EgoBoost: Twin-Turbo V8 Ford F-150 Single Cab Muscle Truck

• September 30, 2022
• Story By
  Andy Carter

In a time when so much of automotive culture is driven by visuals, building a sleeper vehicle isn’t at the top of most enthusiast's lists. After all, the entire point of a sleeper is to NOT draw attention to oneself. Taking the sleeper-mentality to heart, the owner of this 2019 Ford F-150 started with a base model single cab and transformed it into an absolute beast under the hood. Outside of a couple of hard-to-notice exterior signs, there are few reasons that the average person would think there's anything special about this Ford truck. 

Starting with a single cab pickup is actually a perfect platform for a sleeper. From the front doors forward, the pickup will be identical to its higher market relatives, with plenty of engine choices and room for upgrades under the hood. 

Although Ford offers multiple avenues for high horsepower builds for the F150, this one is a 5.0L Coyote V8. Featuring a dual overhead cam design, the Coyote is a modern powerplant that not only finds itself at home in the full size trucks, but in the Mustang as well. 

Twin Turbo Coyote Power

Needless to say, tuners have cracked the code on making power with the Coyote V8. This truck has been fitted with an ON 3 twin turbo kit utilizing dual 67mm turbos. The truck has a conservative tune for an estimated 725HP on 8lbs of boost on 93 pump gas fuel and an estimated 850HP on 11lbs of boost on E85 fuel. 

Obviously, turbo power is not unfamiliar for this generation of Ford's best selling pickup truck, with most trucks being sold with either the 2.7L and 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The owner even decided to have a little bit of fun with the addition of a factory "Ecoboost" badge to play with on-lookers.

The twin turbo setup is fed via an upgraded fuel system consisting of ON 3 twin 320 fuel pumps. The On 3 twin system was created to allow for an easier conversion to a dual pump system, especially on truck applications. Those pumps feed fuel into dual fuel pressure regulators and upgraded fuel rails that are ultimately sent into the cylinder via the larger ID1000 injectors. 

In an effort to stick with the sleeper aesthetic, the truck retains the factory exhaust with electric cutouts for some additional breathing room and engine tone. The intake manifold was replaced with a unit from a 2018 Mustang GT providing an easy boost of power while using readily available, factory quality parts. 

Not Just a Dyno Queen

Although this sleeper build could have stopped at just the engine modifications, the owner wanted the truck to do more than just roast tires. To start, the truck was lowered with a VAS 3|5 inch lowering kit, utilizing Viking adjustable coilovers in the front. Tubular upper & lower Control arms in front also stiffen the suspension and transform the utility-based F150 into a proper handling street truck. 

In the rear, Viking adjustable shocks work in tandem with rear leaf spring traction bars to keep everything in line on both the straights and the curves. A factory electronic differential from the Mustang ensures that all of that power makes it to the wheels. 

Nitto NT555 RII for Grip

One advantage of using a single cab pickup is that trucks can generally fit larger tires in the rear. The factory Ford wheels wear a set of 305/50R20 Nitto NT555 RII D.O.T.-compliant competition drag radials on the drive axles to handle the available power. 

The RII’s have been designed to maximize traction with large twin center ribs and a next-generation tire compound. Plus, the large circumferential grooves aid wet handling in case of the occasional rainstorm on the way home from the track. 

As manufacturers continue to streamline product offerings, time will tell how long the single cab is available. Obsolete in the mid-size segment, the full-size single-cab short bed pickup is an icon of America’s love affair with pickups, but our obsession with convenience has pushed many buyers into larger four door offerings.

 But as long as street truck enthusiasts are around, there will always be a place in this world for the hot-rod pickup, whether that means candy paint, deep dish wheels, and a loud exhaust, or a single cab sleeper like this twin-turbo V8 F-150. 

Modification List