well, the other day i forked up $800 for the truck mentioned above, and it mighta been a little much for it. the body is pretty solid and very strait, and it originally nestled a 302 with three on the tree under the hood. now, a 289 with what i BELIEVE is a C4 takes residence. regardless of which direction i go, i have one motor/tranny combo picked out, and it does not include a small block or an auto tranny.

my question to start, is what direction should i go: oversized tires, slight lift, long travel suspension, "pre-runner?" or old school, shackled up, balloon rears/skinny fronts, street stompin hot rod? its a toy, so either way works.

im sure ill have plenty of tech questions as i go along with the build, but for now, i want some opinions.

thanks!

 

Lets see some pics first of all!

 

Bag it and drag it!

My .02

darrell

 

id put up pics, but my camera is toast, and they dont show up on here when i take em with my phone. even if i photo bucket em first.

 

imagine a cross between these two. the paint, and general condition of the top one, with the strait panels and stance of the bottom.

 

I am a little partial to lifted trucks. When you say "toy" I automatically assume a mud toy. If it is something you are going to keep spotless and only enjoy on the street, then lowering may be in order.

P.S. - there is nothing wrong with an automatic tranny, you may consider a c6 behind that BB. Shift-kits and ratchet shifters do wonders for enjoyability of an auto.

 

well, when i think of toy, i think of somethin that you can kill a weekend drivin or workin on, and it doesnt matter if it breaks. in other words: thrash it and bash it. so either way, its not gettin pampered. lol.

as for the C6, b, havin a 4 speed is a personal preference. just more fun.

 

I agree with you, a manual is more fun. That is why I have one in my mud toy. Plus, automatics are parasitic anyways, they like to steal power away from your drivetrain. If your into offroading, its hard to beat a well lifted truck on some knobby's, but it is entirely your call. I went with a 4" lift and 33" tires, even though I could easily clear 35"s. My truck was also my DD at the time, so I was concerned with driveability as well.

 

keep in mind that its 2wd, and i intend to keep it that way. but if im goin off road, itll be rollin on 35s.

 

Oh I didn't catch the 2wd part.. that changes everything! I would drop it a few inches and let it hug the tires. On our 59 Apache we have Mickey Thompson drag radials on the back, and they hook like they are made outta glue.

 

im kinda leanin toward a street stomper. if i can build the motor the way i want to, it wont matter what tires i run, even with ladder bars, theyre still gonna light up when i get on it.

 

I vote for street stomper , been street stompin mine for over 20 years , 4 speed 302 , lowered , fat tires , etc , the only thing I am doing next is bringin the rear fenders down to match the front , FORD on the flares for some reason didnt make the rear fenders in line with the front so the back always looks higher , the fleet short box matched the fronts , the 53-56 were matched but not after 57 I think , its about 3 inches higher. I think it would look much better , I wondered if anyone else noticed this on the flares ?

 

yeah, the rear fenders are more narrow than the fronts. im thinkin bout doin mini tubs, and widenin the fenders while im at it.