Cheap Pickup Project

Another minitruck fan here. S10 and Rangers were the most common and have the most forum support and the most aftermarket offerings. But if you are sick in the head like me the obscure Japanese trucks are pretty cool too: old Datsun 720s, Nissan D21 Hardbody, Yotas and my favorite Mitsubishi Mighty Max/ Ram50.  A sawzall and a welder can make anything fit in the engine bay just don't be a lazy idiot and cut the bed for a c notch or ridiculous 4 link so you can still use it as a truck.  Here's my LS 6 speed swapped Ram50 that sits on C4 Corvette suspension.

In reply to eastsideTim :

There's plenty of room for a rollbar if it's not inside the cab.

Driven5 said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

There's plenty of room for a rollbar if it's not inside the cab.

I suspect that'd work for SCCA and off-road, but the NHRA might not be happy with me.  Might need to go back and read the rule book some more, though 

Nissan hardbodies seem to be a cheaper option compared to Tacos, S10s, and Rangers.  Not sure how they are in the power mods area, but pretty much anything will respond to a turbo.  Just a question of how much turbo before it goes boom.

Some reading fodder

RacetruckRon said:

Another minitruck fan here. S10 and Rangers were the most common and have the most forum support and the most aftermarket offerings. But if you are sick in the head like me the obscure Japanese trucks are pretty cool too: old Datsun 720s, Nissan D21 Hardbody, Yotas and my favorite Mitsubishi Mighty Max/ Ram50.  A sawzall and a welder can make anything fit in the engine bay just don't be a lazy idiot and cut the bed for a c notch or ridiculous 4 link so you can still use it as a truck.  Here's my LS 6 speed swapped Ram50 that sits on C4 Corvette suspension.

 

At first glance I thought that was a Rabbit.  Never realized how similar the proportions are.

I'd go with an S10 or Ranger - these are about the cheapest mini trucks out there (at least where I live), with lots of ways to make power.

Last I checked, NHRA rules required the roll bar to be a specific distance from your helmet but did not say anything about in the passenger compartment. Looked like a standard cab could comply with a bed mounted roll bar but a crew cab would have problems. But you will want to check if the rules have changed.

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

NHRA compliance requires door bars, which do get rather more complicated with an external main hoop... However, I believe that's also only required if you're planning to run faster than 11.5. If you're slower than that, it should be a moot point.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

The camera angle and the slight incline it's parked on makes the bed look shorter than it is, that's a 6ft bed.

Did someone say new to me rangers for the cheap. 

Here's my F150 that I put together as a fast and furious tribute challenge car.  I never made it down for other reasons.  

Tony Sestito said:

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. 

The only problem with Mopars are the transmissions are such a letdown. Overall, they work, but there is no crispness to shifting, even with a shift kit and line psi mod... Then the converter is utter garbage that no one in their right mind would fix properly. And that massive overhung OD section on the 42/46rh/re's..... 

Manual? Good luck getting a bellhousing to make it work. 

Now, very personal opinion here, is that the now unobtanium swap bellhousing that would allow you to put a 4L60 behind a Mopar was the bee's knees.... Of course that was what 10-15yrs ago I saw it on some tv show with Lee the meathead as narrator prior to the optima ultimate street car bs out now, but similar premise. I'm pretty sure YearOne built the 70 challenger in question too...

I'd take a Gen2 Dakota, aka 92-96, if there were parts out there for them. Even when I was in Arizona 2-ish years ago, good luck finding anything Dakota related for any model year. Rangers and S10's had them outnumbered 20-25:1.

On thought regarding Duratec (2001.5+ 2.3L DOHC) Rangers: There was a guy on the Locost forum that used one as a complete drivetrain donor and successfully (albeit controversially) managed to supercharge it on the stock Ranger ECU at ~5psi with an M90 and fabricated manifold for dirt cheap... It should work the same in an actual Ranger, and while it still wouldn't be particularly fast, it could be fun and pretty unique:

https://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=19110

It's generally a good engine that would be a fun to turbo too, but would probably be a bit more expensive to do.

 

Manual? Good luck getting a bellhousing to make it work.

https://americanpowertrain.com/shop/bell-housing-adapters/mopar-small-block-aluminum-bellhousing-for-tremec-gm-viper-magnum-t-56-6-speed/
There's a Tremec option.

OR...or....any 3.9 V6 Dakota or 5.2 V8 Dakota after '92 will have a small block (or new Hemi, for that matter) compatible bellhousing with an AX-15 behind it.  Is it a sports car transmission?  Nope.  But like everyone told Frenchy...if he wanted a sports car, he'd be looking for a sports car.

It's not the body on frame, leaf sprung live axle "traditional" pick 'em up truck but the VW is a half ton rated trucklet with a big aftermarket and can easily be upgraded to GTI levels of handling and horsepower.  

psteav (Forum Supporter) said:

 

Manual? Good luck getting a bellhousing to make it work.

https://americanpowertrain.com/shop/bell-housing-adapters/mopar-small-block-aluminum-bellhousing-for-tremec-gm-viper-magnum-t-56-6-speed/
There's a Tremec option.

OR...or....any 3.9 V6 Dakota or 5.2 V8 Dakota after '92 will have a small block (or new Hemi, for that matter) compatible bellhousing with an AX-15 behind it.  Is it a sports car transmission?  Nope.  But like everyone told Frenchy...if he wanted a sports car, he'd be looking for a sports car.

I was looking at manuals that have some durability and fit "stockish". I don't know where the shifter would come out on a T56, but I'm ASSuming it won't be stock. This is a boon and lots of contentious bitching of T5 swaps in Rangers unless you spend $750 for the aftermarket "forward shift control" kit or find a nearly impossible s10 T5 and swap things around. You're still stuck with E36 M3ty shifter options. Warm knife in liquid butter precision. Plus then you have to get the hydraulic clutch figured out and working.

I personally don't want to cheap out with sketchiness just to have it "done" and then having to fix it shortly after finishing.

In reply to Ranger50 :

Right, but that's kind of endemic to all pickups, right?  (as long as we're discussing manuals).  S10s have a stock T5 that is fragile, squarebodies either get the SM465 that is the definition of trucky or the OD 4 speed that's a little better but definitely not sporting when it comes to gear ratios, Fords get the M5OD that's probably the best of the truck options but ain't exactly super tough, and the GMT400s get the NV355o, which again shifts like a truck.   I'm not sure there's an easy button for manuals on any of these unless you're willing to bust out your wallet or accept some shortcomings.

In reply to psteav (Forum Supporter) :

The AR5 in the Colorados has a decent reputation in the swap community but again the ratios can be a bit "trucky" with the ratios.  A really rare bird that seems like a stout trans is the 6 speed in the Frontiers, it's basically a CD009 with a toploader shifter from what I have gathered from following the LOJ Conversions guys.

I love this idea. I would love to do something similar for the occasion that we need light truck things. 

Driven5 said:

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.

That's cute! I hadn't seen any S10's done like this, it's like the Chevy version of my Ranger

The easy option is a SCSB GMT800. It has the engine you want already LS. Make fun levels of power NA, but also takes boost great, on a stock motor. Also very popular so parts availability is great. Con is expensive because they are such a good platform for stuff like this and they are very hot right now

I prefer GMT400s because I think there prettier, especially lowered. Problem is the TBIs are dogs and the Vortec have a goofy injection and intake manifold and PCM, all fixable but its more stuff you have to do. Also have great parts availability and off the shelf solutions for all your problems. Cons are they are hot right now so they are expensive.

I like the Dakota idea, they are cheap and look pretty good. Id love a 360 powered dakota, but at the end of the day you have to do a engine swap to get there (unless you can swing a RT, which means you can probably swing a GMT800), and Id still prefer an LS over a 360 if I cared about making easy power. Also not near as much support as the GMs, but its not terrible.

I really like the rangers. Id love a 302 swapped ranger, especially one of the early boxy ones. They are pretty cheap, but at the end of the day you have to do an engine swap to have a decent engine. Support is decent but not as good as the GMs.

Another one to consider is S10s. They were one of the original minitrucks, so support is great, they fit a Gen1 or LS easy, with off the shelf solutions. They are light and inexpensive, but the same as a ranger and dakota, you have to do a swap to have a decent engine.

Im not a ford guy but the older F150s have grown on me. 1980-1997 I prefer the 7th gen (bull nose) and the 9th gen 92-97. Some people call all 3 gens OBS (but i think this is a GM thing). Im pretty sure they where all available with a 351 and 302. In a SCSB I think you could have a lot of fun with some off the shelf parts, and a lowered truck would look sweet. Plus they arent as expensive as the GMs.

The manual in the D21 and early Frontier is a FS5R30A, which was also found in the 300ZX twin turbo. Strong and good shifting trans. VG30DETT swapped D21!

This was my D21 for seven years.

BellTech dropped spindles

Sway-A-Way torsion bars

4WD front shocks

4WD front fenders

Relocated front leaf eye mount

Relocated rear shackle mount

Blocks

De-arced 4wd leaf pack

Nissan Quest rear shocks

All polyurethane bushings

2-1/2" exhaust with a variety of mufflers (Magnaflow, Flowmaster, SoundFX, QuietFlow 3)

Toyota Tundra steelies

I really loved it, except it didn't fit me and my two pre-teen boys.  I'd still likely go Chevy half ton instead (and did).

You guys are freaking awesome!  You never disappoint.  So many great options.  It looks like there's a number of really good ways to go.

About a year ago I picked up my neighbors 2000 F150 with the 5.4 for a bit over challenge money.  It's a great truck, but it feels really big on it's feet, plus it's kind of fugly.  That's what got me posting this question to begin with.  I'd like something a bit smaller making similar power that sits a little lower and feels a tad sportier.  You are correct that I'm not looking for sports car finesse.  I've also got a 2004 Crown Vic that was also picked up for near challenge money.  I'm thinking about converting them to something else before the market goes down.  On the way home I had the revelation that what I originally described was might just be an El Camino.  But they are a little long in the tooth.

It also sounds like manual options aren't so great other than Nissan.  While I absolutely love the idea of doing that engine swap or even a SR20 like the article above, that might be a bit above my capabilities.  Nissan did make a supercharged frontier and it looks like they have lowering kits out there.  So that might be another truck to look at.

Maybe a ute conversion?

Kit Car | United States | Smyth Performance car to truck kits (smythkitcars.com)