The $800 Ford F-250 That Quietly Stole SEMA
Matt Johnson kept his 1985 Ford F-250's original chassis and body, then added a Ford Racing V8 and reworked TTB suspension.
Matt Johnson dragged this truck out of a farm field, handed over $800 for the crusty 1985 Ford F-250, and figured it would live out its days as a beat-up shop rig.
Instead, the old F-250 is sitting on the floor at the 2026 SEMA Show this week, running a 460-cubic-inch Ford Racing small-block, a reworked front suspension, and tires nearly as tall as a toddler. It still wears the familiar bullnose Ford look, which is the whole point.
From $800 Farm Truck To SEMA Build
Johnson's original plan had nothing to do with this truck at all. He wanted to drop a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine into a Toyota Land Cruiser, and he had already started talking through the swap with Ford Racing Parts before anyone mentioned the F-250 sitting behind his shop. That conversation changed direction fast. Johnson said:
'To me, the little EcoBoost motor in the Land Cruiser is a perfect match. But a rowdy small-block, like the Heritage engine, that needs to go in a Ford. So, I said, 'Let me just stop you right there on the Land Cruiser idea, because there is a couple of cool Ford trucks I have behind the shop.''
Johnson let the better idea win even after he'd already committed to the Land Cruiser swap. The farm truck became the project, and the EcoBoost plan never happened.
Once the direction shifted, Johnson kept the truck's identity intact rather than starting over. The chassis and bodywork are original, and the build required relatively little fabrication work.
That restraint sets this build apart on the SEMA floor.
Gallery: 1985 Ford F-250 SEMA Restomod
Ford Racing 460 V8 Delivers 575 Horsepower
The swapped engine is Ford Racing's 460-cubic-inch Heritage small-block, a crate V8 built on the old 351W architecture rather than a modern Coyote platform. It is rated at 575 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, paired with a Ford R680 six-speed automatic transmission.
Under the body, John Carrick of Carrick Customs reengineered the F-250's original Twin Traction-Beam front suspension rather than swapping it out for a solid axle or an independent setup. The TTB geometry stays. It's just built to handle long-travel articulation the factory version never saw.
That suspension work is what lets the truck wear 37-inch Mickey Thompson Baja tires without looking like a lifted parts-counter special.
Ford has documented the build as a 92-part social-media series and confirmed the truck is not for sale, noting that its aftermarket modifications may affect compliance with applicable laws for street use.
The 2026 SEMA Show runs November 3 through 6 in Las Vegas, where the F-250 sits among builds like the Ringbrothers' 800-hp Kingpin Mustang.
More From SEMA:
Source: Ford
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Ford’s Strong Profits Show High Gas Prices Aren’t Keeping F-150 Buyers Away
Mazda Refuses To Let The Manual Mazda3 Die
Ford Recalls 102,000 F-Series Trucks Over A Strange Gauge Issue
Ferrari F50 Sets New Auction Record With $18.7 Million Sale
This 1966 Ford Mustang Gets A Modern V8 Heart For SEMA
When (And When Not) To Use Your Hazard Lights
Leather Seats Cracking? You're Probably Cleaning Them Wrong