Tell me this idea is stupid.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

That sounds even more fun than a truck

Still obsessing about this idea, scouring every craigslist within 500 miles. Lots and lots of perfect starting points.

However the recent autocrossing a small pickup thread has thrown a wrench into my thought process. I'm starting to think that an S10 would be a better starting point.

S10 pros;

• Starts out pretty much right at the 3000# weight minimum of CAM

• Narrower body for slipping through tight sections of cones better

• Can be found in better condition for cheaper prices

• If starting with a V6 truck very little weight penalty for aluminum top end V8 swap

• Proven easy swap

S10 cons;

• Tight cramped interior

• Much smaller wheel wells limits width for autox wheel and tire setups and also drastically limits rallyx tire choices

• V8 has to be swapped in/rear differential may not live with V8 torque

Full size pros;

• Already V8

• Will swallow massive wheel an tire combos and plenty of off road options

• More of a "blank canvas" in my mind

Full size cons;

• Starts out heavier/more work to get down to minimum

• Very wide

• More expensive starting point

I just don't know. Which direction would you go and why?

By the time you have 12 inch wide slicks on it, how much wider would a C10 be than an S10? It seems like a creative man could make the extra tire go inside the body on the big truck while it would stick out on the small truck. I'm not sure they'd end up that much different.
Besides, I kind of want to do this with an 80's slab sided Chevy shortbox. I'd be very happy to live vicariously through you doing the same.

In reply to mazdeuce:

I'm glad you answered. Since I'll likely be running the same venues you run. What kind of tread pattern would you recommend for the soil type we have? A mud tire or an all terrain? I'm sure It'll vary greatly from a very dry time to a wet one. Hell since I'm day dreaming anyway might as well get a set of each BTW CAM is TW 200+ so no slicks. That's why I feel the wider the better to get more rubber down.

AT tire at pretty much every venue we run at. Cheap all seasons are the way to go on cars at BCR, especially when it's hot. I've never seen a surface destroy tires quite like BCR. If Hennessey is moist it's a mud pit but all mud tires do is destroy the course faster. After out last event we've considered enacting an all season only rule for when it's soft. The mud tires I ran made me faster but pretty much screwed it up for everyone else else.
Are you coming out to BCR on Saturday? I'm driving the V wagon out there and driving a friend's (slow) diesel Benz primarily because I don't want to run the RX7 in this heat. It had a bit of trouble at 85 degrees and it's supposed to be 102 on Saturday. We'll still have fun.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Won't be able to make it out this Saturday. Still have a couple rooms of the house that we need to get set up and a ton of stuff in the garage I need to get out so I can get all my tools over here.

So if all seasons are the preffered choice do these look good? They are retreads but cheap enough at $74 each.

You would be a god of traction with those.

Id say go 4x4 s10 with a brevada awd t-case swap. 335 tires will fit all 4 corners woth a little sawzall. If you find a blowed up 2.8 truck you can get a northstar motor in using the s10 trans with a window in the bellhousing for starter clearance. You can also run it on a7730 ecm with a llittle more work. This is all based on challenge budget. My 2wd s10 with a 3.4 swap was 2500 lbs in full fighting trim. A 245/50/16 on all four corners was plenty of tire for autocross and hpde.

With all that bwing said, do a tube frame apache pickup and twin turbo ls.

I have been having the same thaughts about an S10 for a long time.