K&N Drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr Changed a 2015 Ford F150 Into the Ultimate Funhaver
- Oct 8, 2015
K&N air filters sponsored Vaughn Gittin Jr. began his professional drifting career over ten years ago. The self-taught American drifter came from humble beginnings driving his personal Nissan S13 in Formula Drift. The switch to a Ford Mustang in 2005 brought the Maryland native much notoriety and sponsors such as Ford Racing, Monster Energy drinks, Nitto Tires and K&N air filters. Having tried his hand at NASCAR, and recently at Trans Am racing, Vaughn Gittin Jr. considers himself more than just a professional drifter. When his hoonigan antics are factored into the equation, Vaughn Gittin Jr. could more appropriately be called a “professional funhaver.”
With the introduction of the lighter, more efficient, and better accelerating 2015 Ford F150 what better way for Gittin to show off his skills as a professional funhaver than by transforming a 2015 Ford F150 EcoBoost into the ultimate funhaver? What is an ultimate funhaver? Picture a vehicle that is highly capable of drifting on the pavement and with the flick of a switch equally adept at tackling a short course off-road race track. This kind of thinking is exactly what inspired Vaughn Gittin Jr to build his interpretation of an ultimate funhaver.
Recently K&N sponsored professional funhaver Vaughn Gittin Jr. took the 2015 Ford F150 3.5L EcoBoost out to Hoontown, USA to demonstrate just what this truck was capable of for a new video. Hoontown, USA is a ranch in Southern California composed of a big dirt lot with a few jumps. With Vaughn Gittin Jr. behind the wheel of the F150 Ultimate Funhaver the truck easily transitioned between drifts, kicking up epic roosts, and getting the truck airborne. With all of the custom suspension work the 2015 F150’s high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body and high-strength steel frame landed flat each and every time. The truck was built by Kibbetech Offroad, known for building race trucks for desert-running in the off-road world. The Ultimate Funhaver F150’s engine is a stock Ford 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin turbocharged and direct injected V6 with some basic bolt on power mods. These power adders include a custom Magnaflow exhaust that allows Vaughn to run an open exhaust at the push of a button and of course a K&N air intake system. Additionally, the Vaughn Gittin Jr. Ultimate Funhaver pickup uses a full-race intercooler and an ECU tune from Revolution Automotive. While the power is impressive for a near-stock truck, what really stands out is the suspension work which makes the truck at home in the dirt and on the road.
Airbags from Airlift Performance allow Vaughn Gittin Jr. to control the ride height based on the terrain. Kibbetech Offroad mated the airbags with King Shocks dual bypass shock absorbers in the front and triple bypass shock absorbers in the rear. The combined result is 12 inches of travel when fully lifted. Kibbetech also built a custom radius arm with panhard bar rear suspension. To handle all the power and abuse at the rear wheels, a Currie Enterprises full-floating F9 rear end was installed. Vaughn made sure the exterior of the truck reflected the Ultimate Funhaver theme by commissioning Auto Explosion Custom Auto Body to create one-off fender flares. The truck was wrapped in XPEL Stealth protection film and Vaughn Gittin Jr. added custom RTR 18x10-inch wheels fitted with 35-inch Nitto Terra Grappler tires. Similarly, the interior has been tastefully modified for both form and function. Inside the Ultimate Funhaver are five Recaro Sportster seats flanked by Takata Racing harnesses. The only other interior modification is an Autosport Dynamics handbrake, which comes in handy for initiating drifts on or off-road. 2015 Ford F-150 Ultimate Funhaver Build List:EngineFord 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, Magnaflow custom exhaust system, K&N intake system, Full-Race intercooler, Revolution Automotive custom ECU tune Suspension/Brakes Kibbetech custom suspension with 12" of travel, Airlift Performance airbags, King Shocks dual bypass shock absorbers (front),King Shocks triple bypass shock absorbers (rear), King Shocks air bump stops, Camburg Engineering front upper & lower control arms, Currie Enterprises full-floating F9 rear end, custom radius arm with panhard bar (rear) Wheels/Tires RTR 18x10-inch custom wheels, Nitto Tire Terra Grappler G2 35x12.50R18 tires Exterior Custom flares by Auto Explosion Custom Auto Body, XPEL Stealth protection film wrap, Raptor retrofit custom lighting, VLEDS LED conversion Interior Recaro Sportster seats, Takata Racing harnesses, Autosport Dynamics handbrake |
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