Seeing more and more autocross trucks out there.

its also fairly simple to lower most trucks like 4 inches up front and 6 inches in the rear before you get into c notch territory.  Older 2wd trucks before manufacturers went to 4x4 and 2wd trucks being the same height

In reply to ProDarwin :

I auto crossed a stock 2000 Ford Lightning. One of the other guys then brought out his 94 1st Gen Lightning. Both were legal in stock form. 

I autocrossed a 2000 Dakota R/T ext cab, was fun to drive but was a bit long (130" wheelbase). Standard cab would be a riot. Plus the 6-lug Dakotas have the same bolt pattern as a Viper, some interesting possibilities there. Front Viper wheels fit, rears require surgery.

I like the idea of sport trucks, but whenever I go down that particular mental rabbit hole I always seem to end up in pretty much the same place: Something like a standard cab short bed S10 with a carefully designed 'cage' in the cab, and front/rear tubular subframes, that will eliminate the ladder frame, add IRS and improved suspension geometry, move the (LS) engine back in the engine bay...Oh yeah, and remove 12 or so inches from the forward portion of the bed to correspondingly shorten the wheelbase.

Seems like if you want to be competitive you'd want to start with something small like a Chevy Luv or an old VW Caddy pickup. You can always teach a pig to dance, but why not start with a skinny pig?  

I did my first auto-x and track days in a 1994 2wd Toyota Pickup. By the last track day it was lowered, had anti-roll bars, dryer duct front brake cooling, and Hoosiers.  I was laughed at at a mid-ohio PCA event until I was one of the fastest in the run group. 

Can't you just run an ls4 with a getrag trans on the stock impala subframe and just weld it between the framerails?

Seems like the easy button for ls power in the back of a pickup.

wvumtnbkr said:

Can't you just run an ls4 with a getrag trans on the stock impala subframe and just weld it between the framerails?

 

Seems like the easy button for ls power in the back of a pickup.

I would rather go K or J powered at that point

In reply to MrChaos :

That would be interesting and much easier in something like an S10. Built K swap with a supercharger or turbo. 

I drive past a ZQ GMC truck on the way to work, languishing behind a repair shop. I came across this photo in my archives the other night and it made me want to rescue that truck and drop in an LS.

I love this truck...

Miata everything swapped Datsun

I always ponder how entertaining a Taco sport version (the lowered ex. Cab) I can't think of the name would be as a track truck..

dxman92 said:

I always ponder how entertaining a Taco sport version (the lowered ex. Cab) I can't think of the name would be as a track truck..

X-Runner

Boost_Crazy said:

I love this truck...

Miata everything swapped Datsun

Want want want want want

PMRacing said:

I did my first auto-x and track days in a 1994 2wd Toyota Pickup. By the last track day it was lowered, had anti-roll bars, dryer duct front brake cooling, and Hoosiers.  I was laughed at at a mid-ohio PCA event until I was one of the fastest in the run group. 

I seem to remember when people used to road race pickups in some sort of stockish-prep class, because 4 cylinder manual trans minitrucks were fairly cheap, and everyone made one.  There were allowances made to even up the field like Nissans could run these heads, Fords could run those heads, and so forth.

(Green flag drops around the 12 minute mark)

I also seem to recall these trucks wound up getting their own Improved Touring class as they aged out.

ProDarwin said:

Boost_Crazy said:

I love this truck...

Miata everything swapped Datsun

 

Want want want want want

That gives me horrible ideas... wonder when I can start on it....

I've always liked the X Runner and I remember when it came out Toyota claimed they were using the (then newish) 350Z as their handling benchmark. I always enjoyed that factoid.

At a Goodguys event was something resembling a "farm truck", sort of a tired looking beater with a camper shell. The key to its handling was that he'd built it in reverse, starting with a Corvette and basically putting the truck body over it. It really cleaned up at the autocross, tiny as it was. The owner said that he looks forward to doing a trackday event.

In reply to kb58 :

That's a Blazer.  With the factory hardtop.

A clean 2wd first gen Blazer is worth as much as a Corvette.

Vigo said:

I've always liked the X Runner and I remember when it came out Toyota claimed they were using the (then newish) 350Z as their handling benchmark. I always enjoyed that factoid.

Started as nissan higher up ball busting toyota higher up at a saki bar is the story I was told. Nissan guy say “how come you guys don’t build any real sportscars?” “What like a 350z? We could beat that thing with a pickup truck.” Yadda yadda.... x runner. 

Hope its true. Like stories like that. 

This guy used to race with my club.  

Caged, SBC, fuel cell, etc.  It was never super fast because it just wouldn't put the power down, but nobody out there seemed to be having more fun than him.  Found a mini "build thread" here: autox minitruck

I'd like to build an autocrosser out of one of these:

Woody said:

I'd like to build an autocrosser out of one of these:

2rzs love boost. 

Too low but you get the picture. Iirc 4wd fenders are widebody