Blue Oval Domination

THIS 1,800-HP F350 IS THE WORLD’S QUICKEST FORD 4X4

- JASON SANDS

A few years ago, nobody thought diesel drag trucks were going to be fast, and in some respect, that’s still the opinion. That’s why Taylor Overcash (cool name, right?) sought to build a 4x4 diesel that really would haul the mail, not just for a diesel, but for anything. Luckily, Taylor lives in the heart of eighth-mile performance in Concord, North Carolina.

The 6.4L Power Stroke engine in Taylor’s Ford has seen two years of hard use and more than 100 eighth-mile passes yet still remains stout--even while producing an estimated 1,800 hp!

Since Taylor is a Ford guy, building a Ford came naturally to him, but what he didn’t want was something heavy, or Cummins-powered. What he came up with was pure magic. Taylor wanted to take full advantage of his truck’s 4x4 capabilities, so he started out with a longbed, to ensure the front wheels did their share of the traction duties (think less weight transfer). At the time, Taylor was looking at running Pro Street, which specified that a portion of the frame be factory. Taylor kept the center frame under the cab, but that was about it, as the truck went to Customs by Bigun to have both a front-half and back-half chassis built.

Since he would be re-fabricating the entire truck anyway, Taylor went with fabricated Ford 9-inch axles both on the front and on the rear of the truck. Due to the truck’s weight, Bigun also installed a unique wishbone four-link suspension arrangement, to ensure there were no bent panhard bars. A rack and pinion steering setup is used up front, and lightweight disc brakes are on all four corners of the truck. The chassis (and rollcage) have a 25.6 certification, which means that it’s good until 5.00 in the eighth mile.