50'S yank pickup..engine swap ideas?

[steveo3002]

i keep fancying a 50s yank pick up , you see some okay priced ones with buggered engines

i was wondering if anyone had seen any differant conversions other than the usual camaro /350 front clip

i was thinking ....

merc sprinter( are they rwd )
transit
maybe a big merc or bmw car lump

basicly something thats readily available and not expensive

[akku]

the Series 1/2/3 Jag XJ6/XJ12 front clip goes nice into a 50s Chevy 3100. You'd want appropriate mounts to drop a SBC or whatever in there on top, but I've seen a "how to" in a magazine and the Jag clip looks like it about designed to fit LOL. Plenty of LHD Jag steering racks about so you can keep it correct hand drive.

The Ford Mustang II donates its front clip to just about any street rod style project, loadsa pickups have these, so much so that you can get an aftermarket Mustang II front clip now from several suppliers with no actual Ford parts in it. Spendy though.

Another one which seems popular under old pickups is the Plymouth Volare / Dodge Aspen clip which is odd because its basically transverse torsion bars not coil springs, but I've seen a fair few done so they must fit up OK. Probably one for the Mopar guys who don't want Ford or Chevy parts under their Dodge truck. I assume if the Volare clip works you could also use a Mirada, Imperial, Fifth Avenue, Diplomat etc as a donor.

check eBay, the US scene breakers, NSRA site, etc.

[kevfromwales]

^^ what ak says is good!

I've got a camaro / trans am clip under mine, and it works a treat - but if I was doing it myself I'd deffo use jag, be dirt cheap to source a front end, you can punt the rest of the donor on, then spend the rest on a nice oil burner to drop in!!

be rhd too, which would be much better for overtaking!!

- kev

[kevfromwales]

oh yeah, and for mills, it would have to be a 1.9 td pug motor, on a sherpa lt77 box ftw!
(that's what I was contemplating for mine, before common sense went out the window and I stuck to 8 cylinders!)

maybe a trannie Di as an alternative??

[v8ian]

Looking a sraight 6s The BMW diesel from a e39, they can also be found in the Vauxhall Senator

[akku]

a chap I know had a Vauxhall Omega I think with the big BMW diesel in it and it got appauling MPG - like upper 20s. Which when diesel costs so much more than petrol makes no econonic sense unless you have a good source of red diesel or something. YMMV and all that though

[kevfromwales]

red diesel you say ak....

thinking about lpg for the chevy when it goes in, but going to smoke the chevy straight six first, see what that's like in mine - that's xmas day's 'afternoon' job - get that in the hole!

[akku]

LPG FTW. 42p per litre...

[steveo3002]

does the 3rd(?) gen trans am stuff work?

i just figured it sounds like a mugs game trawling all over for a trans am thats breaking , prob paying top money for it and then find its all worn out and bodged up anyway lol

[MartinC]

LPG over that funny smelly diesel stuff any day.

Pers'nally, I'd run the straight six and original axle!

Anyhoo, someone I know has a '55 Chevy with stock axles and a straight six diesel of some J origin or other. He seems to like it. Each to their own, I'd rather be skint & walk more than subject a truck to a J engine.

[dude]

cummins with an huge turbo strapped to it.

[akku]

Dec 24, 2008 9:58:32 GMT steveo3002 said:

does the 3rd(?) gen trans am stuff work?

As I recall, the 3rd gen is McPherson Strut front end so not so easy to transplant... Not impossible, but a dual wishbone setup is soooo much easier.

[briandamaged]

Nissan RD28T turbodiesel, 2826cc inline-six that pulls like a train, and sounds like a Kenworth. I had one in my Range-Rover, even loaded with marshalling gear and 4-up she'd do 80-85 all day long at 30-35mpg.

[steveo3002]

Dec 24, 2008 13:38:05 GMT @briandamaged said:

Nissan RD28T turbodiesel, 2826cc inline-six that pulls like a train, and sounds like a Kenworth. I had one in my Range-Rover, even loaded with marshalling gear and 4-up she'd do 80-85 all day long at 30-35mpg.

what vehicle were they used in ?

spose another option is to find a later model pick up and mount the body on the later chassis/running gear

[briandamaged]

Dec 24, 2008 13:51:24 GMT steveo3002 said:

Dec 24, 2008 13:38:05 GMT @briandamaged said:

Nissan RD28T turbodiesel, 2826cc inline-six that pulls like a train, and sounds like a Kenworth. I had one in my Range-Rover, even loaded with marshalling gear and 4-up she'd do 80-85 all day long at 30-35mpg.

what vehicle were they used in ?

Nissan Patrol, they did a 2.8 Tdi and (IIRC) a 4.2 as well which is much bigger.

RD28T has 130bhp and just over 200 torques.
;D

[gasserjay]

About 4 years ago I did the camaro clip swap to my old 56 suburban, I had no idea how it's done just knew that it worked.
It made sense, vented disc brakes, independent front, power steering and a better stud pattern for wheel choice.
Every person I spoke to told me not to do it they said theres
better safer ways of doing it.
Over here it seems there is some stigma about putting a camaro
clip on people who cant do the work themselves think that its
gonna fall off.

Anyway.

Found a gem of a camaro



And me and my mate started work





I used the front clip and rear axle.



After starring at it for about an hour deciding where to cut
I went for the full drop by leaving the kick up at the front Z ing
it's called I think.






Once you start doing it everything just comes together so
easy there were no headache's at all.
The same for rear axle just flipped it over and made some new
brackets.







If I had to do it again I would still use the camaro clip it makes
much more sense to keep every thing GM and adds value
rather than taking it away.
As for engines it's a tough choice, I love Nissan diesels the range
in the photo had one in but when you start putting odd engines
in American motors your really pushing it.
Ive got a 75 F100 that someone put a transit diesel in I bought
as a parts getter and that's a ford in a ford and it still makes
me cringe.
My advice would be to keep the standard 6 in or a good 350 v8
they are not as bad as you would think to run.

[Deleted]

I happen to know where theres a complete transit Ambulance with a manual 2.7 DI in it , everything there that you could want , its a smiley front one on a N plate , bloke wants about 400 for it , Did think about it myself for future use

[steveo3002]

suburban looks ace...have you left the outside like that? id like to see more pics

thanks for posting

[gasserjay]

Dec 24, 2008 17:37:50 GMT steveo3002 said:

suburban looks ace...have you left the outside like that? id like to see more pics

thanks for posting

Not long after this I had to sell it for a house deposit so I never
got the chance to finish it.
The plan was to keep it looking ratty but I think the new owner
wasn't to keen on it.






The day she left

[steveo3002]

hahah thats quality how the ball hitch is just bolted to the bumper , cool old truck that