There's an OT, late 70's square body, Chevrolet Pickup Truck locally, that's rear engine; an older truck could be used, but why mess one up? No bed of any kind, open engine/transmission, and a BIG swoopy spoiler (I don't care for any of it!). It's all connected directly to the rear end, not with a V-drive or TH425 transmission; I have't been able to get close enough to really look, because it's always been motoring down the road. It does look like a 3/4 ton frame judging by the length of the exposed rear ch***is. It is a BBC with a TH350 transmission. Decent wheels, tires, paint, and probably interior; the guy has put some $$$ into it. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Did they stretch the truck, move the axle to the rear? The center of the rear axle on a long bed is maybe about 5 feet in back of the cab. A small block and short transmission is 4.5 feet long. If direct coupled it must have solid suspension or a moving engine mount. It would be interesting to see. I contemplated putting a front engine Cadillac ***embly in a pickup truck bed but decided it would be easier to put a truck cab on the Eldorado frame or a pickup box on the Eldorado. Then a guy wanted the Eldorado and I sold it.
Like I said, I have't been able to get close enough to look very closely; it's always been going down the road, and it's not worth it to try and chase the guy down. It may even be a dually rear end hid under the huge spoiler (wing). I am Butch/56sedandelivery
I have a 354 Hemi, a Hemi to BOP adapter, and a THM325-4L, which is the FWD version of the 2004R, and takes almost all of the same upgrades. I am looking for a 6-71 now. Still unsure where it's going, if at all. If you guys hate the idea, I'll probably do it.
Use a short 727 from a club cab or 4wd. Independent rear suspension from a Jaguar or Corvette. Couple them directly with a universal joint, no drive shaft. Unless it's for a show car, why?
"Still unsure where it's going, if at all. If you guys hate the idea, I'll probably do it." Hahahahahahahaha... THE very best reason of all, & it'd be a fun truck if done right. Marcus...
Exactly, and I only build show vehicles. If I wanted a hay hauler, I'd just take a briefcase full of cash down to the Dodge dealer.
There's a local guy with an early '50s Chev truck with a 500" El Dorado drivetrain in the bed. Parked and not running or going down the road, you'd never know... will pull the front wheels up easily. He tells me it was a pretty cheap swap too.
That ***embly would require a drastically extended wheelbase. I though this was a rod and custom site, not the Load and Trailer Message Board. Farmtruckjournal.com
Just saw this one on the Friday Art Show, posted by Gary C Gary does a bunch of mid motor concepts. Some very cooooool
I saw pictures somewhere on the 'net of a chopped 70 dodge van wheelstander. It had been built with a sub-frame with engine, trans, (tail housing and shaft shortened and solid axle close coupled. The sub-frame was held in the van by 2 pivots near the rear of the engine and 2 coil-overs on the axle just inside of the tires. Might not handle the best on a washboard road, but got the job done in a quarter mile on 2 wheels. One of the bragging points was that the pivots were easily separated and 2 bolts had the coil-overs loose, so maintenance was quick and easy. Just lift the body off and cart it away on the front wheels
for something different, mount the trans directly to the rear and build the suspension like a big go cart
Why would you deliberately put a monster under your bed, pun intended, when you can have a truck that can be used as a, wait for it.... As a truck with a bed! I know I'm slow, and I just don't get it? Do you wonna go little red wagon with it? Because of you want to do that, come out an say, I'm all for that, and you get more good info right of the bat. If you just want to fill a good bed with an engine, go and google Roadkill mazdarati of stubby bob walk around
<<<It's a Model A closed cab pickup, so there ain't much of a real bed. It is going to be a show rod, regardless of where the engine ends up. If it ain't in the front, it will be in the middle, not the back, with a reversed THM325-4L, or a TH425, short drive shaft, and a decoupled quick change (flipped ring gear) solid axle, so the left axle tube just clears the blower pulley. I don't build rat rods. It will have full, nice paint, and a full interior.
Put an Olds Toronado setup in an early VW camper bus. The guy wanted to be able to pull his jet boat up Ute p*** to the lake and not take 2 vehicles. Had to put a section of rail road track behind the bumper to keep the front end down. People would freak out seeing a what they thought was a 40 horse VW van going up the mountain pulling a 17 foot boat in the left lane p***ing cars. Built a bolt in sub frame so the whole thing rolled out. Used boat cables for the gas pedal and shifter.
I recall there being a Model pickup with a Porsche flat 6 complete with transaxle installed kind of in and under the pickup box which looked interesting, but not my favourite hot rod....
"People would freak out seeing a what they thought was a 40 horse VW van going up the mountain pulling a 17 foot boat in the left lane p***ing cars." This also is just enough reason to do this. Marcus...
Friend of my Famous Uncle built a bug with Toronado engine and transaxle. I didn't understand exactly what he did but I can see that Gimpy knows- something had to be changed otherwise it'd have 3 reverse speeds and one forward.. he was a goofy ******* but the ultimate recycler/repurposer. Even used the old dual exhaust- they stuck out under the front bumper. He got tired of redoing the front end of that car. Seems he'd get frisky with the throttle and then get scared when he'd see the sky and let off or stomp the brakes. Front end would slam back to earth and bend/break things. Also have a friend up the road with a corvair pickup with v8 mounted. Sorry my examples are ot but I think worth the story. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
You need to turn the entire engine and transaxle around, and then overcome the obstacle of one forward gear, and three reverse gears. The reason for turning the engine and transaxle around is weight. When it is in its native application, in the front, the majority of the weight is behind the axle centerline. If you simply move it back to the rear, the majority of the weight is still behind the axle centerline, except that is out the back of the car, creating a liability. In the native application, the engine is turning the common V8 direction. Since the transmission is next to the engine, with a chain between the pump and the gear section, the transmission is effectively turning the opposite direction, facing forward. To accommodate this, GM designed a special ring and pinion, where it is effectively "flipped". If you want to turn the transaxle around, you need to "un-flip" the flip. There are kits to simply turn the differential over, or you can de-couple it, run a driveshaft, and use a differential setup that is "flipped". This is what the builder of that V12 GMC 702 truck did. That truck runs a quickchange rear end. I know that there were flipped quickchanges made, but they are rare enough for some to claim that they don't exist. The good news is that you can make your own. Some, but not all, quick change center sections are very nearly symmetrical, with the difference being in the structure around the pinion teeth, and the reinforcement rib that supports the third pinion bearing. With some quality time with the TIG welder, and the mill, these structures can be mirrored, allowing the carrier and ring gear to be installed on the other side from "normal". For high torque operation, on a TH425, at-least, dual chains are a mill/lathe/welder-job away:
while not a pickup, this ( ragged edge of the HAMB ) Corvair shows a SBC against a TH425. Traction is not a big problem
My buddies RPU. Used to have an LT1 with Porsche transaxle, then was swapped out for 3.8l supercharged Chevy. Never keep up to him in the twistys
I believe you may be referring to the truck built by Walt Leatherman and his son. There was a build thread on Volksrods.com but don't know if its still there. Walt has a shop in Santa Rosa California. It was a very well built truck! 66.
I do believe that Walt used a Corvair mill. & you should check out how he modded the front (tube) axle... ! Marcus...
Audi V8 and transaxle might have been made to go in the back of a pickup or van - everything is exactly where it needs to be.
In mentioning that the bed cant be used anymore because its full of engine--i dont know of any restored car show trucks that get used for anything other than car shows and weekend drives anyway
On this VW pickup, the engine, trans, and rear are mounted on a movable cradle inside the frame. They all move together as one piece when the suspension moves. Front is on a single mount like a wishbone ball that allows each side to move upward or downward independent of the other side, you go over a bump with the right side tire, only it moves up, just like on a leaf spring solid axle. IIRC, it's running a 350 SBC with a short Powerglide.
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