"Quick" truck question

Like all good automotive questions this one starts with a fast and the furious movie. In F&F4 there are the two trucks used to steal the gas truck. My question is the tandem axle crew cab, if I was looking to build a truck like that, with only one powered rear axle the other just more for cool factor, what all would be involved?

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/fast-furious-cars-1989-chevy-crew-cab-truck.html

This is the truck I'm referring to.

I don't know a ton about it, but the minitruck guys have been doing it for a long time.....i'd start with them.

Relocating the axles to use leaf springs on both or multilink/torsion setups for both.

One of the more documented ones I've seen is the TIV2.....it is based on a 4wd 3500 dodge ram. But originally had all 3 axles powered, then the rear depowered and there just for weight capacity.

Apart from general frame & body modding, you'd have to come up with a way to attach the dummy wheels without making the rear way stiffer and reducing traction to the driven wheels as putting a regular sprung axle there would. Maybe a beam axle connected with trailing arms and a pair of shocks.

if you go the dummy axle route, ive heard of people running tandem axles that they could raise up (off the pavement) for toll booth purposes. so you dont have to pay the tax man for that extra axle. haha.

If you google "tag axle" you'll find hours of reading. You can also look up "pusher axle" for more ideas. A tag axle goes behind the drive axle, a pusher axle goes in front of the drive.

They are common on commercial trucks that needs the weight capacity, but not the drive traction. Typically air suspension allowing them to be raised and also avoiding unloading of the drive axle.

Is that really an '89 like the Edmunds link says? I know the 1500 changed in '88 (I have one), but maybe the C30 held on for a couple more years?

IIRC the c30 was available till 91.

So I've kinda looked around but haven't really found what I'm looking for. For a tag axle would I just use a setup like a trailer? Sorry just trying to see if this is possible with big money before I attempt to take on a project.

jstand wrote: If you google "tag axle" you'll find hours of reading.

Yes, you can As a kid my neighbor had a van like this. I believe the common setup at the time was an Eldorado rear axle, though an axle set for a trailer would probably work fine.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/roadtests/129_9707_first_drive_dodge_ram_trex_6x6/viewall.html

Hendrickson has some photos on their website of the different configurations showing the linkage and air bag locations for load bearing and lift. They are located under the auxiliary heading.

The basic setup is a four-link with airbag suspension and a trailer type axle.

The TIV2 was built by USA 6x6 who unfortunately has gone out of business. They did build one truck for F&F4 that did have two live axles, it had a 502 big block, and would smoke all eight rear tires.

I was in Hot Rod several years ago, the company that built all the cars for the movie also built the 6x6 truck, so they could answer your questions, I forget their name though.

Yeah, USA6x6 was on their way toward a really nice conversion kit. Too bad they couldn't make the company work.

I still haven't really found a build thread or anything on a tandem none powered set up, I guess it's time for me to figure out how to do two 4 links in back...