Oh so kind of like this:

http://www.kreativerodwerks.com/

Studebacker body on s-10 frame

I think the 3.0 is going to ruin the project though. Badass truck and little wimpy motor lol

 

Yeah a lot like that. Again, re-read my posts, I realize the 3.0 isn't the greatest, but the truck has huge amounts of sentimental value to me, and I want to use the engine as a tribute to all it's taken me through. When it blows, I'll drop in a hot v8.

 

I understand why your doing it I was just giving you my opinion. Are you going to keep the front clip on the old truck body or run true rat rod and leave the engine visable?

 

True rat baby :) That's why I like them, is the open engine bay. I REALLY want to paint and chrome out the 3.0

 

I think you should keep the ranger cab, and cut the pillars down to lower the roof.

 

Diggin' it!

Rat Rods aren't supposed to be reliable! Half of the fun is IF you are gonna make it to your destination, not when.

 

X2 and get a flip out windshield.

 

dont forget to top off your blinker fluid!

 

any more progress?!?!

 

You're really trying hard with that, aren't you?


None that I can take pictures of... It's about 22F and icy as hell outside, so I haven't ventured outside except to grab a smoke here and there, and that was too much cold!!! I've spent much of the day looking up info on various bits and bobs, and so far it keeps looking better and better.

I'm almost 90% sure that I've figured out how to rig a carb onto a 94 3.0, if it does work expect a full, detailed write up and report, because really I'm sure that there would be a lot of people out there more than happy to do away with the computer. I'm thinking all I'll need is a decent carb, some piping, a new gas tank and a cheap fuel pump. I'm thinking a 300cfm carb and a 7psi pump will do nicely. AND STOP TELLING ME I SHOULD DROP IN A V8! hahaha that's plan B. I really want to carb the 3.0 because I can, because it hasn't been done before, and because I can. If not, then I'll start looking for a 305 or a 350.

 

chop the top (lowering it), keep the 3.0 FI. Turning a FI engine with so little power into a carb'd engine is ****ing dumb. You can get all of the emissions stuff turned off in the computer so all you need are the essential sensors instead of crippling it's performance even more.

Other than that, good luck.

 

Keep it EFI and hollow out a carb to use it as a Throttle body :D. you get the looks and get to keep all 150hp

 

Yeah, thinking more and more about it I think that it's a really cool idea to carb a 3.0, it's possible, but it's just not practical. So right now I'm thinking more of finding a 302, preferably a 350, or if I can find one, hell yeah a 383 and making it work. It won't be that much more expensive, and plus, I'd have to weld on new mounts anyway, that way once I get the cab off I can mount the motor 6"-8" further back on the frame, and cut down the front end so it has that awesome wheels-way-out front look of a classic rat rod without cutting out and movinng, then rewelding the front suspension.

 

Hmmm, haven't heard about this. How do I go about it? Got any links?

 

Well, I've decided NOT to pursue using the 3.0.

A) While I'm conviced with enough tinkering, it WOULD work, the key word there are with enough tinkering. It looks like it would take tens, if not hundreds of hours more work to get a carbed 3.0 running than it would be to just get a v8.

B) While it would be really, really sweet to have a carbed 3.0, it's a carbed 3.0... It probably wouldn't even be able to get out of it's own way, lol. Plus, I'm just as addicted to the sound of an open header V8.

C) If I put in any manner of V8, I'm going to need to fabricate and weld on new motor mounts. So, by forcing myself to do so, I can put them whereever I want, which open up a LOT more options for the front end, and well as cab and bed options, too.

D) It's a godd@mn 3.0.

So I'm going to shelf the idea, not abandon it, but shelf it. The 3.0 will live on, on a stand in the corner of the garage and whenever I'm bored I'll spend an hour here and a dollar there until I get a running, carbed 3.0... ... In 2035.

 

get a 460 in that ***** it will haul *** and be sweet

 

i'd stick with the b3000 cab and just put a new box on that thing

 

We'll see. The B3000 cab is really, really wide compaired to the engine and frame, so it looks akward.

 

That could be fixed

 

I have a 460 core shortblock that id give you FREE if you werent so far away.

 

Sweet! Can't wait to see this thing!

 

DANG IT!!!! DANG IT!!! My roommate left CA YESTERDAY. His sister just moved out there, and he turned 21 two days ago so he's combining helping his sister and a trip to vegas for his birthday... Argh.

 

without the cab its pretty much just whatever one you put on there on a diff frame.

If you want this thing to be a b3000 rat rod you're going to have to keep the original cab IMO

EDIT:
THE B3000 cab is wider than the 40's chevy cab? hard to believe

 

Small update today. Today is a snow day for the schools which means I don't have to work, and trust me, snow days are FEW and FAR between in Texas, so I've been taking it easy, knocking down a few cold ones and watching movies with the roomies. (They all work for the school district too). I did get a little done, and I may go out and work on it some more tonight.

Out with the old, in with the older! Or something. Took all the scrap metal from the front end to the scrapyard, made $3.55




Incidentally, that's 1/4 of a 100 gallon school bus fuel tank I got from work and was using as an oil pan

Big update, which I'm really glad about, is my buddy who works for a local shop agreed to come out and drain out the freon from my A/C if I put the shop's logo on the cab's door "or something amusing" Not a bad deal. Took off the A/C radiator and scrapped it, cut out the copper pipes and scrapped those. Freed up quite a bit of room. Next to go is the heater core and blower motor.



I love this pic. You can really see it almost start to look like a rat rod a little bit. I've still got a ****-ton of work to do though. Like this. I still have to deal with the huge mess of a wiring harness.




And here's a quick video of the garage and the project so far.

 

no going back now!!