The American Sleeper
There’s something about sleeper builds that never goes out of style. They skip the flashy looks and keep things low-key, but the real story is under the hood. You’ll often find an engine and chassis setup that can put much louder, showier cars to shame. That element of surprise is what makes sleepers so satisfying, and it always delivers when you least expect it.
We’ve seen a Fox-body Mustang doubling its power without changing its looks before. Now, here’s another Ford that got an update under the hood – a rusty old F100. But we did say this is a sleeper, right? Let’s dive right in.
Ford F100 Shelby Mod
Fat Fender Garage is the group behind this unassuming build. Based in Arizona, the company used a 1968 Ford F100 as a platform and hid under all the aged and dated body is a performance-ready monster. Powering this sleeper truck is not just any normal V8; it is none other than the 5.2-liter Predator motor from a Shelby GT500.
It seems the goal was also to extract more power from the engine, which led to adding a forged steel crank and rods, forged aluminum pistons, an Eaton TVS supercharger, and a custom stainless steel exhaust.
All this has translated to a total power output of 700 hp and 625 ft-lb of torque. Handling all of this power is a 10-speed automatic transmission, and keeping the driving dynamics in check is the level 2 Fat Fender Chassis upgrade. This is coupled with an independent coilover front suspension, 4-link rear suspension, and front and rear sway bars.
Aesthetically, the F100 Shelby looks almost untouched. That’s because Fat Fender, along with the truck’s owner, decided to retain the weathered look, which meant preserving some of the patina that has developed over time. The only telltale signs that this isn’t just any truck are the super-lowered stance and the big black alloy rims.
Humble Beginnings
Inside this modified F100 are most of the major upgrades, including new leather seats in black and red, a Fat Fender Garage gear lever, Spark-designed steering wheel, new digital gauges, USB charging ports, a push-to-start button, and an air conditioning system. Lastly, one very cool touch is the addition of a drift handbrake, which alludes to the owner’s intention for the truck.
This particular Ford F100 sleeper build traces to the customer finding the base truck in a field somewhere. Interestingly, if you watch the walk-around and test-drive video, you can see the excitement a humble (and sort of simple) build like this brings not just to the owner but also to the builders and the community.
