THE WILD,WILD WEST

Racing in Mexico is Like the wild West, Especially in a Classic Ford F-250 Turned Race Machine

- LINDSEY FISHER

Crawl over rocks, speed through the desert sand, and take a beating over long stretches of often off-camber, rolling divots in the form of "whoops" all while trying to follow a specified route between Point A and Point B and do so as quickly as possible that's what racing in Mexico on the Baja Peninsula is like. If this sounds like a good time, you're in good company, including that of offroad aficionado Jerry Souza of Gilroy, California.

There are a handful of very well-known races that take place on the Baja Peninsula every year, every one of them having their challenges, as well as amazing aspects. For Jerry, it was all about racing the NORRA 500 and he needed the perfect rig to do so. Enter this gorgeous 1976 Ford F-250 crew cab.

OK, so we may be getting ahead of ourselves a bit-let's rewind. Jerry's original purpose for building this truck was to have a rig he could take off-road, whether that was weekend wheeling or attending various off-road events. But he didn't want just any old truck. He had his heart set on a classic, built to be as capable off-road as it was on pavement. Three and a half years of work and we're looking at that very truck.

Capable On and Off-Road

Building a capable off-road truck is more than just slapping on a lift and some sticky tires. Rather, every aspect of the build has to be weighed against how you want that truck to perform and on what kind of terrain, how you're going to keep from breaking just about every mechanical component possible, and how you're getting home at the end of the day safe and sound. Therefore, many people start with the chassis.

To achieve his ultimate build, Jerry opted to stick with the Ford's original frame to start things off, but he had it cut and notched by M-Fab. A cagee was then integrated into frame that goes throughout the truck for added rigidity and safety.