The plans for this truck change daily so a lot of this is just brainstorming. Bottom line is I have a truck that was given to me by a friend that I intend to use while my main goal for this red truck is to just finish the swap and then drive it, no more race plans for the moment.


UPDATED: See my post made September 13th 2013 for the updated change of plans. I left the rest of the thread intact to show work and ideas that were in progress.



Just finished helping Barry complete his 4wd RallyCross Hardbody in another thread so here's mine. This truck will also be caged.

1991 2wd base model with 177k on this ticker.

Pics from when I first bought it.




De-ratted...



Friends...


Random...


Flares...




Brake and fuel lines repair...


Plasti-dipped front bumper...Pathy Swap



First incarnation...


Brainstorming ideas...


October 2012 transmission quits...truck sits like this for a while...




The plan:

5Speed Swap
1-piece driveshaft
LSD with 4.6 gears.
240SX head with intake swap
HD Leaf Packs
Full Cage with harnesses
Cool Paint Job

As all of you know the transmission took a s*** back in October. The truck would still move but once the fluid was warm it would stop moving. I dislike automatics so this was a good chance to do a transmission swap to 5 speed. I figure I will make this a build log/how-to thread. Anyway here's where I am at right now.

As it sits right now.


Clutch and brake pedal installed. New clutch master cylinder is a direct bolt in. Best way to do this is to remove the dash.


I removed the steering column to swap it with one from my 86 parts truck. The reason is because I want to eliminate the column shift assembly.

I have almost all the parts needed to do this swap. I scored a '91 transmission off CL. New clutch and related. Waiting on a rear main. Still need to see what I am going to need for a driveshaft. Will be transferring the H233b axle from my '86 parts truck. Also going to paint the dash board two-tone while i have it out. It's in my living room split into two pieces right now.


Stay tuned!

Getting back on this project and feeling inspired by another truck I have been helping build.

Video Updates...Kind of long as I drone on about swaps.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AveGhpvyD-I[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIcjz7Mbuao[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME6mIDheweE[/youtube]

Dash painted and reinstalled. Floor cleaned and vacuumed. Man was it dirty with caked on mud, no really nasty stuff though which was a huge plus. Even found a couple .38 rounds under the carpet.




*imagining the future shifter.


Base model inner door panels. No speaker hole! Perfect, this truck will also have no stereo. Grabbed these out of a truck that had 35,000 miles on it. The outside was driven hard but the interior was perfect.


I like how they let you see the red door just below the window. They add a little color to the black and gray theme using already existing OEM paint.

And finally split the box off the back in prep for the next stage of the swap.



Immediate plans are:

-Swap leaf packs from Green truck while installing a custom pack back in Green.
-Swap rear axle from White heavy duty truck thus going from 3.7 gears open diff to 4.6 ration with factory LSD.
-Descale the frame as it's peeling like an onion and give it a good coating of chassis black.
-Remove the driveshaft.

I hope to have all that done in the next week hopefully.

Awesome, I need a manual swap ASAP! Can't stand this auto anymore! Miss my old red sometimes!

I hear ya, auto is a tough sell to me. I knew I wanted to swap this truck to 5spd, just not this soon.

Should be an interesting read. Ill be keeping an eye on this one.

I always get excited when I find ammo on my truck. Found 150 rounds of .22lr in the glove box the other day.

Axle swap under way. Got a H233b with LSD and 4.6 gears out of my parts truck. Today I removed everything rear axle related and prepping the new parts. Also going to paint the frame while I am back there. The rear end weighs nothing now and requires the weight of two tires to keep the whole truck from tipping forward on the jack stands.





23 years of hard life made the spring pins very difficult to remove. I had to use a pipe wrench, a huge pry bar and a sledgehammer to get the pins out. I got it but I am sore and exhausted now. The fact they came out this hard tells me they needed to be done and the truck will feel great.

I have the H233b axle...


I have 3 inch lowering blocks. I have new custom made u-bolts. I have HD leaf springs with new poly bushings. Everything ready to be installed once I am done de-scaling and painting the frame. I am just glad the weather held out long enough for me to get this far.

Not much done today...too hot! Went to a car show then took the torch to the remaining leaf spring bushings. Time to start sanding the frame.

Fedex delivered my head set and bolts this morning. Planning to start cleaning up the frame on Sunday as the weather cools down some.

Took some time to clean up my future h233b swap this weekend. Ground down as much rust as I could, degreased it and shot several coats of red caliper paint. Should look good with the black frame and leaf springs. Just waiting on the pins and shackles then I can install it.

Nice build dude i just did the same swap to my 1994 'cuse that auto trans suck.

I'm really interested to see how this one goes! One day when I have space for multiple HBs this is what I want to do with one of them.

Update 7/29/2013

Using left over helper leaves from both Green and White I made crazy 5-leaf packs for Red. It is likely overkill and I might regret this on the track but at the same time I want to be able to tow a trailer without dragging the bumper on the ground like would happen if I used Green to tow. I will go with some softer shocks in the rear and stiffer fronts. Also purchased a can of Chassis Saver from Riter Restorations. The pics don't show it but I took a wire brush to the frame and knocked down quite a bit of the rust scale. The frame is pitted worse behind the axle than in front. I am thinking I will end up dropping the tank to clean and paint behind it. Just need to pick up the shackles tomorrow and this stage is wrapped up parts-wise.

A little bit of progress:






Once again I might change my mind and remove a leaf if the ride is silly harsh.

Acid washed frame using Phosphoric acid.



Painted frame using Chassis Saver.



Installed H233b axle with 3" blocks.



Started tearing out transmission. Nothing too exciting to see, just piles of useless crap and bolts.

See this diagram...

...yeh, everything in this pic has to go.

And that's where we are currently at.

A couple of vids...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qgFkAPx5Gg[/youtube]

Bragging about my factory LSD!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wYf_3I8Poc[/youtube]

And that is what I just got done. I will never do this again. At 7PM tonight the red truck was no longer an automatic. It's been a learning experience but it would be much easier to just buy a truck with a stick. But because I hate to see things go to waste I decided this truck should get a new lease on life.



Differences in crossmembers between stick and auto. Obviously the new crossmember with the stickers on it is for the manual transmission.





I understand not everyone wants to drive a stick truck but for me this is the best thing in the world one can do if their auto trans does go to s***.

A video update. (Sorry about some of the foul language)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac8R5e7p14k[/youtube]

Also: Planned for tomorrow I will do a video on resurfacing a truck flywheel followed this weekend with another vid on removing the flex plate and replacing the rear main seal.

Also Also: I am racing Rallycross truck #1 on Saturday in the 2wd class. Will have some videos from that.

Change of plans!!!

It has been discussed that instead of building this truck into a rallycross truck that we are going to make a case to the SVRA (http://www.svra.com) about opening up a vintage truck racing class for the ITT trucks of yesteryear. Not sure if we will be successful but we will try none the less. If we are able to convince them to allow a truck class this red truck will be built into one of those trucks and will be road raced instead. Since we drink too much coffee, have big imaginations and can't leave well enough alone I think this is the path we will be taking from here on out.


Stay tuned!!

Change of plans again, no longer a race truck...for now. I was given a truck by a close friend and so the only plan for this red truck is to finish what I started and get it moving under its own power. From there it will be my handy shop truck I won't be afraid of scratching.

The update here is a small one. Winter is here and I moved the truck to a friends garage to work on it while the snow flies. He's finishing up a project of his own...an 83 'Vette.



I'm making a little more money at work right now so I can spend a few dollars on the project finally.

That's all I got for now.

Nice job on the build. Hey when you painted your dash, how and what did you use? Was it rattle can or with gun?

Rattle can. I had the dash out and took the two halves apart so I could do a two-tone. Now I wish I had sprayed a darker gray but too late now. It's nice, it does brighten up the inside of the cab more pleasantly, brown just doesn't work for me.

Yeah it looks nice.

always fun to see people fixing these trucks up and make them better. Keep up the good work

Latest update. Got a driveshaft! NICO's Mrecoolgar sold this to me as a matter of fact. Shipped from PA.



The plan is to turn this into a one-piece shaft. Can't do that until I have all the measurements at hand. Still it's a step in the right direction.

Update 1/9/2014

Well Santa brought me a new starter, a couple of KYB Gas-A-Just rear shocks and a water pump. I have been collecting parts since October and that includes:

driveshaft (see above)
the correct pinion flange for the driveshaft
Moog sway bar links and bushings
transmission and starter mounting bolts
Moog tension rod bushings and hardware
Also got a set of black manual door mirrors to replace the gaudy chrome power ones
Also scored a hokey set of Altezza lamps from the JY for it too.
Also scored a pair of 275/60R15 Goodyear Eagle IIs brand new from a friend.

Hoping for a break in the weather to turn some bolts soon.

Nice project and good job! your door panels are like mine...if you don't put stereo in your truck are perfect
The white truck is the parts truck? Have you bought it for this use or it's only your old truck?The picture under the tree is romantic

Yes the white truck is my parts truck. Saved her from the scrap yard last year, bought it right off the owners back. She's a heavy duty version with limited slip and a V6! She's been a good sport about my plucking her for goodies.

Small update:

Sandblasted the clutch cover plate and the water pump pulley. Going to paint the pulley the same color as the axle. That is all.

Save a truck from the junkyard is everytime a good action,well done!

I wish I could save more of the pre-1989 trucks but they just don't turn up around here at all. I was surprised when I found White.

The mounting bolts are different between the auto and manual transmissions I had to grab them from the dealer...odd lengths. I got all of them yesterday, special order of course. I now have all the parts needed to mount the clutch, clutch hosing and the transmission itself to the truck. Only two parts stand in the way of completion...parking brake cables and getting the driveshaft made. I have a huge pile of parts, it's crazy!

Random pics from today. I didn't venture under the truck because no one else was around and getting crushed and not found for hours is a concern when working on any vehicle on jack stands. I did a lil' tinkering though.