what do you think>?
 

recently i bought a pure-stock race car for circle track racing at my cottage. this equates to alot more hauling with a car trailer then i used to do. the ford exploder , although it has the tow package, is just not cutting it anymore. I've been looking around, and dodge or chevys with diesels are real expensive, even used. so here is what ive come up with.

either:

buy a 1 ton truck with good frame & body,

or

a truck with good cab & fenders, box and body, without care for the frame at all.

the plan: Drop in running gear (engine & tranny, & possibly rearend) from a Hino, Fuso or some other kind of truck like that. they have a 5.2L 4cyl Diesel motor, and a 5 speed standard tranny in them. they are build to gross over 19,000 pounds, so i should think that the running gear would be up to the challenge of pulling whatever i could put on my trailer.

also, when running around empty, i think i could get some pretty decent milage out of it, with it being a 4cyl, & a 5 speed, & weighing way less them a HINO with a cube box on it would weigh empty

If i were to get a truck body without a frame, i would be planning on dropping the pickup body onto the Hino Chassis,

If the Pickuptruck body has a good frame, and a 4 speed, Id only be putting the hino Diesel motor in.

Sound like a good plan?

anybody ever thought about, or done something like it?

Re: what do you think>?
 

Knew an ole dude that put a perkins diesel in a 1 ton ford. its still used in the oil fields out there somewhere

Re: what do you think>?
 

I'm gonna be in the same boat shortly (hopefully)...I run what we call cruiser class (basically stock with a 360 c.i. engine rule) and haul the racecar ~25 miles to the track every weekend with a F-150 (it does OK but isn't outstanding). Hopefully in a couple of weeks my 68 stepside is road-ready and the F-150 is on the selling block. Anyway...my plan is to buy a decent, running utility truck or flatbed and just leave it hooked up to the racecar as a packageand use my stepper as a DD. I know of a couple around here (KY) that I could probably get for $1500. I'm leaning toward the utility truck since they have all of the bins for those "racing parts". Good luck on the racing and whatever you decide on the truck.