Smaller engine rat rods??

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I'm betting he's in the UK somewhere. I remember the gas versions of those trucks only had about 80hp, can't imagine what a diesel would be.

50hp?

My dad had a 81 or 82 chevy luv diesel way back when. I took it to test and tune one time and ran an ET of 21.50 @ 52 mph beating the poor truck as hard as it could be beaten.
 
My dad had a 81 or 82 chevy luv diesel way back when. I took it to test and tune one time and ran an ET of 21.50 @ 52 mph beating the poor truck as hard as it could be beaten.

That time actually made me laugh out load lol I bet it was consistent as heck tho!
 
250 with custom intake

I'll be running a 250 with 4 sidedraft makuni carbs and a th350 trans. It will be interesting to see what kind of milage I get with this setup.

Kurt
 

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My dad had a 81 or 82 chevy luv diesel way back when. I took it to test and tune one time and ran an ET of 21.50 @ 52 mph beating the poor truck as hard as it could be beaten.

One of my high school buddies had one!!! That thing was hilarious! 0-60mph in about a half hour! And in the dead of winter or middle of summer it didn't matter if you didn't plug in the warmer it wasn't starting!!!
 
I love builds that use anything but a 350. The motor is the heart of a rod and just as much love and creativity need to be put into it also ( in my opinion). This is my dad's 40 chevy that he used an old Toyota pickup to build. Gets great mileage, 30-35, and is a lot of fun to drive. During spring, summer, and fall he drives this thing everyday to work and wherever else he needs to go because it is cheap and fun to drive. His next build is a rat VW bug which he may put a Subaru motor in get more power. The Street Rodders in the area dislike the 4 banger but standing apart from them is one of the positives of rad rods. They also think it needs painted, haha. [ddd
 

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Quad makuni's

It's a set off a 2000 Suzuki R1 bike so all it needs is a throttle cable to the factory linkage.

Hopefully the plenum will make it easy to keep adjusted.

Kurt
 
Subaru transmission for transaxle

I once saw a truck blog video built by an Aussie I think called "mid mounted Mazda mini truck"

he took a subaru flat 4 and transmission and mounted it in the bed of the mazda, then removed the tailshaft and mated the once front drive axles to audi independent suspension.

actually now I remember he adapted a v8 to it later but the subaru transmission as a transaxle seems awesome.
 
I used to race mini-stocks on a 1/4 mile dirt track. I had an 84 Mustang with a 2.3 4-banger in it. It was fast for the class and sounded cool. Lots of differnt heads made for those and tons of HP tricks. Esslinger makes after market stuff for them.

My competition was the Toyotas. They would take 22R's with a 20R head and a 4 barrel....and they were hard to beat.
 
There's a rancher in the area that has(or possibly HAD) a huge old International V-8 set up as an irrigation pump. I used to go out and start it for him, each spring. Clean the carb out, new points, ect. If I remember, it was 745 cubic inch with a two barrel carb. I'd love to put that in something small. Just the WTH is that? factor would be great. Plus, I could pull a bulldozer if the need arose.

I agree with the V-8 people but, everybody has the right to what they want. I just can't get away from the window rattling, bone shaking, gas guzzling, thrill of a big block. When I was about 12 or so, a friend of the family had a '66 427 Vette. He scared the crap out of me and I wanted more. I even sold my Honda 65 and bought a 90. Just needed more power. Been like that ever since.
 
I've long thought about doing this, but there's something about big power in a hot rod. Nothing about a Hot Rod makes sense. If we were doing things the most sensible way, we wouldn't be driving old iron. Hot rodding is based on the unnecessary, and it's just a fun experiment in things that shouldn't be done. It's about whatever makes you happy. For me, that's a big engine with lots of torque. If for you it's something with great mileage, then do it.

I love the Roadkill Videos that Freiburger and Finnegan from Hot Rod Magazine do on Youtube. Two of the best quotes I know about hot rodding come from that channel.

"Hot Rod magazine is 100% about things that no one needs. You don't need it, but it's your life." - David Freiburger

"If you can't pull up to a gas station and strike up a conversation with your fellow man over your car, what are you doing?" - Mike Finnegan

You don't need 400+ HP in any car, but it's fun. In the same vein, if you don't mind the weird looks and silent muttering that go with having an economically-minded engine in your rod, go for it.
 

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