Lots of general questions

[Supercharged111]

It's funny how turbo is associated with Japan( and by some names here China for some unknown reason-but funny af)and yet it was invented by Swiss guy, used widely in american war planes of ww2 and commercially in cars first in Corvair and Jetfire. But I guess it was popularised by Japanese brands.

I think it has more to do with the Teriyaki Tittie Twisters you can get dirt cheap on eBay than where they were invented. And us lumping all Asians together.

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[sneakingfart]

I read this entire thread, and I found it interesting because these "race trucks" were popular back when I was 17...around the early 2000s. It's a cool concept, but to be honest, I don't really understand it. These are heavy, brick-like vehicles, designed for work, not speed. But who am I to judge, being an almost 40 year old guy with a built Civic Type R, that resembles those Fast and Furious movies.

But in this thread you didn't seem to mention your budget, your skills, your tools, access to a lift, etc. You can do anything you want with the right skills and equipment, or enough money to throw at a project. At the age of 17, I was driving a Geo Metro,,,certainly didn't have the means to build a race truck.

Realistically, a naturally aspirated Vortec 350 is probably good for mid 400 HP. Solid for sure, but will not make you a race truck. Then you have to consider suspension mods, brakes, maybe transmission. And finally, mechanical problems that will arise from racing. It's an expensive proposition. But anything can be done.

 

[Erik the Awful]

400 lb ft of torque is easy to do on a budget and will make your truck fun and very usable.

But you're 17. If you want your truck to be a bonus in the dating scene, here's your steps:

1) Make it reliable. Maybe back in the '50s it was popular to "break down", but that's a hair's breadth away from being a creeper.
2) Make it clean and comfortable inside. It doesn't have to be car show clean, but:
...a) Pick up your trash and dust it every now and then.
...b) Vacuum the carpets.
...c) Get some vinyl paint and make sure the plastics aren't faded and match reasonably well.
...d) If you need to, replace the seats with seats that aren't torn, stained, or crusty.
3) Make it look presentable on the outside. You'd be surprised how cheap a new set of TYC taillights and corner lights are, and they'll make the truck look $1000 better.

 

[Pinger]

It's funny how turbo is associated with Japan( and by some names here China for some unknown reason-but funny af)and yet it was invented by Swiss guy, used widely in american war planes of ww2 and commercially in cars first in Corvair and Jetfire. But I guess it was popularised by Japanese brands.

Germany in my mind. BMW's 2002 Turbo, Porsche's road going 911 Turbo and race exploits.

 

[Scooterwrench]

Reckon I'll throw my two cents in,
That truck is just too heavy to turn into a race truck but it can be a nice race car hauler and DD. Find yourself a light 1/2 ton or S-10 to build your race truck with.

 

[movietvet]

Lots of "getting in order" suggestions in this thread: https://www.gmt400.com/threads/1990-k2500-better-days-ahead.65060/

Headliner, visors, front and rear light assemblies and side moldings.

 

[Dariusz Salomon]

Germany in my mind. BMW's 2002 Turbo, Porsche's road going 911 Turbo and race exploits.

And Saab

 

[Dariusz Salomon]

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[brdh24]

400 lb ft of torque is easy to do on a budget and will make your truck fun and very usable.

But you're 17. If you want your truck to be a bonus in the dating scene, here's your steps:

1) Make it reliable. Maybe back in the '50s it was popular to "break down", but that's a hair's breadth away from being a creeper.
2) Make it clean and comfortable inside. It doesn't have to be car show clean, but:
...a) Pick up your trash and dust it every now and then.
...b) Vacuum the carpets.
...c) Get some vinyl paint and make sure the plastics aren't faded and match reasonably well.
...d) If you need to, replace the seats with seats that aren't torn, stained, or crusty.
3) Make it look presentable on the outside. You'd be surprised how cheap a new set of TYC taillights and corner lights are, and they'll make the truck look $1000 better.

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It really doesn’t need a lot of fixer upper work, it’s a genuinely nice truck. The outside is pretty much perfect except for some new rims, brake lights and some small dents. Interior is the same story, only thing wrong with it is a crack in the dash from someone doing a **** job putting my radio in. **** sounds amazing too, after getting some work done on it. All it’s really missing other than that and leveling it out is some upgrades under the hood and it’s pretty much complete.

 

[brdh24]

Rig

I read this entire thread, and I found it interesting because these "race trucks" were popular back when I was 17...around the early 2000s. It's a cool concept, but to be honest, I don't really understand it. These are heavy, brick-like vehicles, designed for work, not speed. But who am I to judge, being an almost 40 year old guy with a built Civic Type R, that resembles those Fast and Furious movies.

But in this thread you didn't seem to mention your budget, your skills, your tools, access to a lift, etc. You can do anything you want with the right skills and equipment, or enough money to throw at a project. At the age of 17, I was driving a Geo Metro,,,certainly didn't have the means to build a race truck.

Realistically, a naturally aspirated Vortec 350 is probably good for mid 400 HP. Solid for sure, but will not make you a race truck. Then you have to consider suspension mods, brakes, maybe transmission. And finally, mechanical problems that will arise from racing. It's an expensive proposition. But anything can be done.

At this point I can’t afford to invest anymore while I’m in high school. So far I’ve fixed the ac 3 times, painted the grille, gotten the exhaust done +2 brand new cats, fixed the radiator, a new distributer and plug wires, a k&n filter, replaced the master cylinder in the brakes, an aftermarket radio and speakers, and replacing the hood, bumper, and radiator again as well as fixing the frame and grille after I got in a wreck. And I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of repairs because for a while it was on a constantly in the shop with problems streak. Plus changing the oil and gas I’d estimate I’ve sunk between 6-7k easy in it. And I still gotta save for a car+ paying to get into college. I don’t really have a lot of mechanical knowledge, I was never raised working on cars or anything hands on like that. The most I can do is change the oil and check coolant and oil levels. I’ve come a long way from when I first got that truck, back then I thought rpm was how fast the tires were spinning. But still not build and tune a drag engine levels. My plan is to get out of college, get stable with a job, house, and income, and start throwing money at it. Headers, bigger cam, an actual cold air intake, just anything to get it really moving and pushing numbers.