Hackster's Autocross Track Day Truck (Garage Build)

[will69camaro]

Great start man. Thought this was a repeat thread then saw the old build in the background. Two early model trucks with diff brand power plants. Awesome.

[Che70velle]

Nice job! You've got skills! Garage build here also. Nice find on the donor car. Lots of old trucks around these parts like the one your doing, but they all seem to be long beds. Pretty rare to see the SWB models. Leave the patina!

[WSSix]

Seriously, you did a great job on the turbo truck. I have no doubt this one will turn out well, too. Keep up the good work and keep us updated.

[fleetus macmullitz]

Garage builds FTW!




Subscribed.

[hackster]

A little suprised to see all the comments.....but its pretty awesome!!!! Thank you all.

Fuel tank fits like it was made for the back of these trucks after you cut and flip the rear crossmember and move it back a bit. Aeromotive Phantom pump setup is so much cleaner than the way I did the LS Truck.





Had to get a little creative, shortened the stock MT82 shifter down by almost 5" and built my own mouting for it to keep it a little more beefy.



To this...much more reasonable





Mount





So these things dont come with any kind of power steering setup. Luckily Ford racing sells a pump mount, so I got a 2010 power steering pump and the ford racing bracket and voila a pump where the AC used to live. Still needed to figure out lines to get from the 2010 pump to the reservoir and back to the rack on the 2009 Crown Vic frontend. It like building a puzzle without knowing all the pieces when you start



Belt and some hoses figured out.





I spent far too much time agonizing about the battery. I wanted it in the back of the truck but there were lots of drawbacks, the biggest one was getting the wire to the back of the truck, there was just no good way to get it back there and then there was the whole disconnecct issues of having to run the charge wire from the alternator back to the disconnect so it actualy functions.

So after a bunch of research, I found that there are some less common batteries with some newer technology that work really well. Although it will be up front, it will be really low and is half the weight of the Optima I was going to use.

How all garage brackets are build....cardboard



Duplicate onto metal



Getting it mounted to the frame





Pretty happy with how this worked out.



Sean

[will69camaro]

Tank and battery mount looks awesome.

How did you make that box? You have a bender?

Keep up the good work!

[rustomatic]

This truck is killer! I really like how you went old-school (in hot-rod theory only) with the already-capable donor car and tried to use as much already-engineered stuff as possible. This (approach to building) has been my obsession lately, after so many years playing the bolt-on game.

I'll look forward to seeing the finished product at Thunderhill next year!

[Sonar Chief]

Wow .... this is some nice hot rodding!! Question: I see you have a lot of dimple die action, I saw a couple photos of the press and a model, who's dimple dies are you using? What rating is the press! Is most of the bracing 3/16th?

Looks awesome ...

Michael

[syborg tt]

Great looking build


Marty-MJ
www.garagescene.net

[hackster]

Originally Posted by will69camaro

Tank and battery mount looks awesome.

How did you make that box? You have a bender?

Keep up the good work!

Thanks, I have access to a bender but currently do not have one at home. I doubt if any of the big shops would ever do work this way but I make my template and then score the piece of metal with the thinnest cutoff wheel I have. Then I have a good place to start the brake and can make it bend where I want it. Once it is all formed up, I just weld it all up. It might take me longer but it gets done on my timeline which is something I have learned to respect more and more.

Originally Posted by rustomatic

This truck is killer! I really like how you went old-school (in hot-rod theory only) with the already-capable donor car and tried to use as much already-engineered stuff as possible. This (approach to building) has been my obsession lately, after so many years playing the bolt-on game.

I'll look forward to seeing the finished product at Thunderhill next year!

Thank you, the idea was to take something that I know works, and works really well and stuff it all under the 68. I hope it works =)

You and me both look forward to it at T Hill. I have very little road race/autocross skills so it will probably be terrible but its a place to start to say the least.

Originally Posted by Sonar Chief

Wow .... this is some nice hot rodding!! Question: I see you have a lot of dimple die action, I saw a couple photos of the press and a model, who's dimple dies are you using? What rating is the press! Is most of the bracing 3/16th?

Looks awesome ...

Michael

Harbor Freight press and its a 20 ton unit. Dimple dies are just some off pirate I bought years ago. Most of the plating on the inside of the frame is .120, the thicker suspension brackets are all .250 and a little .188 mixed in there.

Thanks for the props!!

Originally Posted by syborg tt

Great looking build


Marty-MJ
www.garagescene.net

Thanks Marty.

Having a rough day at the office today so I decided to come in and update this a little more today. Making good progress but not 100% or even 80% sure that I will make T Hill.

Built the rest of the fuel system, its all push lock style fittings and hose. I have had great luck in the past on it.

Main run up the frame rail is 3/8" Stainless hard line with -6 ends braized on.



I am running the fuel pressure regulator at the rear for the clean look. Not sure it will be perfect but I like it. Some manufacturers run them back here so should be alright. Running DOT Airline hose for pressure reference to manifold



Got rid of the pesky fuel filler while I was at it.



I need to do a little touch up with the proper paint method but you will never be able to tell it was there when I am done.



Then I started ont his project.....I should have just ordered new ones from Dennis Carpenter or something because this has been my major time suck lately well this and wiring, wiring for weeks now.

These had some rust issues and I was going to section up a couple of old inner fenders and make 2 good inners.



What I missed was that there was rust in other places on these and they looked not that great once they were welded up. So I cut off everything that was crappy and rebuilt.

Remember, paper first



Metal second



Welded along the top edge and ground down the weld and metal finished. I was able to do these without filler and they turned out great.