea: "Can we put the GT500 crate motor in an F100?"
Nobody had done it. The front runner kit didn't exist. Motor mounts had to be custom. Oil pan clearance was tight. But we figured it out, and now this truck runs an 800-horsepower supercharged Predator 5.2L with a Tremec T56 6-speed and a custom hydraulic drift brake setup.
The truck started as the most basic F100 you could buy in 1971—straight six, three-on-the-tree, manual brakes, manual steering, no passenger mirror, radio delete. Charlie and his dad drove it cross-country in 2023 to the F100 Supernationals in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It made the whole 1,200-mile trip without issue. Then, loading it onto our trailer for the build, it died. It was ready for a Revival.
The F100s became Charlie and his dad's thing after his mom passed away from cancer in 2021. They'd go to shows together, work on trucks, get out of the house. His dad was diagnosed with cancer in July 2025 and passed away that September. He came to Fat Fender Garage multiple times during the build and got to see the progress, but he never got to see it finished. This one's for him.
Charlie wanted to keep the truck's bone-stock aesthetic—white patina exterior, no frills, just performance. We widened the wheelwells front and rear to fit 20x12 CCW wheels in the back, matched the bed floor patina to the original finish, and swapped in a 1968 grille (cleaner look than the '71). Inside, it's minimal—Snowden bucket seats wrapped in black leather with red stitching, Dakota Digital gauges, push-button start, and racing harnesses. No luxury, just what you need to drive hard.
The chassis is a custom FFG fully-boxed Bumpside frame built by Porterbuilt, with Hyperco springs, Falcon shocks, and 14-inch Wilwood brakes all around. The drift brake setup lets Charlie lock the rear wheels on command—because if you're running 800 horsepower, you might as well have some fun with it.
Charlie's ready to run this thing at Grand Nationals, race it against his Mustang Cobra collection, and put serious miles on it. That's what his dad would've wanted.
BUILD SPECS:
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN:
Ford Predator 5.2L V8 (supercharged, 800HP)
Tremec T56 6-speed manual
McLeod clutch
Currie F9 rear axle with Eaton TruTrac limited slip
FFG custom headers and 3-inch exhaust with electronic cutouts
Boyd aluminum fuel tank with GT500 fuel pump
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:
Custom FFG fully-boxed Bumpside chassis (Porterbuilt Fabrication)
Hyperco springs (front and rear)
Falcon shocks (front and rear)
BRAKES:
Wilwood 14-inch front and rear
Wilwood 1-inch bore master cylinder
Custom hydraulic drift brake with lever
WHEELS & TIRES:
CCW Forged, Classic finish
Front: 20x8.5 with 245/40 ZR20
Rear: 20x12 with 245/30 R20
EXTERIOR:
Wimbledon White patina
1968 OEM grille swap
Holley RetroBright headlights
Tubbed front and rear wheelwells
Faux patina bed floor to match exterior
INTERIOR:
FFG Bumpside interior kit
Snowden bucket seats with Apex Leather (Blackjack with red stitching)
Dakota Digital RTX gauges
Sparco steering wheel
Push-button start
Racing harness belts
Wireless Bluetooth amp (radio delete aesthetic)
Air conditioning
Follow Charlie's build and his Cobra collection on Instagram: @CharlieRay_88
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