So, let’s say you wanted to build your very own version of Ford’s Eluminator F-100 show truck. That all-electric pickup that was on display at the 2021 SEMA Show. Where would you start? Theoretically, getting the F-100 donor truck shouldn’t be that hard, and Ford Performance currently can’t build Eluminator crate motors fast enough, even as customers are on their own for the batteries needed to power it.
And how does the drivetrain now integrate into the chassis, and what about the suspension design–leaf springs with twin I-beam front end?
Never mind all of that, it’s much simpler. Two words. Say it: Roadster Shop.
Image copyright Manoli Katakis, Muscle Cars & Trucks.
The Mundelein, Illinois-based speed shop has been all over the news during the 2021 SEMA Show, just as it has in years past. And deservedly so, as the company fabricates quality chassis that have garnered quite the reputation and following. As a result, Roadster Shop products are underpinning countless builds on the show floor. Including the Eluminator F-100 on display in the Ford SEMA Show booth, while RS themselves showcased the new Low Pro chassis designed to work with air suspension for old square-body GM trucks.
Based on photos provided by Roadster Shop, we can now check out the bare chassis provided to McLue-Lane Electric Racecars (MLe) for final assembly. Rather than electrifying an F-100 chassis and having to deal with all the subsequent headaches, Roadster Shop simply built a new one designed around the battery pack and drive sub-assemblies from the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Unlike the Chevrolet E-10 from 2019, which had a pair of Bolt EV battery packs jammed in the bed, the Eluminator F-100 has its battery pack integrated into the floor, like a proper modern EV. Ford Motor Company sent Roadster Shop both the front and rear engine sub-assemblies, which were literally yanked from the Mach-E production line, along with an extended range battery pack, and said ‘here, do something.” And do something, they did.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a unibody design, so everything bolts to the integrated body structure of the vehicle, while the F-100’s sheet metal always sat on top of a frame and was attached using big bolts and bushings. Something old-school was required, so using Roadster Shop’s precision CNC laser cutting process a traditional ladder-frame pick-up chassis was fabricated with fully-boxed, 10 gauge steel frame rails.
The nose features heavy-duty shock tower bracing for the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s Macpherson strut front suspension. In the back, the rear-drive motor and five-link suspension are cradled exactly where the live axle and differential should live, meaning the Ford Eluminator F-100 retains the full functionality of its pickup bed.
Over time, Ford Performance plans to develop a wider list of components for the Eluminator powertrain including battery systems, controllers, and traction inverters. Expect it sooner rather than later because right now you can buy the motor but Ford won’t provide any means of powering it or managing it.
See, told you it would be easy to build your own Ford Eluminator F-100 electric truck, all you have to do is ask.
Image copyright Manoli Katakis, Muscle Cars & Trucks.
