Old Smokey F1: Time For Tea?

What to do with a $225 truck? Give it over 1,000hp of course!

The rat rodding scene is one of America's most unique car crazes, with no shortage of 'gear heads' eager to render their classic car vision in faded paint and rusty iron. Despite their budget appearance though rat rods often hide tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars worth of extreme performance parts beneath their seemingly dilapidated bodies. Some, of course, are more extreme than others - step forward Chuckles Garage and its 1949 Ford F1.

What started life as a $225 Craigslist purchase has now benefited from somewhere near $300,000 worth - yes, you read that right - of work. With the help of a 5.9-litre Cummins diesel and compound turbos, it makes over 1,200hp at the wheels. Those massive turbochargers work together to maximise boost - the 'small' 80mm unit working as normal, taking gases from the exhaust, before feeding the larger 94mm turbo. That larger unit aids the smaller one by feeding back 40psi of boost, making a total of 100psi at the plenum chamber. Oh and it is fitted with nitrous, just in case an extra 350hp boost is needed.

Scott Birdsall, owner of Chuckles, still isn't sure whether it's a drift truck, a rat rod or a racer after pouring over 3,000 hours into the project. His end goal is clear though; to be the first truck to hit 200mph in a measured mile. Watch The House of Muscle episode here and get a little more in-depth info on the build.