Will update later:
Plans are backhalfed frame behind the cab. Cantilever triangulated 6 link bag setup in the back. Front fram is Z notched and raised 4 inches to clear the front crossmember and oil pan when it lays out the frame. Body is fully shaved. All steel bed fully shaved. Rockers will be cut out and tucked 1/2" under the door. Body dropped enough to lay the rockers, leaving the door 1/2" off the ground. Raised floor and tubbed bed. Might make an air lift system to tilt the bed to show off the suspension work. Interior will be old skool, sheet metal dash, sheet metal doors with no interior handles, just an arm rest and a window crank.
Thats the basic idea, but there are LOTS of one off ideas you will have to wait to see.
can’t wait to see this out…is that a 2.5 liter dual sparkplug per cylinder i spy??..or a 2.3?? either way there is a shit load of things u can do to them to wake them up…supposedly you can put a mustang 5.0 header on and it will fit…supposedly…there waas something on a rangerpowersports about a 3 valve head fitting on those but ive never looked into it…you also have the thunderbird turbo coupe turbo setup that will wake this up…i know you are going for low but some power would be fun as well…cant wait to see more
Thanks buddy. Yeah we shaved: all the stake pockets, gas door, tail lights, skinned the tail gate and roll pan. running a 36" led strip for lights, that will be molded and epoxied in then painted over. you will never know its there until you hit the lights. Also we have a cool idea for the plate, but you will have to wait to see that. :thumbup
Yeah its a 1998, with the 2.5l. I had the same truck back when and did a Superchips tune, exhaust, intake, and that was about it, but it would pull away on the stock truck, so it did make a difference for sure. BUT itstill isnt a fast truck, a stock civic EX would pull away on me.
You can run a thicker head gasket to lower the compression a touch, and bolt on the turbo coupe or the Mustang LX 2.3T header and turbo stuff to it. But anything over 6psi or so would bend rods. Its still a heavy truck, around 3500+ I think it is. I might make a stainless header for it, to clean up the bay a little bit and get a little more out of it, we will see. at this point it will be stock motor, just alot of stuff shaved out and tucked. but that could change at some point. A carbed 5.0 would be a piece of cake to swap, and cheap too. who knows.
Got alot done this weekend. Z notched the from crossmember up 3 inches. If you dont know what that means… basicly you raise the front crossmember/motor mounts and front suspension mounts up 3 inches. That allows the center of the frame to lay out when the bags are empty, and gives the front crossmember & oil pan 1.5" or so clearance. it also drops the front suspension 3 more inches without changing the geometry or needing a new spindle. That was all re-welded and gusseted up, then 1/4" thick scab plate added on the side for a little reasurance strength.
We got the 2 rear side frame rails completed too. 2X4 box 3/16’s wall. Ended up that the original fram was tweaked more than we though under the car, so its new frame rails from the trans crossmember back. Tonight those will be welded in perm. The front suspension will be mocked back in place tonight after the arms get media blasted & cleaned.
Pics will be updated tonight or tomorrow on that progress.
just got in to deep with the green one and sold it
