Project Dirtshark: Dixon Bros. F-150 Long-Arm Suspension Swap

Forum member transforms 2001 F-150 into a badass off-road beast. However, there is an odd, unexpected ending to this build story.

One of the key differences between off-road high performance vehicles and your average Ford F-150 pickup is the suspension setup. Most off-road racers have a wider track with far more suspension travel, and that is exactly what forum member fnnrNArnner74 had in mind when he began to build his 2001 F1-50. The goal was to transform his F150 into an off-road beast and he began the process by adding a Dixon Brothers long-arm front suspension setup with Fox shocks.

The Introduction

The build thread detailing this 2001 Ford F-150 project began with the OP showing the truck in its “before” form while explaining his goals and showing off some of the components purchased for the build.

“Thought I would make a little build thread on my truck. Took the DBR kit and made a little modification to it to accommodate my needs. There will be more to come, I want to try and fit a 3.0×10″ triple bypass in there somehow, and after that I’m going to link the truck after i figure out exactly how I’m going to go about it. Somewhere in between I would like to stuff a johnny lightning performance short block with a kenne bell supercharger to give her the get up and go I want. It should be a fun project and hopefully by the time it’s done I can enter in on truck of the month! If you’re ever in the Arizona desert keep your eyes peeled, DirtShark might just be lurking.”

The Long-Arm Install

In addition to introducing the truck in its stock(ish) form and explaining the build, the OP included step-by-step images of the conversion from factory front suspension to the long-arm setup from Dixon Brothers. This included removing all of the factory bits, clearing a spot for the installation of the long-arm components, welding up the new tubular shock mounts and bolting up all of the pieces from the Dixon Brothers kit.

The key issue in adding any long-arm suspension package like this is that the factory body parts get in the way, so fnnrNArnner74 had to remove the front fenders and front bumper before hitting the road.

Once the suspension swap appeared to be finished up, the OP fabricated a new tubular front bumper that allowed plenty of space for wheel travel. That custom front bumper was finished off with a custom skid plate and a set of big, bright, off-road lights.

A New Body Look

After spending a few months driving his 2001 F-150 around with no fenders, the OP got new fiberglass body panels that allow the wheels to move freely without hitting the body. When the new front fenders went on, he trimmed the area of the bedsides behind the rear wheels and removed the stock rear bumper, fabbing up a minimal tubular bumper to replace the factory design.

Once the body was finished, the OP spent time enjoying his long-arm F-150 in all sorts of off-road venues, from dirt to mud to snow. Along the way, the dealt with broken axles and an engine problem, but the truck proved to be the off-road beast that he had hoped. The only downside was the rear suspension setup, which he addressed almost a year after this project was first shared.

New Rear Suspension

In order to get a proper rear suspension setup to match the front long-arm setup, the OP added new tubular braces with Fox high performance dampers extending from the axle up to the new mounts in the bed. Around this time, he also swapped to new wheels and tires, bolstering the prerunner race truck look.

As time went on, fnnrNArnner74 continued to enjoy his modified 2001 F-150 while buying other trucks for daily driving purposes. At one point, he was badly injured in an off-roading accident and while laid up, he decided to take Project Dirtshark in a whole different direction. The entire truck was cut up and the end goal is a fully-built race truck with a tube chassis, a race engine and a long list of parts which prevent it from being a reasonable street truck.

There have been no more updates, but below is the final picture of the Dirtshark as we knew it on the forum.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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