Ok, not a rod but eventually it will become a custom I realize it's kinda on the outskirts of On Topic. Picked this up last saturday from a guy in my hometown, I ended up trading him my 73 Dodge Polara for it. It's a stock runner and driver with soft brakes and scary looking tires also it's got a 4 speed with a 2 speed rearend and a PTO dump. For the moment I plan on using it as is around the farm but hopefully in a few years I'd like to convert it into car hauler duty. Anyone got pics of these style trucks setup as hotrod haulers? ****O
Dude, That's really cool, my buddy and I have been talkin about that style as a car hauler (not hot rod but parts cars). I really want a COE style but that is cool also. We're on the look out. Congrats on yours, keep us posted if you customize it! Also how do they handle, like a truck ? What's the realistic cruising speed? I have a buddy with an old 50's milk truck that's all restored and I think he tops out at 50.
That's great, Hidden Valley Ranch truck, That's a lot of dressing.. Aaron, my first drive from the guys house to our farm I got it up to about 50 that's with the old splasher 235, I'm thinking with a little work tuning it I'll be able to make it run better. I might swap a later full pressure inline into it, a buddie has a GMC 270 that I'm trying to talk him out off. The 2 speed rear gears in it are 8:10 and 6:10, I'm not sure if theres newer big truck rearends out there with better ratios for my Light duty use but I'm gonna check into that too. ****O
Look for a P series or old motor home for the big disc brake rear end and front axle. Should be a fairly easy swap and have some better cruising gears. I saw a whole motorhome with that setup and a 454/th400 at the last Chickasha swap meet for $100 and nobody bought it. Another guy gad a really nice 5 window COE cab that could have been bought right. Good thing I was broke or that whole project would be in my yard right now.
I rode in a few of those trucks growin up brings back memories.I know the guy who owns this yellow one Hes a power tour long hauler.He owns a yamaha shop here close to my house.that things been across country a millon times.He uses it To haul trikes he sells or whatever else.It does not seem to have any gr*** growin under it.Heck build you a big pickup bed and just make a gaint version of the little truck.LOL Later sgoe
All guys love trucks,,,and whats not to like about yours,,,and you can drive it so it ain't YARD ART! HRP
That 270 would be great for that truck. I have a buddy with several 250's and I know they are really good engines. What would be really cool is a 302, but I think those are gettin rare. $100 for a whole motor home WITH a 454! Man I gotta get down to texas! Acutally I just sold a 74 Honda 750 to a guy near Dallas that I have to have shipped down. Too bad I don't have the time to deliver the bike myself. Maybe then I could bring something back to the great white north
I'm a diesel-head and I can admit it. Probably the best setup for your truck might just be a big four cylinder turbo-diesel (White, ***mins, or Detroit) such as I drive every day. They're not small in displacement, near 4 litres, and put out an amazing amount of torque. Couple this with a five to seven speed and a two speed axle, and you'll have a stump-puller that'll run on the highway with the big dogs, AND get around 10 mpg or better. Overall size (I can get pics if you want, PM me) isn't bad, smaller than the 235 in most respects. Torque figures I do not know, but figure in the high 300's, maybe slightly over 400 lb-ft. Life expectancy?? Most of ours are over 3-400,000 miles, all beaten by guys who barely know how to shift.... Where to find?? Dunno about your area, but there should be some truck junkies around. Secondary choice for me would be a Daimler-Benz five cylinder turbo from a 1979-1985 Merc p***enger car. Plenty of torque, long-life (400,000+), plentiful enough, and small enough to make it an easy swap. $2,000 gets a running car, which you then swap in an SBC and flog it down the road for probably more; as a sleeper extraordinaire. Downside is it was only availabe as an automatic in the USA. My two cents... Cosmo
Congrats on the new project...I see those old grain trucks on ebay all the time, and they usually go for cheap...but they are always in Nebraska or Minnesota or other places a million miles from AL, and I don't think one of those will fit on BenD's trailer. Here's a link to an ended ebay auction that had a cool truck Take a look at the engine setup....just what cosmo was suggesting. Bring yours to the HAMB Drags this year...you can match race Mokan's owner's dump truck! Brian
Fer sale? It might be. I sold it the day before I bought it. Want me to ask the new owner? Hes wanted one for years. This one runs good. No brakes! lol I doubt if he will sell it.
Forget Texas, I DROVE my 454/T400 home for FREE. It cost serious money to dispose of an intact motorhome, you can't just drop it off somewhere, the local junk yard doesn't want it. Look for one that looks like it hasn't moved for a few years. If I'd have pushed I think his wife would have paid me to take the one I have. I have a '52 6400 very similar to KC's that I'm thinking I'll move onto the P30 frame some day.
Cool old truck. That engine might be a 261? I think the big trucks had the bigger version, maybe? I would swap later model dually front and rear suspension on there. Get modern brakes, tires and gear ratios. A car hauler would be real cool. I am building the same idea. I picked up a 49 Ford COE, but junked the complete frame and stock axles. Could not even give them away. I did pick up a free motorhome to use for the ch***is, although it was less engine. It is a 73 GM ch***is, perfect for a 454 engine, can't beat big block torque. I stripped the motorhome down to the rolling ch***is, piled all the junk on my car trailer (16 foot long, five feet high and about seven feet wide load!!) and made a dump run. Now I just need to find the time to put the COE on the motorhome frame. And of course the rest of the build process........
Here's my latest truck aquisition. Two owner (I'm the third) and lived its entire life less than 5 miles from my house.
Sweet! I been lookin' for one of those for my little place. That and an old ford 8n and I'll be set. The stovebolt page has alot of cool info.
This would be a GREAT car hauler! Maybe someday when I get some money... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6173&item=4527424899&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
You said it, the old COE's are just about the coolest rigs ever made in my book. That is what I'd like to do, modern driveline cl***ic looks, so freakin cool!
The yellow truck would be great but I'm hoping to go with a more vintage looking rig, anybody know, did they do ramp trucks really in the 50's? With the addition of some long removable ramps and a winch, you think I could get away with haulin' stuff on it as it sits. Maybe tilt it up about 15 degrees hook up some ramps and winch stuff on? Should work I think. The motorhome ch***is would be very cool, I'd love to have the disc brake rear and a higher gear axle. I'll keep an eye out if anyone runs accross one around MO,KS or IA that they're not interested in let me know. We have our own dump at the farm I can stick the rest of the motor home in, Unless it's nice then we can just slide it off and turn it into a hunting lodge.. The concept of a m***ive pickup bed and some extra fat fenders has been discussed but wouldn't really be practical for my needs.. (But I still like the idea) 270's can be bored out to 302's and the buddie that has it has about 3 302's sitting around in various states of rebuilding, Talked to him this weekend and I don't think he's gonna give it up, but I'm not in a big hurry on it so who know's. The motor in it now is for sure a Babbot 235, If I find a 261 somewhere it's going in my half ton and the 235 in it will come to this truck. Diesel would be cool if I were gonna run it alot but I'll prob. stick to the inlines (The only motors I know much about) for now. Been talking to the Big Truck guys over on the Stovebolt too and they've been great help. Nosurf, we've also got an 8N on the farm... Thanks for the interest guys, ****O (KC****O)
It looks like a 4400 or a 6400 which means the bed is 12 feet long just like mine. The guy I got my 6400 from told me he hauled a '57 Chevy on it once. It was minus front bumper, pushed up against the cab, and the rear wheels barely ended up on the bed. I don't know how accurate that description really was, but the point is that a 12 foot bed limits you to hauling vechicles where wheelbase plus either front or rear overhang is 144 inches or less. A '57 Chevy will almost fit. That Honda Civic you want to haul to the dump should fit just fine. So the option I've been thinking about is to just pull a trailer and use the cargo capacity of the truck to carry tools and parts. Like that extra motor or fenders that might come with the next treasure I find.
Cool truck! If my fiancee ever LETS me, I'm going to buy an old 50's dump truck and turn it into a bad*** pickup truck. All these guys running around in H2s annoy me.. I'll sit a foot higher for about 45 grand cheaper I have fond memories of riding shotgun with my grandfather when we brought grain to town in his '63 International grain truck.. He use to let me pull the red plunger on the shifter to flip the rear end. I now LUST after having one just for the hell of it.
Oldsub, Yeah I can't believe I didn't post that info, yes it is a 1953 6400. The PO told me it was a 14 foot bed but next time I'm up there gonna measure for sure. And I agree serveral of the times I've picked up parts vehicles there were "other pieces" that we had to struggle to get on the trailer. I'm sure most trips it will have the 16 foot hauler behind it. ****o
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