Hey, my name is Matt and I'm a mechanical engineering student at Montana State University. I have a 55 Ford F100 that started as a project about 6 years ago. I worked on it alot one summer and then I got a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS that took the rest of my time and money through high school. It ended up with a custom turbo kit and about everything else I could do to it. Well, being a little older and ready for a good challenge to put my engineering/machining skills to the test, I am going to start on my truck project again. Back in high school I got a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do to my truck and purchased a good amount of what I needed to complete the project. Here is the general plan that I'm sure will be revised as needed.

I am going all out hot rod. I have a LS1 350 and 6 speed tranny from a 2000 Comaro that will be the heart of this build. I was origionally going to incorporate the front clip from a 1979 TransAm but those plans have changed. Now I am debating using the Camaros suspension or going with something different. The interior will be very modern with bucket seats, a custom center console/devider and the whole bit. For the body, I am going to keep it pretty much origional other than a couple things. I am going to get rid of the spare tire indention in the driver's side fend, widen all four fenders by a few inches, build a custom roll pan for the back, and possibly chop the top about 4 inches.

So, enough rambling...what do you guys think? Have any of you done any of this before? Any advise? Like I said before, I haven't done any research on this for like 5 years so all of my knowledge is based on what I can remember. I just got the itch to start working on her again. I'm sure I'll talk to you all later.

Matt

 

Welcome, Matt. I like your ideas, sounds cool. You'll get plenty of help here on everything but your drivetrain. But that's ok, too. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your truck.

democratically, himmelberg

 

Welcome to FTE! We have a few things in common, mid 50's Ford pickups, and I'm taking Civil Engineering at Boise State. I'm not sure how far along you are with your classes, but when you get to the suspension mods, I guarantee you, your ME background will deffinately help. I've done a few of those body/interior mods to my '53, but not the chop. I have the volare clip, and a 4-link rear suspension with a 9 inch with 3.50 gears. Time and money...........money and time. That's all these projects ever take............and patience, good luck. There are alot of knowledgeable guys on here that can answer alot of questions you may/will have

My only question to you is, why not make it a Ford powered truck? Chevy 350/350 combos are way to over-done, IMO. LS1, LT1, no matter what....I'm just partial to a Ford powered FORD!

 

Matt,
Welcome to the board!! You will definately find tons of helpful advice around here and more than your share of teasing (good natured of course) especially if you stick with the Chevy engine (don't worry about it, they're all good).
When you get the chance get some pictures together and make a gallery so that the rest of us can check out your project. We all love to see what the other guys is doing.

Good luck on your schooling
Bobby

 

I figured that I may get some harassment for my engine choice, but I can handle it. At the time when I was researching this project, I wanted to go with a ford engine but I wanted something new with fuel injection. I origionally planned on the 4.6 from the mustang but it just doesn't provide the power I wanted out of the box. The next motor I researched was the motor out of the Lightning which had a good amount of power and was easily upgradable to provide a ton of power. Again, at this time it was impractical and I couldn't find any good buys for one so I continued my search. This is when I came across the LS1. It is a great motor with tons of power and torque, and it is VERY capable of producing more without alot of work! You can say what you will, but there just aren't any affordable engines with as large of aftermarket suport in its class that will outperform it. So, the LS1 made the top of my list. Shortly after I ran across a a wrecked 2000 Camaro with the LS1, 6 speed, and only 15000. I wanted to do the 6speed because I hadn't sen it done before. It may have been done since then, but automatic is deffinately the tranny of choice for most people. I may or may not stick with this 6 speed idea but that all depends on if I can get the shifter mounted in a good location in the truck without having to have a gigantic shifter.

I have always had people tell me that I should stick with one manufacturer. However, to me this makes no sense for my project. This thing will be nothing like it ever was from ford so why should I be shackled to the Ford name (not that it is a bad thing)? The chevy guys always complain and say I should find a Chevy truck to build, but again this makes no sense to me. I LOVE the Ford body and I think it is 100x better than the chevys of the same year. But on the flip side, I believe that in the style of engine I'm looking for, Chevy's LS1 is superior to the others.

If I could afford the engine and wanted to spend the extra time and money needed, the truck would end up with the inline turbocharged 6 from a toyota supra, and then I would really be crossing some lines!!

53fatfndr: I am in my 3rd year and I'm happy I'm where I am because I agree with you that it will come in handy! This is a big part of the reason that I am so excited to get started on my truck again....it will be a good challenge and learning experience!

 

Welcome to the board Matt. Just completed building the 3.1 in the wife's Z26 this week. Yes a bowtie. She just can't let go of her favorite car. If you are looking at a fuel injected Ford engine the 5.4 is a pretty nice plant and with all the aftermarket work going right now there is quite a bit you can do to them. My son and I are into the super charged 3.8s that Ford has and they offer a lot of add on eqiptment for them. Widening the fenders is a nice touch if you plan on having wide tires. Won't be much of a winter truck though. The interior sounds interesting to me. You will have to be careful with what seat you pick and how you place it because buckets can require more space than you think. You might consider making custom seats to make if more comfortable. The console will be a nice touch. Can't have too much storage space. Good luck with the project.

Gear Up

 

Thanks for the advise. This will not be a winter truck AT ALL! It will be a pure street performance truck. As for the wheels, I'm not sure what style or size I want yet but you can be assured that they will be plenty wide! I want to run something like a 315 tire on the back. As for the seats, I haven't put alot of thought into it yet but I was thinking about some nice leather seats out of a late model mini van because they usually have alot of spacing and are height adjustable. The interior is a long way down the road though. So far I have the truck completely dissasembled ie: hood, fenders, box, grill, origional motor and tranny are out, and the cab is ready to come off. The hood, fenders, and box are all sand blasted and primered and have been sitting in the shop for the last few years. Next I am going to sandblast the frame and cab and then start on the body work.

I have heard that on the camaros the undercarrage can completely unbolt with the suspension and engine/tranny still connected. If this is the case I may try to find a way to incorporate it as a whole onto my truck. This would make for a very low engine stance and lower the center of gravity for the front of the truck. I'm not sure if it could be done but I am going to research it some.

 

skibum,

You may want to take a look at the the suggested technical threads/articles at the top of the forum. There is some great information up there and the front-end/suspension article is particularly good. I am in the midst of figuring out what to do for my front end and if I don't get it figured out real soon, it will become the project bottleneck. Good luck and don't let it get in the way of classes. Themo, Heat and Mass Transfer, Machine Design and old trucks is a difficult mix.

 

Welcome to the site. Don't let these guys mess with you too much for the Chevy power (I am powered by Vortec, hehe). I believe the whole front sub-frame will unbolt from the late model Camaro's. I'm not sure how well the Camaro suspension would work without a cross member similar to the aftermarket Mustang II ones (Since the Camaro is a uni-body car). You may think about the Corvette suspension for it, as a manufacturer makes the cross members necessary to install the Corvette components (I can't remember the name though). Welcome to the site and if you get a chance put some pics of your project in your gallery.

hotrod48

 

Welcome to the forum Matt.If I had the money that is exactly the engine and trans I would go with and later on still might.I have seen them on ebay with about 75k or so on the engine and trans for about 4k.That,s a lot of bang for the buck.Best of luck with project.Carl

 

Thanks for the info to the tech articles. I noticed them up there but I haven't looked through them closely.

Like I said, I haven't looked into it yet. I need to start doing alot of research and figure out what I want to do. I will try to get some pics of my primered parts and the cab sitting on the frame. I'll try to dig up the pics from when I started too. The truck is a little rough but nothing too serious.

 

hehe...you'll hate me. I got the complete wreched camaro with only 15,000 miles on it and I am going to use the engine, trans, brakes, maybe some of the suspension, and alot of the interior + the wiring. I got the car for only $3000!!! That is why I ended up going with LS1; I couldn't pass that deal up! However, I may sell/trade the 6spd and go with an auto just for ease of use.

 

That is nothing to worry about. Mine is a little rough, but I still have fun with it (Beating ricers and whooping up on the late model guys a little bit ).

hotrod48

 

Oh, no I'm doing a complete restoration. It will be perfect when I'm done. What do you guys think about a charcoal grey color? I was origionally planning on red with ghost flames but I'm not sure anymore. We just painted a 94 red Camaro and did ghost flames and it is AWESOME!!! We then sanded and buffed the edges so that you can't feel an edge between colors. Simply amazing!

Also, I'm no ricer but I do have an import so don't be hating too bad. My car will take down its share of big V8s and it's only a 1.8L.

 

Welcome aboard, mtskibum. Now that everyone has been nice to you, can I ask if you have read the user's agreement you agreed to when you joined? The rules for posting are rather to the point. They state, in part:

Any truck considered in discussions must be recognizable as a Ford family truck and must be powered by an engine based on one originally installed in a Ford, Mercury, or Lincoln vehicle at the factory, but can be assembled using Ford pattern, after-market blocks and heads, as long as it is recognizable as a Ford,Mercury, or Lincoln engine. Use of other brand rods, rod bolts, valves, non-stock carbs, etc. is considered within the normal scope of Custom Truck Craft and is acceptable.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/charter.html

They cut us some slack down here in the darkside area, but please don't rub their nose in the choice you made for an engine. It is like waving a red flag to state ". . . the LS1. It is a great motor with tons of power and torque, and it is VERY capable of producing more without alot of work! You can say what you will, but there just aren't any affordable engines with as large of aftermarket suport in its class that will outperform it. "

This is a great site, however, it is supported in part by several Ford dealerships and they have their rules.

It sounds like you are building a neat truck, and I will enjoy reading all about it, except for the engine. I just would not mention it.

Clint