1985 Ford F-250 Restomod Sends Raptor Brand to the ’80s at SEMA

• Ford revealed the final build of a one-of-a-kind 1985 Raptor-inspired F-250 at SEMA this year.
• Matt Johnson, an Oregon-based mechanic, built the truck in collaboration with Ford Performance and documented the process on social media.
• The ’85 F-250 Raptor will be displayed at SEMA from November 3–6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ford’s first Raptor didn’t arrive until 2008 at the 41st Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Mexico. The high-performance F-150 SVT Raptor-R had a podium finish, and the Raptor name continues to grace the widened bodywork of some of Ford’s most powerful pickups.

But imagine if Raptor had come around about two decades earlier. It might’ve looked like Matt Johnson’s Raptor-inspired 1985 F-250, which is getting a huge reveal at Ford’s SEMA booth this year.

Ford

The F-250 project actually started with an old Toyota Land Cruiser, which Johnson had planned to put an EcoBoost engine into. A call to Ford Racing Parts led to discussions about a collaboration between the automaker and Johnson, who restores older off-roading vehicles and documents the process on social media.

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A few months later, Ford suggested putting a small-block Heritage motor in the Land Cruiser. Johnson bounced back with a photo of a 1985 F-250 with a blown engine that had been sitting behind his shop. He felt the small-block was better suited for a classic Ford, and the bullnose F-250 seemed like a perfect candidate.

Ford

Ford

Soon, Johnson’s $800 shop truck, called Norma Jeane, was getting a full makeover backed by Ford Performance. The truck’s original engine was replaced with Ford Racing’s 575-hp 460-cubic-inch Boss V-8. He paired the small-block with a Ford R680 six-speed automatic transmission.

Johnson documented the transformation through a 92-part series on social media. His daily updates covered everything, from installing a custom-made suspension kit to weatherstripping the windows. Though a lot of the truck is now brand new, the F-250 maintains its distinctly ‘80s qualities, right down to the hubcaps and vintage-style stereo.

Ford

The build was originally meant to be completed in 40 days, but when Ford proposed the idea of bringing it to SEMA, that 40-day timeline shifted to a much longer saga. Along the way, Johnson has accumulated 425,000 followers on Instagram and even more on Facebook under his Doc Johnson Restorations shop account. His latest post shows the F-250 getting loaded into a transport truck and beginning the journey from his small shop in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to SEMA in Las Vegas.

“Honestly, it’s a crazy story, and I feel blessed to be a part of it,” Johnson said in a press release. “The truck—and the project itself—took on a life of its own. In many ways, I’m just along for the ride.” Johnson and his Raptor-inspired F-250 will be a part of Ford’s display at SEMA, which takes place November 3-6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Alayna Wilkening grew up reading motorsport magazines and following her grandpa around his Chevrolet dealership’s showroom floor. In true Hoosier fashion, her first car was a hot pink custom cardboard “Fiero-vette” for her kindergarten Kindy 500 race. She now autocrosses a 1994 Miata with her dad, which she learned to drive the night before her first event. Alayna went to Indiana University and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in graphic design. As a testament to her great taste in cars, her first real one was a metallic orange 2007 Chevy HHR, which she lovingly called “The Dumptruck.”  

Source: www.caranddriver.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.