These are still lightweight, twin rail frame hot rods,to be tweaked. Almost did my 78 Datsun ,didn't have the knowledge then. Can you share, your experience,if any?.....
Mini trucks,engine swaps....
- Thread starter Abodybomber
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bighammer
Well-Known Member
Yep. Right out of high school, a new guy moved into town, he had a sweet '66 Vette. We all thought it was one bad hot rod. Finally a grudge race was planned. The dude in the Vette got spanked by my buddy in his Chevy Luv with a 327 swap! poor Vette owner Lol
magnumdust
Well-Known Member
JMO: I'd do a 1st gen S10/dakota if possible.
My buddy did a v8 chevy luv for a customer. The engine barely fits. He has a front mount electric fan and the water pump pulley is maybe 1/4" from the radiator.
My brother put a 305 in an S-10 Blazer.
dano
Evil Handy Man
302 (5.0). 351w and C and 460's have all been swapped into Rangers both 2x4 and 4x4. 96 and newer Explorers came factory with a 5.0 and are a direct swap with a Ranger of the same year. Even seen a Courier with a 302.
i put a few 350chevs in ford rangers not my own . real easy to do i still have the pattern for one of the motor mounts.
Dart_Doctor
Asa style
:sign3:
I used to work with a guy that raced early 90's Dakotas, one 3.9 and the other 5.2...
The dam 3.9 was only .2 sec slower and they both ran in the 13's... Not too shabby...
The dam 3.9 was only .2 sec slower and they both ran in the 13's... Not too shabby...
Dart_Doctor
Asa style
I love the 3.9 damn good motor ! If i was to find a roll over dakota i would have to find an a body to slap it into . 25 mpg and just enough power to be fun . Any thing after 96 the mpg sucked . I think it was cuz the 1st gen was lighter not sure tho you know me karl im a dakota fan .
66340SEDAN
FABO Member #3649
Here is a recent one added to the stable, 88 Dakota wearing the original paint, solid body, super nice interior, brand new tires...so cheap I'm ashamed to say how much $ 
The ugly red wheels and caps have to go....I see cop rims in its future.....
The ugly red wheels and caps have to go....I see cop rims in its future.....
66340SEDAN
FABO Member #3649
Don't let those V6 emblems fool you........:glasses7:
Dart_Doctor
Asa style
dude your holding out on Asa !
draginmopars
Well-Known Member
we got a 84 Rampage
had to add frame rails
since its a unibody
has a big block
had to add frame rails
since its a unibody
has a big block
Dart_Doctor
Asa style
I love the camper on that thing lol
I was considering a 4.6 DOHC swap in my Ranger before it met its untimely fate.
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Had an 83 Ranger, swapped a 302/c4 in it. Was a 4x4. One of the most fun vehicles I ever owned. Went like a bastard off road. Would outran my old 340 Dart at the drag strip. Both vehicles were tuned well. I drove them both on the same day. Truly sorry that I beat the thing to death over the years.
DionR
Well-Known Member
No experience, but something I've been thinking about.
Start with a 4WD, swap in a full-time transfer case, drop it as much as possible and swap some wide low-profile tires on it. Then see how it would handle. Basically a Syclone, or even better, Jeep GC SRT8, on the cheap.
If you do it right, should still be able to haul whatever a 2WD would so it still works like a truck even.
I've got a 91 Dakota with a 5.2 that is missing the front diff and (I think) needs a new TC. Thinking about swapping in an NP242 with full-time 4WD and finding a new diff and axles just to see how it works.
Start with a 4WD, swap in a full-time transfer case, drop it as much as possible and swap some wide low-profile tires on it. Then see how it would handle. Basically a Syclone, or even better, Jeep GC SRT8, on the cheap.
If you do it right, should still be able to haul whatever a 2WD would so it still works like a truck even.
I've got a 91 Dakota with a 5.2 that is missing the front diff and (I think) needs a new TC. Thinking about swapping in an NP242 with full-time 4WD and finding a new diff and axles just to see how it works.
doogievlg
Well-Known Member
I have seen some real fast rangers with big blocks squeezed in them. Typically the only give away is drag radials out back or a big fancy system peeking out from the bumper!
That be cool. Problem is that mod motors are so damn wide compared to Windsor engines. You could put a shot gun hemi in the same space.
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Had the perfect Ranger for a v-8 swap but I got rid of it. Was a 2wd short bed, manual steering manual brakes. Have a non a/c heater box that I found a while back still. On the Rangers the heater box needs to be notched to clear the valve cover on the right side, even with a small Windsor. Buddy that builds off road trucks built a bad *** little Ranger. Beam 4x4 truck, had gobs of wheel travel, think the front was right around 20" and the rear was closer to 3', had a LS under the hood if I remember right.
That 2 wd Ranger I had was only about 2400 pounds or so. The Pinto motor it had in it, if I remember correct, was only a few pounds lighter than an aluminum headed Windsor....
That 2 wd Ranger I had was only about 2400 pounds or so. The Pinto motor it had in it, if I remember correct, was only a few pounds lighter than an aluminum headed Windsor....
gtmopar
Phuckin A!
A buddy and I built a V8 luv truck 10 years back. Flared the fenders and put a 150 shot on it. It was a fun little bastard to drive and dirt cheap to build. That's chevy for you.
74Dusted
Stock Piler of 340's
Dakotas, S10's, Rangers, they're all easy because you can use off the shelf parts (usually out of a catalog too)
Want a real challenge, I mean aside from the insanity that draginmopars did.... Dodge D50. No off the shelf parts fit the truck for the conversion, very few factory parts can be used (factory to the truck), stuff has to be mixed & matched to make it work.
No off the shelf headers will fit the truck (Long Tube or Short Tube, Truck or Car), they would have to be custom made for the truck after the engine has been installed.
The swap requires :
LA Car Oil Pan
Solid Motor Mounts (with the engine tilted down slightly on the Right/Passenger Side. Oil Pan must sit on top of the crossmember, or at most a 1/4" above it)
360 Truck Exhaust Manifolds
Custom Down Pipes (Each downpipe had to be made in 4 pieces for my truck, took me 3 days of head scratching to get the exhaust to reach beyond the transmission)
A Low Profile (Shorter and Smaller Diameter) Ford Oil Filter to clear the frame
A D50 Transmission Mount (Automatic or Manual)
A Lokar Throttle Cable (Cut to roughly 6" Long)
Lokar Kickdown Cable (if running an Automatic, no space for the factory Mopar Kickdown)
Requires a 70's Charger 22" Radiator, with extensive Core Support modifications (and some modifications to the inner hood skin).
You're limited to a Mechanical Fan (with no spacer), there isn't enough space for electric fans.
Transmission has to be either an A833, 904 or 727 (2WD)
If you want a 4WD You need a TF904/MA904 Hybrid (use a RARE MA904 From an Automatic D50 to install the guts in a Small Block 904 Case) OR A TF727, with an AMC/Jeep Tailshaft & Tailhousing. If you want a Manual 4WD, you're screwed, there are no 4WD Manuals that will work in a D50 with a Small Block (the shifter would be inside the dash on all of them)
If you've got a 2WD, good luck getting traction...EVER. Your best bet would be to tub it, slap some wide tires on the back, and load 1000 pounds of ballast in the bed. A Small Block 2WD D50 weighs in at about 2,700 pounds (A stock 4WD 4-Banger D50 weighs about 2,900), a 4WD Small Block D50 might go 3,100 - 3,300 depending on options. Mine's a bit more than that, with the Rollbar, Rock Sliders, Tube Bumpers, Front & Rear Mounted Winches (10k Front, 12k Rear).
Want a real challenge, I mean aside from the insanity that draginmopars did.... Dodge D50. No off the shelf parts fit the truck for the conversion, very few factory parts can be used (factory to the truck), stuff has to be mixed & matched to make it work.
No off the shelf headers will fit the truck (Long Tube or Short Tube, Truck or Car), they would have to be custom made for the truck after the engine has been installed.
The swap requires :
LA Car Oil Pan
Solid Motor Mounts (with the engine tilted down slightly on the Right/Passenger Side. Oil Pan must sit on top of the crossmember, or at most a 1/4" above it)
360 Truck Exhaust Manifolds
Custom Down Pipes (Each downpipe had to be made in 4 pieces for my truck, took me 3 days of head scratching to get the exhaust to reach beyond the transmission)
A Low Profile (Shorter and Smaller Diameter) Ford Oil Filter to clear the frame
A D50 Transmission Mount (Automatic or Manual)
A Lokar Throttle Cable (Cut to roughly 6" Long)
Lokar Kickdown Cable (if running an Automatic, no space for the factory Mopar Kickdown)
Requires a 70's Charger 22" Radiator, with extensive Core Support modifications (and some modifications to the inner hood skin).
You're limited to a Mechanical Fan (with no spacer), there isn't enough space for electric fans.
Transmission has to be either an A833, 904 or 727 (2WD)
If you want a 4WD You need a TF904/MA904 Hybrid (use a RARE MA904 From an Automatic D50 to install the guts in a Small Block 904 Case) OR A TF727, with an AMC/Jeep Tailshaft & Tailhousing. If you want a Manual 4WD, you're screwed, there are no 4WD Manuals that will work in a D50 with a Small Block (the shifter would be inside the dash on all of them)
If you've got a 2WD, good luck getting traction...EVER. Your best bet would be to tub it, slap some wide tires on the back, and load 1000 pounds of ballast in the bed. A Small Block 2WD D50 weighs in at about 2,700 pounds (A stock 4WD 4-Banger D50 weighs about 2,900), a 4WD Small Block D50 might go 3,100 - 3,300 depending on options. Mine's a bit more than that, with the Rollbar, Rock Sliders, Tube Bumpers, Front & Rear Mounted Winches (10k Front, 12k Rear).
74Dusted
Stock Piler of 340's
This will be going in my Dodge Dakota (since the 5.2L Magnum kicked the bucket with only 215k on the clock)
An OM617 Turbo Diesel and a V5MT1 Manual Transmission
I should be able to reuse most of the Dakota components (Radiator, 3" Exhaust from Cat to Bumper, A/C System, etc) It'll require custom motor mounts, modified driveshafts, modified throttle cable/linkage setup, a couple wiring modifications, a Dakota Digital Tachometer Converter (Diesel to V8 Tach), a Clutch/Brake Pedal setup from another Dakota, and a Transfer Case from a Gen II Montero (Full Time 4WD aka Active Trac.)
An OM617 Turbo Diesel and a V5MT1 Manual Transmission
I should be able to reuse most of the Dakota components (Radiator, 3" Exhaust from Cat to Bumper, A/C System, etc) It'll require custom motor mounts, modified driveshafts, modified throttle cable/linkage setup, a couple wiring modifications, a Dakota Digital Tachometer Converter (Diesel to V8 Tach), a Clutch/Brake Pedal setup from another Dakota, and a Transfer Case from a Gen II Montero (Full Time 4WD aka Active Trac.)
racerkilla
Well-Known Member
Did a 74 datsun truck years back. Built small block chevy, ford 9 inch, fiberglass tilt nose, fiberglass bed sides, custom headers, custom tail lights etc. Was a fun/fast truck but to small inside for a big guy. Only car that got sold to help pay for my dads divorce.
ramenth
Gratis persona
Just do some digging and you'll find 'em.
The guy who ran the tranny shop my dad used to get his trans parts from back when he lived in TN ran a first gen Dak with a tunnel ram 383 at the track.
The guy was gaga over B/RB powered Daks. He was building two more. One was going to be used at the track and the other was going to be for street use.
The guy who ran the tranny shop my dad used to get his trans parts from back when he lived in TN ran a first gen Dak with a tunnel ram 383 at the track.
The guy was gaga over B/RB powered Daks. He was building two more. One was going to be used at the track and the other was going to be for street use.
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