Slideshow: 1938 Ford Pickup Becomes Barrel Racer

Spark

Some people come to racing by way of their cars, looking for a place to explore the limits of their machines, while some find their ways into this car or that as a means to a racing end. As a long-time member of Western Australia's Relics Rod & Kustom Club, Mark Sugg comes from the latter group—except his race car isn't a car, it's a 1938 Ford pickup he calls 'Barrel Racer'. Mark said he's always been a hot rod guy first and foremost, but after volunteering as an official at local circuit races, he got the racing bug and went looking for the right vehicle to take to the track.

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Shell

Mark set a few parameters for his project. One was his budget—he wanted to keep it under $6,000 Australian Dollars, another was that he didn't want to run into anyone else with the same vehicle. The hot rodder in Mark came out when he chose a cost-effective 1938 Ford pickup truck for the body of his racer; Mark's 'barrel racer' nickname has its roots in the 'beer barrel' moniker given to the model for its bowed grille design. The truck came at a bargain price because it had sat on its side in mud for years, and as a result, much of its right side was unusable, and the 'good' side was a little worse for its 80-year-old wear.

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Bones

Mark had no intention of trusting a rusty 1938 Ford frame to build his racing hopes on, so he hit his local junkyards in search of a more suitable platform. Great things happen when you wander through rows of ruined cars with an open mind, and it was at one yard that Mark came upon a smashed Mitsubishi Triton (compact pickup) and the low to the ground stance of the truck appealed him. Measurements were taken and compared, and though they didn't match up perfectly, Mark decided they were close enough and the price was right so he's giving it a go.

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Muscle

With the Triton pared down to only the pieces Mark could use, his attention turned to finding power. Since the whole idea was to race the truck and to build it for small amounts of coin, Mark, lacking any particularly strong Ford brand loyalty at this point, took the road more traveled and went with a 5.7 liter GM LS1 motor— also boneyard fresh. A Tremec T56 6-speed manual transmission takes power from the LS1 back to the factory Mitsubishi rear end that Mark equipped with a locking differential.

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Reanimation

To match the Mitsubishi's wheelbase to the Ford, and fit Mark's cheap 15-inch steelies under the fenders, the Triton chassis was shortened by eight inches. To fit the engine and transmission package where Mark wanted it, he pushed the firewall back enough to provide adequate clearance—then it was time to tackle what was left of the body. A carpenter by trade, Mark welded in new rockers and a new floor pan, fabbed-up new running boards, made and installed a custom transmission tunnel, and built a rear tray.

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Preservation

Mark also added pieces as needed to patch holes, widened fenders, and skin the doors, and called in his buddy Trevor Flower to help straighten some of the more beaten-up panels. The result of their labor was sprayed in clear enamel to arrest any further deterioration and expose the junkyard flower to onlookers.

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Ready to Go

A racing truck can't live on clear enamel alone, so Mark welded in a roll cage that, like the rest of the truck, follows Confederation of Australian Motor Sport specifications to the letter. A single racing seat and OMP 6-point harness hold him securely in place behind a mix of gauges, and window nets keep his limbs inside the car. He reports that the Ford flies through tech inspection, even the bed-mounted steel cylinder he uses for a fuel tank makes the cut.

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Racebound

Mark's recent results include a high-speed run of 120mph and a best quarter-mile elapsed time of 13.54 seconds. He says his truck isn't the fastest thing out there, but considering what he has into it, the project is more than a success—with room to grow. And who can fault a man who brings a piece of 1938 back to life?

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