New Start... Need Advice

[garage_runner81]

Well i picked this up from a fellow member...04 F-150 xtra cab... my plans are to make it a street legal runner. 1.75dom or 4130... somewat like baldwins but without all the fancy top dollar parts. wondering if you guys can help me pick out some parts... such as motor tranny, rear etc... should i put stock or build something else? wat kind of rear can i go without spending max dollars...spindals? i dunno if this really belongs in show n tell but i didnt wanna post topics in every category.. so sorry if its wrong....? any advice would be good.

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[Offset Photography]

so running no frame rails?

[garage_runner81]

planning on full tube chassis... otherwise i gta go buy a frame. i need to figure out what parts to use without paying top dollar. im not too familiar with all the diff versions of everything...

- should i use stock motor and build it or go with something else?
- built 9".. but wat housing..
- spindal choices?
- etc...

any suggestion would be GREAT ..

and like i stated above, sorry if this isnt the right section to post.

[Haycock]

how much are you willing to spend??

if your on somewhat of a tight budget you could run a LS motor, that if you dont mind running a chevy in a ford... i think as far as a stock motor gos you will get the best bang for your buck.

for the rear end if you dont want to buy a tubeworks or something high dollar like that you should check out the spyder trax 9", i havent seen one in a desert truck but with some bridging it would be great for a low dollar rear end.

what size tire do you plan to run on it?

[BrandMattice]

i know the up front cost of expensive heims etc. sucks but it might be the one thing hard to cut corners on. if you get cheapies youll wind up replacing them in half the time thus probably spending more than the initial cost of an aurora persay. i suggest you get good ones and just try to find deals... the off-road swapmeet on the 9thMar should get you somewhere. if not with bearings than with something else for sure. bring some cash and hope for the best.
as for motor i probably dont have best advice but i think by using the biggest oem motor you can get and maybe adding simple bolt on mods you can keep it cheap, easy to maintain and reliable.
in the case of the spindles, i think you need to first figure out what hubs you will run or have so you can find a snout to match the bearing sizes from most offroad fabshops or retailers. sometimes, either in the classifieds or even at the swapmeet youll find spindles and or whole front suspension kits for that matter! same goes with rear end housngs, oil coolers, shocks (used or ding& dent sales), springs, rod ends, threaded inserts for the arms, fittings, seats, belts, you name it.
the bottom line is, its all gona have a big bottom line- no matter what, even if you do cut every corner possible. not to discourage, just be prepared! good luck and have fun!

[garage_runner81]

yea. i knw i gta get all the good parts like heims n shocks watever. basically just need help with motor/tranny, rearend and spindals/hubs combo... i have a somewat built 350 w about 400hp and a th400.. dnt knw if thats enough. i already have a built 9" w stock housing. i knw the housings make a big difference. are any of the Currie housings worth it?

thanks guys so far for your help... i knw its gna be a big project.

[DRIVE Jon]

If you are planning on street legal, I hope you have your strategy for getting it through smog....using non-stock engine/trans. Im sure you have thought about this. Please share your plan if you will.

Sounds like a great project! I vote for using your 350...it should move it around just fine, and can be hopped up as far as you want to go.

I am no expert on Currie, but there Extra-Heavy-Duty/Extreme Duty housings should hold up pretty well based on .25" tubes. The Extreme duty already has a brace built in. You can find currie axles, things turn-key, quite often on RDC classifides...as long as you are not set on a floater. I have seen plenty of OK deals on Dirt-Tech housings as well in the classifides..and they are probably superior to a Currie. Ford components are popular!

Jon

[garage_runner81]

question.... wen doing a tube chassis, how are you guys connecting the cab to the chassis? do you make body mounts or just weld cab straight to the chassis?

[tre5]

Speedway engineering has full floating chromo rear ends. They can be had for a little cheaper than the curries. I would go 2" for the main tubes of the chassis. Another engine choice, if you want to run a stock engine setup is get a wrecked car/ truck. Maybe a 5.4 Ford F150?? That way you get all the emmisions stuff that you are going to need in order to pass smog. I would do that, to keep the initial cost down. Then after you have the truck up and running (and past smog) you can start playing around with getting some more power out of it.

[Blitzkrieg Motorsports]

If you were wanting something stronger then the stock 9" housing, Take a look at our website. We have Custom 9" Housings that we can make to any width. BMS Offroad: 9" Housings

We can set you up with a Flanged or Floater housing. If you wanted to go towards a floater housing, we offer floater hubs as well as front race hubs. BMS Offroad: Hubs

Check it out! If you have any other questions, feel free to give us a call at the shop 714-630-0630