"Stock", in the harsh and sometimes brutal world of desert racing,
is a relative term. While you could add a roll cage, fuel cell and
other safety gear to what the factory delivered, and go racing,
odds are you won't get very far. This is a lesson Dave Sykes,
president of ANDATACO (an international supplier of high end
computer equipment) and brother Marc Stein discovered at their
first race; "The Parker 400", in 1993."Made it only two
miles," said Stein. ""Mile and a half," Sykes countered. "No, at
least a mile and three quarters", Stein replied. As time passed,
Dave and Marc "got over it", and went on to win the SCORE
"Stock Full" Championship in 1995, and finished
3'rd for the season in 1996.
Andataco's new 1997 Ford F-150 represents the "state of the art" in "Stock Full" technology, and
in the case of this SCORE desert truck, "Stock" means anything but
slow. At the 97-season opener in Parker, the new truck's first
race, it's 10 inches of front, and 15 inches of rear wheel travel
carried Dave to the class win at an average speed of over 43 MPH.
To put this into perspective, the fastest Trophy Truck at Parker (Curt LeDuc), with over twice
the suspension, and 3 times the horsepower, averaged a little over
58MPH in his record setting run! That extra 15 MPH average however,
requires well over $100,000 more, and an entirely different level
of technology to achieve, but it's technology that Andataco, and
the truck's builder Gordon DiCarlo borrowed from during the truck's
construction.
Suspension  In1997, Ford abandoned the tried
and true "Twin I-Beam" front suspension in the F-150 series, which
has proven it's worth in tens of millions of on and off highway
trucks since the early 60's. The new A-arm configuration, long used
by Chevy and Dodge, offers some distinct advantages of it's own,
and DiCarlo was quick to fully exploit them within the rules of the
class.
A SCORE "Stock Full" class, suspension "must be of the same
manufacture, size, shape, and configuration, as delivered by the
manufacturer". Non the less, there is room within the rules for
improvement. For example, the rules allow 2 shocks per wheel, front
and rear. As the single stock shock would be quickly overwhelmed by
the rapid movement of the big 35 in. BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires;
pair of King Shock external bypass-remote reservoir shocks serves
as its replacement. These aluminum bodied racing shocks allow for a
wide range of adjustability to suit the given terrain, and run much
cooler, resulting in little to no shock fade over the course of
races lasting up to 1000 miles. This is perhaps the single most
important modification a "Stock Full" truck can have, as it
contributes significantly to it's performance when the going gets
"really" rough. In fact, the right shocks can easily result in the
difference between winning a race, or being trailered home.
 The rules in "Stock Full" for mounting the shocks are open,
resulting in some creative fabrication, and unique positioning.
Both shocks use the roll cage / subframe as an upper mounting
position, drawing on it's inherent strength for reliability. On the
lower end, one shock is mounted above, and passes through the coil
spring and upper coil tower, fastening to the lower A-arm. The
second shock is mounted to the spindle, above the upper ball joint,
resulting in a 1 to 1 ratio of shock to wheel travel. Steering
components must remain stock, as per the rules, but the mounting of
the steering box may be reinforced. This is a critical
modification, that even street driven trucks can benefit from. On
the street or trail, the increase in leverage and vibration caused
by the addition of larger tires can weaken or crack the frame over
time. Racing subjects these parts to far greater stress, and can
equal years of "normal wear" in a matter of miles.
 Moving to the rear,
DiCarlo mounted two King shocks (per side) opposingly, front and
rear. The lower mounting position puts the eye bolt slightly below
the axle housing (on either side of the axle) to help control axle
wrap, or "wheel hop" as the BFGs fight for traction in the shifting
desert terrain. Up top, the King's are securely mounted to the
Chromoly roll cage / subframe, negating any potential downtime due
to broken mounts. 
The Dana axle housing enjoys the benefits of some added beef from
the welded sections of chromoly tubing. Because of it's design and
positioning, the additional tubing contributes greatly to the
strength of the housing, and reliability of the gears and spool (by
reducing the housings flex), yet retains much of the Ford's overall
ground clearance. This too is another example of how desert
technology can benefit the average off-road enthusiast. Suspending
the rear axle are leaf springs from National, and unlike the stock
units, utilize a greater arch and an 11-spring pack. Mounted above
the axle, the thinner leaves are far more flexible than the stock
units, and when combined with a lowered shackle and "over the axle"
mounting, result in a full 15 inches of useable wheel travel.
Limiting straps are employed in the rear to keep the suspension
from overextending itself, resulting in increased reliability.
Roll Cage /
Subframe  While frame flex is desirable in certain
applications, desert racing is not one of them. Uncontrolled frame
flex on a desert truck will quickly result in poor handling at
best, and broken parts or a disastrous crash at worst. For this
reason, it is essential that frame flex be kept to a minimum. The
rules do not allow for lengthening, narrowing, or removal of
material, but the addition of material is allowed. As a result, the
roll cage doubles as a subframe. As it extends the full length of
the truck to provide torsional support for the frame, it creates
secure mounting locations for several important components.
 Building a roll cage
right starts with the proper materials and a competent fabricator.
This is no place to cut corners, or try to save a couple bucks,
because simply put, your life depends on it. SCORE has
very specific rules about cage materials and construction, and any
vehicle not meeting those standards will be banned from racing
until such time as it complies with the regulations. The cage in
the Andataco F-150 passes muster with flying colors, thanks to the
skill of Dayton Fabrication, one of the best fabricators in the
business.
Using 1.75 inch diameter, 120 wall chromoly tubing,
measurements were taken, and construction began with the removal of
the Ford's roof (to ease access, and assure proper welds) The cage
extends to the front and rear of the truck as stated above, and
includes provisions for mounting the shocks, oil cooler, fuel cell,
seats, 5 point safety harnesses, and spare tire. After welding,
gusseting, and stress relieving of the cage were completed, the
sectioned roof was re-welded to the cab, and the truck was
re-painted.
Powertrain In desert
racing, reliability is all-important. As the saying goes, "You
can't finish first if you don't first finish". With that in mind,
Andataco elected to leave the fuel injected 5.4L V8 stock. The 235+
horsepower are fed through a stock Ford E4OD automatic
transmission. Even the electronics of the F-150 are as the factory
designed. "When you start tweaking an alternator for higher
output, you begin loosing reliability. That's definitely the wrong
approach for desert racing. The 100 amp unit is reliable, and
handles all the truck's needs, so why chance it?" said
DiCarlo. Rounding out the electronics are a pair of Duralast
batteries, another reliable component that have proven themselves
over hundreds of thousands of hard desert miles. Although Duralast
is a major contributor to SCORE and a major contingency sponsor,
Andataco uses them for one simple reason. They work as advertised.
Protecting the engine and transmission is the job of full coverage
aluminum skid plates. While steel may be stronger, it's also a lot
heavier. To compensate, Andataco (and other racers) use thicker
plates of aluminum, which gives the needed strength, yet remains
lighter than a thinner steel piece.
And then some! Some of
the smaller, but no less important features of the Andataco F-150
are a helmet intercom and radio system for in cab and pit
communication, a GPS system for navigation. While these items are
taken for granted as standard equipment today, it wasn't that long
ago when navigation meant using a compass. Even with all the high
tech wizardry, accidents happen, and in a race like the Baja 1000,
it could take some time for help to arrive. As a result, racers
carry at least 2 days worth of survival supplies, first aid kits,
and signal flares. 200 miles from help is no place to be
unprepared. Fortunately, Dave and Marc haven't needed to use them,
but they are there "just in case".
Want one? How about two?
Here's your chance to own a piece of racing history, and maybe even
make some of your own! Both the original Baja 500 winning Andataco
truck, and the new 97 are up for sale. Andataco is considering
stepping up to the Class 8 ranks, and their loss could be your
gain!
ANDATACO '94 Ford F150
Stock Full Race Truck For Sale
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