Rear engine truck....How hard would it be?

[team39763]

Me and my brother in law saw this truck on TV and it had it's motor mounted in the bed.  He asked me if it was possible for us to do something like that.  I'm no mechanic or fabricator, so I really wouldn't have a clue where to start.  I had read an article or something and a guy had a rear engined something(truck or car?), and used a super short driveshaft....like 6 inches.  Anybody ever played with a project like that?  I'd imagine it would make a good drag truck.
Here's one that I found, but it's an s-10 and it looks to be more of a half rail dragster and half truck.
http://www.classic-muscle-cars.com/1982_Chevrolet_S_10/1982_Chev_S10.html

[FlatBlack77]

Could be really cool if it was done right...

[Lt.Del]

a family member of my wife's took an old ford granada and put a caddy motor in the trunk (well, took his rear seat out as well) --that thing was faaaaaast!!

He ran his radiator hoses the length of the car--must've been some water pump on that thing.


As to what is involved, I'd say you sure will be doing a lot of welding---putting the engine mounts on the frame, tranny crossmember, etc...

It would take one heck of a tranny linkage for you to control the tranny.

[HAULIN IT]

Team, The simplest way to do it is with a Toronado/Eldorado transaxle. A Buick-Olds-Pontiac will bolt right up, with an adapter plate a small/big block Chevy. The internals of the trans.(clutches,shafts,gears) are the same as the TH400, with the front drive parts added. The trans axle & shafts can take SOME abuse. You get an independent rear suspension,4-wheel disc brakes in the deal also. I have seen several of these done over the years. A guy near me built a S-10 with the front motor/transfer case to the front axle & a blown Hemi in the bed with (2) transfer cases, the trans went into one (near the back bumper) up over the rear axle to another one & back to the rear axle. He never did any thing but putt it around at cruises making a bunch of noise, I think I know why. Have Fun, Lorne     

[86 chevy silverado]

We had a guy in town that drove a tubbed vega wagon with the cad motor/ transaxle out back. Pretty cool.

[FlatBroke]

Sounds like some interesting ideas here.

I like them.

[team39763]

Now I'm dreaming of a mid-engine blazer.

[SUX2BU99]

When I was looking for my 85 shorty fleet 2wd in 2004, there was a local 77 stepside 2wd that had a Cad 472 and transaxle put into the front of the truck, making it FWD. The price he wanted was in my budget but I was leery to buy something like this, since who knows how reliable the conversion would be. I wouldn't want welds to break or whatever and buying replacement parts would always be a bit of guesswork. Something like that is always best done (or paid for) by the person who owns and drives the truck so they know exactly what they have! Definitely different though.

[Preyemer]

There was a guy a few years back that had a toyota with a VW motor in the bed. It was featured in minitruckin. It looked awesome with the motor back there.

I've always wanted to take and s10 and put a honda motor up front and make it FWD. Just to have something different to show

[FlatBlack77]

I've always wanted to put a snowmobile engine in the front and back of an S10 and make it AWD.