Justin Howell’s grandfather bought this 1972 Ford F100 new in 1972. Today, this is certainly ‘Not your grandpa’s pickup truck’, by any means. While there are certainly a lot of vehicles rolling around with LS swaps under the hood, we haven’t seen a lot of it done in classic Ford trucks, but the results are proven in this build. Holley caught up with Justin to talk about his truck, and we’re a little blown away by how fast an LS can make a big chunk of classic pickup go.
Powering the 1972 Ford truck is a stock bottom end LQ4 engine with a Comp Cams camshaft. The cylinder heads are a set of untouched 243 (stock 6.0L) heads, and is topped with a Holley Hi-Ram intake manifold. Backing the modern Chevy truck engine is a 4L80e transmission with high-stall torque converter.
Justin says that he shifts the truck at 7,000 RPM because it acts the best in the high RPM range. The fastest this truck has been is quite surprising; it can cover a quarter-mile in 11.50 seconds, we did not see that coming! Considering the engine and transmission are that of an early 2000’s 2500 Silverado, plus a cam and high stall torque converter, mid-11s is booking it for this setup.
This is Justin’s second year at Holley LS Fest, but his first time racing. He was there last year to spectate and hang out. The truck gets a lot of reactions, both good and bad. Of course, the diehard Ford guys are not amused, but some of the LS guys don’t approve of the use of the powertrain in a Ford pickup truck either.
We’re not sure what grandpa thinks of the truck now, but we are into it. It’s running faster than expected with the powertrain and lack of any sort of aerodynamics whatsoever. Not to mention, it is a clean ride! We can’t wait to see it at LS Fest this summer.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
