Pickup Pace Truck

The vehicle was found after trawling through various internet sites looking for a suitable vehicle to fit the role of a Pace Truck for the Championship. Eventually we found a Ford F150, it is a two wheel drive powered by a 4.2 V6 petrol engine. The Truck is painted in metallic blue, by coincidence Pickup Truck Racing corporate colours, its original owner being the USA Air Force and being sold by Grosvonor Motor Company who delivered the Truck to SHP.

The fact that it was a long wheel base model only enhanced the vehicle as its features were similar to the Pickup Truck Racing logo. On its arrival at SHP Automotive Engineering the workshop staff were quick to decide what was required to convert an ex-security patrol vehicle into a Pace Truck.

The rear spring hanger was removed and a new one fabricated four inches higher. The rear swinging shackles were extended. A set of shorter uprated shock absorbers completed the lowering of the rear suspension. For the front end two heavy duty Eibach springs replaced the originals with uprated shock absorbers.

Wheels for the standard vehicle fitted with 135 PCD five stud wheels, extremely rare in the UK and with the loading they were going to have to take at Rockingham Motor Speedway the decision was taken to use a competition wheel. Compomotive came up with the answer in a set of 8" x 18" one piece BMW race. Wheels these were fitted using a set of wheel adaptors produced by SHP.

The tyres supplied by Avon Racing were high speed 4 X 4 Ranger Sport 265 x 60 x 18 which were specially flown from Italy by Avon.

The rear roll cage was produced by SHP, designed to support the weight of the vehicle should anything happen. In addition to its safety features it is also used to mount the lighting system a requirement of a Pace Truck. The lighting system used is a multi function operation Impulse 2000 produced by Southern Vehicle Products Inc in America controlled by a switch panel between the driver and observer seats.

The seats again were part of the SHP conversion. The original bench seating arrangement was discarded and a new subframe fabricated into the cab to enable Corbeau deep side race seats to be fitted. The drivers seat is mounted on adjustable sliders. Finally to compliment the seats, full harness seat belts were supplied by Total Restraints, to be mounted to the floor and rear wrap tube behind the seats.

As the Pace Truck was to replicate the race version SHP created a frame system to fit into the rear buck then decked out the top of the buck.

On completion the Truck was sent to Richard Howe Bodyworks where the rear decking was painted to match the rest of the body and Ford works style stripes were added.

US Automotive supplied a set of service parts for a full service to be completed. A new aluminium propshaft was fitted and the exhaust was modified to accept a Simpson Exhausts stainless steel tail pipe.

The final part of the transition from standard F150 to Pace Truck was to add the graphics.  This work was carried out by Algar Sign Craft of Cambridge. The result being an impressive Pace Truck which is a credit to the Pickup Truck Racing Championship and a big toy for Stuart Bradburn the official Pickup Pace Truck Driver.