i want to get a truck for offroad/mudding and stuff. i dont really know what would be a good choice.

what are some basic things to look for?
long bed or short?
manual or auto?
things like that, i dont know if their is even an advantage over the other thats what im asking

it doesnt have to be ford and i was thinking something older with a mechanical engine?

also how do diesels do in the mud? i rarley see them in the mud when i go.

price isnt THAT big of a concern maybe under 5grand for the truck, but i know i will be putting alot of time and money in it. and keep in mind this wont be a daily driver.

 

Short kinda helps with breakover angles, as well as departure angles.
Taller tires have more effect on shorter wheelbase trucks.
Often they are lighter than a longer truck.
Diesels make good torque but lack the wheel speed necessary to be very effective in the mud, especially a turbo charged truck that may not be able to spool up. Turbo's are also difficult to throttle with accurate control.
If you like mud, big tires and decent power are going to be a must. Depending on how big, and how much power, you will then need big axles. It is a vicious cycle with no end.

 

yeah i know im going to end up changing alot on it, i just dont even know what truck to start with or really what to be looking for in the first place.

 

If this is a purpose built mud truck and you want to stay relitively close to a decent budget my money would buy a 79 F150 short bed truck with preferably the 400 4spd (np435) and Np205 xcase. The beauty of this setup is that the 400 makes a decent amount of power for offroad and a 460 can be swapped in later using the same bellhousing. The NP435 and Np205 are argueably the strongest factory components ever installed in any of the big 3s trucks..ie you dont break them often or ever. D44/9" axles are real good up to about 35" or 36" tires and thats a good starting point. Things like gears lift kits and parts in general are abundant and cheap for this year model. The sky and your budget is the limit but a truck built like this would be nasty in the mud and cheap.

79 F150 SWB
400 with a few add ons like cam headers and 4bbl intake
A good clutch for the 435
D44 limited slip 4.56 gears
9" spool 4.57 gears
4" lift with a fender little trimming
35x15x15 Boggers on 15x10 rims

I have seen this build done for less than $3500 including the truck

EDIT
you know after thinking about it if you find a truck with factory 4.10 gears that would probably be ok with the 35s and low 1st gear of the 435. Cheaper yet.

 

well the 1 ton trucks are definitely the way to go if you really just dont really know which route to turn. they come with a 60 front, full float sterling rear, generally 1330 or 1350 joints and all the beefy drivetrain to match. if its an auto prolly a C6 and if its a manual depending on the year a ZF or NP435. both stout!

you really need to focus on an F350 because if you deal with a F250 you will run into the TTB front axle and possibly a semi-float rear. although still a decent platform, the front axle is the biggest concern!

just some advice from someone who has been there and is still there... wearing mt t-shirt!

EDIT... I like what STG recommends too! prolly a better starting point than my method due to availability of parts!

-cutts-

 

duece and a half.......

 

light as possible with the most horsepower and an auto and a drivetrain that wont break


haha sounds simple doesnt it

 

cool thanks guys that has givin me a little more of a starting point, and if anyone else has anything to add feel free.

 

yea, i can add something.

do exactly what stgfordcrazy04 said,

but dont think you can do it for $3500

for this set up, you will need 6k minimum.

--but get ready, he will jump in soon and explain how it was all done

 

I love the 79 1 tons single cabs, one of my buddys has one, and that thing is awesome. He swapped in a 390 (for gas saving), put in a 4 speed, lockers, and 35" boggers, and man I don't think you can stop the thing.

 

like i said DUECE!!! ....see you can still get hella flex...hahaha

 

Stump,
I dont want to argue but the yeah right seems a little harsh.

Add it up.
My buddy bought a 79 F150 swb painted BRIGHT YELLOW with "mudweiser" written down the bed for $500. Needed a wiring harness for the coil and dizzy. I had one so I gave it to him.
4 boggers $900
4 rims 15x8 painted black from junk yard $80
4.57 with spool 3rd member from a drag race guy who was going to 40 spline stuff. $50
4.56 gears and LS with install kit and setup. $400
I did a shackle flip rear and moved his coil buckets down and welded braces in for about $20 in bolts and angle iron plus my fee of an 18pk $13.
I also trimmed the fenders with my sawzall but that didnt cost anything.
Weiland intake Holley 600 Lunati cam $1000
a tune up including plugs wires dizzy cap coil hoses belts $250 or so
Brake pads for the front $25
Centerforce Clutch $190

I come up with $3428

I helped him build it and I bought most of the parts because I knew what he needed. It certainly couldve cost a lot more but I helped him find deals and we did the work ourselves. Its not easy but NOT IMPOSSIBLE!

 

Quad,
Thats obscene!

 

If you're doing trails/rock crawling you want small and light as possible.

If you're doing mud bogging its not AS important what size it is (still makes a difference though, lighter is usually better when it comes to anything with an engine taht you want to perform..)as long as you throw a big engine and big tires at it.

I went with a 78/79 bronco because of the short wheelbase and solid drive train. But any 73-79 ford would be a solid platform and relatively inexpensive to build.

I would also say, depending on how big you plan to go, get whatever truck you like the most based on how it looks, because you're going to replace the whole drive train anyway if you decide to go that big.

and like everyone else said, diesels don't do too well in the mud with the extra weight and spool time.. throttle response is a good thing to have in mud.

ps: that deuce.5 is badass

 

quad..why don't u sell him ur truck?lol

JR