Midgets stubby mudder

[midget28]

 This truck started out life as a 86 chevy long bed std cab 4x4. It has since lost all body panels but the cab and doors and rear axle has been shoved forward 26" to help with tight trails. This truck wont be street legal and neither me or the gf plan on taking it easy on the poor truck.  This truck was a total rust bucket so were doing the best thing we can. Making it a trail only offroad truck.

Whats left to do:
mount and plumb keg fuel cell
make tube bumper for front and rear
shock mounts for rear
shorten driveshaft
replace front axleshaft(previously broken)
give the motor a tuneup plugs wires ect
weld rear spider gears
mount the 2 front vtreads
mount either bench seat or get some baja bucket seats still not sure.
fab up a simple roll bar just in case ive heard these cabs dont hold up to rolls very good.


 
This is replacing my Old Ford Ranger which was SAS'd with 3/4 running gear and 34ltbs

[midget28]

Old truck was ugly but had amazing flex the computer and all the wiring harness was fried on its last outting so all the good parts were dissmantled and saved.

[midget28]

some other random pics.

[4x4orbust]

that will make a nice offroad buggy.    kinda threw me off when you said the other 2 v-treads,   didn't realize the rear was already mounted...    how tall??
whats the running gear on it?   1/2 ton, 3/4 ton?
  
have any plans to protect the motor area from mud?  

looks promising so far,  keep on it!!

[midget28]

lol yeah the pics dont do the Ag tires justice the lug is over an inch and a half tall on the most worn section lol. As for motor protection from mud not really a big deal despite runnin ag tires I dont play in the mud to much but the trails around here are old coal mines with steep loose hillclimbs and ag tires work the best. I do plan to eventually rig up a  snorkel of sorts and move the rad to behind the cab but going to tbi is higher on my priority than that to be honest.

Everything right now is stock half ton running gear which should work fine as the ag tires are only 34" tall but I am searching for a D60 something fierce Im just cheap and not willing to pay a grand for one axle.

In case anyone is in the southern Iowa area you could check out www.miobi.org its the website for Make It Or Break it 4wd club.

[4x4orbust]

sounds like you have a plan!   i (personally) would still try to avaoid any mud/dirt from getting on or near the engine,   as it gets caked with mud and dirt, it could run hotter and cause premature belt failure.   
you should be good with the 1/2 ton running gear, but those ag tires get heavy!    keep a light foot and you shouldn't break too much.  keep us posted on the progress!

[midget28]

 LOL light foot no way Ill be stocking up on spare parts though. The ag tires themselves arent that heavy each of these tires and rims is about the same as my old 34x10.50r15 ltbs on steel whitespokes.

Quick question bc I know nothing about chevys will the outer stubs and lockouts off a ford Dana 44 fit this truck? I have a 79 D44(3/4ton version) with brand new lockouts and the axles are still good and Ive "heard" those parts swap out.

[midget28]

 And for your entertainment heres a video of some of the club wheeling at our club grounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qgclvedDSw

[midget28]

In case anyone wonders late 90s early 2000s wheels DONT fit..... I have to grind the center opening larger to fit the rear and I had to just re center the fronts to clear the tierod

[4x4orbust]

grinding is never any fun....   looks good with the ag tires on it.    should throw a shackle flip on the rear to help that suspension articulate.      any plans for a cage?

[midget28]

Sort of as you can tell from my ranger Im pretty hard on body panels and I really dislike the body of these trucks. This wont be caged for awhile were planning to get all the good out of the body that we can lol then it will be removed and my old dirt modified cage will be grafted on.


We have since removed the axles from this and the front clip was removed the old frame rails will be slighty raised to act as rock slider/ boatsides. When we do this more rear frame will be removed in favor of the mod frame and 1 link coil suspension. Once you have ridden in a buggy you get hooked and visibility is so much better. Of course this is still all in plannin stages and goes out the window if I can find a good deal on an f150-f250-f350 buggy thats already built so I can let the gf keep this truck and I can have my own.

[midget28]

It was to dark to get good pics mounted but I got alot of progress done lately.
 
Driveshaft has been shortened.
Shocks mounted with rear shock hoops (Changed my mind and instead of running them at a 45 there straight up off the u bolt plates if it doesnt get all the flex of the spring it will be changed though.)
Rear diff has been welded.
Rear bumper with 2 clevis loops built with 2"x2"x.25".
Battery tray and beer keg fuel cell mounted on steel plate covering the rear frame rails.
Front bumper has been built but I think its temporary Im not sure how well it will take a hit and Im a bit to wreckless to not have good bumpers.
Bench seat has been raised 1/4" for better visibilty.... ok Im lieing the bolts snapped when taking it out so I just welded some bolts to the floor and bolted it back down on top lol.
Front axle has been replaced however I found out my lower balljoint is loose and of course I realized it AFTER I had everything put back together.
Wilson 5000 CB antenna mounted and Im trying to decide the best spot to mount my Cobra Classic to stay dry and safe since the rear window is out and the front prolly wont last long.

Things left to do:
Change balljoint
Remove AC compressor
Fix exhaust conundrum currently rusted off and broke just past the exhaust manifold.
Run rear brake lines
Make a simple rollbar for WOT mishaps
Install sweet bicycle squeeze horn lol.
Remove overload leaf spring and shim the pinion angle up a few degrees Im kinda worried about munching the driveshaft joint at full droop.
Replace front drive shaft U joint thats loose.

Hopefully soon so I can test it out before memorial day.

[midget28]

[4x4orbust]

nice how'd it do?  break anything?

[midget28]

Not yet but I got a vibration either my tires have to much air or I need to remove a leaf or two from the rear spring pack.