Robert Watley Jr.'s '84 F-150

Robert Watley Jr. named his '84 F-150 “Ugly Truck,” and for obvious reasons. However, don’t let its hideous appearance fool you into thinking it’s something it is not.

Robert bought the truck back in ’93 in basically stock condition and with a blown motor. He thought he’d revive the old hag by swapping in a 351 Windsor (which he’s since replaced with a 428 Cobra Jet), installing a 3-inch body lift, and screwing on 33-inch BFGs. The truck worked fine for a while and was used as his daily driver. Over time, however, Robert grew bored. He decided to install a Superlift 6-inch suspension system and a set of 38-inch Swampers, and he made plans to do some serious wheelin’. That was fine for a while, but soon Robert became disenchanted. To make room for the 44-inch Gumbo Mudders, 9-inch Superlift coils with 6-inch custom axle mounts and spring towers dropped 3 inches were bolted on the front. To the rear suspension’s 6-inch Skyjacker leaf springs were added 6-inch Superlift blocks and 6-inch drop spring perches mounted to the frame. To damp the ride, two Rancho 5000 shocks were attached to each corner.

Then the real trouble began. Every time Robert would take Ugly Truck out into the woods to play, the Twin Tractor Beam front axle would break. After numerous frontend fixes he finally swapped in a Dana 60 from a ’79 F-350. Now that the front axle was beefed, Robert discovered the weak link to be the rear axle. He bolted in a ¾-ton rear suspension and GM 14-bolt axle with 5.13:1 gears and a Detroit Locker. With that came changing the front ring-and-pinion to match the rear, as well as installing 8-lug rotors that were soon screwed to new 44-inch Boggers.

These days, the Ugly Truck has very few problems placing in Tough Truck competitions, and when Robert is airborne on the final jump, a screaming crowd is always there, cheering for more.