I don't know anything about heavy duty 4X4s, or what gear is best. My guess is that the taller the better, with bb big wheels and lots of gears. Weight is good - and a short wheelbase even better.

I say this as Mike and I are kicking around the idea of building a 4X4 to use in both a mud bog and an off-road challenge. We are thinking of building something tough enough to challange the wimps in the Nevada chapter, and maybe also the Oregon and Washington chapters.

The guys around vegas just had an off-road meet (see https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...-is-going.html) It looks like they didn't take the newer trucks, and were afraid to get off the gravel roads with their older ones.

Nighteyes has come up with a 72 F250 4X4 we are waiting to hear about, and Mike has some F250 axles and 4X4 stuff around.

First, is anyone else interested in a chapter 4x4 to run at the verious events?
Second, what do you suggest in the way of equipment?

Clint

 

OOPS, sorry, that is Dan - I have problems with all the screen names!!!

 

Hey, that sounds like fun. Although, I don't know how much help I could be wrenching, being so far away. But I could always help out in looking at the local picknpull for parts. I do have a Dana 60 rear end that you could have in my back yard right now, with 4:10's in it. Let me know if you need it. Might even still have a divorced transfer case in the garage, but not sure if it's still there.

WillyB quotes: "wimps in the Nevada Chapter" Haaa Ha ha ha! You crack me up Clint.
I don't suppose you were referencing skipped_link. Ha ha. Man, if so, we'd better come up with some serious horses to spin them wheels. Skipped's 49 is a monster!

 

That is easy - I made Skip an honorary member of the California Chapter. Besides that, if we have to we could outlast his monster - his '49 does not have the cooling required for heavy use. In truth, his 1 ton is more likely to beat us!

As to the wimps - think of all those who said they would be there but did not show up! Even their leader chickened out when he thought we might enter his rental in the event.

 

I was wondering what I got signed up for

 

Well,
I am still waiting for the truck to be delivered. I spoke with Stacy (the guy who bought my Rabbits) last night, and he is having it towed down here tomorrow. I can only tell you what he told me regarding the condition of it as I have yet to lay eyes on it.

He said it did run when he bought it and brought it home, but the engine was already shot, and making loud noises. He states there are two broken pistons on the right side of the block, but the rest of the engine seems fine. He pulled the pan to check. He does not know which 351 it is. Says it could be a Windsor or a Cleveland. He is not sure. If its a Windsor then my neighbor's son would want to buy it from me for $100. If a Cleveland, then he would not want it.

The transmission is good, and it has the divorced transfer case. He also states it has a utility box instead of a pickup bed on it. The ones with all the locking toolbox compartments I am thinking.

He states it has a Dana 44 front diff, and Dana 60 rear diff, but he does not know the ratios. He also told me the floorboards are rusted out, but I can't remember if he said there was any other rust. He stated he bought it as a project vehicle, but just never got around to doing anything with it. I am anxious to finally see it.

I am off tomorrow, and will check it out when it arrives, then post what I find out.

I have not done any off roading. I did own a S-10 blazer, and did go on dirt roads/trails in a canyon area, but later found out that the previous owner had removed the front driveshaft! I was so excited to have a 4x4 I did not even bother to check that it was connected! I also owned a 1989 Jeep Cherokee Limited which unfortunately, I never got the chance to take off road. I loved that Jeep though, and hopefully can buy another one soon.

Don't know much about four wheeling, but I think it would be cool to build one and try it.

 

There are 3 different events - the first two are mud races at a local race track. They dig a long trench in the infield and fill it with mud. One is a timed event - a drag race with the winner being the fastest one to make it through the course. The second type is just a big mud hole 4 feet deep. No one makes it through it - the winner is the one who goes the deepest into the hole.

The rules for these in the class I would want to run is that the vehicle be street legal and run the same type engine as the truck - ford in a ford -. They run the V8s against the V8s, the sixes against the sixes and so on. I expect it is the lift and the tires that win these.

The third type event is just an off-road trail, with both vehicles running until one breaks or you find a clear winner. California off-road is much more formal than Nevada - the Las Vegas meet just found some rough country near the strip and held their own. In California the trails are owned by the Park Service and have lots of rules.

Again, I expect it is more ground clearance and traction that wins a trail event. For the trail I would want a locker installed on both front and rear, plus power steering and disk brakes.

The '49 Tim was talking about has tires as tall as I am, enough ground clearance that Dan could walk under it with a 10 gallon hat on, and a 700+ horsepower alcohol fueled Ford V8. It is so far out of our class it would be like drag racing one of your Rabbits against a top fuel rail.

 

Hey wait...is that a short joke? I resemble that remark...

With the '72 I have, we'd have the makings of a decent truck between the two of them. I'm pretty sure I can lay hands on a good 460 for cheap, then we'd just need to get the correct bellhousing and flywheel to mate it up to the NP435 that's in Jim's truck, but it occurs to me that the NP435 isn't exactly the quickest, smoothest shifting tranny out there and might be tough to drive in a mud drag if shifting on the fly is a nessecity. With that in mind, I also have a C6 complete with married transfer case that will bolt to the 460. For that matter I have a 6.9 turbo diesel...don't know how that would work in a mud drag, but it would have lots of torque...

The Dana 60/44 combo that I have are equipped with 3.55 gears. For drags, that's too high for a gasser. We'd need 4.10s or even 4.56s I'm thinking so we might need to drop a few bucks on gears or find someone who wants to do some swapping.

 

Dang, website messing up - lost another good post!

Here is what I tried to post :

I am not sold on the C6 - it is a good tranny but a stick is more fun to drive. It also works better (stick, that is) when easing down a hill. I also wonder how well the C6 will cool when the radiator and lower engine compartment is packed with mud. They don't last very long (C6, that is) when they get hot.

The 460 is great - lots of power there. However, it does require the other running gear to be stout and in good shape. We can get away with more if we run a smaller engine. In truth, using low range of a 2 speed transfer case, how much faster is more horses? Whatever engine we use will be at max RPM within a few feet of starting.

Maybe with the 460 we could use high range, and have more momentum when we hit the mud hole. We need to find someone who has run in the mud to talk to. . . .

I know when I was a kid my brothers all had V8s, but they spun their wheels and broke a lot of axles while my little six just chugged up the hill. . . and worse of all, my friend had one of those 2wd VW Things that not only would go where ever we did, but often beat us to the top!

Clint

 

I watched some mudbog races on TV once, seem to recall all the trucks had the radiators mounted either on top of the cab, or in the bed somewhere, didn't pay much attention at the time though.

 

In the bed, mostly - at least that is where skip was going to mount his. He discovered that it was enough to run the coolant through pipes to the bed and back - that is why he is heat limited to just one race followed by a cooldown period.

However, the class we would be in may require radiators to be mounted in the stock position. It does not say this in the rules I just read, but for some reason I think all the trucks did have them mounted in the stock location.

How about it, Tim? Do you remember the rule on radiators? (Edited after some thinking and reading

 

Hmmn, just thinking here...I wonder how hot exhaust is as it exits a tail pipe? Wonder if you just just run a tranny cooler and the exust up through the bed, have the exhaust blow through the cooler and not even run the tranny lines through the radiator? As long as the exhaust isn't more than 250 when it goes through the cooler, you should be in good shape to keep the tranny temp constant.

 

I don't know what gears are in the Danna 44/60 setup on my truck as Stacy had another setback in trying to get it towed down here. However, if they are anything less than 4.56 I was thinking maybe I can swap the Dana 70 in my 76 with the Dana 60. I don't need 4.56 gears since I do a lot of freeway driving to work and can actually see my gas gauge falling.

I have a sickening feeling I will not be able to drive this more than 2 days a week to work as I cannot afford to keep gas in it. Next payday it is going to be tune-up time )

 

Well you can count me in as long as the timing is right! I've ran in a couple comps just like the one WillyB describes, back home in New Brunswick behind the Legion every summer a huge trench was dug with a dozer and filled with mud, It was always a blast, lots of beer from the Legion and heaps of mud and big toys, I'd love to test my bronco out on a pit like that, My new 460 is going in tomorrow, And i've got some tough axles, a Dana 60 in front and an 80 rear, the C6 seems pretty strong and has its own radiator, and the NP203 transfer case holds tough as far as i've used it, i believe the gears are 4:11, anyway i'm putting a new set of 44" Swamper Mud Boggers on it and i've got around 26" of body and suspension lift, it'll easily clear 50" tires, and has problem turning them, so lets show the Nevada boys how its done shall we, i can't wait jimmy

 

Check out this truck I built for a friend last winter:



He wants to go mud bogging with it but there's nothing happening locally. He and a few of his 4X4 buddies were talking about starting one up but killed the idea when it came down to insurance costs.