Handling truck?

So, bench racing with my boss the other day, got to talking about Nissan Hardbodies, and how I thought they would make a decent candidate for a engine swap, and possible autoX toy. He races an s13 240 with an SR20 swap, and mentioned I should go that route.

I, on the other hand, are broke, and thought of a DE head swap, with a cheap turbo, and some handling upgrades. I know I've seen some trucks AutoX'd, and the D21 from the old SCCA trruck challenge or whatever confirmed this to me.

Now, finding a short wheel base, 2wd manual hardbody isn't that difficult, finding one that isn't A.) beat to hell B.) rusted to hell or C.) both to hell and back is the hard part.

Anyone on here know how easy these trucks are to make handle a little bit more decent without cutting it up too bad? I wanna keep the full bed so I can use it as a truck, but still beat on it and have fun too.

I\d paint it up in the old red white and blue nissan colors. Heck, if I can find one cheap enough it would make an awesome Challenge project.

Thoughts?

long wheelbase might be more stable?

Everyone in the entire world has built or driven at least 17 V8 powered S10s. Some of them must handle decently. I can't imagine anything would be too terribly different in a Nissan except the engine in it stock is better than the iron duke. Ask some of them maybe? My buddy has one and he thinks it's worth about $500 with virtually no rust and a great running stock drivetrain. I can't imagine that they're that hard to find.

What about a Ranger?

They used to race Hardbodies in SCCA, I believe it was IT Truck class. Do a search on 'SCCA truck' and you'll find some information. There's a pro-touring truck forum out there, too.

I've been messing with The Hideous Hardbody for a couple years now. It's not my autocrosser, but I know what I'm looking for.

So far I have:

BellTech dropped spindles
Torsions unwound about 2"
OEM bumpstops cross-drilled to soften them
4WD Hardbody front shocks
Nissan Quest rear shocks
3" lowering blocks (machined with 5° taper)
1" raised carrier bearing
Front spring eye mount re-drilled 2-1/2" higher (this was a significant improvement on turn-in)
Mini C-notch
Polyurethane bushings everywhere
Toyota Tundra 16x7" steelies and 215/55R16 tires
4WD front fenders
2-1/2" mandrel-bent exhaust, high-flow cat and Magnaflow muffler

Sitting on the garage floor:

4WD leaf springs (second leaf is 1mm thicker, extra overload leaf, 2 to 3" less arc than 2WD leafs)
6° shim

Badly needs:

Big front sway bar and/or Sway-A-Way torsion bars

I used to daily drive and competitively autocross a B13 Sentra. This truck is easier to drive at the same speeds on the same twisty roads. I may autocross it next year just to see.

I'd rock the BRE Livery. Easy to touch up when (not if) it rusts.

Edit: learned how to do lists

I saw a hardbody project truck with IRS from a 240sx that impressed me. JGY Customs I believe.

But it you can do it on leaf springs like SkinnyG, give that a go first!

A nissan hardbody in completely stock condition is a lot more sporty than the old boxy s10s in feel, and handling.

However, id venture to say they ARENT more sporty than the later S10s that you could get a pretty decent factory suspension under (the one put in the Xtremes).

And of course a later 4.3/5spd s10 stock or with minor mods will blow the hell out of any nissan 2.4 without a turbo.

Yeah, the KA24 can't peel the scum off warm rice pudding. Boring as un-buttered toast in the dry, white-knuckled terror in the snow.

Raze wrote: What about a Ranger?

Depending on the year, they came with both an atrociously horrible motor and a funky twin i-beam suspension even when 2wd.

i want you to quantify that "horrible motor" comment, because i disagree.

In reply to belteshazzar: Siamese port Cologne V6. Awful, terrible, hateful things. The 2.9 was pretty crappy as well.

Is that the same V6 found in some Euro Capris?

If you can find it REPU

In reply to MrBenjamonkey:

I also disagree, but with both comments.

The 2.9 is indeed a steaming POS. But the 2.0/2.3/3.0/4.0 are damn near bulletproof and easy to work on. Oh and the diesel, eek.

The "funky" suspension is actually not that funky. I have played with three different rangers and the last one was probably the best and the only obvious mod that made an improvement is adding a rear sway bar that was connected to the 8.8 I swapped in from a 91 4x4. After I added more bind, it handled closer to "on rails" vs a fully loaded turnip truck.

Brian

In reply to Nitroracer:

JGS Turbo did the IRS swap in a hardbody. I remember it from reading the theturboforums.com.

Brian

the 2.0-2.3-3.0-4.0 were all good. good at what they where for. and the bad ranger motors, like the 2.9, are all gone by now anyway.

In reply to SkinnyG:

This is darn-near exactly what I had in mind. Interesting!!!

And having owned a 2.3 ranger, that thing was an underpowered turd, I don't miss it.

BowtieBandit wrote: In reply to SkinnyG: This is darn-near exactly what I had in mind. Interesting!!! And having owned a 2.3 ranger, that thing was an underpowered turd, I don't miss it.

but have you driven a 2.3T swapped Ranger?

In reply to Raze:

If I had, I would probably still have that truck.

I thought about a good handling truck when I used to have a Mazda b2000. I think they're the better looking mini trucks of the same era. I'm thinking about getting another one and do a rotary swap or get the turbo bits from a mx6 gt/ probe gt.

speaking of turbo trucks.

I did a 2.6T swap from a starion/conquest into my Mitsubishi Mighty Max. turbo swap mighty max

4g63 turbo swap is also popular.

hotg54b wrote: speaking of turbo trucks. I did a 2.6T swap from a starion/conquest into my Mitsubishi Mighty Max. turbo swap mighty max 4g63 turbo swap is also popular.

OH MY!

Raze wrote: OH MY!

+1.

belteshazzar wrote: the 2.0-2.3-3.0-4.0 were all good. good at what they where for. and the bad ranger motors, like the 2.9, are all gone by now anyway.

I killed one of them two years ago. Three hundred miles of struggling to maintain the speed limit unloaded and then it threw a rod.

The 4.0 is the only other one I have experience with though, and it's a good engine.