So if I can't find an Elky or Ranchero which is in my budget and in an acceptable condition, my fall back is going to be something like a S10 or Ranger. I have a couple questions. One can you autocross these trucks (or do they need to be lowered)? Two what kinda load can the tow (ie can they tow a Spitfire race car)? I am thinking late '80s to mid '90s.
i feel like we just had this conversation
I was going to say that el caminos and rancheros are not little trucks at all (heavy) but the last-gen el caminos were reasonable.. not close to 4000 lbs like the older versions.
I think any of them could flat-tow a spitfire on a tow-bar no problem. Putting it on a dolley gets iffy, and putting it on a trailer is just.. no.
But yeah, you could autocross any of them depending on whether your local club lets you. There is a lot of leeway in the rules for clubs to refuse to let trucks race. That wouldnt apply to an el camino, in any case.
As for towing.. as far as drivetrain strength you could probably tow a lot of weight, but the stability and braking just isnt going to be there to safely tow anything over like 2500 lbs unless you do a lot of work.
Id way rather tow a spitfire on a trailer with a minivan than with any of those options, but i wouldnt have any problems towing it on a tow-bar with one of those.
The '80s G-body are rated for 4000lbs towing with a HD radiator and the correct hitch. I can probably live with something without the towing if I have to and switch to a bigger truck once I get the Spitfire done. I just want something that I throw dirtbikes in the back of and also take autocrossing.
Also will anyone let you do HPDE days in a pickup (I am assuming if the will it needs to be lowered)? I mean I have seen racing trucks before.
I wouldnt tow a 4000 lb loaded trailer with one of those things. I might flat-tow 4k lbs carefully. It's really all about stability there.
Racing trucks is hit and miss, just depends on who's in charge of the venue and how much of an ass they are. But i would say you GENERALLY can race trucks.
s10 vs ranger is personal preference... but the s10 is cheaper/easier to lower... I also know junkyard bits are plentiful for upgrades (blistien shocks, lowering springs and fat sway bars and faster steeing boxes can all be had)
i've seen zq8 trucks run at auto-x stock (2nd gen eXtreme trucks have the zq8 package)... I know that I wouldn't ever have run my stock s10 ('88 base model s10 with no sways or anything)... my memas '95 base model I would (added front sway)
for towing... if i was going with an s10 i'd want a 2nd gen 4.3L ex-cab...
Personally, I wouldn't want to autoX a 97 or earlier ranger because they have the I-beam front suspension. I have an 89 Ranger and it handles like crap, and that's with it lowered with 3" I-beams, Bilstein shocks, shackle flip rear springs, rear sway bar, and poly bushings. The steering is extremely slow and the impact harshness is worse than any other vehicle I own despite the 225/55R16 tires (compared to my mustang with delrin bushings and 255/40R17s).
Mine has a 2.9L V6, A4LD automatic, and a 4.10 rear end. It still slow as hell. Ford even felt the need to install a 3000 RPM stall torque converter from the factory when the A4LD was coupled with the 2.9L V6. With the lack of power and ridiculous stall, I would not want to tow with this truck.
93EXCivic wrote: ...can you autocross these trucks (or do they need to be lowered)?
Yes, 2wd models can be autocrossed in all SCCA events (and typically events that follow SCCA type rules) They are placed in H-Stock and though not named out directly it is a catch-all listing which says, " all RWD pickup trucks NOC"
You can find that at the bottom of the H-Stock classification here:
http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/Lists/2011/stockc.html
For Street Prepared they are in ESP with the following catch-all phrase:
"American 6-cyl & V8 sedans & pick-ups not otherwise classified"
or
FSP with this phrase, "4-cyl & rotary RWD mini-pickups.under 3.0L not otherwise classified."
http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/Lists/2011/stprepc.html
Sample:
Are there any problem areas with either of these era trucks?
Have you tried looking for Jeep Comanche? Metric Ton with auto trans can tow 4000+ lbs.
REPU
PseudoSport wrote: Have you tried looking for Jeep Comanche? Metric Ton with auto trans can tow 4000+ lbs.
I hadn't really thought about one. Isn't it basically a XJ?
302 Ranger.
Just going to leave that here...
LSx S10... bam! 
93EXCivic wrote:PseudoSport wrote: Have you tried looking for Jeep Comanche? Metric Ton with auto trans can tow 4000+ lbs.I hadn't really thought about one. Isn't it basically a XJ?
Mechanically the same as the small, square Jeep Cherokee and was never offered with an extended cab.
Inspiration:
I have seen Ford lightnings autocrossed, they were highly entertaining (think big smokey drifts aft every corner) of course they weren't that fast, and they aren't exactly "little" but it was cool!
There's a fella Randy over here in the ATL region who used to run an El Camino or Ranchero and after selling it runs his Dodge Dakota RT, lowered on fatty tires. That was a hoot to get chaffered around the course in 
I agree with the Ranger as long as it's not the I-beam setup. Later independent front suspensions can handle pretty well (for a truck), and the S10 is cheaper to lower. Oh yeah, the 2.3Turbo swaps into a Ranger pretty easy, but you could make an LSx fit in an S10, head spinning yet?
are my standards really low? my '87 2wd ranger rides pretty good i thought. i don't know how it handles, I just drive it. the 2.3 is also pretty tolerable with a 5sp.
rotard wrote: REPU
This is such a bad idea. Yet so awesome. How hard is it to swap a rotary into a piston powered one?
Also I am glad some one said something about the Commanche. They seem to be cheap.
what about the fsj pickups?
93EXCivic wrote: Also I am glad some one said something about the Commanche. They seem to be cheap.
Um, just a head up, Comanches are like old Toyotas, all the cheap ones are ruined, all the good ones are way too expensive.
belteshazzar wrote: what about the fsj pickups?
If I was going to buy a full size pickup, I would buy a fifth or sixth generation F-series.
Grizz wrote:93EXCivic wrote: Also I am glad some one said something about the Commanche. They seem to be cheap.Um, just a head up, Comanches are like old Toyotas, all the cheap ones are ruined, all the good ones are way too expensive.
What about this one?
http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/cto/2586966722.html
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