Cheap Pickup Project

Dear GRM,

The Red-X story got me thinking, plus I've been having this idea in my head for a while - getting some kind of cheap pickup, lowering it, adding some horsepower (maybe blower or turbo), and then driving around like a shiny happy person.  But I've got this problem.  I'm really cheap and even cheap cars are stupid expensive these days.  But let's put the current, awful market aside for a bit.

I don't know much about pickups, but like the looks of some of the old Rangers when lowered.  Single cabs look nice, but you lose a lot of practicality.  If you were going to lower and add power to an older, cheaper pickup, where would you start?  Trying to keep this a cheap project and nothing too fancy, but would like the option of adding power via a supercharger or turbo kit.  The goal isn't track days or even autocross, but to make a cool and fun daily driver.  So where would you start?

Your pal,

Groats

Groats, a Dakota actually.  They are much bigger than Rangers and S10s and cheaper when you find them too.  You can also swap in a 318 or 360 just like Shelby did pretty easily.  You can even find them in a 5 speed if you are patient in your search. 

I would go to the junkyard and see what they have the most of, and then buy one of those.

That way you KNOW you have cheap and plentiful parts.

And there is nothing cheaper than a half-ton Chevy. And I don't even like Chevy.

Rangers look great with a 2/3 drop but they aren't power houses in any guise.

Dakota available with small block mopar and a good power adding aftermarket

GMT400 RCSB is my personal favorite because I love a gen1 small block.

Dakotas are rather heavy. I had a 360 in mine, and while power was quite adequate, I never really considered it fast or sporty. They do have a wider stance than the Ranger, which has its benefits

98-01 Ranger 2.5L.

The 98+ regular cabs got a couple more inches of leg room, a displacement bump from 2.3L to 2.5L, and ditched the i-beam front suspension/steering box for SLA control arms, and rack and pinion steering.

The 2.5L is based on the older 2.3L Lima 4 cylinders that trace their roots all the way back to Pintos. There are tons of examples of turbo charged versions using factory Turbocoupe/SVO parts as well as aftermarket parts.

The trucks can be lowered 2" in front with drop springs, and another 2" with tubular control arms. An inexpensive flip kit will drop the rear 4-5". If that's too extreme, then you can drop the rear 2" by flipping the shackle hangers 180 degrees for the price of a few cutoff wheels and handful of bolts.

They share a wheel bolt pattern with Mustangs, Crown Vics, 350/370Z, 06 and older Jeeps, and some Subarus. So factory take offs or aftermarket wheel options abound and can be fairly inexpensive.

Mine is a bit more extreme than what I've suggested above, (Supercharged 3.0 V6 with some custom brake parts), but has proven that the platform can be pretty fun. Even with the fancy custom brakes and rare supercharger I've probably got under $10k into mine:

Crown Vic spindle/8.8 explorer swapped Colorado?

For one of my Challenge builds I am planning a 70s era F150 dropped on a Crown Vic frame (different engine plans, but a 4.6 would be a good power plant for this)

Might not be the easy button, but the intent is definitely there.

frenchyd said:

For the money that will cost  ( or less) you can buy a similar  year sports car.  And if it was owned by one of us Boomers it probably has low miles and excellent maintenance. 

Not everyone wants a "sports car". Most of these are either beat to death, still command a premium despite the former, and can be overly complex with minimal working room.

After swapping the Magnum 360 into my Power Wagon, and seeing how much power that thing makes with almost zero effort, I've been thinking dirty thoughts about early 1st Gen Dakotas. 



I mean, a Magnum 360 will just fall right into one. Both the trucks (and the engines) are dirt cheap, and they do make some lowering/handling bits for them. A junkyard Magnum 360 makes about 300hp/400tq with just headers and a free flowing exhaust by itself. More power is a cam away. 

frenchyd said:

For the money that will cost  ( or less) you can buy a similar  year sports car.  And if it was owned by one of us Boomers it probably has low miles and excellent maintenance. 
Old pickups are selling for insane prices right now. ( maybe because new pickups are selling for insane prices

That would be helpful if he was looking for a sports car.  Considering the title of the thread, I don't think he is.

I've been looking at this as well for a useful toy. For those who have lowered them, can you still tow decently with them? I'd still want something I can tow 5-6K with. 

I've been looking at something like this for a while with a magnum 360 swap for the 3.9L. Not looking full sized because I just was never a fan. 

 something about a lowered 1/2 ton Chevy makes me smile.   Parts availability, reliability and overall decently priced could be a win in your search.  

bmw88rider said:

I've been looking at this as well for a useful toy. For those who have lowered them, can you still tow decently with them? I'd still want something I can tow 5-6K with. 

I've been looking at something like this for a while with a magnum 360 swap for the 3.9L. Not looking full sized because I just was never a fan. 

 

The good thing about these is that they made that combo from the factory! The 5.9 R/T trucks are cool and still look great. Building a clone on the cheap is another option. 

I managed to find a 5.3L Reg cab long bed for $2000 in the middle of the pandemic. It was relatively rusty, a/c didn't work, etc, but there are deals to be had. Pretty well documented how to make stupid power with the 4.8 or 5.3

I'll put another vote in for GMT400 Chevy - I have had 3 of them. Lots of lowering bits from the sport truck scene, quick ratio steering boxes are available, fairly easy to flip the axle though C notch is mandatory for travel, drivetrain parts are as common as it gets (GM 10 bolt, 4L60 or NV3500, SBC 350) and they're not nearly as large as modern trucks. Parts are cheap and plentiful for stuff that breaks, and aside from the ubiquitous cab corner issues with trucks, they seem to hold up okay in terms of rust resistance, which is important when you're looking at the bottom of the market.

If you're going sporty, you want an RCSB, which is more common with a 4.3 but it's an easy swap. I had an RCLB and currently have an ECSB, both are long enough that you feel it when the driving gets fun. The RCSB is similar in wheelbase to my Tahoe.

I have 300k miles on this one:

Cheap and easy, fun pickup with boost? There is only one answer.

86-88 Ranger with a 2.3L. The 2.3T swap literally bolts in and only needs 3-4wires added/repinned for the air meter.

You can only get 2" out of the front before it needs somewhat expensive drop beams, but with enough spring, shock, and sway bars they are plenty entertaining to pilot.

In reply to frenchyd :

Good. Then shut the berkeley up and quit mudding up this thread with your bullE36 M3.

OBS GM trucks are a solid option for sure. They have a truly massive aftermarket for just about anything.

But they're more than 7" wider than something like a Ranger or S10. And you feel that width (and the associated weight) if you're trying to navigate cones or deal with corners. Even from a vision perspective, it's a bit harder to place the corners on a vehicle that large.

S10/Ranger sized trucks have widths remarkably similar to things like RX-8's, NC Miata's, E46 BMW's, S2000's, Fiesta ST's, etc.

STM317 said:

OBS GM trucks are a solid option for sure. They have a truly massive aftermarket for just about anything.

But they're more than 7" wider than something like a Ranger or S10. And you feel that width (and the associated weight) if you're trying to navigate cones or deal with corners. Even from a vision perspective, it's a bit harder to place the corners on a vehicle that large.

S10/Ranger sized trucks have widths remarkably similar to things like RX-8's, NC Miata's, E46 BMW's, S2000's, Fiesta ST's, etc.

Oh you bring up something else important with that - I was never allowed to autocross the Tahoe even though it scrapes by the width/height rules. A pickup truck is definitely lower risk given the lower CG, but something to consider. At least where I live, a truck has to be LOW low to be approved.

My truck thoughts generally revolve around the idea of a crew-cab bed behind a regular or extended cab. On an S10, that would give you something like a 92" wheelbase for the regular cab, or a standard 'regular cab' wheelbase (and frame?) for the extended cab.

Although I'm still in the 1/2 pickup camp, how about a Sonoma or S10?  Has the narrowness you are looking for, still cheap and the 4.3 is mod-able I think?  This pic also makes me smile. 

For cheap, I think a V8 Dakota is the sweet spot right now.  Seems like you can get them less expensive than other trucks in equivalent condition.

For ease of modification, GMT800 V8.  Starts with around 300 HP, lots of suspension options, and a cam swap can give you decent gains while you save up for as much power as your heart desires.  A good one will cost more to start than a Dakota, though.

2.3 Rangers seem to have everything figured for the turbo swap, but parts are probably getting thin on the ground.

I like my V8-swapped S10, but will say it has not been an "easy" project.  When it was SBC powered, had I gone carb'd, it probably would have been up and running pretty fast.  With the current third gen engine in it, keeping fuel injection was not as much of a headache.  If it is something you don't mind being torn down for months at a time in your garage, go for it, there are aftermarket parts galore for the suspension, too.

Oh yeah, Driven5, I've considered something similar, using a std cab/short bed frame,  plop an extended cab on it, and shorten the bed down.  It'd give more room in the cab for a roll bar, as S10 cabs are small enough as is.

Edit:  Also, emissions testing in your area may effect your options.