This 7.3-Liter Godzilla V8 Swapped F-150 Is Insane

Ford’s 7.3-liter Godzilla V8 replaces the automaker’s 6.8-liter Modular V10 engine for heavy-duty use in Ford E-Series vans and Ford Super Duty pickup trucks. In its stock form, Godzilla makes 430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque and is designed to last a lifetime of heavy pulling. However, it’s also available as a crate engine, and its stock internals are capable of withstanding a lot of extra boost from forced induction. We’ve seen over 700 horsepower extracted from the monstrous engine without forced induction and over 1,100 hp with the addition of twin turbos. This, however, is the first time we’ve seen it swapped into a custom Ford F-150 prerunner truck, and it’s a beast.

Based in Wyoming, Lenger Racing shoehorned the Godzilla engine from an F-250 and the massive air intake and filters from a Dodge Viper into the engine bay of the modified F-150. To deal with the relentless power and repeated battering in the desert, the 7.3-liter engine has an aftermarket ECU and is mated to a heavy-duty GM sourced THM400 three-speed automatic transmission. According to Lenger Racing, the engine makes 340 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque on the dyno, which is plenty for hurling the track over sand dunes. Remember, the idea of a prerunner is to pre-run, and scout off-road course before the race vehicle goes flat out through it. However, at the end of the dyno-run video, Lenger Racing heavily hints that nitrous injection might be in the truck’s future.

Everything about the Cleveland Steamer is as in your face as its nickname. It’s shod with 40-inch BFGoodrich Baja tires, rides on King long-travel coilovers with external bypass shocks, and is fitted with a massive 65-gallon fuel tank with internal baffling. That required some problem solving to install, and, as a result, the truck’s rear sway bar runs directly through the middle. With the engine’s epic reliability and the builders’ no-nonsense approach to the project, this truck will be eating sand dunes for a long time to come and possibly inspire other builders to take things to the next level.